Chapter 386 - Death Gun and Mechanical Intelligent Life

“Leave it to me!”

Lu Ran initially thought the Ghost Mother would assign some Legendary-level task. Upon hearing it was merely about gathering information on messengers, he froze for a moment.

Even if the Ghost Mother hadn’t mentioned it, he would have taken the initiative to ask if it needed introductions. Now that it brought it up itself, it saved him the trouble of persuading it.

No biggie.

Beside him, Manager Ying felt gratified, thinking its efforts to cultivate Lu Ran’s intelligence awareness hadn’t been in vain.

By leveraging the intelligence from Limitless City and his identity as Divine Deer’s messenger, Lu Ran had exploited the information gap to coax Ghost Mother into also finding its messengers.

100,000 high-quality human blood samples... There’s no strict requirement that they must be beastmasters from the Stellar Moon Federation, right?

Lu Ran could easily return to Blue Planet and organize a blood donation event at Beastmaster University. Benefits such as becoming a Divine messenger should naturally be reserved for his people. If the Divine Tortoise’s messenger could also be selected from Xia’s beastmasters, Xia would soar to new heights.

This isn’t a task. It’s practically handing us an opportunity...

Of course, the real blessing was the Ghost Mother’s promise to help Dark Crow unify its attribute powers during its next evolution. For Dark Crow, this would be an immense fortune.

Six-Path Flower had the Divine Deer’s blessing, and now Dark Crow would have the Ghost Mother, God of the Abyss’...

Of course, it would be even better if he could find two more Legendaries to enhance Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King during their second-stage evolutions. But even without that, it wasn’t a big deal. There was still Limitless City’s second-stage evolution secret realm.

Initially, Lu Ran had worried he wouldn’t be able to ensure every familiar received the perfect blessing from the second-stage evolution secret realm before the World War. But now, it seemed unnecessary to worry about.

Upon seeing Lu Ran accept the task happily, the Ghost Mother continued. “You said you had three matters to discuss with me. So far, you’ve only mentioned two. What’s the last one?”

Lu Ran said, “God of the Abyss, the Divine Deer also tasked me with finding traces of the Divine Tortoise. However, after searching for a long time, I’ve found nothing. So, after meeting you, I wanted to ask if you know where the Divine Tortoise might be.”

Ghost Mother replied, “I see. That fellow, the Divine Tortoise, is like me. It’s slumbering in the deep sea. It’s surely unaware of Limitless City’s affairs as well.

Hehe.

”

Lu Ran was taken aback. He didn’t understand why the Ghost Mother suddenly chuckled.

“You were quite strategic in finding me. Why didn’t you apply the same ingenuity to finding the Divine Tortoise?”

“

Ah?

” Lu Ran was confused.

“To find me, you deliberately had that familiar of yours, the one fused with the Evil God’s power, create a huge commotion, right?”

Ahem.

“That tortoise, as the Ocean Life God and the Ocean Purification God, despises marine pollution. During humanity’s Mechanical Era, an island nation severely polluted the ocean during its industrialization. The Divine Tortoise annihilated it. So, do you understand what it hates now? You could simply pollute the ocean to lure it out.” The Ghost Mother’s tone was light.

“

Uhh...

” Lu Ran’s head throbbed.

How ruthless... I feel like you’re setting me up!

If there were normal methods to find the target, Lu Ran would have preferred to do things properly.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Go and complete the task I assigned you first. That fellow is elusive and hard to find. I’ll help you with the search for the Divine Tortoise. Don’t waste your time on it. The next time we meet, I’ll tell you its location.”

The Ghost Mother’s final words eased Lu Ran’s mind.

“Thank you, God of the Abyss.”

***

After receiving a token from the God of Abyss to contact the abyss space, Lu Ran and the others were sent back to their original location.

Even after returning, Lu Ran felt like he was dreaming.

Another connection with a Legendary being... Not bad!

“Should we continue searching for the Divine Tortoise?” Manager Ying asked.

Lu Ran shook his head. “Definitely not for now. We can’t actually pollute the ocean, and we don’t have any special means to do so... At most, we could have Captain Doofus pee into the sea a few times, but what kind of pollution is that? Let’s wait for the Ghost Mother’s news.”

