Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 1681: Generous

The Magic Cube was making rapid progress in decrypting Fermera’s firewall.

Once Sein fully helped Fermera break free from the Gallant Federation’s control, his first order to her was to come to the top floor of the skyscraper immediately.

Well, it was not quite an “order”. The relationship between them was neither master and servant nor even superior and subordinate.

The upgraded Magic Cube could exert a certain degree of restraint and command over low-tier intelligent robots, but for a high-level robot like Fermera, its influence was negligible.

It could only act as a medium for Sein to establish a temporary and friendly connection with Fermera.

Getting her to come over served two purposes: allowing Sein to aid her recovery and strengthen the bond between them.

He was also curious whether this awakened angel robot harbored any desires of her own.

Sein could only command such a formidable fighting force if he could reach a mutual understanding with her.

As he manipulated the cube, the avatar watched him with keen interest.

HALL-E, no longer lost in nostalgia, sensed the cube’s peculiar fluctuations even more clearly than the avatar did.

It was also highly sensitive to the cube’s changes.

Noticing their interest, Sein explained, “This cube isn’t actually my creation. I obtained it from the Gallant Federation. It didn’t originally possess all these capabilities. Its initial function was simply to assist robots in awakening their intelligence and to perform limited repairs.”

Even Magus World powerhouses like Grethel were unaware that Sein’s Magic Cube had originated from the Gallant Federation.

Upon hearing his explanation, astonishment spread across every face.

The avatar remarked, “Beyond the profound technological mysteries contained within your cube, it also seems to hold some peculiar law-based energies. This power is truly extraordinary. It accounts for at least half of the energy within the cube.”

avatar’s words reminded Sein that his Magic Cube had once been taken away by high-ranking officials of the Magus Civilization for a period of time.

Its first transformation had occurred during that interval. Even Sein himself did not know what the cube had actually experienced.

For now, he chose not to waste mental energy on mysteries he could not yet solve.

“You mentioned that those inert crystals are produced by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s Infinite Energy device over immense spans of time. Do you or your civilization keep any research records related to them? If so, I believe we could strike a deal,” Sein proposed.

“We in Magus World adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange. Whatever you desire, we’ll strive to fulfill it,” he added.

The avatar shook its head with a small smile.

Desireless and needless—that was its current state.

It no longer feared even death. What desires could possibly remain?

Without further explanation, the avatar led Sein and the others directly to another laboratory on the top floor of the building.

Inside this lab, the avatar retrieved the research documents on the inert crystals, along with its own records documenting the evolution of these crystalline formations over millions of years.

In truth, the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s scholarly research on inert crystals was quite limited, with much of it lost or destroyed over the vast expanse of time.

By contrast, the detailed records the avatar had compiled over millions of years, tracking the formation and evolution of inert crystals, were exceptionally valuable.

When Gilbert saw this information, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He had devoted his entire life to the study of mineralogy, yet when it came to the evolutionary history of minerals spanning hundreds of millions or even tens of millions of years, he could only observe the results after the fact and attempt to reverse-engineer their development.

It was nothing compared to the avatar’s ability to witness and document the entire process firsthand.

Setting aside all other considerations, this single record alone would yield an astronomical reward in Arcane Light once it was brought back to the Magus Civilization and submitted to Sky City.

Master Gilbert might even earn the title of Rank Five Arcanist directly through this discovery.

Without a word from Sein, Gilbert and the others stepped forward on their own, immediately beginning to sort through and process the information.

Even as he marveled at the discovery, Sein once again asked the avatar, “Are you truly certain there is nothing you require from us?”

“To receive such precious information without offering anything in return would somewhat violate the principles of our Magus World,” he explained.

This time, the avatar lowered his head and thought for a moment before replying, “In that case, if you are willing, perhaps you could look after the intelligent robots you mentioned.”

“Research into intelligent robots was a project my creator, Dr. Charles Isaac, began in his later years. Both HALL-E and I are essentially the fruits of his research, and judging by the results, I think he could be considered successful.

“I will not leave this place. The intelligent robots are my kin. While I feel nothing for those Nexon robots you mentioned, I would not wish for lifeforms like myself to vanish entirely,” the avatar said.

“The intelligent robots will certainly not vanish. In my view, they represent an emerging lifeform with immense potential for growth and development,” Sein asserted, his voice firm.

The avatar named Number Two smiled upon hearing this and said nothing else.

Master Gilbert and the others were making slow progress storing the recorded information. Beyond the inert crystals, Sein and his group also intended to copy other technological data from the top floor of the towering skyscraper, making the workload even more daunting.

This avatar appeared quite approachable. Just as Sein was debating whether to ask about examining the replica of the Infinite Energy device and the other secret treasure fragments on the upper floors, a loud commotion suddenly erupted from directly beneath them.

It was Bond and his team!

Number Two projected a screen, displaying them clearly on it.

As expected, Bond’s team had suffered heavy casualties after being targeted by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s artificial intelligence.

However, technological civilizations relied most heavily on their equipment.

The force of that earlier explosion was barely enough to threaten a Rank Six creature, but it was only slightly weaker than the destructive power of Sein’s super bomb.

Where had Bond acquired such a thing? And how many more like it did he still possess?

In normal combat, Sein was not particularly vulnerable to externally delivered energy strikes, as such weapons rarely landed with precision.

This likely explained why Bond had refrained from using this kind of armament during his previous confrontation with Sein.

Disposable weapons like these were most effective only against stationary targets.

Sein had managed to severely wound the eight-winged angel with his super bomb because Fermera had not been a true living entity at the time.

Many of her movements had been stiff, and the priority of commands issued by her control center outweighed any consideration of injury.

This was also one of the reasons the Gallant Federation’s robot legions were fearless on the battlefield, instilling overwhelming pressure and terror in many weaker allied creatures.

It was only under such conditions that Sein’s super bomb achieved extraordinary results.

It was much like the main cannons of Magus World’s space fortresses. Upgraded generation after generation, their destructive power continued to rise while energy consumption steadily declined.

Yet no matter how powerful they became, they were pointless until their attacks actually landed!

What law-wielding creature would be foolish enough to stand still and let the barrel press against its forehead for a clean, direct hit?