Chapter 137: In My Place, Accompany Them Through This Life (Two-in-One)
On the magnificent soul circuit, dreamy light continues to swirl.
Rast placed his hand on the crystal, letting his soul’s essence gradually seep into it.
Meanwhile, small runes were activated on the surface of the crystal, forming a complete light strip…
It flickered rhythmically in sync with Rast’s heartbeat, much like human respiration.
“This is the ‘Cradle’ system built into the Forbidden Armament.”
“Once your authorization is completed, the core key of the Zenith Sword will be completely bound to your soul, interpreting your soul fluctuations in real-time and sending back signals.”
“And once the soul signal originating from you is interrupted for more than 12 hours… or if your soul essence shows fluctuations that exceed preset values or signs of tampering, then the self-destruction module on the core key will activate.”
“It’s as if a sleeping baby in a cradle—once the cradle stops shaking due to external forces, the baby will wake up and cry.”
“Then, the self-destruction program will, within five minutes, convert the Forbidden Armament, Zenith Sword, into a pile of pure, worthless scrap metal devoid of research value.”
Principal Agatha’s explanation followed closely.
“Although I have complete confidence in you, Rast, both the Cradle system and the self-destruction module are essential components of all mechanical armaments in the Forbidden Directory, I hope you can understand.”
“After all, while the probability is low, we must also guard against the possibility of you falling in battle or being captured by hostile forces, leading to the corruption of your mind and the rewriting of your will…”
“If the Zenith Sword were obtained by hostile forces and they reverse-engineered its corresponding forbidden technology, then neither the Academy nor the Empire could bear such consequences.”
“I understand, Principal Agatha.”
Rast nodded lightly.
He could certainly appreciate the Academy’s concerns.
After all, when it comes to the number of legendary strongmen and the accumulation of high-ranking extraordinary beings…
The civilization of the current age has only been in development for a few hundred years, not even a thousand, how could it possibly compare to the accumulation of six whole epochs in the Night World?
Those calamities that once ended past epochs transformed into the End Echo of the Night World and the Dusk Catastrophe descending upon the current world… if they were to cautiously follow the same path as those ancient civilizations in the Night World, focusing solely on cultivating extraordinary beings, perhaps the current civilization would have long been destroyed by the Dusk Catastrophe.
The reason the Seventh Epoch has managed to persist until now, and for most of the time, kept the Dusk Catastrophe at bay from civilization’s borders, avoiding catastrophic disasters and thriving…
It depends on the Mechanics and magical technology.
Should the historical echo strategy in the Night World fail, then the Forbidden Armaments deployed at the fringes of the Night World would be the Academy’s final trump card.
These forbidden mechanical armaments, qualified to threaten legendary lives, could rightfully be called national treasures. If leaked, especially if they fell into the hands of hostile nations or nefarious clandestine organizations… the consequences would be unimaginable.
Thinking this way, Rast accelerated the binding of his soul with the mechanical crystal.
Until—
Crack.
A crisp sound suddenly echoed deep within Rast’s mental realm.
The next moment.
Using the soul circuit directly connected to his spirit as a bridge… countless streams of information surged into his brain at once.
Like a roaring tide, they crashed through Rast’s mental world.
If he were an ordinary person, under such an overwhelming flood of information, his mental realm would likely have been burst apart, and his will would have been completely devastated, leaving him a braindead husk.
These streams of information were the final step; only by fully analyzing every detail in the blueprints, truly understanding the principles of operation and mechanical structure… could he truly gain control over a Forbidden Armament.
However, the structure and principles of the Forbidden Armament, completed with the lifelong efforts of several generations of top mechanics, were not something an ordinary person could easily comprehend.
At worst, it would severely damage his psyche, requiring years to recover… at worst, his soul could be wash away, annihilating his self, turning him into a breathing zombie with no consciousness left, a hollow shell.
This is the risk and the price one must pay to attempt to pry into the forbidden realm as a mortal.
While becoming a mechanic does not require the same portrayal or consistent training as extraordinary beings… it places a greater burden on mental strength, and the risks of losing control and rampaging faced during the growth process are by no means less than those encountered by Night Travelers walking between life and d*ath.
However—
Facing that colossal tide of information that roared and surged through his mental realm.
Rast’s facial expression remained unchanged.
If the incoming tide of information were compared to a raging river, then Rast’s mental strength stood like a rock amidst the rushing current.
No matter how fierce and dangerous the tide, it remained absolutely unmoved, standing firm.
This solidification of self-mental strength was one of the strongest aspects of Rast as a Night Traveler.
Let alone the inherent skill “Heart of Iron” he gained from the Night World, which significantly enhances his soul resistance.
Even without this passive skill, in Deep Blue Harbor, he managed to maintain clarity of self-will amidst the corruption of the Iron Cross Plague and the Evil God through sheer willpower.
No matter how enormous the streams of information from the Forbidden Armament were, there was no risk present for Rast’s psyche.
Slowly—
The flow of information within Rast’s mental realm began to slow down.
Meanwhile, his mental strength began to expand outward, devouring the flowing information stream composed purely of 0s and 1s, and then analyzing and deducing it.
Until…
The last wisp of data stream of 0s and 1s was thoroughly deciphered.
On the operating table, the brilliant silver crystal suddenly erupted in sparkling light.
In the radiant glow, the crystal gradually became illusory until it completely faded away.