Manager Ying’s lips twitched. “Fine. Then I’ll contact Bai Lu. Next, we’ll check out that mechanical ruins site.”

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“Sounds good.” Lu Ran nodded.

***

As they mounted Baby Cloud and headed for the continent where the mechanical ruins were located, Manager Ying said, “Bai Lu mentioned she contacted the messenger of the Underworld God, Death Gun. Your entry slot for the mechanical ruins was obtained from him.

“Bai Lu also said that she only revealed to Death Gun that you’re another messenger of the Divine Deer. She didn’t disclose your identity as Lu Ran, so don’t draw too much attention to that. After all, many Legendary mechanics are also interested in the mechanical ruins. Sneak in quietly, get what you need, and avoid causing a big stir.”

Lu Ran sighed regretfully. “Got it... So Death Gun really is the Underworld God’s messenger... What a shame. If it weren’t too risky, I’d love to sell the information about the Stone of the Other Shore twice...”

Manager Ying shook its head. “Let’s just forget about that. That’s not something you can sell twice. Since Ghost Mother promised to help Dark Crow evolve, let’s just share it with it for now. The Ghost Mother hasn’t found the Stone of the Other Shore yet. If it does locate it, we’ll surely reap more benefits. However, if the Underworld God and the God of Abyss end up clashing over the search for the Stone of Other Shore on Blue Planet, Blue Planet would be doomed.”

Lu Ran nodded vigorously.

But Ghost Mother is currently guarding the Evil God’s seal. Can it even leave to search for the Stone of the Other Shore on Blue Planet? Well, that’s not my concern. Maybe it can create a clone.

Lu Ran was more intrigued by the Ghost Mother’s mention of attribute fusion.

After Dark Crow’s attributes are fused, could it become a single-curse attribute like the Evil God? Or perhaps some other unique, one-of-a-kind attribute! Now that I think about it, the Chaos Dragon God must be of the Chaos attribute.

And the divine tree opposing it might not even be of the Grass attribute anymore, but what Ghost Mother called the World attribute! After all, rumors say the divine tree’s roots have spread throughout the entire world, transforming it into an immortal, world-tree-like existence. Terrifying, just terrifying.

I wonder what attribute Captain Doofus will have after fusing its attributes...? Will it be something Unique too, like the Sword attribute? That sounds a bit weak, though...

***

The Third Continent.

Lu Ran and the others had already wasted too much time searching for the Ghost Mother, so they traveled to this location as quickly as possible.

Upon arriving, Lu Ran dialed the communication channel Bai Lu had provided for Death Gun.

“So you’re the guy Bai Lu mentioned? What’s your Limitless City ID?” Death Gun’s playful voice came through the communicator.

“Beastmaster King. You’re Death Gun, right?” Lu Ran replied.

Death Gun’s eyelid twitched at the reply.

Beastmaster King... This guy really is something.

“As the Divine Deer’s messenger, I’ve never even heard of you before.”

Lu Ran smiled. “Divine Deer Lord taught us to keep a low profile.”

Death Gun was baffled. “That ID is anything but low-profile. Anyway, I look forward to hearing more about your exploits. Enough small talk. You want to enter that mechanical ruins site, right?

“If you can’t even secure an exploration slot, I’ll assume you’re a novice in mechanical studies. Listen carefully to what I say next. Let me give you some background on this ruins site first. This mechanical ruin dates back to the end of the Mechanical Era. It’s one of the mechanical legacy sites built during that time.

“As you know, many disasters occurred back then. Humanity established numerous shelters and legacy bases. This is one of them. However, I should mention that the core treasures inside this ruin site have already been taken by the Stellar Moon Federation’s Legendary mechanics. What remains are only some mechanical resources useful to low-level mechanics. Are you still interested?”

“What...?” Lu Ran’s heart dropped upon hearing the ruins had been looted.

Seriously? Couldn’t you guys have waited a bit longer?

“Actually, I’m looking for a mechanical assistant. Is there still a way to obtain one in these ruins?” Lu Ran asked.

