Chapter 1049 - 134 Pre-Era Civilization Exotic Species Research Institute (2/2)

Chapter 1049: Chapter 134 Pre-Era Civilization Exotic Species Research Institute (2/2)

"So this is the reason why the Voidrealm Machine Gods suddenly began to merge and reproduce."

Now, Ian could understand why the previous two Voidrealm Machine Gods defied convention to undergo fusion and evolution—they did so to combat the Void Demons, sacrificing themselves during times of non-necessity to merge into a new, stronger entity.

Moreover, he didn’t see any ’seed’ near Mechanogod Qumihuacan, which meant that the Voidrealm Machine Gods had already placed their offspring elsewhere recently. As an adult, it must partake in the war against the Void Demons.

"Only those who can see into the Domain of Void would notice such anomalies, but individuals capable of that are extremely rare—at least Third Energy Level, or perhaps the Fae."

The boy muttered to himself, "This could indeed count as an apocalyptic disaster. I suppose the pact between Dragon Island and humans is related to this."

Ian tilted his head to gaze at the dim night sky, lingering doubts still haunting his mind.

If what the Fae and the various records he’d read were accurate—that the Void Demons were spiritual entities born of the activities of intelligent life—then their nests should logically be near the surface.

After all, Terra’s surface houses the highest concentration of intelligent life.

Of course, other possibilities couldn’t be excluded... For instance, Earth’s Core, a place that could very well harbor ancient Void Demons. The rationale would likely align with why the Duke of Solin chose Earth’s Core for constructing his underworld.

But whichever it was, neither should reside in the empty cosmic void.

A Void Demon capable of severely injuring the Fourth-Level King of the Mountain would have to be born from at least billions of intelligent activities.

For a Void Demon threatening countless Voidrealm Machine Gods partnered with Dragon Island—that scale and strength would be daunting. Even the combined population of all humans on Terra might fall short, wouldn’t it?

Especially when the entity resides in space... That signifies one thing:

"In the Terra Starfield, Terra might not be the sole cradle of life."

Ian squinted his eyes, a realization dawning within him: "In my previous life on Earth, Jupiter’s moons and several Saturnian satellites had conditions for life to exist. Even Mars’ polar regions could sustain simpler forms of life... The Terra Starfield should be similar."

"Although I don’t grasp the full picture of the Terra Starfield, there are several massive gas giant planets. It’s not strange for them to have moons capable of fostering life... If extraterrestrial sparks of civilization fell upon these regions, especially fortunate ones landing in optimal habitats—they could indeed give rise to various intelligent lifeforms."

But the issue arises—currently, Terra has no news on this.

Though Terra might appear relatively undeveloped overall, powerful Sublimators should find it hardly challenging to take a trip around nearby planets. With their spirit energy fused with technology, predicting whether other planets harbor intelligent life—or even directly observing it—shouldn’t be difficult.

Yet, there’s no trace of such news on Terra.

This may not prove anything definitively, but it’s enough for Ian internally to form a judgment.

Moreover, it’s not solely this...

"If mere soul activity..."

Ian thought of Carlin’s Flower, his Temporary Netherworld, the Duke of Solin’s future underworld, and the ’Void Spawn’ within the Path of Spirit Disaster. A possibility began to dawn on him: "If mere soul activity can suffice, it might also be able to produce Voidrealm Machine Gods."

"Could it be..."

After pondering for a moment, the boy shook his head slightly: "Forget it, this isn’t the time to worry about such things. If the Temporary Netherworld indeed facilitates demon emergence... then I’ll discuss this topic next time with the Retrospection Sect."

In the future, he would undoubtedly visit Dragon Island once—Ian didn’t plan to speculate blindly.

"The threats in this world are far more numerous than imagined. There can never be any sense of complacency."

Setting aside the telescope in his hand, Ian placed it back into its crystal case and carried it along. Calmly, he chuckled, "But to be honest, the sight of countless Voidrealm Machine Gods soaring toward the Azure Sky... It truly resembles a galaxy."

In the real world, the azure tides surged, the night sky dimmed, and only the moonlight illuminated the sea like translucent chiffon.

Yet, within the void realm, countless specks of light intertwined into rivers, cascading upward into the Sky, vast and mighty.

The overlapping scenes of two worlds merged within the Prophet’s eyes as he gazed quietly.

"I hope someday, I can witness a real galaxy."

At noon the next day, the Xia Hui Territory’s groups set off on their return journey.

...

In mid-April of Terra Year 774, the Xia Hui Territory’s convoy returned fully loaded from Harrison Port.

The convoy was laden with alchemical materials, bringing back substantial orders from various territories and even foreign nations. It also established a legitimate talent recruitment channel, pioneering a new trade route from Harrison Port to Xia Hui Territory.

Additionally, the convoy carried several peculiar spoils of war.

