Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein found his conversation with the avatar deeply enlightening.

Gilbert, Grethel, and the others felt the same.

Although they had not directly gained any technological secrets from the exchange, it had nonetheless greatly broadened their horizons and deepened their understanding.

The talk about the rise and fall of top-tier civilizations, in particular, left them contemplative.

A faint doubt even surfaced in Sein’s heart—would the Magus Civilization’s prosperity truly last?

Could it be that tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of years from now, the Magus Civilization would also collapse into dust and ruins? Just like the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization, it would also leave behind nothing but remnants for future generations to ponder.

And what, exactly, was the secret behind dimensional upgrades? What was that new world the avatar had mentioned?

“For an entire civilization, an individual is insignificant. To the Astral Realm and the long river of time, even a single civilization, no matter how advanced, is insignificant as well. All we can do is strive to the best of our ability, and do what we believe is right,” Sein said.

Gilbert nodded in agreement. As the eldest among them, he found himself particularly receptive to Sein’s perspective.

During their continued exploration of the upper levels of the skyscraper, the avatar did not refuse when Sein asked if he could collect technological data left behind by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization.

The Magus Civilization acquiring these technological achievements would have no real impact on the avatar itself, nor on the long-vanished Eiyurant Papillon Civilization that had created it.

Sein had originally considered persuading the artificial intelligence through emotional appeals or other incentives.

Yet the avatar remained utterly indifferent, neither explicitly agreeing nor objecting to Sein’s seemingly “impolite” request.

“Honestly, the Magus Civilization’s efficiency in absorbing the technological knowledge of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization is quite limited,” Sein commented with a sigh.

“Even with our mechanics, our ability to integrate technological power falls far short of that of the Gallant Federation, which is itself a technological civilization. After all, they ultimately rely on elemental energy, not true technological kinetic energy.

“Ideally, we should acquire the core achievements of the Black Merlot Civilization, while the Gallant Federation took in the technology of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization. But that is clearly impossible.

“We can’t engage in a technological exchange with the Gallant Federation, nor can we simply stand by and watch them obtain such technology.

“After all, it was the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization that ultimately emerged victorious in the hyperdimensional space war,” Sein concluded.

Nothing in the Astral Realm was ever perfect. In a way, this situation was actually quite good already.

As for the Space-Time Shocker, the core weapon that had allowed the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization to defeat the Black Merlot Civilization, Sein’s group found not a single piece of technical data on the top floor of this skyscraper.

They uncovered only vague, general descriptions of it.

All in-depth records, especially those involving detailed parameters, numerical specifications, or operational data, were completely absent.

That was only natural. There was no way the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization would have left behind something so important.

The same was true of the Infinite Energy device. Information about it was fragmentary at best.

Still, one thought lingered in Sein’s mind—what would happen if the Magic Cube were to assimilate its replica unit that lay buried beneath this tower?

“I remember this place,” HALL-E said suddenly, pointing toward a relatively empty white laboratory.

The room now contained very little experimental equipment or technological apparatus.

This had once been a multi-person laboratory.

In technological civilizations, scientific research was often conducted by large teams working together.

Even Charles Isaac, whom Sein had acknowledged as an extraordinary figure, was no exception.

At the height of his career, the research group under his command had grown to as many as one hundred thousand members.

The mages of Magus World, by contrast, tended to be far more solitary in their research.

Even spouses, or fathers and sons, rarely delved deeply into one another’s specific areas of study.

Each followed their own path.

Even among law-wielding mages of the same faction, the core truth they pursued seldom overlapped.

“Yes. This was one of Dr. Charles’ private laboratories,” the avatar confirmed.

“Shortly before departing the Astral Realm in his old age, Dr. Charles began researching robotics. You are one of his creations. Chronologically speaking, you are Exploration Machine Number Five.”

HALL-E lowered its head and remained silent.

Sein frowned slightly and asked, “His old age? You mean Dr. Charles Isaac’s lifespan was nearing its end?”

“Of course,” the avatar replied calmly. “There are no truly immortal beings in the Astral Realm. Even so-called overlord-level existences possess theoretical lifespans. They simply live so long, so close to infinity, that they are mistaken for immortal.”

“In truth, all sentient beings will die. It is only a matter of when.”

This artificial intelligence viewed death with far greater calm than most living beings.

Sein could not help but think of his mother, his first mentor, the members of House Grantt, Natalya, who was still trapped in her long slumber, and Selina and the others, whose paths of advancement ahead were fraught with hardship and uncertainty...

He was far less detached when it came to certain things.

As a mage bound by countless ties, he could never be completely free of desire or attachment.

HALL-E was likely thinking about its owner’s promise that he would one day return for it.

It realized that its owner would never return. Whether he was even still alive was now an open question.

When a belief one had clung to suddenly collapsed, any being would feel as lonely and helpless as HALL-E did now.

Holding the Magic Cube, Sein found that he understood HALL-E’s loss and confusion more deeply than before.

A brilliant blue light seeped out from beneath Sein’s robe.

He pulled out the crystalline cube, and his lips pulled into a faint smile. “Has the upgrade finished?”

Outwardly, the cube appeared unchanged, yet its surface now gleamed with a sharper, more crystalline brilliance. Internally, however, its capabilities had undergone a fundamental transformation.

The absorption of multiple technological laws had expanded its functions dramatically.

Through his subsequent communication with the cube, Sein learned that he could now manually direct its internal energy to enhance any single specialized function.

Take defense, for example. If he ordered the cube to concentrate all its energy on reinforcing the energy barrier it had previously absorbed, the resulting shield would rival any world-class defensive secret treasure.

Even so, Sein hesitated.

Based on what he had learned, the cube currently stored only enough law energy to amplify one or two of its newly gained functions.

He had not had the time to understand the origin laws of the world-class secret treasure fragments the cube had devoured earlier.

The cube’s future development could only be decided after Sein thoroughly studied every function it had acquired.

Besides, among the absorbed fragments, what function could possibly rival the replica of the Infinite Energy device buried beneath this skyscraper?

Then again, the cube itself was only a world-class secret treasure.

While it clearly had the appetite to devour secret treasure fragments, did it truly possess the capacity to consume a complete world-class secret treasure?

Now that its latest upgrade was complete, the cube’s grade was already approaching that of the Faceless Mask.

This expedition into the ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization had proven extraordinarily rewarding for Sein.

His cube had already undergone two upgrades.

Could it be upgraded once more?