Chapter 221: Fourth Pet Beast? Great Machine! The Brass Imprisoning All Living Beings |
Before Lu Yu floated a human-sized, black-red sphere. It emitted a complex, nauseating odor, like the stench of rotting fat from a dead body mixed with the scent of blood!
Although the rat swarm was almost entirely dead, the Black Oil within them did not die quickly like a normal parasite that had lost its host.
Instead, it continued to squirm.
They yearned to break free from their restraints, but they were firmly suppressed by the surrounding space!
'Its life force is even more terrifying than a cockroach's, but thankfully, it can't corrode space…' Lu Yu mused, clearly sensing its weird characteristics.
At this moment, Little Mouse also piloted its Soul Cloud closer, tilting its head. Remembering the appearance of the rat monsters from before, it said narcissistically:
"These rats are so ugly, they don't even have one-ten-thousandth of Little Mouse's beauty!"
As expected, it was the cutest… hamster in the world!
Sister Spider was just a tiny bit stronger than it!
Its own family members were the best!
o(〃'▽'〃)o
'Sister Spider is the best!' Little Mouse was extremely moved upon hearing this. It would be even more perfect if Sister Spider stopped giving it rat poison.
"Roar?" Eggy, on the other hand, showed a look of disgust toward food for the first time.
It wasn't that it couldn't eat it, but rather, it felt like it was looking at something tainted.
When it was buried in the graveyard of the Crimson Dragon King, it could make do, but now…
It was a dragon with standards!
Lu Yu had Little Spider try to separate the fresh blood and the Black Oil, but it quickly failed.
The two were too deeply fused, to the point where they were indistinguishable from one another.
'The fresh blood can't be separated. No, it's more accurate to say that it's a product of the Black Oil itself, originating from the same source. But enabling a machine to give birth to flesh and blood is not something an ordinary person can do. Could it be related to some Evil God?'
Lu Yu frowned and directly extracted it as a material, wanting to see what its source was.
An eternal white light descended. Amidst the struggles of the countless black oils, it was instantly extracted into a material.
Although the Giant Rat was pieced together and wasn't a Morning Star Rank material itself, the sheer number of rats combined, along with the weird Black Oil, actually made it a four-star material, corresponding to the Morning Star Rank.
【Blood of a Modified Digging Gold Mouse (Four-star, beginner): The ancestors of the Digging Gold Mouse were among the creations that escaped from the Spirit-Machine Kingdom, a species born from the radiation of the "Machine Bone" ecosystem.
Its entire body is constructed from a mechanical skeleton, with no fur or flesh. It looks like a mechanical mouse, with a racial potential of peak Elite.
Its racial skill, Digging Gold Claw, possesses the power to easily crush rock, which it uses to excavate ore.
It also inherited the characteristics of a mouse, enjoying digging tunnels underground and stealing food.
It has a strong perception for ore and often excavates mineral veins deep underground, searching for beautiful ores to bring back to its nest to help its companions build their home. It has a docile temperament and will not attack unless it feels a fatal threat.
The larger the rat swarm, the more artistic the nest they build, which is why there are many folk collectors who enjoy collecting rat's nests.
If you walk into an area and the ground suddenly collapses, it might be because a large number of Digging Gold Mice have been digging for ore.
The Rat King of the Digging Gold Mouse clan was parasitized after consuming the "Glimmering Oil Impurity" left behind after special refining. Its own mechanical skeleton underwent "Sacred Mechanization," from which flesh and blood were born, putting it in a superposition state of flesh and machine.
During this period, as long as it continues to kill, it will have a nearly infinite energy source. As long as its energy core is not shattered or its body completely destroyed, it will maintain its will.
It will also crave to collect more life, metal, and so on. After devouring them, it will continuously perfect itself until it completely metamorphoses into a complete "Sacred Mechanization" form.
To this end, it overflows with a large amount of degraded Glimmering Oil, which has terrifying transmission properties and can modify both mechanical and flesh-and-blood lifeforms. It thus contaminated its entire clan, sticking the rat swarm together.
It can be made into the high-tier Skill Secret Food "Sacred Machine Gold Claw." The claws, after being modified by Glimmering Oil, will have their power and hardness greatly increased, but there is a chance of producing Glimmering Oil during use, which can contaminate both the opponent and the user.
It can also be reverse refined to obtain 【Glimmering Oil Impurity】, which has the ability to modify both flesh-and-blood and mechanical lifeforms.】
Lu Yu had also seen the Digging Gold Mouse in an illustrated folio.
