Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 124 Ophelia
Judging from appearances alone, the creator of this machine race must have a very good sense of aesthetics.

Its streamlined metal body is slender and elongated, completely unlike the thick and rounded shapes commonly found in other puppets and machines. Its extremely human-like design makes it look more like a sculptural work of art.

With its long limbs, the materials and design used are theoretically extremely luxurious.

There's a reason why most machines are short, stout, and round: they have enough capacity to hold materials, ensuring both rigidity and functionality when stacked with numerous components.

"It's really beautiful, this little guy." Kuku also praised the streamlined design of the mannequin.

This extravagant design signifies the exceptional skill of the Creator Group in alloy materials and mechanical design.

Her limbs were slender and long, her upper limbs were like dancing dolls, and her lower limbs were bladed feet with pulleys and multiple blades.

This kind of mobile assembly means that the designer has also perfectly designed its balance, allowing it to move smoothly even in normal conditions. Although due to the passage of time, most of its parts have been worn and even exposed the wiring, it is clear that if it were repaired, it would be a rather elegant "lady".

This design is why Kuku could tell at first glance that it was female.

Even now, with only half a head remaining and electricity still emanating from the exposed areas, she still reminded Rean of an exquisite doll.

"So, this lich is also female?"

"It's hard to say; it might not be the first contractor."

Rean and Kuku chatted while watching XT7718 adjust its state.

These numbers were the combat organization code she remembered, and also her temporary name.

As expected, she lost almost all of her memories.

Considering the devastation that time inflicts on its memory modules and soul, this loss is probably irretrievable.

But looking back at her past, these lost memories may not necessarily be a bad thing.

"On August 11th, the supply of synthetic steel this week was cut off again, and it seems we won't be able to wait for the next batch for at least half a month. Food is also in crisis. We flesh-and-blood beings are alright; those friendly mushroom people sent us a batch of new mushrooms, and we gave them a new batch of alchemy recipes and potions. But the energy supply to the machine race has also been cut off. Perhaps I should consider replacing their energy system with a new one. Do I have enough resources for my research?"

Purple Rose held a notebook and told stories to the resurrected robot.

Only she and Rean could decipher the garbled characters on it.

Kuku was also looking at the information on the side, listening attentively with a serious expression.

Most of the books and records have become history, but the administrator's log in the control room, which is similar to a fixed electronic display screen, is still embedded in the magically reinforced workbench and has been deployed.

"News of the civil war has come in again. I've done my best to keep the information under wraps. Some researchers have suggested stopping research on the Earth's core energy, saying it's pointless given the current situation. I replied that I'd consider it, but in reality, I don't have any energy left for research; it's all being used to power up the Mechs."

The previous records were mostly research data that were no longer of value. This research base studies the Earth's core energy and minerals.

But the most recent records are those of the local "director".

By this time, the civil war had fully erupted, and the research institute in this remote area had lost contact with headquarters.

The director, a Grand Mechanic (Legendary), strives to maintain the status quo, awaiting a possible turning point, but what he ultimately receives is...
"The order has been issued! We're to scrap all the mechs! How can that be? They're our friends, our other half, my sisters! I... I'll hold off on this order. I believe in my sisters; there's still a chance!"

Purple Rose sighed, and the topic ended there.

What ultimately happened is no longer worth dwelling on; all those involved are now buried beneath the earth.

"According to this record, we found a huge pit filled with parts from the JAC series; the cores were all destroyed."

It seems that the abolition order was ultimately carried out, but it may not have been the director who did it.

The machine in front of us, still performing self-checks, has clearly not been successfully abandoned.

It might have been because of the protection afforded to her by her sister, or perhaps the base at the time needed this "security captain" who was clearly equipped for combat.

Judging from the "murder scene," it seems that the police chief still believed in his sister until the very last moment.

Was she wrong? Probably not.

Because both Purple Rose and Kuku said that in the later stages of that disaster, the underlying programs of all the machine races were activated, turning them all into killing machines targeting the Creator.

“Ophelia, my sister.” This delicate signature appears at the end of every page of the diary.

The synthesized mechanical voice was gentle and calm, and the robot recovered faster than expected.

She touched her right shoulder, as if she could feel the broken soul within it.

Her own name could not be found; only a battle number remained.

"Can I use this name?" The newborn robot, who had no memory whatsoever, chose to inherit this name.

Perhaps it was because she instinctively liked it.

“This is your own choice,” Rean acknowledged.

Clinging to the past is pointless. Even the race is gone, so to dwell on past grievances is truly foolish.

Ophelia nodded, then fell silent again.

Her eyes scanned the data stream, and several cables connected to the main control panel were still glowing.

She was linking to the control panel, trying to extract as much knowledge and intelligence as possible from it.

