Star Odyssey

Chapter 1716: A Real Man

"What's your name? If you stay here in First Edition City, I'll make sure to get you the best resources available so that we can research and develop the most powerful androids together." Little R1O looked at Lu Yin with incredible excitement, as he truly needed such a talented assistant.

Lu Yin smiled. "You can just call me Ah Qi, but I can't stay here."

"Why not? I can give you everything that you could need as a human. Don't you humans need battle techniques, cultivation arts, and different resources in order to train? We have a lot of those things here in First Edition City, and I'll help you figure out how to get them," Little R1O insisted.

Lu Yin shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I really can't stay."

Little R1O was disappointed.

With that settled, Lu Yin and Little R1O continued to chat for a long time. Most of it was Little R1O speaking and Lu Yin just listening, as Lu Yin had run out of things to say. The measly knowledge that he possessed could not keep up with Little R1O.

When Lu Yin saw Little R1O's eagerness for him to present a new idea, Lu Yin just coughed. "I have no idea what the battlefield between First Edition and Sky Creation Academy is like, and I would really like to see it."

Little R1O felt curious. "Why would you want to go there?"

Lu Yin's expression betrayed his desire to see the battlefield. "There's a saying among humans: a real man should visit the battlefield."

Little R1O was completely lost. "Real men? Are there fake men?"

"Yes, a lot."

"What do they look like? We're able to choose the gender of each android, so for us, there's no difference between male and female. You humans really are difficult. It even seems like being able to cultivate is a matter of a person's innate physique. I've heard that there are even some research teams that are studying you humans' innate gifts," Little R1O commented.

Lu Yin's expression grew sharp for a moment before returning to normal. "There's a research team studying that?"

Little R1O nodded. "Research teams study all sorts of different things, and there are some that are studying humans' innate gifts while others are researching biological immortality. I've even heard that some are studying things like luck, but the most absurd research team that I've heard of is studying how to make particles become infinitely larger, as they are hoping to create a universe from the smallest of particles. Those supercomputer brains have gone haywire."

Supercomputers going haywire was a taboo topic in the Technocracy, as it was similar to human insanity.

Each research topic sounded farfetched, but many humans were scared of such research. However, it was clear that many similar things had been studied in the Human Domain; how was the brain in Gaia's Swamp any different from the dominant consciousnesses in the Technocracy? The key difference was that those in the Technocracy used androids and other machines as vessels while the imprisoned brain had once belonged to a human who had hoped to achieve eternal life.

"Actually, you didn't say why you wanted to see the battlefield. Is seeing a battlefield somehow related to becoming a real man? Also, what's a fake man?" Little R1O was eager to learn more.

Lu Yin clenched his fists. "If you are strong, then you're a real man. The battlefield is a place where men can become powerful."

"Isn't a battlefield a place where people go to die?"

"All you need to do is survive, and those survivors are real men."

"Oh, so that's why you want to see the battlefield. Unfortunately, I can't take you there. Only the winning research team is able to go there on their own, and the losers can't," Little R1O explained in a frustrated tone, as he had been reminded of his upcoming loss again.

Lu Yin started searching through his cosmic ring. "You just said that you're going to lose because of the materials that you have access to. I'm not sure if this stuff that I have with me can help you out, but I've picked it up over the course of many years."

Lu Yin then pulled a bunch of substances from his ring. Most of the stuff was materials that had been Disassembled but never used. The Great Eastern Alliance had taken control of all of Blazing Mist Flowzone, including the Ross Empire, so they had managed to collect a large amount of raw materials, and Lu Yin had Disassembled them whenever the opportunity arose. The materials that he pulled out were all substances without any descriptions on the Human Domain's network.

Little R1O scanned through the mountains of materials that had appeared in front of him, but he showed no surprise. For the supercomputers of the Technocracy, materials were regarded in the same manner as star essence in the Human Domain, and the amount that Lu Yin had brought out was not enough to make more than a few androids.