It was a cute-looking mechanical mouse that liked to collect ore. Because it was easy to raise, it was also kept as a pet by some people with peculiar hobbies.
But their appearance was a completely different vibe from those weird rats he had seen before!
The difference was even greater than that of an Aberrant Body!
It was like the difference between a human and a highly evolved zombie during the apocalypse!
And what shocked Lu Yu even more was another piece of information…
Glimmering Oil!
"If I remember correctly, isn't this the infinite energy source that the Machine King Domain has been touting recently?" Lu Yu murmured.
Netizens from the Machine King Domain said that as long as it was mastered, the Human Race could start a new round of a technological big bang, once again raising productivity levels and the power of firearms!
It could bring about the Floating City-State Era ahead of schedule!
Furthermore, a Mechanic had once actively contacted him, wanting to use Glimmering Oil to help the Imperial Black Crimson Dragon Ant undergo a Mechanical Advent modification.
Its uses were quite extensive!
But…
How did this key to advanced technological civilization become the source of this demonic beast upheaval?
*'However, the material information mentions that it's the 【Glimmering Oil Impurity】 left after concentration and refining that has the contamination effect.
The original 【Glimmering Oil】 might not have this side effect, nor would it drive lifeforms insane.
Bio-energy is also a type of energy source, and according to the information, it is indeed nearly infinite and of immense value…'*
Lu Yu thought to himself, but a hint of suspicion had already formed in his mind.
Since the refined impurity had such terrifying properties and could even artificially create a Morning Star, it should be considered a treasure by all rights.
How could it appear in the wilds?
And be coincidentally eaten by a Digging Gold Mouse that feeds on ore?
Could there be a hidden laboratory nearby?
All sorts of doubts flashed through Lu Yu's mind, but no one could answer them for him, so he could only suppress them for now.
Moreover, his attempts just now with the Eye of Truth and the material information had not revealed the slightest clue about the origin of Glimmering Oil, further shrouding it in a veil of mystery.
He reached out his hand and took out the extracted Glimmering Oil Impurity. It was no longer the black-red from before, but a pure black liquid, somewhat similar to crude oil, just not as viscous.
Lu Yu glanced at Little Mouse and said:
"Go on!"
"What!?"
Little Mouse, who was still slacking off, had a face full of hamster question marks. It could go into that?
It was most afraid of the dark!
If it went into that black, gooey thing, it would definitely break!
Besides, the corruption process in manga wasn't drawn like this, was it?
"Snowflakes drifting…"
Thinking of this, Little Mouse flew back a certain distance with a wary expression.
A radio condensed from its Soul Cloud appeared behind it, playing the BGM of "Snowflakes Drifting."
Ever since the mouse clones formed a guild and got a raise in wages, Little Mouse, unable to exploit its employees, was angry but had also begun to work for itself to have ample food and clothing.
Even without its mouse clones, it could let the Cultivator know the might of the Duidui Mouse!
But before it could launch a magical attack, Lu Yu spoke again:
"Go catch a mechanical lifeform and a flesh-and-blood lifeform. I want to run an experiment!"
He was preparing to test the specific modification effects of Glimmering Oil to understand the essence of its transformation.
To others, it might be contamination, but he wielded the Power of Taboo Secret Food. All things were materials.
It could be fully utilized.
After all, no matter how terrifying Glimmering Oil was, could it be more terrifying than the contamination of a Great Existence?
'Scared me to death, so you weren't planning to kill the mouse after it served its purpose…'
Little Mouse breathed a sigh of relief.
It naturally handled such a small mission with ease. Cooperating with Little Spider, it directly captured a Mechanical Bone Rabbit from the "Machine Bone" ecosystem in the Wilderness.
Like the Digging Gold Mouse, its skeleton was of mechanical construction, and its strength was at the early-stage Elite rank.
After being grabbed by the ears, it would desperately use the "Rabbit Kicks the Eagle" move, and then, because it was too noisy, it was directly bound by spider silk and hung in mid-air.
But a flesh-and-blood creature was a bit hard to find!
After all, the ecosystem of the Machine King Domain was not suitable for the survival of flesh-and-blood pet beasts. In human cities, however, there were modernized breeding grounds to provide food.
But they were too far away!
However, this was no problem for Little Mouse, because when the train passed through the Dark Star Domain, many creatures like flies and mosquitoes had snuck in!
Whether in his previous life or this one, they could always appear in every corner.
