Chapter 494 - Pod is crowned king!
Chapter 494: Pod is crowned king!
Radix.
He was the king of the mechs, the architect behind the once-glorious mech civilization. He had been the one to develop liquid metal, the hyperengine, and other advanced technologies which were still unsurpassed.
Long, long ago, Radix was summoned by Law Adepts to the Law Realm; after which, nothing had been heard from him. The mech race, without its leader, suffered a destructive blow and was wiped out from the face of the starmap by Law Adepts.
This was a humiliating history that mechs could not forget. Now, the Sentinel Goddess was saying that Radix still lived in the Law Realm. This was shocking news!
“Lord Radix is still alive?”
“Is this true?”
Dimsky and Warstar hastily asked. The Sentinel Goddess nodded. “I learned of the Law Adepts’ plan to destroy mankind from the message sent by my father. He seemed to be panicking, only asking me a few simple questions about my life in human society before cutting off the line.”
They all emotionally sighed. Dimsky asked, “Did Lord Radix not attempt to get in touch with you since then?”
“Up until now, I have had a total of three short conversations with my father. The first was when we had just established ourselves in human territory, the second was before the destruction of ancient humanity, and the last was when we were wandering the universe. Father gave me a set of coordinates, which led us to this hidden part of space where we could reside. Since then, he hasn’t been in contact with me.
“From those simple conversations, I was only able to learn that he’s still alive, alive in the parts of space governed by Law Adepts. His movements are restricted, and he can’t get in touch with me whenever he wants.”
Warstar and Dimsky were grief-stricken. The Law Realm was too mysterious to them. They did not even know where it was. They wanted to search for their former king; alas, it was only a foolish dream. The universe was so vast! Where would they even begin to look?
The Sentinel Goddess turned to Xia Fei and sternly asked, “You said that you’ll be going to the Law Realm in two years?”
Xia Fei nodded. “Correct. In two years, three months, and eleven days.”
The Sentinel Goddess was quiet for a moment and then she said, “Warstar, Dimsky, I have something to say to Xia Fei. Withdraw for a moment.”
“Yes!” Warstar and Dimsky respectfully withdrew, leaving Xia Fei alone with the Sentinel Goddess’s projection.
“I hope that you can help me find my father,” said the Sentinel Goddess in a trembling voice.
Xia Fei smiled. “I also hope that you can help me build a Titan.”
The Sentinel Goddess was taken aback, frowning. “Is this your opening condition?”
“No, simply a constructive proposal. No one is willing to live in the shadows and I trust that you are the same.”
“But building a Titan is very dangerous. If the Law Adepts find out…”
Xia Fei answered, “Risk is omnipresent. If you wanna live freely, you must pay a price.”
The Sentinel Goddess said, “If I build the Titan myself, aren’t you afraid that I’ll use this superweapon on humanity?”
Xia Fei shook his head. “Humanity is not that strong. If you really want to deal with humans, the hundreds of millions of robot soldiers are more than enough. Given that you haven’t taken even one step out of the Hidden Realm after so many years, it means that the robots can be trusted. I’m willing to take this risk.”
“I’m grateful for your trust. I’ll do as you say, and robots and humans will be friends for eternity,” the Sentinel Goddess gratefully said.
Xia Fei replied, “I also agree to your request. When I reach the Law Realm, I’ll do my utmost to find your father.”
The Sentinel Goddess seemed very excited. The thought of reconnecting with her father had this enormous AI computer feeling complex emotional pulses. Although she had lived for a very, very long time, the path from a robot to a real human was without end, and she still had many things that she needed to learn.
“If I recall correctly, you have a loyal servant robot at your side?” asked the Sentinel Goddess.
“Yes, his name is Pod.”
“You may leave, but leave Pod and that soul with me.”
Xia Fei was startled, not understanding what she meant.
“The basis of our cooperations is trust. You’ve chosen to trust me. These are your own words.” The Sentinel Goddess reminded Xia Fei.
With a smile, Xia Fei took Pod out from his spatial ring and then lightly placed that piece of morphite around his neck on the ground.
“You can’t leave me!” Phantom urgently cried.
“Master, don’t you want Pod any more?” Pod was on the verge of tears.
Xia Fei became extremely reluctant upon seeing their reactions, but he clenched his teeth, waved his hand at Pod and Phantom, and walked away.
“I will return them to your side after three months,” said the Sentinel Goddess softly.
…
One man, one ball, one robot, and one soul had gone, but when they returned, it was just one man and one ball. Xia Fei was a little dejected.
Fortunately, the Sentinel Goddess had seemingly found the motivation to move forward and was no longer stuck in contradictions. Helping Xia Fei build a Titan and waiting on news of Radix would probably serve as her main missions for a very long time.
The Blood Candle Kingdom, Constantine’s palace.
“Xia Fei, you’re finally back! Where have you been for the last month?” Constantine frantically asked.
In the end, Xia Fei was the master of Terminus. If he went missing in Blood Candle territory, Constantine would be one of the suspected individuals. Moreover, the matter of the magnared alloy had only just begun, and everything was still awaiting Xia Fei’s approval.