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However, Little R1O was soon stunned, and then he quickly became confused.

"West Crystals? Is this Woodtooth of Light? Ancient Windsand? ..." Little R1O picked through the rare materials and commented on their names one by one.

Most of what Little R1O was looking at were materials that had come from the Ross Empire's mobile fortress, and Lu Yin had picked them up when he had confiscated the Ross Empire's star essence. Emperor Luo had gathered these materials in hopes of producing androids at the Envoy level.

Little R1O selected ten different materials, and he sucked in a quick breath as he turned to look at Lu Yin. Excitement filled the researcher's eyes. "You- are you really ok with giving all of this to me?"

Lu Yin nodded and smiled. "There's another saying among humans: don't worry about it and just use it."

Little R1O's eyes sparkled. After a few breaths' time, he stepped forward and embraced Lu Yin. "Friend, we're friends!"

Lu Yin smiled. "Friends."

"Ah Qi, you're Little R1O's friend, and Little R1O is Ah Qi's friend!" Little R1O excitedly declared.

Lu Yin suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He still did not understand these individuals that were the dominant consciousnesses of the Technocracy, but it appeared that they had no concept of friends. However, they were different from the cold and emotionless corpse kings. It was not impossible for the supercomputers that controlled the androids to experience complex emotions, but Lu Yin had no idea how to trigger such responses.

These individuals seemed to live in a world without lies, and each person was true to themselves while also appearing to be indifferent.

"Can you win with these materials?" Lu Yin asked.

Little R1O scratched his head. "It'll be difficult, but my chances are much better than before. Unfortunately, you don't have a material that can serve the most important function, which is to improve the control center. If you had something like that, then my win would be guaranteed."

The androids' core control center was something that Lu Yin had learned about from Little R1O's blueprints, as this was the most important upgradable aspect in Little R1O's android design.

Lu Yin raised a hand as he pulled out the initiate ore. "What about this?"

He had no idea what the metal could be used for, but it was definitely something special since the Celestial Frost Sect's Bai family had left it in the treasury of their sect ruins for their descendants.

Little R1O was surprised when he saw the ore. "What is this?"

He quickly took the metal and started examining it. "Initiate ore? This is something that's supposed to have only existed in ancient times. It's supposed to have vanished. How is this here?"

Lu Yin explained, "I happened to find it in the ruins of an ancient sect that was hidden in a pocket dimension, and I grabbed it."

Little R1O felt a wave of envy. "You humans are so fortunate!"

What did finding this metal have to do with luck?

"So how about it? Can you use it?" Lu Yin asked.

"I'm not sure, but I can try it. There's still more than a month left to go before the finals, so it should be enough time." Little R1O then looked up at Lu Yin. "Ah Qi, I'm going to head back to prepare to upgrade my androids. Do you want to come with me?"

Lu Yin shook his head. "I'm going to have to turn you down, but I'll see you in a month."

Little R1O nodded and stored all of the materials away. "I'll see you in a month. I'll definitely win! And then I'll take you to see the battlefield so that you can become a real man!"

The android then fled.

Lu Yin was stunned for a moment; had he mistakenly just convinced Little R1O that he was not a real man yet?

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After Lu Yin returned to the human quarters, he found that the First Protector had been waiting to speak with him. As soon as Lu Yin returned, the old man said, "The Cloud Valley Master's first disciple received a message from the vice city master that their war with Sky Creation Academy has escalated, and First Edition City is temporarily unable to send out any androids at all to support the Outerverse, which means that we can leave."

After sharing this information, the old man's tone grew strange. "What did you say to them? You've infuriated these people so badly that even if we don't complete the mission we came for, you have still accomplished something amazing for the Human Domain."

Lu Yin smiled and looked at the First Protector. "Senior, do you really want to go back?"

The First Protector pursed his lips. "Do you want to stick around longer?"