Namely, prisoners of the Dragon Worship Cult.

Contrary to what the prisoners of the Dragon Worship Cult might have hoped for, Ian had zero interest in the "secrets" and "motivations" they harbored. Upon returning to Xia Hui Territory, the first thing he did was meet Adalbert and hand the captives over to him.

"These individuals are perfect experimental materials—Second Energy Level, infused with Dragon Blood. Their bodies and souls are exceptionally durable, their regeneration abilities strong, and their thinking patterns are entirely anti-human."

Ian remarked, patting Adalbert’s shoulder in a coaxing manner: "Think about it—if their assault had really succeeded, how many innocents would have died? You’ve captured people intending to attack our territory, right? When they launched their attack, did they ever consider the harm it might cause ordinary people?"

"Of course not. They never even regarded ordinary people as human—so why should we treat them as human?"

"Well... they may all be vicious criminals, but we can’t turn into inhumane mad scientists ourselves!"

At first, Adalbert nearly fell into Ian’s persuasive rhythm, almost agreeing on the notion of using them as experimental materials.

However, his steadfast moral principles eventually led him to reject Ian’s suggestion: "At most, we can conduct simple experiments that don’t violate ethical considerations... Experimental subjects of Second Energy Level are indeed rare, and I won’t waste them. But using their bodies and souls purely as consumables—that I cannot do!"

"Uh..."

Upon hearing these words, Ian was momentarily taken aback: "I never intended for you to exhaust them entirely..."

—These individuals are far too valuable. Why would I waste them so quickly? Slowly squeezing out their worth maximizes their value!

"Ah?"

Realizing his misunderstanding, Adalbert awkwardly flushed and stammered: "I thought you were like the Duke of Solin, asking me to kill them for soul refinement and soul data analysis... Everyone does it, so I assumed you’d do the same..."

"...Is every researcher in this world a carbon copy of the Spirit Wisdom Institute?"

Ian thought Adalbert’s morals ought to bend a little, while the average morality among Terra’s researchers should rise substantially.

Meanwhile, four Second-Level Sublimators from the Dragon Worship Cult—in captivity as experimental subjects—wore expressions of terror. Soon, they were forced to ingest Ian’s concoctions, losing consciousness before being unceremoniously thrown into the underground holding cells of Xia Hui Territory’s Alchemy District.

Having instructed Adalbert, the Deceased Monarch, to keep a close watch over these precious test subjects, Ian promptly reached out to Anfa.

[Ian?]

Since the channel for contacting Anfa through the Dragon Worship Cult was rarely used, the elf on the other end instantly recognized Ian’s identity—and even guessed his reason for the communication: [All of this trouble is my fault. I deeply apologize—I intended to stop these lunatics at Canaan Moore, but they collaborated with Dragon Worship Cults in foreign nations to circumvent my intelligence network...]

"It’s not a major problem; I had considered the consequences when working with you."

Ian replied with a smile: "That elf from the Dragon Worship Cult—I plan to leave him for you to handle. In my hands, he’s just experimental material; in yours, he might help weaken your enemies."

[Understood.]

Anfa’s voice sounded fatigued—clearly, he had been busy since returning to Canaan Moore: [In half a month, a team disguised as merchants will head to Xia Hui Territory to retrieve Limor (the Dragon Worship Elf). They’ll use encrypted language to confirm their identity, and I’ll have them deliver gifts as tokens of apology.]

[Additionally, there’s another piece of news I’d like to share with you—regarding the area around Half Moon Lake, now officially named the "Underground Heterogeneous Research Institute," a pre-epoch civilization relic.]

"Exotic Species Research Institute?"

Ian frowned slightly upon hearing the term: "The name rings somewhat familiar..."

[Indeed.]

While Ian pondered its source, Anfa continued: [It’s the massive underground ruin where the Chromium Steel Dragon Descendant resides—a colossal biological research facility from a prior epoch, sunken due to geological changes. The scale is immense and unparalleled; it’s no wonder it fostered the growth of a True Dragon descendant.]

[Originally, I wanted to inform you of this—I wouldn’t be surprised if this triggered major cooperation soon. The Empire, Canaan Moore, and the Azure Sky Royal Court are all planning to organize teams to explore the relic. Dragon Worship Cult factions from several nations will also have slots.]

[Ian, are you interested? This will be an unprecedented multi-national joint initiative, offering profound insights and significant rewards for discoveries.]

As Anfa extended his invitation, Ian suddenly recalled where he’d encountered the familiar term.

—The Silver Chip!

His eyes widened, and the white-haired youth felt a tremor within. He finally remembered the source of "Exotic Species Research Institute."

It had appeared when he linked to the Redwood Base’s central control system using the Silver Chip, revealed under an access authority designation...

—Federal Institute of Exotic Species Research’s Director...

—Codename: Pioneer!