My players are so fierce

Chapter 980 978. Old Bach’s Regret·The Mechanical Church and the Secret of Eden

Murphy's anti-customer attitude made Master Minx a little at a loss.

Why.

You weird vampire!

You stole my things and used them for almost a year without a letter from you. Now that I am accusing you of not repenting, you have acted so openly. This has made the old halfling less confident. It seems that I am really that unscrupulous businessman who does not pay attention to after-sales service.

But if you think about it carefully, Murphy is really not to blame for the stolen goods.

After all, this fourth-generation core computing orb was originally stolen by spies from the Plantagenet Kingdom. It was supposed to be delivered to the short-handed Marshal Loren, but was intercepted by Murphy and the eldest lady on the way.

If I have to say it, this wave is actually a Robin Hood behavior.

Of course, both of them are persons with status, and they just laughed it off as this matter has happened in the past and discussing it now will only make people embarrassed. As for some details of the matter itself, there is no need to elaborate too strictly. At Murphy's request or request, Master Minx grinned and took the core orb. He took out a set of very sophisticated engineering items similar to a microscope from the drawer and began to carefully examine the inside of the core orb. The arrangement of psychic factors.

Murphy waited patiently and took a peek at the drawings that Master Minx had just modified.

He discovered that it was a set of design drawings for a walking machine. Minx had modified it into a war weapon similar to a walking tank, adding a barrel that could actually be used for shooting and a more efficient power system.

Most importantly, this thing also has no crew compartment!

This made Murphy raise his eyebrows. He very much suspected that this was the inspiration that Master Minx got from the dragoons that would be used in defensive battles. After all, no matter how you look at this thing, it seems to be following the routine of the dragoons. , but according to Minx's design, a special computing orb is placed at the core of this walking tank.

It seems that he does not intend to adopt the wetware core of the Dragoon, but is preparing to take the path of unmanned automated weapons.

With the engineering level of halflings, it is difficult but not impossible to make such a thing. In the past, it was only because traditional concepts restricted them from developing war weapons. But now that civilization is at a critical stage, those traditional concepts After being abandoned, at least the top halflings have begun to break away from the unrealistic peace illusion and move towards pragmatic rearmament.

It seems that only the pressure of survival can make a race truly wake up.

"Peeping at other people's drawings without permission is a taboo for engineers, but considering that you are not a machinist, it is inconvenient for me to restrict you with industry rules."

Master Minx fine-tuned the observation device in his hand, and asked in the halfling's sharp but not disturbing tone, as slow as an old man:

"You are one of the first commanders on the continent to actually use self-driving walking machines for war. Although I do not agree with the cruel concept at the core of wetware, I think you are a true pioneer in this field.

So in your opinion, what is missing from this drawing of mine? "

“The firepower is not strong enough!

A main gun is not enough to deal with the scenarios it needs to face. According to our experience, when the walker steps onto the battlefield, it is mainly responsible for attacking and projecting firepower, so you need to add more destructive power to your weapon. Mods.

Such as flamethrowers, rapid-fire gun groups, high-voltage power grids, mechanical harvesting sickles, missile systems that can launch barrages remotely, or minelayers. "

Murphy rubbed his chin and said:

"In addition, since it is unmanned, the protection concept must also be upgraded accordingly. I don't know if you understand the concept of 'explosive reactive armor,' but in my opinion, thick steel is still used to try to achieve an upgrade in defense. It's a very boring and stupid idea. Since it is a weapon used for destruction, it must be used to its best advantage.

It is better to set a self-destruct mode for this thing. When it is completely inoperable and loses its combat effectiveness, it can set off a big firework for the enemy, and at the same time prevent the enemy from learning new war concepts from its wreckage.

There are many foreigners under my command who are very good at these. If you are interested, I would be happy to invite you to visit our arsenal in Transia and talk face to face with the master weapons craftsmen.

Of course, although I also think that the wetware core made by Old Flywheel is a bit cruel, from the perspective of us Transians, this attitude of fighting after death is very consistent with our death philosophy, and the barbarians of Ice Bay have already sent out violent The priest went to Transia to learn this technique.

Their god wishes to see the berserkers unleash such pure fury even after death.

Therefore, I must tell you pessimistically that although the Mechanic Church’s outrageous pragmatism line is cruel most of the time, in the foreseeable future, the Mechanic Church’s technology and ideas will inevitably be used in an increasingly unstable continent. A spark of fire ignited a prairie fire.

