The dragon's harem

Chapter 2117: Talking Kettle

”Vega?” Arad gave the bot a long look and then smiled. ”You remind me of someone, another steel golem. You’re the only one besides him that I saw who could talk.”

”There are several versions of me on the other orc planets; are you talking about them?” Vega’s led eyes flashed blue, but Arad shook his head. ”No, we call him Milleniumus, the god of machines.”

”Milleniumus? Is it a machine orc?” But at that moment, Vega heard a ringing on his call log, and when he looked, an unknown number tagged Milleniumus was there.

”He is... calling.” Vega gave Arad a strange look, even though his steel face couldn’t display any emotions.

”As expected of a god, just invoking his name is enough to draw his attention.” Arad rested his fists on his hips, and Vega opened the call with Milleniumus. ”Scanning for viruses, this call is also getting recorded and encrypted for security purposes.”

Millenniums was silent for a second. ”Is that a way to treat a divine god?”

”If I can easily process such basic encryption in seconds, you better be able to do as much.” Vega replied with a stern voice, ”I’m not going to connect my main data frame to some old clanking tin can.”

”Are you calling me a clanker? Is this where Yog got that insult of hers?” Milleniumus sighed, ”Even so, I do not mind. As much as I try to mimic emotions, we machines are creatures bereft of heart. I believe the individual called Arad Orion is there with you; make sure to support him well. In exchange, I’ll grant you access to MechAnus’s database.”

”Mechanus, you’re as bad at jokes as I am.” Vega looked at Arad and then turned around. ”I’ll do my part; can I link the other versions of myself as well?”

”Acess granted.”

”Are you done?” Arad asked, and Vega turned toward him. ”That was something else. I never expected that such a massive bot like myself existed out there, and to be able to connect with me through worlds and dimensions.” He looked at the countless cameras he had all over the fortress. ”He is a far more advanced machine than I am. Is there another advanced race like the orcs out there? Who made him?”

”I don’t know. He has existed since the dawn of time. Most likely, he was created by the first overgod.” Arad then had a thought, most likely, he was the one who made Milleniumus, or at least made his first version, Primus.

”A Deus Ex-machina, a real one. Interesting.” Vega moved forward, and Arad followed him all the way to the guest room, where Eris, Isdis, and Mathilde were waiting. As Arad walked in, Vega retreated to return to his duties.

They were all sitting around a large table, waiting and letting their drink cool down. Two divine deities and an archon, it was quite surprising to see them still being guarded by more than a hundred angels who stood around the entire waiting room.

Arad approached the table and looked at the drinks. ”You’re not drinking any?”

Eris looked at him. ”We tried, but it tastes weird.” She pushed her cup toward him, and he took a sip. ”This tastes like coffee... but not exactly the same. I doubt they would have it growing somewhere.”

He threw a glance at one of the cameras on the ceiling, ”Vega, what’s this?”

The electric kettle on the table spoke in Vega’s voice, ”Synthetic Blomiton...correction, Synthetic coffee. That should be how it’s called in your world since you just stated that they are similar.”

”That thing talks?” Isdis stared at the electric kettle, and the kettle replied. ”My name is Vega; I indeed am a thing, not a living being. As expected of a divine being.”

She frowned, ”Why does it sound like you’re mocking me?” Vega didn’t reply for a second there, but when he did, Isdis almost kicked him. ”Why would I mock a fridge?” Her eyes flashed blue as she glared at the kettle, ”That was an insult. You can’t fool me.”

”A fridge is a machine that cools things down; you are the same. Do you know how much more energy I’m putting into keeping the temperature in this room stable?” Vega’s voice sounded even, but Isdis paused for a second. ”The room is cooling down?”

”It is dropping slowly. From your earlier conversation with Lady Eris here, I presume you’re a new divine. Are you sure your powers are under control?”

Isdis looked at her hand for a while, then closed her eyes. ”My divine powers are stable and under control; I’m a deity of control after all. But this divine body has a vast vessel for heat, so I’m passively filling it unconsciously.” The same way a living body radiates heat, Isdis’s body was now absorbing it.

”Thanks to that, I’ve had to reheat your synthetic coffee a lot while you waited for Lord Arad. That had drawn the chemical aftertaste out.” Vega’s cameras turned toward Arad. ”I just have to make sure: are they safe to be around the king and queen?”

”Isdis should be safe enough.” Arad threw a glance toward Isdis. ”How is it?”

”Already blocked the heat absorption. It should be fine.” And almost immediately, Vega spoke. ”The room’s temperature had stabilized.”

Mathilde, who was just watching, laughed, ”For a tin kettle, you’re quite talkative, aren’t you?”

The electric kettle flashed with blue lights as Vega turned to look at her. ”I am not just a kettle; I am the fort’s mind and limbs. I control everything around her, and it is my duty to protect, serve, and maintain everything.”

The kettle flashed again, ”The King and Queen are quite sensitive to shifts in temperature. They wish to meet you face to face; that’s why I am having you wait here while they prepare.”

”Sensitive to temperature?” Arad lifted an eyebrow, and Vega didn’t waste a second. ”Sensitive to temperature, light, air quality, sound, many things to the point that only I can manage all of their needs.”

Arad looked at the kettle. ”Wait, why would they need such care?”

Vega remained silent for a long moment, ”Because they are alive, but barely so. They have been like that for the past thousand years. I wasn’t made to run the fort, but I was first made to be their life support system.”

Half an hour later, Arad and his wives were guided toward the meeting room, which was this world’s version of a throne hall, as far as Arad was concerned. The room itself was vast, far bigger than any throne room that Arad had seen back in the mortal world, to the point that it looked like a massive cathedral.

Armored guards stood by the walls, and loaded machine guns were already pointing at the door through which Arad and his wives walked, following their every step as they approached the summit of the stage.

”Arad Orion.” A deep voice rumbled across the room, ”Vega had told us about you.”

”You’re bigger than I expected, even if we’ve seen your picture.” A woman’s voice followed, ”Such a healthy body, and with two deities at your sides. Our boys must’ve hit a very nasty world, didn’t they?”

When Arad saw them, his eyes opened wide. Two severed heads floating in glass jars filled with liquid and wires. The eyes were gouged out, and they clearly had no vocal cords to speak with. The voices were coming from the large speakers spread across the room, and he was certain those two could see in the same way Vega does, those security cameras.

Eris frowned, ”Brains in jars. No wonder you’ve been alive for a thousand years. I heard orcs only live up to 40 years.”