"This junior's already found a way to get to the battlefield that lies between First Edition City and Sky Creation Academy. As long as we can get past that, we'll be in Sky Creation Academy's territory, and I believe that the academy should be somewhat close to the battlefield. Also, there's no way the surveillance surrounding the battlefield will be as tight as elsewhere else." Lu Yin was quite excited about this.

The First Protector was surprised yet again by Lu Yin. "You found a way in?"

Lu Yin nodded.

The First Protector was rendered completely speechless. He had already promised Lu Yin that if a path to the battlefield opened up, they would go to Sky Creation Academy. Still, the old man had not expected Lu Yin to actually accomplish such a thing. How was this even possible? They were not in the Human Domain, so was it possible that Lu Yin had connections to the Technocracy's dominant consciousnesses?

"How did you manage this?" The First Protector was stumped.

Lu Yin smiled. "It's a secret, so just wait and see, Senior."

"How long?"

"When the android competition finishes."

The First Protector considered this. "So we'll still have to wait for more than a month?"

"That's right. Actually, while we're waiting, I would like to ask for your help with something, Senior." Lu Yin suddenly grew very serious.

The First Protector frowned. "Does this have something to do with getting to the battlefield?"

Lu Yin shook his head. "It's related to the Fifth Mainland's Daosource Sect."

The First Protector's first eyes went wide. "Explain."

Lu Yin could not hide what he had been doing with the Nine Cauldrons. The Sixth Mainland already knew that Lu Yin was in the process of receiving some kind of inheritance from the Nine Cauldrons, and this information would eventually spread to the Fifth Mainland. Thus, it would be better for Lu Yin to take the initiative and explain the situation so that he could ask some of the Fifth Mainland's top experts to protect him and help him absorb the cauldron energy in safety.

He had initially wanted to get the Second Nightking to help, but since there was more than a month before the finals of the android competition concluded, he felt like it would be much better to ask the First Protector for his help. This old man was one of the strongest powerhouses in the entire Fifth Mainland, which meant that only the Sixth Mainland's Empyrean Imprinters could stand up to him. With the First Protector's assistance, Lu Yin would be perfectly safe to absorb the cauldron energy as he pleased.

The First Protector soon sank into thought.

Lu Yin was forced to wait for an answer. He had no idea if the First Protector would help him or not, as there was no real bond or connection between them. They were just two individuals who had been sent on the same mission, so the chances of the old man agreeing or refusing were equally likely.

"So you've actually been inheriting the Nine Cauldrons' battle technique?" The First Protector was shocked, and he stared at Lu Yin in disbelief. "I didn't think it was real. According to the legends, that's an invincible battle technique, and if the records are true, it's truly ancient and was created even before the Daosource Sect's establishment. The Nine Cauldrons have stood there for almost an eternity, but no one's ever managed to gain anything from them."

Lu Yin grew curious. "I heard some rumors that Nine Cauldrons' battle technique came from the nine ancient powerhouses who created the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas."

The First Protector shook his head. "It's even older than the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. When the Fifth Mainland's Daosource Sect still stood, the Nine Cauldrons were always there, indestructible and indecipherable. Even Progenitors have examined them, but they never found anything."

Lu Yin grew puzzled, as he had simply relied on the Stonewall Scriptures to receive the technique in the Nine Cauldrons. Since he was made to memorize the Stonewall Scriptures by the old grandpa on Driftcharge Planet, it meant that other people could learn the scriptures as well. He refused to believe that none of the Progenitors who had controlled the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas had known the scriptures, so why had they not been able to resonate with the Nine Cauldrons and learn the battle technique?

Was there anything else that made Lu Yin unique aside from the Stonewall Scriptures? He could not understand this.

"Show me the invincible technique that you've received from the Nine Cauldrons." The First Protector stared at Lu Yin with his eyes full of expectations.

Lu Yin raised a hand, and his star energy gathered to form a blazing sun. Cauldron energy poured out to merge with the star energy, and one sun became two, three, and then four blazing suns that hung over Lu Yin's outstretched hand.