This means that the orthodox mechanics headed by you must step up to catch up, otherwise it will only be a matter of time before they are eliminated by the times. "

Murphy looked back at Master Minx and said:

"This is also the purpose of my trip. Two of my important subjects were kidnapped by the Mechanicus Church forces in your city. I must rescue them before those guys hiding underground make them into marionettes."

"Maritime Puppet? No, no, no. If it is an individual with an important identity but lack of power, it will not be made into a marionette by the mechanical sages of the Church of the Machine. It will only be a waste of resources."

Minx shook his head and said:

"I can send my disciples to go to the sewer with my letter, but I guess this matter may not be solved by a letter.

The Mechanicus is not a gangster in the outer city. They are smart enough to realize the trouble caused by the diplomatic turmoil, but they still did it, which proves that they want to use the two girls to get in touch with the Transians.

To be precise, it's you they want to see, or they want to confirm something about you.

I have some contacts with the Mechanicus Church, and I have also joined their discussion meetings under a pseudonym. However, my status as a "conservative heretic" among them does not have as much dignity as you think.

If you want to resolve this matter peacefully, you probably have to find my senior brother.

He still carries the title of 'former leader', and he also has a good understanding of Port Chardeau's sewer system, which is as formidable as a dragon's lair. "

"Old Flywheel can't come. He is at a critical juncture in his studies."

Murphy sighed and said:

"And with Old Feilun's extreme character, I don't think he would come here just for two girls who have nothing to do with him. After all, the knowledge of creation engineering in the last era is too precious, and he can't possibly do it here. At this time, pull away.

But I can probably guess what the Mechanicus wants to get from me."

The vampire lord glanced at Master Minx, he coughed and said:

"Eden, block information exchange. I will discuss some more sensitive topics with Master Minx next."

"Buzz"

The obedient operation of the invisible things caused the four observation and recording mechanical devices hidden in Minx's office to shut down in an instant. The office's defense device was also forcibly activated, and steel protective windows were opened from the three windows. When it fell, the defense structure made of fine steel was also supported, temporarily blocking the entire office.

As the red emergency lights flickered, Minks' eyes widened. He looked around with an inquiring attitude, seemingly looking for the invisible thing that had bypassed the control center and enabled these devices.

"The Mechanical Spirit. The legend that has been circulating in Port Shardau for hundreds of years. Some people call it the 'evil god', but others think it is a trustworthy ally."

Murphy said frankly:

“But in fact, Eden was just the core AI used to manage various mechanical data under the city and the Creator system in the last era, and it has been incomplete for a long time.

I don't know why it has been hidden away in Port Chardeau for the past hundreds of years, but there is certainly something here that attracts it until my appearance reminds it of the mission it is supposed to fulfill. So leave I arrived at Port Chardeau and came back to me.

I heard that the Church of the Machine worshiped it as the prototype of the 'God of Machinery'.

But they were wrong!

Both his understanding of Eden and the way he tried to cultivate a god were completely wrong.

So, may I ask you a question about the hidden mysteries of Port-Chardeau? What is beneath the city?

Was part of the Eden District hidden under your Machine City?

Or, let me ask more specifically.

Is Eden's hardware processor unit hiding beneath our feet? And that place has been occupied by the Mechanicum? "

Faced with Murphy's inquiry, Master Minx did not answer.

He just sat back in his chair and looked at Murphy with a complicated expression. After taking off his round glasses, he rubbed his eyebrows and said:

"Absolutely correct!

It seems that you are indeed the legendary God of Creation, and the biggest secret of Port Shardau is revealed right before your eyes.

Well, there is indeed a hidden place of creation beneath this city, and the location of Shardor University was precisely because the halfling sages discovered it and laid the first brick here.

To be precise, it was my mentor, Professor Old Bach Gaslamp, the greatest mechanical pioneer in the Halfling civilization, who discovered all this.

To this day, I still don’t know where my mentor got the news, but in the second half of his life, he spent all his energy, wisdom and time on exploring that ruins, even for this reason Alienated us and his family.

Bach's resentment towards her father came from that stage when she was young.

It is no exaggeration to say that in the last period of my mentor's life, he was so crazy that he did not even return from the underground after his wife died. He stayed in the darkness and allowed anxiety and time to turn him into a madman.

I guess you must be doubting the origin of the Mechanicus.

Yes, that extreme organization was founded by my mentor’s followers in his later years.

But they are not heretics!

They are just the embodiment of another engineering concept. My mentor is not the person who really created that concept. This pragmatic but uncomprehensive trend of thought already existed in the halfling society long before he was born. I The mentor just summarized it and formed the initial prototype of the Mechanic Church.

This was not for ambition or other purposes, but simply out of his despair and depression at the time. "

"despair?"

