Ancient Machine Kingdom Ruins and the Conflict with the Star Machine Civilization

Lister naturally learned about the players trading team tournament resource rewards immediately.

However, he did not restrict such transactions.

After all, there aren't many players who can actually afford to pay to secure one of those team spots.

And if they can actually offer that price, given their financial resources, they definitely have the potential to be a top-tier player.

The already exorbitantly priced resource quotas have further amplified the importance attached to this Hegemon's Trial.

The only thing that frustrated him was the value of the Eye of Ashes Barrier and the Soul Crystal.

It seems to be because he set up rewards, with barrier keys being the most important.

This has led players to misunderstand the value of Soul Crystals.

From the perspective of major cosmic powers, the value of Soul Crystals far exceeds the entry qualification for this kind of active skill enhancement barrier.

Lister gave Soul Crystals as a second-class reward simply because he had more Soul Crystals than he had fewer Eye of Ashes Barriers.

If he were to offer the barrier key as a second-tier reward, he wouldn't be able to do so.

As a result, the general consensus now is that the value of Soul Crystals is still within a reasonable range.

On the contrary, the key to enter the barrier has been sold for an exorbitant price.

If other major cosmic powers were to learn of this incident within the Milky Way Galaxy, they would likely be dumbfounded as well.

Of course, they probably thought that the Milky Way Galaxy possesses abundant Soul Crystal resources, which is why the price of this rare resource has been lowered.

"Grown ups."

Quint was already approaching the Lookout of Merrick Castle.

As Lister's power continued to expand, Quint's power also grew.

The matters they worry about are no longer limited to the internal affairs of the Milky Way Galaxy.

This also means that the Babylon Galaxy, the Divine Rise Galaxy, and even many other newly emerging Hegemon galaxies in the vicinity now have to start worrying.

Fortunately, Quint enjoys it; he has been involved in politics and has a thirst for power since childhood.

In today's world, with so many things happening at once, he is full of energy every day.

"Is there a problem with the intergalactic teleportation array being set up?"

Quint's main focus lately has been on intergalactic teleportation arrays.

The theoretical blueprints for this teleportation array have been provided by Kavin, but actually implementing them is not easy.

The blueprints for this novel theory require skilled craftsmen to manufacture many of the materials needed for the functional components.

In many cases, the Kavin transmission cores only provided the requirements, and the rest required Quint to assign a team to actually tackle and research them.

"Kavin is currently having some trouble with the ruins in the Ancient Machine Kingdom... so let's put this project on hold for now."

Lister wasn't the kind of leader who pushed too hard; he understood the difficulty of intergalactic teleportation arrays.

The mastery and application of this super teleportation array technology, from scratch, mainly relies on top-notch talent.

If there were any problems during setup, Kavin was able to help resolve them remotely.

But recently he has traveled to the ruins of the Ancient Machine Kingdom, the star system that Lister seized from the Emerald Royal Court.

He was merely using this star system to investigate the Emerald Royal Court.

He had little interest in the knowledge and resources of the true Ancient Machine Kingdom.

With Kavin's Mechanical God Cult serving as the vanguard, they will truly explore the mechanical ruins of the Ancient Machine Kingdom.

"Sir, it's not about the teleportation array."

"I've already heard about Lord Kavin's presence in the Ancient Machine Kingdom, and that's what I wanted to discuss today."

"Kavin's personal guards sent us a message saying that we've encountered Star Machine Civilization."

"Star Machine Civilization?"

When was this news received?

Star Machine Civilization?

Didn't they appear during the Void Corridor battle as well?

Although the ruler, No. 2, did not reveal his true form, Lister still remembered his aura.

Just an hour ago.

"Did they say they needed reinforcements?"

Lister then pressed for an answer.

"I inquired about the current situation of the Undead Legion, but they did not request reinforcements."

"However, a new mechanical force from the Babylon Galaxy has already set off for the ruins of the Ancient Machine Kingdom."

"That's why... I wanted to ask you..."

Quint was already generally aware of the power dynamics in the universe.

The Star Machine Civilization is the only one among the seven superpowers that was established as a separate civilization.

As a superpower, it naturally possesses World-Ending Level combat power.

Like Kavin, and even stronger in terms of Kavin.

As the second most crucial combatant on his side, Kavin Deer, Quint was also worried that he might perish in the conflict with the Star Machine Civilization.

"I understand... The Undead Legion is currently still Hegemon's Trial."

"This trial has only just begun, so don't be in such a hurry to stop it."

"I'll go myself."

The event, which was painstakingly organized, was also aimed at player development.

After thinking it over, Lister decided against calling a halt and instead went to investigate himself.

