Chapter 1637: Building Goodwill

“Take us around the surrounding area and help us search for any other surviving knights and mages. We’ll give you whatever you want. Magus World has always adhered to the principle of equivalent exchange,” Sein said sincerely to HALL-E.

A Rank Five mage conversing with a robot was an unusual sight. Grethel and Roth watched Sein and HALL-E with curiosity.

However, the two Rank Four mages had likely already noticed that HALL-E possessed a degree of self-awareness, rather than being a mere metal puppet controlled entirely by others.

Mages had seen all manner of strange things. While HALL-E’s intelligence surprised them, Grethel and Roth accepted it fairly quickly.

Faced with Sein’s earnest request, HALL-E lowered its head and pondered in silence for a long while. Sein noticed its eyes flicking about, eventually drifting subtly toward Yuri nearby.

As a robot, HALL-E felt nothing toward Yuri herself. When Sein followed its gaze, he realized that HALL-E was looking at the Burning Flame Unit.

That made sense. Through his interactions with Nexon’s intelligent robots, Sein knew that artificially created technological lifeforms placed great importance on their own “kind”.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Sein gestured for Yuri to come over, then pointed at the Burning Flame Unit she was piloting. “This is also our comrade, Burning Flame. Like you, she’s a robot that gained self-awareness, though she’s more accurately a product of magitech.”

“Our Magus Civilization has always upheld the principle of equality among all forms of life. We believe that robots who awaken to self-awareness are living beings as well. In fact, many of Nexon’s intelligent robots have already joined the Magus Alliance.

“In contrast, the enemy legions we fought earlier came from the Gallant Federation. They exploit robotic power without restraint, suppress intellectual growth, and treat all robots as nothing more than slaves.”

“I hope you’ll lend us your aid. As I said before, we’ll do our best to give you whatever you desire,” Sein said earnestly.

After a brief pause, he added, “This is also for the future of your robotic race.”

HALL-E had not spoken to another being in tens of millions of years. Being suddenly confronted with Sein’s lengthy explanation left it feeling dazed and confused.

Even so, when comparing the Magus Civilization with the Gallant Federation, if HALL-E had to choose which it favored more, the answer came naturally.

It felt far more aligned with the Magus Civilization.

This preference was not due solely to the Burning Flame Unit, but also to what HALL-E had observed of the troops on both sides.

The eight-winged angel clearly belonged to the robot race, yet HALL-E sensed not the faintest trace of a familiar aura within her.

Surrounded by strangers, HALL-E naturally gravitated toward its own kind, especially since it harbored a secret crush on Burning Flame.

Just as Sein urged the Burning Flame Unit to speak up with a glance, HALL-E volunteered, “I can help you. In return... please fix her first,” it said, pointing at the Burning Flame Unit.

Even without HALL-E asking, Sein had every intention of repairing the Burning Flame Unit.

However, during the journey, his attention had been focused mostly on Black Oblivion and his relatives, leaving him no time to address the Burning Flame Unit’s damage.

Having owned the Burning Flame Unit for many years, Sein had personally participated in its design. At this point, he could rightfully call himself a casual mechanic.

For minor damage, Sein could handle the repairs himself.

For more serious damage, the unit would normally be sent to Sky City or the Capiche Business Alliance, or repaired using the Magic Cube.

Under the current circumstances, Sein naturally chose the last option.

When the violet-blue Magic Cube appeared in Sein’s hand, HALL-E immediately fixed its gaze on it, as did Grethel, Roth, Black Oblivion, and his relatives.

“Master Sein, you possess so many remarkable artifacts. Are you an artificer? Did you make all of these yourself, including the magic bomb that took down the eight-winged angel earlier...?” Grethel asked curiously.

Sein chose not to respond. Instead, he embedded the Magic Cube into a special recess in the Burning Flame Unit’s chest and retrieved a supply of Energy Amethysts.

That recess had been added later, after Sein discovered that the Magic Cube could significantly boost the Burning Flame Unit’s performance.

The Energy Amethysts were then inserted into her energy absorption chamber.

As the cube worked its magic, a faint, hazy blue glow began to spread across the Burning Flame Unit’s surface.

Watching this, Sein could not help feeling a twinge of regret.

Earlier, he had kept the Magic Cube rather than giving it to Yuri, intending to activate it during the battle with the eight-winged angel and turn the angelic robot against its master.

The final outcome, however, had clearly fallen short of his expectations.

The Magic Cube had not only failed to affect the eight-winged angel but had also led to Sein and the others being chased relentlessly.

Fortunately, they had the magic bomb as a trump card, and the robot HALL-E had appeared at a critical moment to guide them.

Otherwise, even if Sein had managed to break through, the others around him would have been in grave danger.

If the Magic Cube could truly subvert and control every robot produced by the Gallant Federation without discrimination, the soul overmages would have seized it as a strategic asset the moment I brought it back to Magus World.

They ended up returning the cube to me, even elevating it to the level of a world-class secret treasure through methods beyond my understanding. That alone proves the cube has not reached true strategic significance. It’s merely a world-class secret treasure with special functions.

Later, when I helped Nexon’s intelligent robots activate newly produced standard models, the awakening rate remained at roughly one in ten.

Moreover, the more powerful and complex a robot is, the greater the amount of energy the Magic Cube requires to awaken its intelligence.

What determines the success rate of robot awakening? What is the underlying mechanism? I still have so many unanswered questions. Hopefully, I can find more clues in the ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization.

It seems the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization also achieved considerable advances in robotics,

Sein mused, glancing at HALL-E’s thoughtful expression.

HALL-E was deeply fascinated by the Magic Cube, particularly by the slow, deliberate manner in which it repaired the Burning Flame Unit—something entirely unlike any repair method HALL-E had seen before.

It was also curious about the Energy Amethysts.

Just as Black Oblivion and the other dragonkins instinctively craved the genetic mucus of the Black Merlot Civilization, intelligent robots like HALL-E had little resistance to Energy Amethysts, which offered them immense benefits.

“Would you like to try some?” Sein asked, holding out a sizable chunk of Energy Amethyst in his palm and offering it to HALL-E.