"Let's rest here for today." It should be dusk outside. Rean glanced at his companions and saw Kuku flipping through a book, knowing that they probably wouldn't be able to leave today.

Purple Rose is also busy; these "veterans" definitely won't leave until they've completely dug this place out.

He also saw the physically weak Sallyman looking at him with pleading eyes.

Judging from the looks of it, this person is truly exhausted and doesn't want to walk any further.

"Alright, it'll only be a day or two, there shouldn't be any problems in the Dark Elf city."

Rean opened his book. He was actually a little tired; the day's travel and fighting had been quite exhausting.

For dinner tonight, I'll just have some dry food.

Or later when I have more free time, I can turn on the portable grill and use the barbecue seasoning that Suer taught me. Paired with dragon meat and snake meat, it should taste pretty good.

"Kuku, can you explain this spell to me?" Now that he had some free time, Rean started rolling it up.

"Ha! Find someone else! I'm busy! How about I teach you in person tonight?" But Kuku, how could she possibly abandon the research materials in her hands? She immediately pushed them to someone else.

After thinking it over, Rean decided that while everyone else was learning advanced spells at the Hall of Heroes that night, he should maintain some of his seniority and dignity by focusing on first-circle magic.
Purple Rose didn't intervene this time because her magic system was completely incompatible with traditional mages, so there was no need for her to learn it.

Rean estimated that even magical girls couldn't learn it.

During their casual conversation, Rean learned that although magical girls could pursue extraordinary professions, they often became spellcasters, sorcerers, or priests—professions that relied on "external forces."

Its internal magical system is self-contained, and it is likely that many orcs' power systems conflict with it.

It's worth mentioning that magical girls don't have soul abilities; of course, they don't really care about them, nor do they need them.

“We are not lacking in power; in fact, being too powerful is a problem for us.” This does not seem to be Versailles.

The "beast's" extraordinary system requires restraint; if the "car's" horsepower is too high, one press of the accelerator might kill the person.

"What are you learning? Let me help you." It seemed that only Suliman was willing to offer help.

Although she was only a first-ring mage, she was Rean's senior.

She also had enough time to slowly study those first-level spells.

"This is a magic missile."

"Classic model? I'm familiar with that."

The second first-level spell Rean will learn is the classic Magic Missile, which summons several force field missiles to slam into the opponent, dealing noble and pure force field damage.

Clearly, he wanted to make up for his near-complete lack of ranged abilities, giving him some ability to engage in ranged combat and disrupt enemy fire.

If he were to learn first-level attack spells, he should have prioritized fire spells to gain greater power, given his red dragon bloodline. However, the first-level fire spell is Burning Hand.

"To unleash a burst of flame from one's hand and scorch one's opponent... Uh, do I even need to learn that?"

Now that Rean can do this, dragon fire is definitely more powerful than a first-level spell.

You still need to learn, though. The knowledge of lower-level spells will form the foundation for higher-level spells. You'll need to catch up on what you learn if you skip class, but there's no need to prioritize it.

Therefore, magic missiles can meet its needs.

As the most common ranged attack spell, although it cannot attack in an area, its range is relatively long.

For Rean, its model is extremely mature, and there are many variations to meet various needs. It is said that the Evocation Mage even turned it into an elemental missile.

Because the technology is so mature, experienced users can simplify it into a "spellcasting action," allowing the caster to release the spell almost instantaneously.

Rean's mage opponent that day cast this spell instantly in a moment of urgency. This means that if you practice to a certain level, you can cast spells even while wearing armor (though you will still fail).

Almost every mage knows this spell, and Suliman has mastered it perfectly.

She had encountered all the difficulties that Rean, a novice, faced, so her explanations were smooth.

But the more she explained, the more confused Suliman became.

It wasn't that Rean performed exceptionally well, but rather that his talent seemed rather average; there were some problems that even Suliman herself hadn't been able to solve.

His talent is average, but his progress is a bit out of sync with his absurd pace of improvement.

But Sallyman glanced at Kuku and remembered that the spirits of the fallen were right beside him, so why was she still hesitating?

Rean asked some questions and was somewhat surprised by the depth of Suliman's knowledge; she had indeed put in a lot of effort on the path to becoming a mage.

Rean was a little excited about his first time camping in the wild. Although he spent most of his time studying, he even brought out a barbecue grill in the evening and let his companions try his cooking skills.

Finally, it was late at night. This time, no one stayed up all night, and everyone went back to sleep.

After all, this would mean the start of the second night at the Hall of Heroes.

"Only a day has passed, so nothing should have changed," Rean thought to himself, and calmly drifted off to sleep, arriving at that magnificent hall.

But he soon realized he had oversimplified the situation.

(End of this chapter)