Chapter 697: Phantom’s Mechanical Body
Of course, the ancient battlefield was an exciting thing. Even without the temptation of divine weapons, simply walking around that mysterious place would be a rare experience.
Xia Fei had always been a very curious person, so he was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with antic.i.p.ation toward this ancient battlefield used by the two peak races and hoped to go look around.
Oro said, “While the ancient battlefield has been abandoned, it hasn’t been closed off. It will still open once every ten years. Most of these silver compa.s.ses have been melted down and reforged into weapons. Few of them remain.
“Only the top-cla.s.s clans of the circle have preserved these compa.s.ses leading to the ancient battlefield. Every ten years, these clans will send people to the ancient battlefield in the hopes of finding the treasures of ancient times.
“The warriors of ancient times all used superb equipment, and many of their lineages no longer exist. If a clan is able to discover one or two relics on the ancient battlefield, they will be extraordinarily blessed. Our Lionheart Royalty originally had seven of these compa.s.ses, but on one expedition, we were ambushed by the enemy. The group of seven was nearly wiped out, with only one person coming back. Thus, this compa.s.s is the last pa.s.scard that our clan has left.”
Xia Fei nodded. “It’s no wonder you want to take this compa.s.s back to your clan, for it’s your last pa.s.s. If even this one is lost, the Lionheart Race will be completely pushed out from the ancient battlefield; but I really don’t get it. You’re one of the top clans of the Demon Race. Do you really need to care about some little ancient battlefield?”
Oro mysteriously smiled and strangely said, “There are some things you have to see for yourself to truly understand.”
Xia Fei pondered Oro’s words. He seemed to have been implying something, but in any case, the ancient battlefield was very mysterious and was very important to the Lionheart Royal Clan.
It was not yet the end of the ten-year period, and Xia Fei did not have the activation pa.s.sword, so no matter how mysterious this silver compa.s.s was, he could not use it. Xia Fei put away the compa.s.s and turned to the Bloodswallow Gem.
“Law Emperor, here I come!” Xia Fei excitedly said.
…
Quinn’s castle in the sky was not a proper place for promotion. Xia Fei activated his compa.s.s and sent himself and Seth to the Hidden Realm in which the Mech Race was hiding.
His operation in the Exiled Grounds had ended rather well. He had found Hyacinth, who was willing to work to the end for him, killed Quinn, taken a Law Emperor as a slave, and even obtained four law treasures. The rewards could not be considered lacking this time.
“This… What place is this?” Seth was utterly blown away. The mechs had built a flouris.h.i.+ng machine civilization in the Hidden Realm. The innumerable robots and giant buildings had newcomers to this place sighing in wonder, and Seth was naturally no exception.
“You will remain here for now until I a.s.sign you a new mission,” Xia Fei lightly said.
Xia Fei still had not decided what to do with Seth. With his strength, he would not be of much help to him. In the Exiled Grounds, Seth had been a local tyrant who could guide Xia Fei, but outside of the Exiled Grounds, Seth was clearly not as important.
Upon hearing that Xia Fei had returned, Sophie, Avril, Pod, Dimsky, and Warstar all came out to welcome him. The only one Xia Fei did not see was Phantom. Where had that wandering soul run off to?
“This is Seth, my new slave. Find a place for him to stay. I have my plans for him in the future,” Xia Fei said to Warstar.
Warstar nodded and led Seth out of the living room to get him a comfortable room. Seth did not need to know everything. He just needed to carry out orders and be a good slave.
It was not long before Warstar returned, surprised on his face.
“This slave of yours is very formidable. He’s a Law Emperor?” Warstar went up to Xia Fei and questioned.
Xia Fei nodded. “Correct. Seth is truly a Law Emperor who uses the Law of Defense.”
Avril was startled, and she gave Xia Fei an admiring gaze.
Every woman hoped that her man would be strong. Since Xia Fei had so casually returned with a Law Emperor slave, it meant that he wielded immense power. He even had an army of hundreds of millions of robots. Not even Alliance President Tai could compare to his power.
Dimsky worriedly said, “Xia Fei, a Law Emperor slave naturally has his uses, and everything’s fine if you’re in the Metal City, but once you leave, you have to bring Seth with you, or else none of us will be a match for him.”
Dimsky was a scientist, so his line of thinking was very meticulous. His worries were not without reason. Law power represented the ultimate fighting power of the universe. Even General Warstar was no match for Seth. If he chose to rebel, he would cause a huge mess. While robots did not fear death, Avril was still living in the Hidden Realm.
Xia Fei smiled. “You don’t need to worry about that. Since I dared to bring him here, I naturally have some a.s.surances. Seth won’t dare to harbor any disloyal thoughts.”
Dimsky paused, and then he asked, “I naturally trust you, but what do you plan to do with such a strong slave?”
Xia Fei lit a cigarette as he spoke. “When the time is right, I plan to send Seth over to Charlie. In the Law Realm, a Law Emperor won’t be of much use, but a Law Emperor keeping watch over Quantum Holdings is a different story.”
