Mechanical Body (II)

James watched Adam leave, then said to himself in a voice only he could hear, "Adam, you underestimated me. As long as there is still a sliver of hope, I can fight for it with everything I have. This is my own choice. Resentment? There is no such thing."

From the Telekinesis Adam had displayed just now, James had already seen both its extraordinary nature and its difficulty. Even if this materialization was a trait granted by the Meditation Method, it would still be impossible without sufficient Mental Power. He had studied Mental Power for decades; there was no way he could fail to see something so obvious. For James, choosing to stay was an all-in gamble, staking everything he had. Even death was a price he was willing to pay.

"Dying on the road in pursuit of the mage's path is still better than drifting through the rest of my life in mediocrity."

Adam arrived at the former Mental Power laboratory. After displaying the credential Eileen Mage had given him, the laboratory was unsealed. The Tower worked with remarkable efficiency; this month's Funding had already been allocated. Adam summoned an Alchemy Golem through the Control Panel. He needed to remodel the laboratory. The old lab had far too many rooms, most of them unnecessary. That was probably because too many apprentices had once participated in the research.

But Adam did not need so many people to assist with Empirical Verification. With his ability to work across multiple threads, in a project like Mental Power that did not require operating massive equipment, he could even match an entire team by himself.

What Adam needed was samples, not assistants.

After receiving its orders and Energy Stones, the Alchemy Golem began to work. Adam once again saw the silver torrent he had witnessed at the docks. These nanoscopic robots flooded over the laboratory like a tide, directly breaking down and recombining its original structure. Within seconds, it had achieved Adam's requirements.

If these golems had not been Academy property, Adam would have wanted to keep every last one of them. This ability to directly alter the form of matter was simply too fascinating.

Next came the purchase of equipment. Only after becoming the laboratory's owner did he learn that the Tower could provide so many astonishing things.

Optical Projectors were merely the most basic items. Mental Power amplifiers, materialization assistance devices, energy amplifiers, Energy Fluctuation recorders—every sort of instrument that sounded formidable was available. Correspondingly, though, every one of them came with a steep price.

Adam frowned as he purchased a batch of instruments, only to discover that the Funding allocated by the Tower had quickly been spent. Only then did he finally understand why apprentices would duel over Energy Stones despite their low value. Apprentices truly were too poor.

He could not help recalling the several red combat missions and their enormous rewards in the Mission Hall. Originally, as someone devoted to research, Adam had no interest in such things. But now he realized that perhaps he really would have to take on a few.

But now was not the time. He needed to submit the Meditation Method to the library. Books containing specific runes in the library were not paper volumes, but three-dimensional Light Screen displays. Adam entered the Telekinesis Meditation Method into the Optical Projector, then removed the Information Box from it. The complete Rune Array had already been stored inside the Information Box, and the library would use it to form a "book."

Early the next morning, Frank and James arrived at the laboratory almost at the same time.

"I am willing to join the laboratory," Frank said directly.

Adam was not surprised. Judging by Frank's behavior yesterday, his agreement had been almost inevitable.

"I am honored. However, what I need is not an experimental assistant, but an experimental subject. Can you accept that?" Adam spoke bluntly. In research on the Telekinesis Meditation Method, neither James nor Frank possessed the intellect to offer Adam any real help. Their purpose was to provide him with data—data from ordinary aptitude cultivation, and data from cultivation with a semi-mechanized body.

Even though they had long since understood their own positions, Adam's words still made them somewhat awkward. But Frank quickly said with absolute firmness, "Yes, Mr. Adam, I can accept it."

Adam nodded and handed each of them a contract. The terms were formulaic, and neither of them even looked at it before signing.

Adam clapped his hands and said, "Then, welcome aboard." There was no morale-boosting speech and no celebration. Adam assigned their tasks directly. "James, you can begin constructing the Meditation Method. If you find it difficult, you may use the amplifier and the materialization assistance device. Every part of your construction process will be monitored. If you have any questions, organize them and submit them to me. Mr. Frank, come with me."

Compared with James, Frank had greater research value. Adam was very interested in him.

