Chapter 1340: Made in the Milky Way

"There are many such constructs in my homeworld," Zhang Lie told Li Qianlin.

Li Qianlin was shocked. "Doesn't that mean that your homeworld is really formidable, if it's able to make these sorts of metallic lifeforms?"

"More or less. Compared to the third realm, it's quite strong."

The hunters of the third realm had to work together in order to defend against the indigenous aliens of the third realm, but this was largely because the truly powerful hunters, such as Hong Tianqi, had already gone past it. Hong Tianqi and other hunters like him boasted strength incomparable to those of hunters—and aliens—in the third.

In terms of military might, they even boasted galactic battleships.

Zhang Lie thought for a moment. "The military might on Earth isn't particularly strong."

Li Qianlin knew a bit about Zhang Lie's homeworld.

"But the Zenith Dojo is there!"

"The Zenith Dojo might be strong as a whole, but there are plenty of top hunters in the Milky Way. In terms of supreme power, Earth has only one hunter worth speaking about: Heavenly Monarch Hong Tianqi."

Li Qianlin asked, "How about you?"

Zhang Lie shook his head. "I'm nowhere close, not until I ascend to the fifth realm, at the very least."

"This airship is more impressive than modern technology and advances from the Milky Way," Zhang Lie concluded.

After all, the technology of the Milky Way couldn't be transported into the dimensional world. Zhang Lie touched the airship's hull, only to find that although it looked metallic and lustrous, it felt like stone. This was a material that the Milky Way did not possess.

The airship was outfitted like a battleship and possessed some combat ability, though exactly how much remained to be determined.

"I'd like to understand how this airship works... well, let's take a look." Zhang Lie found the entrance to the airship, but didn't see an obvious way to get in. Just then, a large camera mounted on the door scanned him with a red laser. A robotic noise rang out, "Scan beginning. Lifeform of the Milky Way; race: human. Owner of this airship. Permitted to enter."

The door to the airship slid open. The moment Zhang Lie stepped inside, the robotic voice continued, "Welcome home, owner. The original owner of this airship, Bu Wentian, has transferred his authority to you. From today onwards, you shall be my captain."

Li Qianlin followed curiously behind Zhang Lie. "This metallic lifeform can even speak?"

A red laser scanned Li Qianlin. The robotic voice rang out, "Scan beginning. Lifeform of the dimensional world. Warning! Warning! Warning! You are not permitted to enter. Please leave immediately. Please leave immediately."

A number of guns and other weaponry appeared by the entrance to the airship, pointed straight at Li Qianlin. Zhang Lie hurriedly stepped before her. "This is my companion."

The robotic voice continued, "You have been granted access to enter the airship. Welcome."

Li Qianlin cocked her head and asked curiously, "Was this metallic lifeform about to attack me?"

Zhang Lie waved a hand. "It's alright now."

"Can this metallic lifeform speak?"

Zhang Lie replied, "I think it's artificial intelligence."

He raised his head. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

The robotic voice didn't respond. Zhang Lie suggested, "Let's go to the control room."

Clearly, the artificial intelligence aboard the airship wasn't comparable to the orb of light in the trial-taker's chamber, whose artificial intelligence had been so advanced that it almost seemed like the real thing. The airship's intelligence was rudimentary; it could only answer things in a robotic fashion, and Zhang Lie's earlier question clearly wasn't in its programming.

At the entrance to the airship was a map on which the control room, in addition to all sorts of facilities, were labeled. Zhang Lie quickly arrived at the control room, which doubled as the ship's command center. The robotic voice rang out again. "Welcome to the command center, my captain. I am pleased to serve you."

Zhang Lie asked, "Can you introduce yourself now?"

"I am Battleship #1073 constructed within the Milky Way. I was produced on..."

Zhang Lie sucked in a deep breath. "Hold on, you were constructed in the Milky Way? The same galaxy I know?"

The airship didn't respond.

Zhang Lie asked, "How much do you know about the place you were produced?"

"It lies outside the dimensional realm."

Zhang Lie rubbed his temples. "Alright..."

He didn't know whether the airship was lacking intelligence or information; it wasn't able to provide an adequate response to Zhang Lie's question.

He was very disappointed in the airship's AI, and had to constantly remind himself not to think of it as the orb of light from the trial-taker's chamber.

Zhang Lie headed to the medicinal research laboratory, where he found all sorts of advanced laboratory apparatus. "I wonder if I can research Potion #6 here...?"

Potion #6 corresponded to monarch gene fragments.

Given Zhang Lie's current understanding, Potion #5 was the limit of his abilities—and that was only with the help of the Yeluo chieftain. If he wanted to research and come up with a recipe for Potion #6, he would have to bring the Yeluo chieftain up to the fourth realm, then give him sufficient time to familiarize himself with the herbs and grasses available in the fourth realm.

The Yeluo chieftain had essentially reached a limit in the third realm, and Zhang Lie hadn't harbored high hopes that he would be able to ascend. With the potion of metamorphosis now known to him, however, it was possible that Zhang Lie really could help the Yeluo chieftain out.

Once the members of Team Zenith all ascended to the fourth realm, he would have them enter the trial-taker's chamber and obtain more potions of metamorphosis there, then use those potions to bring the Yeluo Chieftain into the fourth realm. That would significantly increase the likelihood of coming up with Potion #6.

It was no longer a wholly impossible notion.

The robotic voice explained, "The medicinal research laboratory can help analyze all manner of potions and potion-making ingredients. The medicinal repository has recorded information about all known herbs and medicine of the fourth realm. If a recipe is input into the system, it can be optimized using the ariship's artificial intelligence. Captain, the device in front of you is a potion analyzer. By placing a potion into the device, you can identify its core components and a sketch of a recipe."

Zhang Lie considered the device before him. "You mean that this device can be used for reverse engineering?"

"It can aid in reverse engineering, my captain."

In other words, the device alone was insufficient; it had to be complemented with talents who were familiar with medicine and pillmaking.

Zhang Lie was very curious about the facilities within the medicinal research laboratory. He sat before the computer and input the recipe for Potion #5 within.

"Can you optimize this recipe?"

The robotic voice rang out, "Would you like to convert the potion ingredients listed here into their fourth-realm equivalents?"

"Indeed."

"Please wait for three minutes."

After three minutes had passed, a brand-new recipe for Potion #5 appeared on the screen. A whole third of the ingredients had been swapped out for new ones. Zhang Lie frowned and scrutinized the recipe carefully—the new recipe did seem to be workable.

The robotic voice rang out, "Would you like the recipe to be optimized further?"