We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 116 [Necromantic Energy]

Chapter 116 [Necromantic Energy] (Please subscribe! Please read on!)

The arrival of these five mechanical puppets immediately changed the atmosphere in the bar.

The previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent, staring at them with fear and unease, not daring to make a sound.

Only Jack took the initiative to walk up to the puppet and respectfully asked.

"Officer, I remember sending someone to serve in the military a few days ago. Why are you here again today?"

The lead mechanical puppet spoke in a hoarse voice: "Death service... unqualified."

"Your Majesty... needs... labor."

Its tone was strange and very slow.

Compared to mechanical puppets like Jack, which are not much different from living people, they are more like rigid machines controlled by programs.

Upon hearing the word "labor," the blue light in Jack's eyes dimmed instantly, and his voice became somewhat hoarse.

"Could you grant me a few more days? I need to choose the people to be used for the labor..."

"No."

The officer replied decisively, "Today... right now."

"Or... should I choose?"

Its gaze swept over everyone in the bar, and every puppet it saw couldn't help but lower its head, its body trembling slightly with fear.

Finally, the officer looked at a small puppet with pink paint.

“A young soul…is well-suited to be fuel for the [Midgard Serpent].

"Anna..."

The blue light in Jack's eyes began to flicker, and the rumbling of the steam core inside his body could be heard faintly.

At the same time, the four puppets beside the officer all looked at him, and a dangerous red light shone from under their helmets.

"Are you going to defy the Great Khan's will?"

"Dad, no..."

There was a hint of pleading in Anna's eyes.

She knew very well what the consequences would be of opposing the Rust Lord.

Not only her and her father, but everyone in the bar was not spared!
Rather than that, it would be better to sacrifice her alone...

All eyes in the bar were on Jack, waiting for him to make his final decision.

As the sound of steam surging within Jack's body gradually subsided, they breathed a slight sigh of relief, but also felt a pang of sadness.

This time it was Anna, but who will it be next time?
"a wise decision."

The officer nodded in satisfaction and was about to wave his hand to lead Anna away.

boom!
Two loud popping sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

A dark figure, wielding a greatsword, appeared like a ghost.

The greatsword seemed to be formed from congealed blood, its dark patterns constantly writhing and roaring, radiating a malevolent intent to devour its victims.

The blood-red sword struck down, and the violent gust of wind even made people nearby lose their footing.

The four mechanical puppets, gathered together, had their bodies split in two at the waist.

They were instantly wiped out!

On the other side, Jack swung his rusty iron fist straight at the officer's back!

clang!
A shockwave, visible to the naked eye, spread out, causing the officer to stagger back several steps.

"Those who disobey orders... shall be killed!"

"Outsiders...kill!"

hum-

A red glint flashed in the officer's eyes, and he punched Jack away from beside him.

Then, the mud on its body began to wriggle.

The four fallen mechanical puppets, as if drawn by some force, clung to his body in a disorderly fashion and quickly merged into one.

It looks like a monster stitched together by machines!

Available in the next moment!
A blood-red greatsword had already pierced its back!

The officer let out a beast-like roar, forcefully turning his head to stare intently at Xia En, and said arrogantly.

"Outsider...you can't kill me!"

"My power comes from the Rust Lord!"

Xia En replied expressionlessly, "Is that so?"

He gripped the hilt tightly, his muscles tensed, and suddenly lifted the entire greatsword upwards.

With a teeth-grinding scraping sound, the greatsword cut through the metal and gears inside the officer's body, making a straight cut from his back to his neck, creating a wound that pierced through his body.

The sludge-like substance tried its best to stop the Blood Sword's movement, but it appeared extremely weak in the face of Xia En's terrifying power.

When the greatsword is close to the head.

A flicker of panic finally flashed in the red light in the administrator's eyes.

But it still roared, "You will pay for your actions! The Rust Lord will punish you!"

Before he finished speaking, some of the sticky sludge on its body surged into Shane's body.

This seems to be some kind of mark, or perhaps a curse!

only……

The moment the sludge touched Xia En's body, it withdrew even faster!

On the outermost layer of sludge, a layer of black flames even ignited and quickly spread all over the officer's body.

At this moment, the officer felt a fear more intense than ever before—

It felt its connection with the Corrosion Lord was weakening!
As the sludge burned, the power and vitality bestowed by the Great Lord melted away as rapidly as ice and snow!
At that moment, a trembling voice, filled with fear, finally came from beneath the officer's metal shell: "You...you're not an ordinary outsider..."

"You're not even human... What are you, anyway..."

Unfortunately, its question will never be answered.

Before that, the haphazardly assembled metal puppet had collapsed into a pile of silent scrap metal.