Now that his strength has increased significantly, he wants to test his abilities again should any conflict arise.

Deep within the Gray Domain Galaxy.

The Ancient Machine Kingdom's colossal bronze structure remained silent in the vacuum for three hundred thousand years.

As Kavin Deer's mechanical legion passed through the stardust curtain, the last rays of the setting sun slanted into the ruins of the Ancient Machine Kingdom, coating the long-faded bronze gears with a dark red hue.

The wind whistled through the gaps between the towering columns, as if telling the story of the roar of ancient machinery in operation.

Although the ruins were completely deserted, surprisingly, a number of vines and other vegetation still remained.

"Beep beep~!"

"Master, the energy in these vines is wrong... they're not from natural plants..."

The First Guard solemnly Kavin.

Especially these seemingly insignificant, but the only remaining plant life forms.

"Don't worry, the Emerald Royal Court has already been here."

Kavin waved his hand, completely unconcerned about the outcome.

Although this Gray Domain Galaxy does not belong to the Emerald Royal Court's sphere of influence, it has been under the control of the Emerald Royal Court for many years.

Those who continuously mine resources from the alien energy tides here have naturally come from the Ancient Machine Kingdom.

He noticed these vines and plants at first glance, but unfortunately, their vitality had already entered a stage of complete decline.

It must have been tens of thousands of years ago when the Emerald Royal Court came, and then it never returned.

"Ignore the vegetation, watch out for those tagalongs behind you."

After saying this, Kavin looked up into the distance.

As a World-Ending Level powerhouse, his perception is naturally exceptional.

He noticed the strangeness behind him early on, as if he had been targeted by this force as soon as he entered the Gray Domain Galaxy.

He didn't alert the enemy, but quietly instructed his personal guards to keep a close watch.

What is now certain is that the other party belongs to the Star Machine Civilization, not the Emerald Royal Court or the Void Corridor as he initially thought.

"Yes, Master."

The First Guard saluted with a look of reverence.

He was the first personal guard that Kavin created with great resources after his ascension to the World Annihilation.

Its strength is naturally extraordinary; it possessed the power of Quasi-Hegemon from the moment it was born.

The strongest of all the guards.

Unfortunately, in Kavin's actual plan, this First Bodyguard was intended to be an Overlord Tier hegemon.

However, due to some special constraints that seem necessary for the evolution of life.

No matter how many resources he expends or how ingenious his design is.

The starting point for the birth of mechanical life, the Quasi-Hegemon is the limit.

Fortunately, this first bodyguard did not disappoint him. His strength was close to SS level, and he even had a real chance to break through to the Overlord Tier.

Let's refocus our attention on the ruins of the Ancient Machine Kingdom itself.

Inside the core control room of the bronze behemoth, Kavin Deer's golden pupils were establishing a data link with the ancient control panel.

Before a mechanical genius like Kavin, World-Ending Level, all mechanical code restrictions are futile.

As the final encryption protocol was cracked, the entire ruins suddenly trembled.

The rumbling sound of gears meshing came from deep within the Earth's core, and the drive shaft, which hadn't turned for 300,000 years, began to rotate slowly.

The moment the core of the ruins was activated, the entire bronze colossal structure emitted a deafening hum, and the vibrations of meshing gears were transmitted from the depths of the earth's core to every inch of the metal surface.

Kavin Deer's mechanical troops suddenly tensed, and at the same time, golden data streams exploded in his pupils.

[WARNING: Ancient Machine Kingdom Defense Protocol activated]

[Target: Bronze Guardian (Activated) x3721]

Suddenly, the bronze relief on the control room dome peeled off, revealing a dense array of hexagonal cabins.

The moment the hatch opened, thousands of mechanical warriors covered in vines fell like raindrops.

Their joints were entwined with parasitic vines unique to the Emerald Royal Court. The vines had long since withered, but they twisted the mechanical core into pieces like chains.

"As expected, the Emerald Royal Court has already wiped them out..."

The First Guard's scanning beam swept over a fallen bronze guard, whose energy core had long been pierced by vine roots, and dark green corrosion marks spread to every circuit.

The Bronze Guardians are only ranked between 15 and 18, with combat strength ranging from C to A.

In terms of quantity, this should not be a hidden contingency plan that the Ancient Machine Kingdom ruins have been carrying out all along.

It's more like a guardian of this bronze behemoth itself.

They would naturally be no match for Kavin's mechanical army.

Not to mention that these bronze guards had already been wiped out by the Emerald Royal Court; this is just a matter of activating them.

Most of them were stunned or collapsed on the spot, completely incapable of fighting and posing no threat whatsoever.

