Reincarnation NPC, but Arknights

However, it seemed to have fallen from the sky after catching fire, its whole body was charred, and you could even smell the barbecue.

"That's really rare..."

Bai Ye touched his chin.

In his time, such birds were quite rare on Earth, and could only be seen in ecological zones or nature reserves.

In the city, it is impossible to see birds, and their activity patterns may intersect with those of shuttles, leading to accidents.

"Oh no! This is terrible! This is the third time today! My butt is going to be roasted!"

Suddenly, the charred bird leaped up, flapping its wings to shake off all the charred parts, revealing its blue feathers.

"..."

"Land creatures are truly peculiar, a talking feathered beast?" Ghost Shark looked at the little creature in front of him with great interest.

Bai Ye frowned.

This is not an animal... but a person... although it is a bit strange, this guy is indeed a Liberi.

"Are you ok?"

Bai Ye stepped forward.

“It’s alright, I’m used to it… Wait, you are… Interesting, an Agor who came out of the deep sea and… Hmm, strange, I can’t tell who you are.”

The blue bird pushed up its glasses and stood in front of White Night and Ghost Shark, curiously sizing them up.

"Common language? You know us?" Ghost Shark asked, somewhat surprised.

“No wonder you feel so familiar to me, it’s just like the Emperor and Duke…” Bai Ye made a new discovery.

The man in front of me, Li Boli, is probably not simple.

This is a rather special and ancient existence, just like the Emperor and Duke Duck.

Bai Ye felt that this trip, full of surprises and unexpected events, was worth the price of admission.

Chapter Thirty-Six: I Think It's Okay

"The Emperor and the Duck Lord? You mean the penguin and the duck?" The bluebird flew in front of Bai Ye. If you were to ask how Bai Ye could distinguish between birds and people, it would be because he could actually read expressions from the bird's face.

Although it sounds absurd, whether it's the Emperor, Duke Duck, or the person in front of us, they all have expressions...

"As expected, you know each other." Bai Ye smiled. "How should I address you?"

“We know each other, of course we know each other… We haven’t seen each other for decades, huh? Decades? Or centuries? Never mind, anyway, you definitely smell like penguins. Hmm, and you also smell like Duck Lord’s money. I didn’t expect that after all these years, he still loves doing business so much.”

"As for me? Hmm... let me think... yes! My name is High Priest!"

"...You've completely integrated into the tribe. Looks like you're doing quite well," Bai Ye couldn't help but remark.

“I’ve lived here for a long time… um, how long… never mind, I’ve forgotten. Yes, actually I don’t even know how old I am. That’s how you record time, it has nothing to do with me! Although I’ve just forgotten when I was born!” The high priest scratched his head.

"Is this person reliable..." Ghost Shark was somewhat skeptical of the eccentric high priest.

“It’s definitely him… all these people are like this.” Bai Ye seemed to know everything.

Yes, both the Emperor and Duke that we've met before are quite unique individuals.

Their feelings about this land were different from others, and they seemed to be out of sync with the main theme of suffering on this land, creating a sense of a sudden change in style.

The reason for this feeling is probably related to the characteristics of these guys. For example, the Emperor is immortal.

He is also one of the very few important NPCs who can be harmed at will by players – yes, players can kill the Emperor after certain prerequisites are met.

There's even a mission where players need to make the emperor's death ritualistic and in line with his aesthetic.

According to Exusiai's statistics, before the launch of Arknights Online, the Emperor died on average once a month.

After the server opened, this number increased to 5 times.

Bai Ye was also certain that the high priest in front of him also had his own special skills, such as being able to recover immediately after being suddenly blown away and charred.

This self-healing ability would probably make even a pure-blooded Wendigo like Patriot realize how impressive it is.

“I almost forgot, you’ve come for the mine, haven’t you? This is the only thing here that outsiders would covet.” Although the high priest seemed a bit unreliable, he immediately pointed out Bai Ye’s purpose.

“That’s right.” Bai Ye nodded in agreement.

"Heh, just as I thought... But it seems you still don't quite understand the real secrets beneath this land."

The high priest jumped onto a tree branch about the height of a person and looked at Bai Ye meaningfully.

"I'd like to hear the details." Bai Ye didn't have the arrogance or haughtiness of a so-called strong person. He still maintained a positive and adventurous spirit, just like when he was a player.

Upon learning that there were hidden stories and things beneath this land, Bai Ye became very excited and asked the important "NPC" in front of him for advice.

“There’s no rush. Let’s wait until you’ve met the tribe’s chieftain. If you can reach an agreement, I wouldn’t mind telling you the secrets of this place,” the high priest said with a smile.

"Why are you telling me this in a different way? I doubt you've proactively met with any of the other outsiders either—"

Neither before nor this time had Bai Ye heard any rumors about this high priest, nor had he heard any hidden story about this primitive tribe.

Even players who are constantly exploring have never uncovered these plot points.

“Because you are not a mortal, you have the blessing of a giant beast, the scent of the deep sea, and some other scents that even I cannot distinguish… I think it might be very interesting to tell you about what’s going on here.” The high priest did not hide anything.

"Moreover, this thing you're carrying should be able to find out what's hidden here sooner or later. Hehe, a Colombian oracle. I haven't seen one of these in a long time."

……

Led by the high priest, White Night and Ghost Shark crossed the last forest and arrived at the tribe of Zumama, as described by Inam.

"Thank you very much!"

Bai Ye couldn't help but curse a low Gothic swear word.

What appeared before him was not the traditional Originium tribe he had imagined, but something that... even Bai Ye didn't know how to describe.

The plaza here is littered with the wreckage of various machines, and broken industrial waste is carelessly discarded on the ground, piled up into mountains.