The people in the bar stared blankly at the scene, speechless for a moment.

That dreadful official actually died at the hands of this outsider?
at the same time.

[“Secret Sea Crystal” (Special) detected within the corpse. Absorb?]

"Special?" Xia En's eyes lit up.

Based on his experience, items with this suffix, such as "Secret Sea Crystal," can bring quite a pleasant surprise.

[Ship Spirit Level: LV3 (18%)!]

[Unlock Talent: Necromantic Energy]

Quality: Poor

[Description: The corpses contain a profound and mysterious energy.]

Those who master this psionic energy can awaken corpses, communicate with the dead, or even open the abyssal gates leading to death.

[The remains of dead mechanical beings are probably also subject to this power, aren't they?]

The corpse is speaking...

"Ok?"

Xia En frowned, suddenly realizing that something was wrong.

He killed mechanical puppets, not undead creatures, so how could he have such a talent?
But after seeing the second-to-last sentence, Shane suddenly realized what was happening.

This clerk under the [Rust Lord] is actually a necromancer machine?!

No, it wasn't just one.

The same applies to other mechanical puppets.

No wonder Xia En couldn't sense any power from their steam cores; that eerie black sludge was perhaps a manifestation of necromantic energy.

So, is the true nature of this "Rust Lord"... a necromancer?
Xia En was startled by his own guess, but upon further reflection, it seemed to be quite possible.

If the Rust Lord can also transform mechanical skeletons into undead creatures, then the scrap steel in this city will undoubtedly be an inexhaustible source of materials!

But speculation is just speculation, and nothing is certain until it is confirmed.

……

at this time.

Jack, standing in the crowd, was the first to react, exclaiming in surprise.

"Brother, your skills... are truly extraordinary."

Suppressing his distracting thoughts, Xia En smiled faintly and said, "I'm just glad Boss Jack doesn't mind me meddling."

"how come?"

Jack confessed, "I was already planning to fight them to the death. I can't let them take away my beloved Anna."

"However... without your help, brother, I'm afraid things would have really turned out badly."

Unable to contain his curiosity, Xia En asked, "Do we still need to serve in the military to live in this [Rusty Wasteland]?"

"What do 'living service' and 'dead service' mean?"

Jack sighed. "Brother, come with me. You'll understand once you've seen this."

Soon, old Jack led Shane to a small room on the side of the bar.

laugh--

As soon as I entered the room, a cloud of white steam with a strange smell hit me.

Upon seeing the scene inside the room, even Xia En couldn't help but gasp.

In this small room, rows of highly rusted mechanical puppets were displayed like corpses.

Pipes extend from them, connecting with the thick pipes on the walls.

Turbid steam is produced from the steam cores inside the puppets and injected into pipes to become usable energy.

"……This is?"

Jack said quietly, "In fact, before the great flood came, the city lord hesitated about whether to embark on this irreversible path."

"One of the major challenges is that traditional steam engines, no matter how advanced they are, ultimately require combustion to operate."

"But where is there so much oxygen to burn beneath this seawater?"

"However, the invention of the 'Steam Heart' by that genius changed everything."

"This extraordinary steam creation achieves a more microscopic level of transformation; as long as materials are put in, the heart of the machine can continuously produce abundant steam."

"What an epoch-making and incredible invention!"

"It also naturally became popular throughout the city, becoming an indispensable core of all kinds of steam devices."

"only……"

Jack paused, then let out a heavy sigh: "That genius's intentions were good, but he overlooked one point."

"After being transformed into machinery, humans who possess the [Steam Heart] themselves become a tool, a resource, a... consumable."

"The so-called 'service' is nothing other than using us as tools to generate steam for that [Rust Lord]!"

Jack then looked at the people lying in the room.

"Dead servants, like these people, have entered a dormant state of consciousness, unable to perceive external objects, with only the [Steam Heart] maintaining a faint vitality."

“And servitude is to imprison people in one place, watching helplessly as their own steam is produced and extracted.”

"Nothing else can be done."

"Day after day, year after year, until... the day it breaks down."

After hearing these words, Xia En was horrified.

Compared to the vampires' direct blood-drinking and slaughter, this alienation of people reveals a stronger sense of horror.

"Then they..."

"Everyone here is in hibernation voluntarily."

Looking at those familiar faces, Jack said sadly, "For them, there is no point in continuing to eke out a living; a long life is just torture."

"So I chose this way of self-liberation."

"If it weren't for Anna, perhaps... I would have become one of them too."

The two fell silent simultaneously.

After a moment, Jack seemed to have thought about it for a long time before speaking, "Actually, I have another request."