So Little Mouse directly caught five flies!
"Go!"
Lu Yu first threw the Mechanical Bone Rabbit into the Glimmering Oil.
The black Glimmering Oil, as if hunting, extended countless silk threads and, under the terrified gaze of the Mechanical Bone Rabbit, quickly crawled all over its body.
No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't break free!
The scene was somewhat similar to Venom's parasitism!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Lu Yu watched quietly.
Soon, the Mechanical Bone Rabbit's body began to change. It expanded from the size of a normal rabbit to a meter long, and its once smooth mechanical skeleton became ferocious, with sharp spikes growing out from the machinery.
Black oil continuously seeped out from its eye sockets and the gaps in its mechanical skeleton, pouring onto its strong legs, where red tendons began to grow. The muscles even began to twitch.
It presented a state of being half-flesh and half-machine!
Merely an impurity could perform the miracle of flesh regeneration. What a terrifying effect!
In that case, could the real Glimmering Oil complete the 【Sacred Mechanization】 mentioned in the information?
"Grr-ch, grr-ch!"
Just as Lu Yu was pondering, in the rabbit's eye sockets from which black oil was continuously pouring, its pale red eyes had, at some point, transformed into a scarlet color.
For the convenience of observation, Little Spider had removed the binding spider silk, which gave it an opportunity. With a kick of its hind legs, its figure shot out like an arrow that has left the bowstring, pouncing toward Lu Yu.
It was preparing to plunder his flesh and blood to complete itself!
"Roar!"
However, before it could get close, Eggy, who had been listless all this time, opened its hundred eyes. A terrifying Dragon Might spread out, instantly enveloping it!
Like a giant mountain pressing down, it forced the Mechanical Bone Rabbit to kneel on one knee.
It constantly tried to get up, but it was being crushed with a "crack-crack" sound, and the tendons on its legs continuously ruptured.
If it were an ordinary flesh-and-blood creature, it probably would have exploded into a cloud of blood mist on the spot!
"It was directly promoted from early-stage Elite to Commander Rank.
The modification effect of this thing on machines is indeed very strong…"
Lu Yu rubbed his chin and then began the rest of the experiments.
He found that there were terrifying improvements in hardness, recovery ability, and energy, especially the last one, which gave it the power to be tireless!
But there was a fatal flaw…
Its original soul was gone!
Because it wasn't a mechanical creation of a Mechanic and had not undergone Machine Spirit Awakening Consciousness, this bone rabbit was actually a special species born from the radiation of high-level energy on a rabbit in the Machine King Domain.
Therefore, it had a soul!
But according to Little Mouse, after its original soul was contaminated by the 【Glimmering Oil Impurity】, it turned into something similar to a machine spirit.
It overwrote its predecessor and became even more insane and filled with a desire for destruction!
"In other words, as long as a mechanical lifeform is contaminated by Glimmering Oil Impurity, it will become a symbiotic lifeform of flesh and machine.
Although its strength increases, its own will will be replaced, and it will become a new individual that is easy to lose control of and trigger aberration…"
Lu Yu analyzed and explained, then waved his hand. The still-struggling Mechanical Bone Rabbit was directly crushed into slag by Little Spider's spatial compression.
Then he extracted it again, took it out, and added the five flies.
However, the change this time was different.
The flies' bodies all expanded to the size of a basketball, but they didn't grow flesh and tendons. Instead, they were covered in a metallic shell like white porcelain.
Flesh turning into machine!
Machine turning into flesh!
And it could be endowed with a higher-level energy source, somewhat similar to a low-tier Spark Source.
And this… was just the refined impurity!
"How interesting!"
Lu Yu whispered softly, his curiosity about Glimmering Oil growing.
Was this thing a mistake from an official laboratory, or the private research of some ambitious schemer or Evil God Cult?
The latter would be better; they could just be剿滅 (annihilated). But if it were the former…
That would be trouble!
'But when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. The Alliance should manage it…'
At the same time, Yao Risheng had already had the Spirit Tree Butterfly manipulate the power of the trees, using Spirit Wood Replacing Iron to repair several sections of the broken railway tracks.
Although it wouldn't be durable in the long run, it was no problem for the Star-Piercer to pass through.
The relevant information had also been reported to the Mechanic Alliance, which replied that they would send people to investigate and repair it soon.
This made Yao Risheng breathe a sigh of relief. At least nothing major had happened in the Machine King Domain!
However, before the train started, he made a special trip to thank Lu Yu.