At the same time, within Rast’s mental realm, accompanied by the dancing light particles… a phantom began to slowly condense into solid form within the silvery light—
It was a small, exquisite key with a hazy glow.
[Key of Heaven]
[Type: Mega Construction Weapon Component, Mechanical Core]
[Rarity: Orange]
[Level: Forbidden]
[Item Description: The core component of the mega construction weapon, utilizing spatial folding technology to fold in a small sub-dimension internally. After completing the basic deployment of the mechanical assembly, the ‘Key of Heaven’ can be used as a core guiding component to activate the Forbidden Armament, ‘Prototype Zenith Sword.’]
[Note: This Forbidden Armament has been soul-bound to the Night Traveler ‘Rast.’ If the return signal is interrupted or exceeds preset values, the self-destruction module of the Zenith Sword will be automatically enabled.]
Gazing at the silver key before him.
A deep blue light screen quietly emerged in Rast’s line of sight.
This was a hint from the Night World.
Just as Principal Agatha said, while ordinary mechanical weapons generally lose their effectiveness when brought into the Night World, the mechanics did discover many ways to bypass this limitation after years of research… for example, assembling constructs based on Emblem Armor.
Of course, this method has a very high cost, and the success rate is not 100%… Hence, mechanical weapons cannot usually be used as conventional means by Night Travelers to navigate the Night World.
But undoubtedly—
At this moment, the Key of Heaven before him was an item already certified for the Night World, which Rast could take with him into the historical echoes.
“Well…”
“Then my task ends here.”
Principal Agatha’s voice came from not far away.
Her originally gentle tone carried a hint of fatigue now.
In just a month.
It was naturally impossible to complete a Forbidden Armament from scratch, from conception and design, drafting… to production, debugging… and finally creating a prototype.
What she did was merely guide and assist Rast in comprehensively understanding the detailed blueprints, mechanical structures, and principles of the ‘Zenith Sword’—
And to make specific modifications to the prototype of the ‘Zenith Sword’ for the enemies Rast would encounter in the echoes of the era… even if they were all legendary-level hypothetical enemies, modifications would differ according to their sequences and types.
However, even so, it was not a small expenditure for Principal Agatha.
Even though she was one of the strongest mechanics on the continent, she had never truly reached the legendary realm… while the Forbidden Armament is a path to peer into the realm of legends through external means, every step must be taken cautiously.
A slight deviation during the creation of the Forbidden Armament could very likely lead to irreversible consequences.
Throughout the development of mechanics, there have been instances of some Forbidden Armaments going rogue and exploding, causing entire districts to vanish.
“By the way, I remember Barba Rosa gave you that Holy Grenade, right?”
As Rast was about to stand up to take his leave, he heard Principal Agatha speak again, turning her back to him.
“Leave that too, I’ll help you modify it with the last time before you enter the echoes of the era…”
“I heard that silver weasel say you will face a Bounty Sequence legendary in the upcoming echoes, right?”
“The original ‘Holy Light’ attribute of the Holy Grenade has special lethal effects on cultists, chaos, pollution, and corrupted targets, but for extraordinary beings of the Bounty Sequence, its power would be significantly weakened, and it might even become a source of nourishment for them.”
“I’ll modify its original attributes to adjust its effect for special attack against the Bounty Sequence.”
Looking at the slightly hunched back of the elder, Rast deeply bowed.
“Thank you, Principal Agatha.”
“Hehe, no need to be polite.”
Principal Agatha waved her hand behind her: “Although it has only been a short month, I can sense… your ability to endure loneliness is truly that of a born mechanic.”
“As the head of Ashen Academy, it is my duty to take care of excellent potential students.”
“Moreover, helping you also has my bit of selfishness.”
She paused briefly, surveying the clean and spacious mechanical research facility with her aging eyes.
“I’ve poured my life’s work into the construction and mechanical research of Ashen Academy… having never married, I naturally have no descendants.”
“However, at His Majesty Aaron’s invitation, I served as a royal tutor for a long period… Ophelia and Hiltina, those two little ones, I have watched grow up.”
“Though it might sound a bit taking advantage of the Granwill Empire’s royalty, in my heart, Ophelia and Hiltina are indeed no different from my own daughters.”
“Though their personalities differ greatly, I am well aware that both of them are quite self-centered and extremely stubborn.”
“This stubbornness can certainly help them climb to peaks, achieving dazzling accomplishments that others cannot reach… but sometimes, this stubbornness can also become a double-edged sword, leading them into dead ends from which they struggle to escape.”
Agatha looked at Rast and smiled slightly: “And now, you’ve also become involved with both of them.”
“Though you won’t admit it openly, I can see… you hold quite a position in their hearts.”
“Especially Hiltina, who usually carries herself proudly like a swan, unwilling to change for anyone’s will, is now willing to tone down that stubbornness because of you… even if sometimes she doesn’t even realize it.”
“I’ve grown old, and so has His Majesty Aaron—”
“We can’t accompany them completely through this life.”
The old woman’s calm words shone alongside the pure white aura when the Night Blade ‘Place of Atonement’ was activated.
When Rast regained his senses, the scenery before him had shifted.
He was gently pushed outside the mechanical research facility of Ashen Academy.
Only Principal Agatha’s aged voice remained echoing in his ears.
“So, if one day they find themselves once again entering a dead end because of their stubbornness…”
“Rast, I hope you can stand in for me and help them find a way out of that stubborn dead end.”
“And in the days to come—”
“Accompany them and complete this life.”
(End of Chapter)