Death Gun said, “Oh, there’s still a chance, but at best, you’d only get a mechanical assistant equivalent to a Champion. For a low-level beastmaster, it might be a great partner. But for someone like you, a Divine Deer messenger, it’s probably quite underwhelming. Still, if you’re starting from scratch in mechanical studies, a Champion mechanical assistant should suffice.”

Lu Ran was speechless.

I even bought a mechanical lightsaber, and now you’re telling me the ruins have already been picked clean? Even with Lucky Flower, why does it feel like my luck has gotten worse? Champion... That’s far from enough to lead Xia’s mechanical research.

Even if it can evolve by fusing traits, its foundation is too weak. At the very least, it should start at King. Wait... Something’s not right. I must be using Lucky Flower wrong. I’ve been too rigid. Lucky Flower has already shown me a shortcut!

“Death Gun, right? Do you have a way to get your hands on a higher-level mechanical lifeform? If the ruins don’t have anything good left, help me acquire a powerful, mechanical lifeform instead. You can do that, can’t you? I’ll pay double.”

If money can solve the problem, why bother exploring myself? Before, even with money, there was no channel to buy one, so I had to explore. But I’ve met someone quite useful!

Death Gun was taken aback and grumbled, “You Divine Deer messengers are so annoying.”

Whether it’s Bai Lu or this Beastmaster King, they keep bothering me. Do I look like someone short on money?

The Underworld God’s salary was more than he could spend. The Underworld was littered with high-level creature remains. He could just pick a few bones to sell and live lavishly for ages.

Who does this guy think he is dealing with?

“Brother Death Gun, please... I really need this. Help out a rookie colleague, won’t you?” Lu Ran shamelessly pleaded.

Death Gun was speechless.

Such humility?

“Fine. I’ll send you my location. Give me the money, and I’ll get you a mechanical lifeform. You owe me a favor.”

In the end, Death Gun relented. It really wasn’t a big deal for him.

“Deal. You’re a real bro.” Lu Ran smiled.

Is this considered helping the enemy?

He hoped Death Gun wouldn’t shoot him when he learned his true identity.

Soon, Lu Ran arrived at the location Death Gun provided. The fully armed Death Gun raised an eyebrow at Lu Ran’s approach, finding him somewhat familiar. His tactical visor automatically scanned Lu Ran’s facial features for identification but, unsurprisingly, found no matches.

It made sense that Death Gun couldn’t identify him. Lu Ran had already used Super Beast Mimicry to gain his familiars’ body control abilities, altering his facial features slightly. It was basically a disguise. Even if photos or portraits of Lu Ran circulated in the Stellar Moon Federation, simple methods wouldn’t be enough to recognize him now.

“You seem quite wealthy? The price of a high-level research-type mechanical lifeform is dozens of times that of a top-tier familiar cub.”

“Will this suffice?” Lu Ran opted for a trade again.

Death Gun took the resources Lu Ran tossed over and glanced them over, momentarily stunned.

A pile of Treasure resources? Since when was the Divine Deer this rich?

“Barely. I’ve already contacted someone to get you a mechanical intelligent life. These things aren’t easy to come by, especially those starting at King or above. I can’t guarantee what type you’ll get, so don’t be picky.”

“Fine.”

Lu Ran had no issues with that. After all, he wasn’t the one contracting it. As long as the rank met the requirements, it was good enough.

However, the cost was still steep. After this trip, the resources Lu Ran had looted from the Beastmaster Empire were nearly depleted.

I’m already looking forward to my next ascension realm shopping spree.

“Oh, news just came in.”

Death Gun received a virtual video call through his tactical visor.

As he processed the information, he said to Lu Ran, “

Hehe,

you’re in luck. It’s an artificial human. These research-type intelligent lifeforms are quite handy.”

“Uh, artificial human? Male or female?” Lu Ran blurted out.

Is this the kind of artificial human I’m thinking of?

“What kind of question is that? These things don’t have genders. But in terms of appearance, it’s female. Its approximate age is 2 years old. It’s currently frozen, and its level is quite low, so you’ll need to raise it yourself.”