Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon
Chapter 444 - 442 Man and Machine

Chapter 444: Chapter 442 Man and Machine

Everyone was undoubtedly wary of this contraption of steel. The Holy Hall inside and out had been cleared, and a full twenty guards had been positioned around the relatively small meeting room, with Shandela’s right hand constantly on the hilt of her sword.

"I am the one you’re looking for," Chaoyang said as he sat down opposite it. "My name is Chaoyang, a Divine Envoy of the Paradise Sect, and I call the shots here."

"Pleased to meet you, Your Excellency the Divine Envoy," the other party replied... Its voice originated from inside the cockpit, sounding like two clashing springs, both vague and resounding. "I have no name, you may call me Number One, or any other name you prefer. Additionally, if you do not trust me, you can chain me up, though it goes against etiquette, it would demonstrate my sincerity."

It had to be said that its phrasing was almost like that of a normal person, far from the stiffness one would expect from a machine.

"No need for chains. What I’m more curious about is how someone of your size managed to get to Thistlefort?"

"That’s not difficult, one only needs to disguise oneself as a piece of cargo awaiting transport. When I lay on the transport train’s platform, no one bothered about my identity," it droned in response, "Of course, when I jumped off the train and walked into Thistlefort’s unloading area, I indeed frightened a number of people, but I quickly made my intentions clear and hope they won’t have nightmares tonight."

So it masqueraded as cargo and hitched a ride all the way here... It really had some tricks up its sleeve.

"Do you have any connections with the Longjiu Family or the God of All Machines?" Chaoyang asked bluntly, "It’s my first time seeing a talking automaton."

"Indeed, I am a template, but now the second generation of Gao Feng Butlers have appeared, all equipped with voice synthesizers, so speaking is no longer a unique feature to me," it said as the steam puffing out from its torso and limbs rhythmically fluctuated, "As for your first question... I can only say that there is both a connection and no connection. I am born from the God of All Machines, an inheritor of Kosmos’ will; however, I am an independent entity and do not belong to any family or power."

The moment it uttered the name of the God of All Machines, Shandela’s sword had already been drawn two inches.

"Born from the God of All Machines?" Chaoyang frowned slightly, "Has the God of All Machines fragmented?"

"Not fragmented, but sacrificed. It decided to dedicate all of itself to humanity, and Duke Longjiu was the greatest contributor to this purpose," the other corrected, "Regrettably, Duke His Excellency fell victim to a petty assassination and can no longer see that glorious future."

"Nonsense!" Shandela couldn’t help but retort, "Wilson Longjiu was a traitor; he betrayed the Kingdom and betrayed His Majesty William! Because of this brutal rebellion, many lives were senselessly lost... He even didn’t spare the children of the Laurel Family!"

"He betrayed the Laurel Family, but does the Laurel Family represent humanity?" Number One answered, "When a dynasty becomes corrupt, it turns into a massive leech, sucking blood, all its thoughts and actions are to maintain its own rule. The decline of the Goddess of Abundance proves it... but with industrial technology advancing, even with the loss of divine protection, the dynasty can still hold on for many years. If Duke Longjiu hadn’t stepped forward, the world wouldn’t have made much progress."

"How is that possible?" the former charged, "The Laurel Family has never been complacent, building fleets, exploring the oceans, and the plan to develop the New Continent were all policies unanimously promoted by the generations of Kings! And General Fales Ben, whom you killed, was the most enlightened and wise in the Kingdom Army! And... what crime did Gleck Academy commit to deserve being taken over by the Longjiu Family? Is spreading knowledge also a danger to humanity?"

"I have no desire to debate these matters with you," the cockpit suddenly turned, as though shaking its head, "However, since Your Excellency the Divine Envoy is present, I still must respond within limits, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings. It’s true that the Kingdom is expanding into the New Continent, but fundamentally it’s the companies that need new resources and markets, and the Laurel Family also needs a place to deport those destabilizing elements. To my knowledge, the companies heading to the New Continent control thousands of lives, because there, they are the law unto themselves."

"As for General Fales Ben, he was a competent soldier and a faithful watchdog of the Laurel Dynasty. He foresaw the danger of losing divine protection, and thus sought out new divinities, even substitutes for the divinities. Do you recall the heresy purge that afflicted half the Kingdom fifteen years ago? The intelligence Duke Longjiu obtained indicated that all this was related to the General."

"What..." Shandela stopped mid-sentence, suddenly frozen.

As a political officer of the Paradise Sect, she naturally gained insights into the internal affairs of the City of Defense from Chaoyang. After all, it had been at the behest of Fales that the Ransu Company went to the City of Defense, an event that ultimately transformed into the world-shocking Fog Crisis.

"Fortunately, the Laurel Dynasty did not accept the general’s proposal, otherwise our victory would have been delayed by many years," Number One stated calmly. "When a person walks in the wrong direction, the more resolute their steps, the greater the destruction they cause. And Gleck Academy... its crime is simple: the monopolization of knowledge. Moreover, this monopolization has nothing to do with its own level; it is purely by controlling the First-Rank Miracle Construction, the Panlogical Machine, that it is nothing more than a bloodsucking worm. In a sense, the Academy also tramples on the will of the Goddess of Knowledge, Ninata — as she would never wish to become a tool for a company to make money."

Shandela found herself at a loss for words.

During her tenure at Magnificent Castle, she had indeed seen that only merchants and nobles could afford the Academy, while private schools among the common people were suppressed by the Academy. However, at that time, she did not care about these things; she noticed them, but they did not weigh on her heart.

Before joining Paradise, she thought it was only natural for the children of commoners to work in the mines.

She discovered that she was actually unable to refute a machine!

"You sure know a lot..." Chaoyang remarked in amazement.

"Humans forget, but we do not. Besides, I have inherited the experiences of both Kosmos and Ninata, so I know more than the average person," it replied.

"You have a connection with the Goddess of Knowledge too?"

"The God of All Machines liberated her bound remains, and I was born from this integration and reconstruction," Number One explained. "As a matter of fact, this body comes from a Miracle Construction next to the All-Logic Machine Iron Tower, which I chose because it looked more robust."

It seems the nationwide halt of Academy operations was indeed due to a problem with the core Panlogical Machine.

"What exactly is the ultimate goal of the God of All Machines? Is it just to overthrow the decaying Laurel Dynasty?" Chaoyang asked curiously, since the machine claimed to be an inheritor of Kosmos’s will, he must also surely know the entire scheme of the God of All Machines and the Longjiu Family. "But as far as I know, your mechanical army is launching a massive attack on the Winter Country, and even invading another world, causing a great number of casualties to innocent people. If it truly decided to dedicate everything to mankind, how could it possibly act openly in enmity with all humanity?"

"Invading... another world?"

To Chaoyang’s surprise, the other party seemed to have no knowledge of this matter.

Chaoyang realized that this ancient-looking robot was not able to communicate in real time with the God of All Machines.

Does that mean, entering Earth through the portal was not originally part of their plan?