“I took a walk,” Xia Fei casually replied.
Constantine had a helpless look on his face. “You took a walk for more than a month? To where?”
Xia Fei smiled. He followed Constantine into the palace and seated himself beneath the grape rack, where a servant served up tea and snacks. There was nothing to eat or drink in the robot world, and he had to rely on composite rations to survive. Xia Fei’s mouth was anxious to eat something else.
After wolfing down some food and wiping his mouth, Xia Fei asked, “How’s the matter of the alloy proceeding?”
Constantine hastily passed over a thick planning book to Xia Fei. It described in detail the amount of alloy the Blood Candle Kingdom would sell to Xia Fei annually and the list of items it hoped to exchange for.
Blood Candle was a barren land, and it needed a lot of food, basic equipment, drugs, and also a few luxury goods, presumably for the ruling class to enjoy.
The price was naturally cheap, not much different from the somewhat inferior trititanium alloy. Even if Xia Fei really did use it for building houses, it would not be a waste. The more complicated matter was undoubtedly shipping. Much of what Blood Candle needed was not produced in the Terminus Star Region. It would first have to be shipped in from the Alliance before being brought to Blood Candle, but Xia Fei had two transport fleets consisting of twelve hundred ships each, which traveled between the Alliance and Terminus every month, so this naturally presented no problem to him.
“No problem. Deal,” Xia Fei closed the list and straightforwardly said.
Constantine’s heart, which was hanging in suspense, could finally settle down. Xia Fei felt that this alloy was so low-priced that it was practically free, but for the people of Blood Candle, it was an enormous fortune. As the saying went, poverty stunted ambition. Whose fault was it that the Blood Candle Kingdom was so barren?
“In addition, you’ll receive some weapons and warships as a reward for acting as my representative in this deal. I’m sure you know what to do with guns and warships without me needing to say anything,” Xia Fei added.
Constantine repeatedly nodded, looking gratefully at Xia Fei. It was obvious that Xia Fei was giving him these things to help him set up his own faction in the kingdom and prepare for the struggle for the throne.
In truth, after taking control over the alloy deal, Constantine had risen in power and status. In order to get their alloy purchased, those nobles and high officials had been constantly inviting him out to parties and social gatherings, showering him with gifts. Xia Fei had no idea how lucky he was that he had not been present. Moreover, with the support of Xia Fei’s weapons, it was almost certain that Constantine would be able to become master of the royal city.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go and see your father tonight and then leave,” Xia Fei said as he lit a cigarette.
…
Three months later, the appointed time between the Xia Fei and Sentinel Goddess was up. He took the Vampire alone to the perimeter of the Terminus Star Region, a deserted region of space.
Furball lazily rested on the sofa. This indolent fellow spent every day as an idler, eating and sleeping in an endless cycle, doing nothing else. Moreover, he would not talk, either, so he could not serve as conversation partner for Xia Fei. Without Pod or Phantom at his side and with Avril still in the Alliance, Xia Fei had spent a very lonely three months.
*Whoosh~*
A temporary wormhole opened, and a small mech ship appeared across from the Vampire.
The moment the ships linked, Xia Fei heard Pod’s anxious cries.
“Master!”
“Master, Pod is back!
“Pod desperately misses you!”
Pod rushed into Xia Fei’s embrace, unwilling to let him go. Meanwhile, Xia Fei was stunned!
Was this robot really Pod?
Pod’s body had originally been clearly damaged. It was damage inflicted when Pod had attempted to protect him. Although Xia Fei had tried repairing him, the damage had still been obvious.
Now, Pod was brand new, his outer shell made from some alloy of the mech race, which was light and tough. Even his electronic eyes seemed more energetic than before, and he also had an energy indicator on the side of his body.
“What did the Sentinel Goddess do to you?” Xia Fei curiously asked.
At this moment, Warstar appeared behind Pod. “The Goddess gave Pod an all-around upgrade. Do you recall Xana’s reserve bodies?”
Xia Fei was startled. “No wonder I found the alloy that Pod’s outer shell was made of rather familiar. Isn’t this the light alloy that Xana’s body was made from?”
“Correct. All of Pod’s mechanical components are now made from Mistmoon alloy. This is a product of the mech civilization and is much better than the magnared or fuller alloy used by humans. Moreover, Pod’s body now has the energy system and engine used by Xana. You can say that Pod is now the strongest robot besides us!”
Xia Fei hugged Pod. While his outer shell and components had all been strengthened, he was even lighter than before, most likely the work of the mistmoon alloy.
“Then, does Pod now have the mimicking system ability like you?” Xia Fei excitedly asked. This was his loyal companion, and Xia Fei was naturally overjoyed to see Pod upgraded.
“The mimicking system is not that easily migrated,” Warstar spread apart his arms and said.
Xia Fei was somewhat disappointed, but what Warstar said next left him shocked!
“Pod currently possesses prime authority over robots. The Goddess has voluntarily lowered herself to second in the order,” Warstar seriously said. “In other words, Pod is now the king of all robots!”