Kavin glanced at the bronze guards with a cold expression for a few moments, then stopped paying attention to them.

Turning back, he placed one hand deep within the control panel, and the golden pupils once again shone with energy.

With the input of a reverse command, the tremors of the ruins suddenly intensified.

Suddenly, the floor in the center of the control room cracked open, revealing a downward spiral staircase whose surface was covered with strange, ancient mechanical inscriptions.

"Master, the energy reading is abnormal!"

Before the First Guard's alarm had even faded, a dark purple halo suddenly burst forth from the depths of the spiral staircase.

Twelve mechanical remains clad in armor characteristic of the Ancient Machine Kingdom floated on either side of the steps. Their armor had also been neatly cut open by vines, with vine tissue still remaining at the cuts.

I never imagined it would go this far.

Kavin was somewhat disappointed at this moment.

Originally, this Ancient Machine Kingdom was one of the super powers of the past.

In the previous round of cosmic power dynamics, it ultimately perished.

He still held high hopes for the World-Ending Level mechanical ruins.

Now that they've discovered the Emerald Royal Court has been searched so thoroughly, they naturally don't believe there's anything important left for him.

I'm just here to learn about different Mechanical Civilizations and cultures, and to broaden my horizons.

At the end of the stairs, a Mechanical Holy Grail forged from materials he couldn't comprehend floated in the void.

The seven ancient mechanical inscriptions inlaid on the cup seem to be constantly expanding and contracting as if they are breathing.

The liquid flowing inside the rim of the Holy Grail, judging from the energy intensity and purity perceived by light, was by no means an ordinary liquid.

Golden pupils continuously scanned the strange Holy Grail.

As he slowly began to connect it with the legendary treasures passed down in the Ancient Machine Kingdom, his doubts intensified.

Countless streams of data surged through Kavin's pupils.

Just as he had thought, this thing was indeed the embodiment of the highest technology of the Ancient Machine Kingdom.

[Ancient Machine Holy Grail (SSS): Can reconstruct the underlying logic of mechanical lifeforms and mechanical entities, providing them with a more suitable path for advancement.]

"It seems Aiselyn wasn't lying to me."

"The Ancient Machine Holy Grail actually still exists."

Inside the bronze shield tunnel, a cold, mechanical sound suddenly rang out.

Suddenly, an extremely strong energy fluctuation appeared in the space, and countless nanomechanical particles emerged. A figure appeared in front of Kavin.

This person has no facial features in the traditional sense; even the head has been replaced by a prism-like geometric structure.

Wearing the unique alien metal armor of the Star Machine Civilization, the material is between liquid and solid, and the surface shows mechanical inscriptions that are the same as those on the Ancient Machine Kingdom and the Holy Grail.

"Let me introduce myself. I am one of the rulers of the Star Machine Civilization. My name is Ruler Two."

"You don't seem surprised by my arrival?"

The Ruler II stood before Kavin, not in a hurry to grab the Holy Grail behind him.

Instead, he looked at Kavin with interest, but the next moment, his eyes were filled with disappointment.

"It's still a human body."

"I thought this brand-new Church of Mechanical Truth might have some surprises in store."

"Who knew they were just half-baked, lacking even the courage to abandon their flesh and blood? How dare they call themselves Mechanical Civilization?"

It seems that the Ruler II has already investigated Kavin.

As fellow mechanical beings of World-Ending Level power, the Star Machine Civilization was very interested in the mechanical World Annihilation newcomers appearing in the universe.

They also made plans to win them over, but the doctrines of the Church of Mechanical Truth were not recognized by their Star Machine Civilization.

The so-called mechanical life civilization, a society dominated by mechanical life forms with other life forms coexisting, and its doctrines of the mechanical life forms pursuing freedom, are all utter nonsense in their eyes.

In the eyes of the Star Machine Civilization, only the ultimate transformation of itself and the ultimate thirst for power can be considered a truly tangible pursuit.

At least for now, having witnessed Kavin firsthand, the Ruler II has completely lost interest in trying to win him over.

"A poorly constructed biomimetic mechanical device, utterly incongruous."

The Commander II's eyes were filled with disgust as he glanced at the mechanical lifeforms behind Kavin.

Their Star Machine Civilization had completely abandoned the physical body and also loathed the human form.

At this moment, they were completely unwilling to communicate with the mechanical life forms and human-like structures created by Kavin.

"Considering we're both from the Mechanical Engineering department, I'll let you go if you leave now. We'll fight again in four hundred years."

"But if you don't leave, according to the 'Pan-Universal Civilization Regulations'... you'll have to stay here forever."