Chapter 656 656. Programming
The ethereal man's words confirmed one of the silent hypotheses of the trio.
The palace was the creation of an existence that had reached the divine ranks!
The title "Divine" wasn't something that was given randomly, and spirit automatons wouldn't use it so casually.
Also, the palace could defend against rank 6 lightning bolts, there weren't many existences that could build something capable of that feat.
Noah and the elders bowed to answer the polite gesture of the ethereal man.
They were still a bit tense, the automaton was capable of controlling four rank 6 puppets after all.
Yet, his courtesy made them slightly relax.
"Please, come inside. It has been too long since I had guests."
The ethereal man waved his hand to point at one of the tall, wooden doors that stood at the base of the structure.
Noah and Flying Demon immediately began to descend toward the entrance, but Dreaming Demon decided to near the automaton while wearing a smile that radiated friendly feelings.
"How should we call you?"
Dreaming Demon asked, and her question left even the automaton surprised.
However, he soon showed a smile of his own before answering her.
"I'm Automaton number thirty-seven, but you can just call me Thirty-seven."
Thirty-seven's mood seemed to have improved by a lot after Dreaming Demon gave him that unexpected attention, and Flying Demon couldn't help but glance at Noah while wearing a smug expression.
Noah simply ignored him and continued to descent.
He didn't know that automatons could replicate human emotions so vividly, the spirit of his space-ring was more similar to a program after all.
'I guess there can be pride in having the love of an amazing woman.'
June's face appeared in Noah's mind when he thought that.
She didn't have Dreaming Demon's grace, and she would never take the peaceful approach when she could obtain the same results through a battle.
However, Noah loved her straightforwardness, and he liked the fact that he didn't have to watch his back in her presence.
Noah suppressed the thoughts about his lover when he saw Thirty-seven appearing right in front of the door that he had pointed.
The door opened when he touched it, and a long corridor was revealed to the descending trio.
Inscriptions covered every surface of the corridor, they spread on the walls, floor, and ceiling, creating a brilliant and luxurious area.
It was clear that the creator of the palace had even considered the aesthetic aspect of the inscriptions during their construction.
"Master hadn't planned to build this dimension, it was a job commissioned by a fellow divine cultivator. Yet, I can say in all honesty that this place is one of her most impressive achievements."
Thirty-seven began to speak as he led the heroic cultivators through the long corridor.
The trio listened to him, but their minds wandered as they inspected the environment around them.
Noah wasn't interested in the grandness of the palace, he mostly cared about the resources that it contained.
'Three hundred thousand Tribulation should correspond to almost six thousand years… The world was different when this palace was built.'
Noah guessed the age of the structure by using Thirty-seven's words, but that realization didn't bring any benefits.
The demon sects had almost disappeared in one thousand years, and they used to be in charge of half of the Papral nation.
There was almost no chance that events that happened even farther in the past could affect his situation or the Hive.
"I must say, I'm surprised by how stubborn Heaven and Earth are. Their anger toward Master's creations is endless."
Thirty-seven continued to praise Divine Architect without ever giving voice to the details concerning her creations.
"What did she create in the past?"
Dreaming Demon tried to ask at some point, but Thirty-seven's figure flickered for a second at that question.
"Forgive me. I can't reveal anything that might uncover secrets behind Master's past and current feats. You obtained the right to learn about the Mortal Palace because you've managed to enter in its perimeter, but my freedom stops there."
Thirty-seven explained when his form stabilized.
He was a spirit automaton, and he had to act according to his programming.
Divine Architect wanted to keep the matters about her feats a secret, and Noah could completely understand her.
Her opponents would have a chance to study her individuality and develop countermeasures that exploited her weaknesses if they were to learn more about her.
Leaving no traces about their achievements was something that heroic cultivators were used to doing, the slight disadvantage could decide their defeat in a fight.
For example, Noah's enemies would never approach him in a melee battle after his fight against Adrian.
That intel about his battle prowess had spread through the heroic assets of the organizations in the Mortal Lands, and everyone knew that his body was unnaturally strong since then.
He had forever lost the chance of surprising his enemies with his physical strength.
Of course, that was also normal in the cultivation world.
Heroic cultivators had to strive for a variegated combat style if they wanted to have enough confidence in any situation.
"Can we obtain this palace then?"
Flying Demon questioned the automaton when he heard his words.
Thirty-seven had clearly said that they had obtained some rights over the building, but Noah's group didn't know how far those rights went.
Obtaining an item able to fend off rank 6 Tribulations could make any organization reach the peak of the Mortal Lands, Flying Demon's interest was more than justified.
However, Thirty-seven shook his head as he answered the elder.
"No. Master's creations will autonomously self-destruct once their energy is depleted on when anyone tries to seize them. Her creations can shift the balance between the powerful organizations outside of this dimension, and Master couldn't risk them blaming their defeats on her."
Disappointed expressions appeared on the faces of the group, but they didn't lose their hope and continued to question the automaton.
"Are there resources useful for our ranks?"
"No, anything with "Breath" has been devolved to keep the dimension intact."
"Techniques of some sort?"
"No, Divine Architect always kept everything on her person. She always said that even the simplest diagram could give her the inspiration needed to create an inscribed item in the divine ranks."
"What can we gain from this palace?"
Noah decided to directly ask that when he saw that the questions of the elders always met negative answers.
The corridor had ended by then, leading the group in a large hall that featured the same inscriptions on all its surfaces.
The hall featured a circular staircase that led to higher parts of the building and many passages connected to other corridors.
Yet, the most eye-catching aspect of that area was a massive sculpture in the middle of the staircase made by large floating spheres.
"You will obtain all the delicacies safely stored in the palace, knowledge about the Mortal and Immortal Lands, and me."
Thirty-seven answered Noah's question when the group entered the room, and eager expressions appeared on the trio's faces.