Warstar repeatedly nodded, a hint of excitement in his voice as he spoke. “The Hidden Realm has powerful fleets and soldiers, so safety isn’t a problem, but Charlie’s side truly does lack an expert to stand guard. If Seth is sent over to fulfill this role, I’m sure that not even the entire Panhuman Alliance will dare to mess with your company.”
Dimsky did not really approve of Xia Fei’s plan. Like an old human, he stroked his chin and said, “Even without an expert keeping watch, Quantum Holdings will still dominate the Panhuman Alliance. After all, its strength is there for everyone to see. Moreover, we have a communication link with the company, and the spies we have hidden in the Alliance can go to Charlie’s aid at any time. In my view, we should a.s.sign Seth to be Miss Avril’s bodyguard so that she has some protection wherever she goes.”
Dimsky was truly an extremely intelligent robot. He knew that Xia Fei’s greatest concern was actually Avril, which was why he had made this suggestion.
Xia Fei shook his head, coolly saying, “I must handle Avril’s safety personally.”
The living room fell silent. Sophie and these other robots did not understand love, but from Xia Fei’s words, they could sense some indescribable sensation, which was both extremely sincere and extremely attractive.
Avril was stunned, and her eyes gradually grew bright. She leaned her head on Xia Fei’s shoulder as she rejoiced in her great fortune.
…
Though Xia Fei held deep affection for Avril, he still had a habit of leaving his personal matters for last. As for using the Bloodswallow Gem, he first had to talk it over with Phantom. The Law Emperor threshold was far too important to Xia Fei, and he needed to be careful about it.
Avril was already used to this. Men were busy with many important matters. Moreover, if Xia Fei was the sort of man who got twitchy the moment he saw a woman, Avril would not have started liking him in the first place.
“I’m going to Sophie’s for a bit. Wait for me,” Xia Fei said to Avril as he walked out of the living room.
Avril firmly nodded. “Mm, I understand. Let me make you some Fried Paste noodles, paired with your favorite cuc.u.mber slices and tomatoes.”
Xia Fei smiled and rubbed her head. “That would be great. This stomach of mine is really disappointing. I’ve eaten all sorts of exotic delicacies, but I can never forget the taste of Fried Paste noodles.”
As he followed Sophie to her room, Sophie appeared to be in deep thought. She pursed her lips and said, “I’m truly envious of you and Avril. Why was it that, when Father coded our logic processes, he gave us intelligence but not the capacity to love?”
Xia Fei chuckled. “Love isn’t that simple. At times, it is like a dependency, a chemical reaction. Perhaps Radix didn’t code you with the ability to love because he couldn’t.”
Sophie was startled. “Is love really that complicated?”
“It is,” Xia Fei simply answered. He did not really want to talk about love with Sophie, for he was also clueless about this question.
“What have you and Phantom been up to? Why didn’t he come to see me?” Xia Fei changed the subject.
Sophie giggled. “This is a riddle that you should solve by yourself.”
As they talked, the two of them arrived at Sophie’s room.
The alloy doors automatically opened, and Sophie made an inviting gesture. Xia Fei strode in and shouted, “Phantom, where the heck are you?”
Robots did not need to rest, so Sophie’s room appeared more like a laboratory. It was a mess, machines, and instruments everywhere, along with piles of material.
Xia Fei looked around. It seemed like there was no sign of Phantom in this large room?
Suddenly, Xia Fei noticed a thin robot less than one meter tall in a corner, thickly exuding Phantom’s aura.
Xia Fei curiously walked over while the smiling Sophie watched from the entrance.
Carefully examining the robot, Xia Fei sternly said, “I really didn’t think that you’d manage to pull off a fusion of machine and soul! Phantom, why aren’t you saying anything?”
*Thonk thonk thonk!*
Xia Fei knocked on Phantom’s head a few times. The robot appeared very aggrieved, but it did not say a word.
Sophie walked up behind Xia Fei and said with a smile, “Based on some damaged files from my databanks, I was able to develop some basic fusion technology with Phantom, but this technology isn’t perfect. Phantom’s consciousness has entered the machine, but he can’t speak or move. It’s a very simple fusion.
“This technology still needs some time to be perfected. When that time comes, Phantom will once more have a body, a tough body of metal!”
Xia Fei nodded. Phantom was his good friend and teacher. Phantom would be an enormous aid to Xia Fei if he had a body of his own. Rather than just talking about a lot of things, Phantom could actually do them in Xia Fei’s place.
Taking Phantom’s greatest field of expertise, pharmacology, as an example; with a body, Phantom could use his free time to mix medicines for Xia Fei, saving Xia Fei the effort of doing it himself. He would essentially be Xia Fei’s personal apothecary.
Phantom had extraordinary abilities when it came to pharmacology, and there would naturally be no problem when it came to the medicines he mixed. Xia Fei could use the time he saved on cultivation. As the saying went, everyone had their specialty. The greatest frustration Xia Fei had with advancing simultaneously in so many fields was a lack of time.
The robot was exquisitely crafted, but it simply stood there with an ugly look on its face.
Xia Fei suddenly realized a very serious problem. He grimly asked, “Phantom isn’t just going to stand here like this forever, is he?”