I Have a Golden Crow

Above the top floor of Emperor Mansion, everything had fallen into silence.

Liao Sha was quietly thinking about something. Du Yu didn’t dare disturb her, so he walked over to stand beside the Desolate Silver Lynx, accompanying her as they looked down at the city beneath their feet.

On the highest building of this Ancient Pine Tower, the Desolate Silver Lynx had finally fulfilled her dream of ”stepping the world beneath her feet.”

Only... she wasn’t very happy.

She didn’t like that woman, and she didn’t like that rust-stained mechanical mage either.

Setting aside the matter of Liao Sha teasing her master, just the Demon Breath emanating from the woman and the Demonic Puppet was already hard for the Desolate Silver Lynx to accept.

In three words: not authentic!

The Desolate Silver Lynx was a dual earth–fire Demon Beast, and was even more sensitive to the burning Magic Staff of that Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet.

That flame... was fake through and through!

It stank!

”Little Du Yu.”

”Senior?” Du Yu stroked the big cat’s fur with one hand, turning his head toward the seductive, stunning woman.

Liao Sha sat within the gear eye and said, ”I want to ask you a favor.”

Du Yu nodded. ”Just tell me what you need, Senior.”

”Don’t rush to agree.” Liao Sha smiled slightly. ”I want to ask you to take us to the Ashen World for a look.”

”Ah?” Du Yu’s reaction was indeed intense. ”Senior, that world has already been completely taken by Youhan. It’s very dangerous!”

Liao Sha said, ”We’re just going to take a look, stay there for three to five minutes at most.”

Hearing that, Du Yu grew even more puzzled. ”Senior, you mean...”

Liao Sha sighed inwardly, lifting her head to look at her beloved Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet. ”I’m powerless. I can only watch it rust away, eroded bit by bit.

I need to find the cause. I also have some guesses in my heart.”

Du Yu fell silent for a moment, then confirmed, ”Just three to five minutes?”

Liao Sha nodded. ”That’s enough.”

”Alright!” Du Yu clenched his teeth and accepted the request.

He stepped back several paces, shut his eyes tight, and lifted the Void Axe in one hand.

As for the destination, Du Yu chose the island where the Ghostly Radiance Holy Hammer was located.

It was far from the continent, relatively safer.

Liao Sha noticed Du Yu was making preparations, and casually lifted her hand.

Immediately, an incomparably exquisite Golden Key appeared in the woman’s palm.

Its design was ancient; the key’s grip was octagonal, with hollowed floral patterns in the middle.

The key shaft was a slender cylinder, and at the end of the cylinder, there was only a single raised key tooth, shaped like a crown.

The Golden Key was as long as thirty centimeters, its whole body gleaming with a golden sheen.

Mechanical Civilization· Wind Demonic Beast · Patterned Golden Key!

”Sss!” After confirming the spatial coordinates over and over, Du Yu finally opened his eyes and swept the axe horizontally before him.

The transparent curtain was slowly torn open. Inside the patch of void formed by the Spatial Rift, terrifying Energy surged and rolled, making Liao Sha’s heart tremble with fear.

Though Liao Sha was honored as a Demon Taming Saint, the moment she saw such a rift, the alarm bells in her mind were also buzzing loudly.

Du Yu knew how to conduct himself; he was the first to step toward the rift. ”Senior, follow me.”

”Meow.” The Desolate Silver Lynx darted up at once, chasing after Du Yu’s steps, and her figure vanished into the rift.

Liao Sha no longer hesitated, flying forward with the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet in tow.

She only felt her vision blur, and when she looked around again, the surrounding scenery was already a dark world.

Thick gray haze churned in the sky, shrouding all things, and endlessly drifting downward in wisps of Ashen dust.

”Ashen World.” Liao Sha murmured, and as she first entered this end-times world, her heart was filled with emotion.

”Clack~”

Suddenly, the sound of gears turning rang out.

Du Yu turned curiously around, and heard another ”clack.”