If he hadn't intervened, the Star-Piercer would have been finished. For this, he attached a carefully cultivated potted Spirit Tree Seedling.
Although it had no offensive ability, it would purify the air and emit a Spirit Tree Aura beneficial to living beings. Over time, it could nourish one's mental energy and strengthen their physique.
For some great families, it was also a precious darling. Over a dozen years, it could also increase one's potential quite a bit, making it easier for geniuses to appear.
Such a treasure, if placed on the black market, could easily be sold for the price of a top-tier Spirituality Transformation Level material, or even an early Morning Star Rank material. It was a very thoughtful gift.
Although Yao Risheng was at the Morning Star Rank, because he had refused a promotion appointment, his salary was still at the level of a train master!
In addition, a group of attendants had completely let go of their inhibitions and wanted to eagerly offer themselves, desperate to have a chat with Lu Yu!
A genius like him was like a top-tier beauty; whoever could have a moment with him had bragging rights to take out!
However, they were still politely refused!
The other passengers were also envious. After all, having good talent and being a prodigy who has already converted it into strength are two completely different concepts.
If they could latch onto a powerful figure, they could basically walk sideways in the Alliance in the future.
It was just a pity that Lu Yu was living a reclusive life and gave them no chance to get close!
Rumble!
The Mechanical Great Hammer swung again.
The Star-Piercer expelled a large amount of steam and set off once more. The wheels rolled over the Spirit Wood, making a "creak" sound as it headed toward the center of the Machine King Domain.
However, about half an hour after they left, a group of figures in white lab coats and white masks appeared here.
One of them, a white-haired old man, bent down and, with a rubber-gloved hand, picked up a small fragment of a Digging Gold Mouse, still stained with a very small amount of Black Oil.
However, it had been destroyed by Little Spider and had lost its original activity, unable to continue spreading!
The old man exclaimed: "As expected of the Borderlands' Tenth Prodigy. This growth speed is far beyond our imagination.
It should be comparable to a high-tier Morning Star, right?"
"About there. What a monster.
I thought his two dragon beasts were his core cultivation focus, but I didn't expect his first life-bound pet beast to be even stronger. The rumor that he inherited the greatest legacy of the Dream-Eating Cult is indeed true.
Every time the Age of Chaos arrives, this kind of lucky one will emerge. It's really enviable!"
Another crew-cut middle-aged man in a white lab coat spoke with his hands in his pockets, sighing as he looked in the direction the train had gone:
"We originally wanted to use the Digging Gold Mouse swarm for a surprise attack, forcing him to summon that Dragon Ant, then contaminate and control it with the Glimmering Oil Impurity from the rat swarm, and then use our refined 【Perfect Sacred Machine Oil】 to perform a Mechanical Advent and create a truly perfect life.
But now his strength has exceeded expectations. Should we proceed with our other preparations?"
"Give up!" The old man shook his head, frowning: "Once is fine, but a second time will definitely be discovered by that one in the Machine King Domain. It'll be troublesome if our identities are exposed."
"Alright then!" The middle-aged man nodded regretfully.
After all, he had been coveting that Dragon Ant for a long time, so he started his stratagem the moment he received the information.
As soon as the intelligence of Lu Yu's arrival reached him, he created chaos in other places to draw away the Silent Skyhawk drone swarm.
He thought everything would go smoothly, but Lu Yu slapped them hard in the face.
Combat power comparable to a high-tier Morning Star was considered upper-middle echelon even in their organization.
This grassroots kid from before was no longer someone anyone could just casually handle!
The white-haired old man saw his disappointment and said with a smile:
"We're just letting him go for now. Once the Sacred Machine Plan succeeds, a greenhorn like him will be easy to deal with!"
"You're right!"
The middle-aged man laughed heartily, looking at the sky.
Through the clouds, he saw the endless flow of countless information streams that enveloped the Great Domain, and said with a fanatical look in his eyes:
"May the Great Machine be forged, to imprison all living beings in brass!"
The old man nodded, and then, along with the others, took out a white sphere. It quickly transformed like a Rubik's Cube into a series of watering cans with spinning propellers, which flew into the air and sprayed a large amount of white mist.
The residual Black Oil, upon contact, quickly turned into wisps of black qi and dissipated, and the mist also erased any traces related to them.
Afterward, the group quickly departed.
Not long after, a buzzing sound echoed as countless shadows blotted out the sky. The Silent Skyhawk drone swarm descended, sealing off everything!
