Chapter 1017: First Encounter (1)
Leif was not the only one who was speechless by Auto-one’s comment. Kyran was too, and so was Aki— the latter mainly because he was amazed at Auto-one’s ability to remain loyal to their master even when his programming still had security codes based on his original master.
If Auto-one’s remark rendered them speechless, his following words almost gave Leif a heart attack, while Kyran turned numb.
“As the Realm Scion, it is only natural that everything here belongs to you.”
The moment Auto-one mentioned the Realm Scion, the gears in Kyran’s mind started to move. He immediately thought of countermeasures to salvage the situation.
His first idea was to order Auto-one to shut up. But even as the thought appeared, it was sent to the rejected idea section of his brain simply because Leif already heard Auto-one refer to him as the Realm Scion— not to mention Auto-one had already finished speaking. It was already too late to make him shut up, and doing so would only make Leif suspicious.
The second idea Kyran came up with was to clobber Leif as hard as he could, staging a forced memory loss. But the reasonable part of his brain reminded him that if he clobbered Leif— never mind doing it without exerting much force, his normal strength probably would only be comparable to a playful smack on her head.
Leif was from the Higher Realm, meaning her physical and magical defenses were far more powerful than those in the Lower Realm. Apart from that, she was a High Sovereign; it would have been impossible for even a Sovereign to clobber her to death in a single hit. She might not be a combat mage, but that did not mean her physical defenses were weak.
If Kyran wanted to induce a memory loss with his fist, he would have to use Draconic magic. But if he did that, Leif would probably die with one hit. After all, he had not mastered control over his strength under the influence of Draconic magic’s enhancement.
After considering all of that, Kyran considered using a Void rune to remove her memories. He had done it before, but doing so would leave a remnant of his magic inside her body, which might cause problems once they left the tower. Because of its unique location, his magic energy was being masked in the tower, but if they returned to the Higher Realm, it would become detectable.
Kyran continued to rack his brains as another idea started to form in his head.
However, before the idea could fully materialize, Auto-one suddenly made a swift movement and touched Leif’s nape. She then let out a muffled groan before her body went limp.
Before falling headfirst to the floor, Auto-one caught Leif from behind. He adjusted his center of gravity before lifting her and draping her over his shoulder like a sack. His action was so fluid that Aki barely followed what had happened.
On the other hand, Kyran remained nonplussed during the whole scene. But inwardly, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, which pretty much summed up Aki’s reaction. Fortunately, the Dragon Emperor transferred the latter’s core into an automa treasure from the very tower they were in, and his eyes popping out of its socket would only be a figure of speech.
“My apologies, master. I had assumed this woman was already aware of your identity, which is why I spoke without giving much thought to it. I will be careful with my words moving forward,” Auto-one apologized, bowing his head slightly toward Kyran.
He continued, “As for this woman, please rest assured that I have hit her in the right spot and applied enough pressure imbued with my magic to induce short-term memory loss. After all, my energy core mainly generates Lightning magic energy, which is very helpful in inducing a shock-like effect to bodies.”
Kyran had considered Auto-one’s magic when he thought of a new idea. Unfortunately, that idea barely formed in his head because Auto-one had already acted upon it.
In the end, Kyran could only mutter a short “… Well done” to Auto-one before turning and making his way to the door at the far end of the grand hall.
Aki and Auto-one, with Leif still draped on his shoulder, followed closely.
While walking, Aki could not help but be amazed at Auto-one’s observational and analytical capabilities. They made him wonder how his programming was coded, and he inwardly hoped Kyran would also update his program.
In fact, Kyran was already mulling over this. With his almost perfect poker face, it would have been impossible for anyone to detect his thoughts. But Auto-one did just that.
Auto-one managed to sense Kyran’s troubled feelings when he mentioned the latter’s identity. From there, Auto-one accurately guessed that Kyran was troubled because Leif had heard him.
There were other possible reasons for Kyran’s troubled emotions, but Auto-one guessed the correct one and immediately acted to undo his mistake. This would not be possible if Auto-one’s processing capabilities were average.
Kyran himself was good at analyzing the situation and coming up with the best course of action, and for the record, the ideas he came up with flashed through his mind in less than a few seconds.
Yet, Auto-one was the first to arrive at a conclusion and act on it at that particular instance.
Knowing that Auto-one was an automaton created by the Ancients, Kyran was reminded of the automatons he left in Somuli.
Thinking back, when Kyran gave them their tasks, they accomplished them and continued to do follow-up tasks without asking him to provide them with new ones.
Initially, Kyran believed their efficiency in accomplishing their tasks and even going the extra mile with the after-tasks was due to their sentient having learned a lot of things from when they were still active— back when the Land of the Ancients was still intact, and the Ancients were alive. Kyran believed this because he had a good example named True Void to compare them with.
However, after witnessing Auto-one’s processing capability, Kyran was convinced that their efficiency was due not only to their experience but also to their initial programming and their body’s specs. He suddenly had the urge to dismantle Auto-one, decode its programming, and study it in detail. If he was successful, he might even be able to reverse engineer the creation of the ancients’ automa.
Of course, Kyran knew he could not do that. Auto-one might only be an automaton to others but not to Kyran. At least in his eyes, all automatons were already a new species. Thus, they were alive even if their core could be transferred to another automa body at any moment.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Kyran checked the woman who had suddenly turned mute in his sea of consciousness.
Before he could say anything, however, Shaiha had already spoken.
[It’s not like I enjoy giving side comments all the time. Besides, I believe your journey in the tower will help you realize the benefits of being the Realm Scion.]
‘Is that so.’
[Yes. However, I will say one thing you may not be aware of.]
Kyran inwardly raised his brows, ‘Is there anything else that Auto-one had not mentioned?’
[More like this, something belongs to the information he cannot freely say due to the security code preventing him.]
‘Hm… looks like I have to check his program and lift the security code. This way, I’ll get all the necessary information without worrying about him violating any code.’
[If the Ancients’ programming could be easily decoded, why do you think Array declined in the Higher Realm to the point that it became useless.]
‘Point taken.’
[More importantly, please be careful. Someone in the tower will soon notice your presence.]
‘Is it the same presence I have been sensing for some time now?’
Shaiha nodded.
[That’s right. When I hid in the tower, that presence was already present. And after all this time, it remains here, and I can attest that its aura has gotten stronger.]
Kyran frowned. He did not like the sound of that, ‘Is it hostile?’
Shaiha shook her head.
[I don’t know. I have only been in one location when I hid here before. But that presence seems to encompass the whole tower. You have to be careful.]
Kyran did not respond. However, Shaiha felt his silent acknowledgment and, thus, did not make a fuss over it.
At that moment, Kyran already arrived at the door and opened it without hesitation. Auto-one already told them what room was behind the door, and there was no cause for them to dally.
As per Auto-one, the next room was a massive library. Though no puppets guarded the place, hidden dangers were still present within the books and scrolls themselves.
It was wise not to touch any of the books. However, anyone looking for treasures would not heed such a warning, especially since the books and scrolls kept by the ancients definitely possessed great knowledge.
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