One had to know, ever since Liao Sha sat inside the gear socket, the gear eyes of the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet had stopped turning.

Of course, that was deliberate—so its master could sit there steadily.

It was worth mentioning that this Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet was a Demon Saint; its control over its body was, naturally, beyond question.

But now its gear eyes were turning again?

Du Yu was merely stunned inside, whereas Liao Sha was utterly shocked!

Her own Demon Saint... had actually lost control of its body?

”What’s wrong?” Liao Sha no longer cared to observe the island’s environment. She rose lightly into the air and turned toward the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet.

And in the instant she flew out of the gear, the sounds of ”clack clack” rang one after another!

The Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet’s pair of gear eyes spun nonstop, and the more they turned, the faster they became!

With a dull ”thud,” the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet braced itself on its Magic Staff with one hand and dropped to one knee.

”Clack! Clack! Clack...”

As the gears rotated, its mechanical face was rusting at a speed visible to the naked eye, patches of dark-silver coating constantly flaking off.

It was a very contradictory sight.

Since its body was rusting rapidly, the gear eyes should be turning slower and slower, to the point of not turning at all, shouldn’t they?

Liao Sha made a snap decision. ”We’re going back!”

As she spoke, Liao Sha had already pushed her beloved pet back into the Spatial Rift.

Du Yu’s brows knit tightly. He flipped onto the lynx’s back and also stepped back into the Spatial Rift.

Three to five minutes?

This trip to the Ashes had lasted only a few short seconds!

”Whoo~” The Spatial Rift quietly closed up, and Du Yu urged the lynx forward to come up beside the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet.

”Clack! Clack...”

The speed of the gear rotation slowed sharply, but its mottled, rusted body was already beyond recovery.

”I’m sorry.” Floating beside the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet’s face, Liao Sha pressed her forehead against its cheek.

”Clack~” A long mechanical component extended from the Demon Puppet’s face, lightly patting its master’s shoulder.

Du Yu kept silent, not knowing how to explain what had just happened, nor how to comfort Liao Sha.

”Poof~” The Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet shattered with a thunderous bang, turning into dense Demon Breath that merged into Liao Sha’s body.

The woman slowly landed, looked at the Patterned Golden Key in her hand, and let out a deep sigh. ”As expected.”

”Senior Liao Sha?” Du Yu said softly.

Liao Sha spoke quietly, ”The Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet Race ought to be connected to the world it inhabits in some special way.

In our world, its rusting speed is slow.

But in that completely fallen Ashen Continent... what just happened, you saw it too.”

As she spoke, the woman raised the golden key in her hand. ”Yet it has no reaction at all.”

”Hum~” The Golden Key trembled lightly, as if confirming its master’s words.

Maybe it just hasn’t stayed there long enough?

Du Yu thought to himself, but no matter what, the special nature of the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet was now certain.

Liao Sha looked at Du Yu and said, ”The Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet isn’t losing its life. It is changing its state of existence.”

”Huh?” Only then did Du Yu realize he’d gone in the wrong direction.

After all, phenomena like rusting and paint peeling naturally made him associate it with wear, decay, and so on.

But it turns out the body isn’t being damaged—it’s changing form?

So that’s why its gears spin faster and faster?

Du Yu immediately asked, ”What will it become in the end? What did the puppet say?”

Liao Sha: ”It doesn’t know, nor does it have the strength to stop it. All of this is happening naturally, on its own.

The only thing the puppet is sure of is that it doesn’t like this change. It believes it is gradually losing itself.”

Du Yu thought for a moment and speculated, ”Is it because of the concentration of Cold Qi?”

”No.” Liao Sha shook her head decisively. ”I once took the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet into the Bottomless Abyss. That place is filled with Cold Qi, yet that phenomenon we just saw never appeared on the puppet’s body.”

Du Yu sat on the Desolate Silver Lynx’s head, unconsciously pinching her pointed ear as thoughts raced through his mind.

Liao Sha: ”So, are those so‑called new‑type Cold Beasts all transformations based on the original Cold Beasts?”

