Elegy from Another World

More than a month has passed since the decisive battle with Aslo. Life in Utopia has gradually returned to a certain tranquility, yet it is also filled with new vitality. Tia's younger sister, Tina, has recovered quickly, both physically and mentally, thanks to the miraculous effects of the Zoimem dragon blood and subsequent careful recuperation. After learning about her sister's experiences and the existence of Utopia, she chose to join without hesitation. Seeing the genuine smile of relief that finally appeared on Tia's face, and seeing her begin to dedicate some time and care to her sister, I also felt a sense of relief. She is finally no longer constantly hovering around me like before.

As for myself, after that extraordinary clash of consciousness with the "Demon King," my body also underwent some wondrous changes. Not long after returning to Utopia, four brand-new, flexible yet powerful bright red tentacles sprouted from my back, along my spine. These tentacles had suckers at their ends, as if they were a natural extension of my body. After Xiao Bei's detailed scan confirmed that they did indeed originate from my spine, were perfectly connected to my nervous system, and could be controlled with my will, just like controlling my own arms.

This brings immense convenience—I can now easily "hang" myself from the ceiling or wall like a bat or spider, and my movements have become more three-dimensional and bizarre. More importantly, I have awakened a truly incredible ability: replication.

As long as I understand its basic structure and magical flow, and provide enough magic, I can replicate almost any object out of thin air. From simple tools and magical firearms to complex magical engines, precision instruments, and even… the bodies of living beings. Of course, the replicated organisms are merely empty shells, lacking the original consciousness and soul. But this is astonishing enough! With this ability, Utopia's technology and magical industry experienced explosive growth.

In just over a month, our "arsenal" has been expanded to include magic-powered heavy tanks, agile helicopters, bombers with long-range strike capabilities, and missiles with astonishing range. We've even collaborated to build a "sky platform" that, while not too large, can hover stably in the air, serving as a mobile outpost and command center.

On the outskirts of Utopia, the caravan led by Yisen made a fortune. These technologically advanced products, packaged as "ancient civilization heritage," fetched astronomical prices at underground auctions on the black market, with some individual pieces even exceeding 100 million gold coins. Yisen was overjoyed, and we gained a continuous stream of funds and rare resources, creating a virtuous cycle.

That day, having nothing to do, I went to chat with Yisen and casually asked, "Any interesting intelligence lately? Like new ancient ruins, or valuable equipment clues?"

Yi Sen, pipe in mouth, pulled a yellowed leather map from under the table, spread it out, and pointed to a marker deep in the desert: "Look, this place. A few days ago, one of my old buddies traded it for from a group of thirsty desert bandits. It's supposedly an ancient site that hasn't been extensively explored. The marker is quite old; there might be something good inside."

"Desert ruins? Sounds interesting." I became interested. "Perfect for trying out the newly modified helicopter."

Without further ado, I piloted a nimble magic helicopter, following the map's directions, and headed towards the vast sea of ​​sand. Seven days later, I finally found the entrance to the ruins, half-buried beneath the dunes, in the boundless yellow sand.

Entering the cool interior of the ancient ruins, I first used a detection spell to carefully scan the entire upper structure, identifying several areas with abnormal energy responses. The exploration went relatively smoothly, yielding some ancient runic tablets, broken magical artifacts, and some metal components of unknown purpose. While some of them had value, they weren't exactly a pleasant surprise.

Following the spiral staircase downwards, I arrived at the lowest level of the ruins. Here stood an exceptionally spacious hall, with a stone altar in the center. Suspended on the altar was a complex, multifaceted crystal emitting a faint blue light. The strange energy fluctuations originated from it.

"This is it." I carefully approached the altar and reached out to take the crystal.

However, the instant the crystal left the altar, a piercing mechanical screeching sound suddenly rang out from all around the hall! Several hidden compartments opened in the walls, and a few ancient-looking but clearly aggressive mechanical guards were activated, their eyes glowing red as they charged towards me, brandishing their bladed arms!

"Perfect timing to try out this new toy." I calmly took out the strange steel bar, which I had found in the ruins of the Aslo battlefield and which seemed to be a manifestation of "Demon King's power," from my backpack. I placed my hand on the relatively smooth end of the steel bar and focused my mind.

Om-!

The front of the steel bar slowly opened like flower petals, revealing a complex energy-focusing structure. The next moment, a blazing green laser shot out, accurately striking the chest of the leading mechanical guard!

"laugh--!"

The laser pierced through the sturdy metal shell without resistance, leaving a fist-sized hole in its chest. The red light in the mechanical guard's eyes went out instantly, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud, motionless.

"Sure enough, it works just as well as the old one." I nodded in satisfaction and easily dealt with the remaining guards by repeating the process.

I took the blue crystal I obtained back to the makeshift analysis station on the helicopter for research. A few hours later, the results came back, and I was thrilled—this crystal could generate a controllable gravity field, within which gravity could be significantly reduced, even to zero! This was a revolutionary discovery for engineering and transportation! Whether for moving heavy objects, constructing large structures, or applying it to aircraft, it had immeasurable value!

"That's amazing! Hooray!" I couldn't help but cheer.

After calming my excitement, I decided to explore the ruins again to see if I had missed anything. While exploring a secluded side room, I discovered a staircase leading down to a dark and damp dungeon.

The dungeon reeked of decay. Scattered in the corners were numerous skeletons, long since turned to white bones, suggesting that many people had been imprisoned here long ago. But what caught my attention was that, deep inside the dungeon, against the wall, lay two... relatively "fresh" bodies.

They are considered relatively fresh because they are not completely decomposed and still retain skin and some muscle tissue. However, their condition is extremely bizarre—each of them only has half of its body remaining! One only has the left half, and the other only has the right half, with eerily smooth cuts, as if they were split in two by some extremely precise force.

A wave of sadness and chill washed over me. What a cruel method this was.

I sighed, and out of basic compassion, decided to bury them and let the dead rest in peace. I stepped forward, preparing to move them away from this dark place.

However, just as my fingers were about to touch one of the half-corpses, something happened that sent chills down my spine!

The corpse's previously empty and lifeless left eye suddenly contracted sharply, focusing precisely on my face! Then, its half-open, chapped lips trembled slightly, uttering a few words in an extremely weak, almost ghostly voice:

"Help...help...help me..."

I took a step back abruptly, my heart pounding, staring incredulously at the "half-body" that had clearly lost all signs of life.

He... is still alive?!