Chapter 131 - 109: Do Machines Dream?

Cooperating with the Empire for mutual benefit?

Lin Lan carefully examined the steel block with very low human content in front of him, his thoughts wandering.

Just as Ed described, as the elite core of the Mechanical Legion, the Night Owl Hunter’s first impression was cold, solemn, and merciless.

Even though the opponent had not yet shown hostility, the steel prosthetic body reflecting the cold light still had a strong sense of oppressiveness.

Now that I think about it, the styles of the Empire and the Alliance are indeed worlds apart.

Although the Alliance merchants from White Oak and Star Ladder are more or less arrogant, their way of doing things shows that the Alliance truly advocates freedom and idealism.

Even though the location of Lion Heart Island is geographically closer to the Northern Empire, the sea around it is full of Alliance people.

Voyagers love to sail their ships around the world, flamboyant and high-profile, even the relatively backwards Fortress Main Island actively dispatches legions to the deepest parts of the sea to explore.

As for the Northern Border Empire, it seems to always be gloomy and restrained.

This was my first time encountering figures from the Empire...

Why did they rush to discuss cooperation just after I finished off the Abyssal Bishop?

Is this the Hunter’s own idea, or a strategy set by the Empire’s high level from the beginning?

The cold wind swept across the broken walls and collapsed pillars, moving the bloodstained hem of the gray-haired boy’s clothes and the Hunter’s cloak, making the atmosphere fall silent for a moment.

The Night Owl Hunter seemed patiently waiting for a reply from the Ark Leader.

At the same time, Lin Lan’s curiosity grew richer...

The opponent had no heartbeat, no breath, the steel-crafted body motionless, like an ice mountain silently standing on the snowy plain.

What on earth is this guy...

Is it a bionic from the Ancient Century similar to Bai, or a cyborg with all organs replaced with prostheses?

Lin Lan did not rush to respond to the proposal, nor was he planning to make a hasty decision, instead, he grasped the Philosopher’s Stone he carried.

Let me take a good look at this.

In the next second, an invisible rift opened behind the gray-haired boy, and the Foreigner cast his gaze towards the fragile present world.

Seeing the golden lines connect to Lin Lan’s eye corners, Lucia naturally followed suit, holding tight to the golden Crystal Stone, and peeked out from behind Lin Lan.

The next moment, both of them were taken aback.

The Night Owl Hunter did not exhibit any obvious change, but some new and marvelous scenery appeared above ’his’ head.

Some illusory, blurry, hazy ’bubble-like mist clusters’ seeped out from the gaps in the brass cheeks under the hood, swirling around the Hunter’s head.

These ’bubbles’ connected with each other, accumulating more and more from bottom to top, finally constructing a large, fantastical virtual space above the Night Owl Hunter’s head.

It was a narrow, rectangular room with an area of less than five square meters.

The room was monotonously silvery-white, with a strong man in a dark double-breasted Empire uniform seated at the center, his nose straight, cheekbones prominent, eyes gloomy and sharp-looked like a standard Northern tough guy.

The most important thing is, a gigantic mechanical creation sits before the man.

This thing looks like a modified pipe organ instrument, occupying nearly two-thirds of the space, with an extremely complex and bizarre structure.

The creation seems rooted and integrated with the mist cluster space, with several layers of strange-buttoned fan-shaped keyboards on the front, and on top densely packed metal tubes of various lengths and shapes.

The ducts constantly inhale and exhale the novel transforming mist clusters, the bubbles sinking down and reentered the depths of the steel hunter’s mind.

Is this one of the Northern Empire’s core technologies?

Lucia and Lin Lan watched intently, without blinking.

Apart from the mechanical creation, the room’s furnishings were very simple, with only a chair for the man to sit and a plain gray iron bed.

The entire space felt like a depressing cage.

Immediately after, the two saw the strong man place his hands on the mechanical creation’s central area, patting and tapping away on those densely symbol-carved keys.

The mechanic began to rumble, steam reddening the mechanical lower tubes, spinning gears weaving intricate Empire symbols.

The next moment, the Night Owl Hunter shook his body, emitting a deep voice: "Lord Roland, our time is precious, please respond quickly."

Lin Lan’s expression became strange, still not responding.

He exchanged a glance with Lucia beside him, and they both tacitly chose to continue observing.

The man furrowed his brows, preparing to continue operating, and in the next moment, micro light flashed from the eye sockets of the brass face of the Hunter.

Just then the mechanical creation inside the narrow room started vibrating, some texts spewed out from the topmost brass tubes of the device, floating steadily in the air.

Frost Falcon: "No. 444, how are things going?"

"This information originates from New Imperial City, current space structure stable, Mechanical Dream-Submerging Holy Artifact operating normally, text reliability: 99%"

The man dared not neglect, instantly typed in response.

Night Owl No. 444: "Reporting to the Duke, just now, the Ark Leader completely killed King Ryan of Lion Heart Island, successfully seized the Kingdom’s Northern Border territory, and I am currently confronting Lord Roland head-on."