The houses were all made of various metal parts, and there were workshops resembling those of goblins in a fantasy world.

The primitive Adakles people, armed with hammers, wrenches, and various welding and cutting tools, worked in this steel jungle, hammering and banging away, their purpose unclear.

"Isn't that amazing..." the high priest said proudly.

“Indeed… what are they doing? This place is practically a… garbage mountain.” Bai Ye was somewhat confused.

However, it does fit his imagination of technological barbarians very well.

"Hmm, what do you think he's doing?"

The high priest did not answer Bai Ye's question directly, but pointed to an Adaklis man not far away who was hammering a piece of scrap metal.

"He wants to dismantle the wreckage and recover the metal inside?" Bai Ye scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.

“No, no, no, he wanted to make that locomotive move—maybe he didn’t know that what he made was called a locomotive.” The high priest smiled.

"How is this possible? It doesn't conform to the theory of the Originium Engine at all, and there's something wrong with the structure of that pile of broken pieces."

Bai Ye didn't believe it at all.

He comes from a technologically advanced planet with a complete technological tree, and he knows that technological development needs to conform to certain objective laws.

As the two were talking, the Adakles man brushed red paint onto his "work".

"Is this for decoration?"

“No, he believes that red paint will make his work faster—that’s what he considers a step in the manufacturing process.” The high priest shook his head.

Bai Ye scoffed at it.

However, he was proven wrong the next moment.

That pile of junk that Bai Ye considered to be broken actually started working.

Although it made a lot of noise, dropped pieces of debris as it drove, and eventually disintegrated while driving, it was actually driven.

"Are these guys green-skinned?!"

For the first time, Bai Ye felt she couldn't understand.

There's a kind of "can" that I think is feasible!

Chapter Thirty-Seven Zuma

"Actually, I think this place is quite nice...it has a unique artistic style."

Ghost Shark was quite satisfied with the place.

She wasn't a tech enthusiast, and she didn't feel anything about the rather illogical renovations here.

However, the bizarre art aesthetics resulting from the combination of wasteland punk, steampunk, and gearpunk with primitive tribal culture were a feast for her eyes.

It possesses a unique beauty.

This sparked a burst of inspiration for sculptor Ghost Shark. However, she currently has neither stones nor carving tools on hand, so she can't do anything.

"I just find it outrageous. Now I'd like to meet the clan chief here..."

Bai Ye was also greatly impressed.

He was at a loss for words when faced with the bizarre "green technology" and the "I think this is how it should be" tech-savages here.

No, looking at it from another angle, perhaps other civilizations on this land are not much different from this one.

Most of the technology trees are developed based on the relics and technologies left by previous civilizations.

Terra's tech tree is mostly built on archaeology, and then through some random experimentation.

However, compared to these primitive tribes that are still in the early stages, the Terra people's technology is obviously mature, and they have even formed their own system, which is quite outrageous.

"Hmm, so you're the outsiders?"

Bai Ye turned his head and saw a scantily clad girl from Fydia walking towards him and Ghost Shark.

The girl had short black hair and a tall figure, almost the same as Bai Ye. Her clothing was similar to that of other rainforest tribespeople, barely covering her vital parts. However, she wore modern welding goggles on her forehead, completely out of place in a primitive tribe.

Bai Ye found it quite interesting. In this primeval rainforest, the men of the tribe all had appearances similar to those of their ancestors, known as furry, while the women's appearances were more like those of the gods, which was more in line with the aesthetics of most Earthlings.

"Your Excellency is Chief Zumamar. Hmm, this is... Sargon's official language. It's quite rare to find a Tiakkau who can speak a foreign language."

This is the third Tiakkau person, besides Inam and the High Priest, to speak an "outsider language." Oh. The High Priest probably isn't considered a local.

"Yes, I learned a foreign language in order to study mechanical knowledge."

The short-haired girl from Phidiah didn't pay much attention to White Night and Ghost Shark. Instead, most of her attention was focused on the robot Hanai 2 that was slowly spinning around White Night's feet.

For her, this unfamiliar machine was more appealing than outsiders like the White Night and the Ghost Shark.

"Sorry, I was a little distracted. So, outsiders, what is the purpose of your visit?"

After a long pause, Zumama finally reacted. She looked at Bai Ye and asked curiously.

Even though he had learned knowledge from outside, this clan chief still inherited most of Tiacau's personality—direct and straightforward, without any ambiguity.

"We're here to discuss business."

"You want that... Originium, right? Although our own need isn't too great right now, it should be very important to you outsiders, right?" Zuma's words dispelled the outsiders' thoughts of trying to cheat and swindle them.

What, you're saying Bai Ye isn't that despicable?

Please, as a player, Bai Ye would naturally do what a despicable outsider would do if he could, but he knew it was hopeless when he saw the High Priest.

Unexpectedly, the Zumama here is also knowledgeable.

Then we'll have to seriously discuss the terms.

Bai Ye looked around at the mechanical scraps and wreckage, thought for a moment, and said, "You probably don't need the currency outside... I can provide you with parts, knowledge, and technicians, but in return, I need the mining rights to the Originium veins here."

As Bai Ye spoke, she gently patted Hanai 2.

Hanai 2 entered optical invisibility under Zuma's gaze and then disappeared.

"...!?"

This performance clearly surprised and intrigued Zuma. She stared at the spot where the robot had disappeared for a long time before she came to her senses.

“That’s settled then… but, well, we can’t just start mining for you. I know that staying deep in the mines for too long can make you sick, you can get stone disease,” Zumama said, looking up.

"Stone disease? That's right. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of Originium without any protection can easily lead to illness, but we call it Ore disease." Bai Ye nodded.