”Evolution?” Du Yu’s brows furrowed tightly.

Today, he had received far too many new ideas.

Liao Sha nodded lightly. ”Overall, the new‑type Cold Beasts are stronger than the old ones, and their Demon Skills are more potent.”

Du Yu recalled all sorts of new‑type Cold Beasts. Though he was reluctant to admit it, that did seem to be the truth.

Liao Sha went on, ”That New Cold Beast·Wandering Ghost Soul—its prototype looks very much like the Wind Witch Race.”

Wind Witch Doll?

In Du Yu’s mind, the image of that cloak‑draped Wandering Ghost Soul resurfaced.

Could that really be the case?

Then what is the prototype of the Seven-Colored Crescent Fish?

Golden Lamp Spirit Fish?

The Cold Beasts are evolving?!

This...

The Cold Beast Army is already powerful enough, and they’re still evolving?

It’s not just the Celestial Treasure Race evolving; beings of the Mechanical Civilization are also changing their forms under Youhan’s invasion.

What about the other civilizations’ creatures? Will they be the same?

Wait!

Du Yu suddenly said, ”Since this is evolution, doesn’t the puppet’s body rusting become a good thing instead?

Its strength will grow, and its Demon Skills will become even more terrifying?”

Liao Sha was silent for a moment. ”Judging by the current situation, that might be so. But we can’t be sure whether the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet will become better—or worse.

One thing we can be certain of: the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet does not wish to change.”

Du Yu thought and thought, then asked in a low voice, ”Senior, what does the Mechanical Civilization·Magic Furnace say?

After all, the Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet is a living being under its rule. Perhaps the Magic Furnace can provide some accurate information?”

Hearing this, Liao Sha let out a deep sigh. ”Child, you don’t understand.”

Du Yu clasped his fists. ”Please enlighten me, Senior.”

Liao Sha explained, ”You’ve always lived under the rule of the Twin Trees, focused on felling Cold Trees and rarely coming into contact with external civilizations.

You don’t realize that the Magic Furnace doesn’t possess thought or intelligence in the usual sense.”

Du Yu was stunned. ”Isn’t the Magic Furnace an existence on the same Level as the Twin Trees? Isn’t it one of the five great civilizations?”

”Heh.” Liao Sha chuckled. ”That’s just rhetoric dressed up as ’official truth’. The nations on the other continents all trick themselves and the world this way.

Those nations are unwilling, and also unable, to admit that the Twin Trees stand one head above the rest.

But... then why are Demon Taming Saints so rare on those other continents?

Is it really just a matter of population size?

And what about the Demon Beasts?

Under other civilizations’ rule, why are Saint-level Demon Beasts so scarce?

As for beings of Supreme Level—they simply do not exist.

Mechanical Civilization·Magic Furnace, Color Crystal Civilization·Color Crystal Cave...

Those so‑called Mothers of Civilization have never been able to compare to the Demon Spirit Civilization·Kunlun Divine Tree.”

”Ah...” Du Yu’s mouth hung slightly open as he digested this information.

Liao Sha: ”I’ve always believed it was the Twin Trees that birthed and fostered the other civilizations; only in different regions, the forms of those civilizations underwent slight changes.”

Du Yu pressed his lips together. So...

The Twin Trees—the true Mother of All Beings.

The Intelligent Mechanical Demon Puppet, nominally a mechanical lifeform, is in essence a variant form of the Celestial Treasure Race in a different region.

There is another theory that supports this claim: the creatures of the other civilizations cannot reproduce.

If that’s not Celestial Treasure Race life, then what is?

”Of course, it’s also possible that my skills are lacking or that I’m not qualified enough,” Liao Sha said softly. ”I can’t sense the Magic Furnace’s thoughts—perhaps the Magic Furnace simply disdains paying me any mind.”

To that one sentence from Liao Sha, Du Yu had only three words in reply: I don’t believe it.

If the Magic Furnace truly possessed thought, how could a dignified Demon Taming Saint possibly fail to perceive it?