Murphy asked doubtfully:

"The old Professor Bach's story has also been circulated in other parts of the continent. To be honest, I can't understand why he despaired after discovering the ruins of creation?"

“Because I can’t understand it, because I can’t learn it, because I can’t parse it or even understand it.”

Minx sighed and said:

"For those who have spent their whole lives in the field of mechanical engineering and have achieved certain achievements, they all have their own pride and dignity. For us, no matter how difficult the problem is, it only takes time and ingenuity to solve it slowly. thing.

Therefore, we are never afraid of problems, but Creation Engineering is another concept, Sir.

When you are outstanding in your field and stand at the top, and you suddenly find that the knowledge you have spent a lifetime accumulating is as humble as the light of rotten grass under the sun in front of the ruins of a long-dead civilization, you will also Broken and hopeless.

My mentor spent the rest of his life studying the ruins for decades.

He had already started trying to solve those problems when the city was still a wilderness, and when Port Chardeau became prosperous, his research was still lingering on peripheral problems.

Such a gap and heavy blow were enough to destroy the sanity of an old halfling, so he embarked on an extreme path. He no longer pursued deciphering the wisdom of the Creator, but instead sought to control those formed tools in an attempt to take the wrong path.

For this reason, he often secretly traveled to the Songhai Empire in the last ten years of his life. Unfortunately, time is not generous to us halflings.

More than three hundred years of life are not enough for my mentor to find the answer to the final problem.

He eventually died underground in the city, breathing his last breath amidst the mourning of members of the Mechanicus Church. Until the last moment, he still held an unfinished record in his hand.

They once wanted to make the mentor into a marionette to give him endless time to solve the problem, but we cannot allow the mentor to reach such a result.

What the old flywheel didn't tell you is that the reason why he was forced to leave Port Chardeau was precisely because during the operation to retrieve the mentor's remains, we used some quite radical plans, which directly caused the ground in the outer city to explode. It collapsed and hundreds of people died.

That was a decision made by the three of us together, but in the end Senior Brother Feilun bore that sin alone and was exiled from his hometown forever.

We owe him a lot. "

Minx told the story of the past with a look of helplessness and sadness. Then he rubbed his face a few seconds later and turned the topic back to the Mechanicus. He said:

"To this day, those pragmatic mechanics still occupy the underground ruins and continue the research of their mentor, but they still have not been able to open the door. No one knows what is inside the door. Maybe as you said, it is the gold Epoch’s data-aware ontology hardware.

But let me correct you. "

Minx said seriously:

"The 'Spirit of Machinery' in the words of the Mechanicus Church has never left Port Shardau. While the data consciousness named 'Eden' follows you, supernatural events related to machinery will still occur in Port Shardau.

In other words, there may be more than one mechanical spirit. "

"impossible!"

Murphy immediately denied it and said:

"The main program of Eden is here with me, and Sharon, who was noticed by it, also proved this, so staying here may just be a backup. Wait! I understand!"

The vampire lord suddenly narrowed his eyes. He raised his head and looked at the invisible data program staying beside him, and said:

"You were contaminated, so you, like Avalon, separated and isolated your contaminated data? In addition to your physical carrier, what is sealed in the underground ruins is also the part of the contaminated data that you separated?

The Mechanicus has been trying to open the door under its guidance. Therefore, the second Mechanicus is actually a data memetic program formed after the warp contaminates the data, right? "

Eden didn't answer.

But this silence represents a certain affirmation.

This may be the reason why this low-key core AI has always hidden itself from Murphy. Just like other remnants of the Golden Age, it has also left its own troubles in the past thousand years.

"You really gave me a big dick without saying a word!"

Murphy scolded.

He didn't continue to berate his portable AI.

What happened back then was not its fault. After confirming Murphy's existence, it came all the way to surrender as soon as possible, which proved its position.

Master Minx also realized something ominous from Murphy's words. He immediately stood up and said:

"So, do you want to go underground to expel that evil mechanical spirit?"

"It's hard to say whether it's evil now, but one thing is for sure. We can't let the Mechanicus Church continue to try to open the door. That's a damn seal!"

Murphy smelled a big problem. He moved his fingers and said in a serious tone:

"You immediately summon the mechanical masters in the city to follow my foreign warriors to the sewers to stop the Mechanic Church's actions. I need to make some preparations in advance."

"Did you have a feeling something big was going to happen?"

Minks said:

"Need to contact help?"

"Yes, shake someone to help."

Murphy explained:

"In this situation, we must ask the Sentinel to take action. After all, we are not facing an enemy that can be harmed with a sword. It is time to show some technical skills."