On the other side, the Star-Piercer Train was traveling at high speed, unaware of what had happened here.
After a day and a half of travel, it directly reached the first city of the Machine King Domain, and also the only one…
The City of Order!
Unlike other great domains where cities were scattered like stars, the Machine King Domain was less of a city…
And more of a district!
For example, there was the Steam District, which focused on steam technology; the City That Never Sleeps District, which focused on electrical technology; the Old Machine District, which focused on pure machinery, and so on…
There were eight districts in total, each the size of a city, spreading out around the central City of Order. If you looked down from above, it resembled a giant Bagua Pattern!
That's right, the Bagua!
Although Lu Yu was also shocked when he found out, according to the Machine King Domain's introduction, this was the optimal city layout derived by the Machine Mother from countless data calculations!
It integrated support, communication, defense, offense, and other effects, directly merging all cities to create a behemoth Mechanical Fortress Kingdom!
It unified the power of an entire domain!
Even an ordinary Undying Magnate could not break into the main district of the Machine King Domain!
Although the structure seemed excellent, it could only be realized in the Machine King Domain.
From laws at the top to entertainment and trivial matters at the bottom, everything was supervised and implemented by the desire-less Machine Mother. There was no need to worry about anyone dragging others down at any stage, and everything was handled in an orderly manner!
Nor could anyone bribe the Machine Mother!
Everything followed the rules!
In a sense, the Machine King Domain was the fairest domain in the entire Alliance!
Rumble!
The train didn't stop directly at the main City of Order, because that was the area where the Machine Mother's main brain was located, and a large number of top companies and factories were stationed there.
To enter, one needed to submit an application online for approval, which would be reviewed within one working day at the latest.
So the Star-Piercer stopped at the first city born in the Machine King Domain, which was now…
The Old Machine District!
Although the name had "Old" in it, it referred to the ideology of pure machinery.
The district itself was not old at all. The entire platform was black and gray, presenting a unique futuristic technological feel.
Whether it was the seats or the vending machines, they also displayed a pure mechanical style and operated on pure mechanical power.
In addition, one could see many mechanical lifeforms and mechanical pet beasts already waiting on the platform, assisting the staff in maintaining order!
"Ding-dong…"
The Star-Piercer's broadcast sounded, telling the passengers that the train would stop here for a day before heading to the Imperial Capital!
The passengers were also pleasantly surprised, eager to go buy some of the Machine King Domain's mechanical products.
They were particularly cheap locally. Once transported to various other great domains, the price would at least double!
They could take the opportunity to purchase some as gifts!
However, just as they stepped out of the train doors, they heard a violent roar from above, scaring everyone back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A large number of drones glided through the air like a bee swarm, splitting into columns of four, surrounding and chasing several Bionic Dragonfly Fighter Jets.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Mechanical Spiritual Energy swirled around the bionic dragonfly fighters.
A phantom dragonfly Machine Spirit appeared, its wings vibrating at high speed, instantly turning into an afterimage and shaking off the firepower blockade of a large number of drones!
"What's happening?"
This scene attracted many tourists to stop and watch, their expressions grave, thinking a great battle was taking place!
However, after asking the locals, they learned that this was a daily drill for the various districts of the Machine King Domain, and they were already used to it!
After all, these air force show-offs loved to show off in front of new tourists!
But they were also happy to see the outsiders exclaim in amazement as if they had never seen the world!
"Steel truly is a man's romance!"
"If I had seen this two days ago, I probably would have been amazed, but after seeing Void Power, that's even cooler, annihilating everything with a wave of the hand!"
"Yeah, Little Spider YYDS!"
"…"
However, to the surprise of the locals, this group of passengers was only shocked for a moment before calming down and turning to discuss the achievements of another person.
This made them curious, and they asked.
After learning what had happened, they were all stunned!
There was such a prodigy on the Star-Piercer?
They originally wanted to take a look and broaden their horizons, and the passengers were also eager to show off, but they found…
Lu Yu was long gone!
On the other side, Lu Yu had taken a mechanical-style subway into an old street in the Old Machine District. After walking through winding alleys, he arrived in front of a time-worn shop.
A sign hung above it.
【Old Wu's Mechanical Repair Shop】
There were a few small words on the side, introducing the main business:
Mechanical repairs, high-end parts processing, Machine Spirit Awakening, and…
The sale of Mechanical-type Pet Beasts!
A 6,500-word chapter, asking for monthly tickets.
Also, recommending a book.