"Mr. Frank, I want to know whether your soul and Mental Power changed in any way after you lost half your body."

Frank had considered this question every day amid his hardship. Hearing Adam ask it, he answered without thinking, "There was no change. It is only that after losing part of my body, I could no longer sense the elements."

Adam recorded his words, then asked, "Then do you know the situation of the other apprentices who use Mechanical Bodies? Are they also unable to sense elements?"

Frank knew Adam was a Newbie. Though his talent was exceptional, he knew little about common knowledge. Frank directly explained what Adam wanted to know. "Yes. All apprentices in situations like mine can no longer develop elemental perception. We can only walk the path of Alchemist Mages. But that path consumes a vast amount of resources, and the Mordo Element High Tower does not specialize in alchemy."

"Then do you know the reason?"

Frank nodded. "During the apprentice stage, the body is the soul's manifestation in reality. A semi-mechanized body may not affect daily life, but it causes the soul to become incomplete."

An incomplete soul? Adam marked that down as a key point. On Earth, research into souls had remained only in the realm of theology. At the scientific level, their existence could not even be confirmed. If what Frank said was true—if an incomplete body caused an incomplete soul—then why was thought unaffected?

Could it be that at the apprentice stage, or rather, the mortal stage, human thought was not determined by the soul? Then what did it rely on? The brain?

Adam kept the question in mind. This kind of knowledge should not count as a secret. Perhaps the library had relevant materials; he could look into it when he had time.

He said to Frank, "Yesterday, you told me that a mechanized body brings pain. How is that pain produced?"

"I look like one person, but in truth, I am two bodies. All the traits of a Flesh Body only function on one half; the other half cannot feel them. But the mechanical side must still participate." Frank removed all his clothing and exposed his Mechanical Body. Then he gripped the connection point with both hands and forcibly pulled it apart from his Flesh Body.

It was obviously painful. Sweat poured down Frank like rain, yet he did not make a sound. In a calm voice he maintained with all his strength, he said, "Like this."

It looked rather horrifying. At the severed edge of the flesh side, tiny buds of flesh constantly grew, trying to heal the wound. The mechanical side, meanwhile, simply cut those buds away. Every Blood Vessel was connected to a tube, through which the blood circulated. Even the internal organs were mechanical. Frank's entire body was rapidly wasting away.

"Magic power keeps it running."

Adam understood. Perhaps the worst suffering for Frank was not physiological. His Flesh Body had never undergone body-tempering, yet it had to constantly come into contact with magic power. The rate at which his cells regenerated could not keep up with the rate at which they died. If this continued, Frank would be left to watch himself die with his own eyes. That psychological pressure was the true agony.

Adam placed his hand on Frank's body. Frank gave an uneasy shudder, and Adam said, "Don't move. I need to conduct a test."

Could Telekinesis construct a membrane between the Mechanical Body and the Flesh Body, allowing the two to combine harmoniously? Mental Power itself had a carrying capacity, and Telekinesis went beyond Mental Power. Could Telekinesis act as a buffer between different substances? That was what Adam wanted to study now.

Telekinesis flowed out gently and steadily, covering the fractured connection. Adam gradually controlled it into materialization. Once it perfectly covered the area, it formed a thin membrane. He said to Frank, "Put them together."

Frank let out a breath. Tearing himself apart was something even he, accustomed to pain as he was, could barely endure. Then he became tense again. If Adam's experiment worked, it would undoubtedly mean that he might no longer have to endure such pain in the future.

Adam withdrew his hand and asked Frank, "How does it feel?"

"The pain has lessened, but not noticeably." Frank frowned. He had discovered a more crucial problem. "And the growth of the Muscle Tissue cannot be suppressed."

Adam nodded and recorded it, then altered the Telekinesis, increasing its force to stop the Muscle Tissue from growing. It was not easy. Too much force would kill the Muscle Tissue, while too little could not suppress it. Fortunately, Adam possessed monstrous computational ability, and he found the most suitable output in a short time.

"And now?" Adam asked again.

A brilliant light burst from Frank's eyes. It was not a figure of speech, but actual light—the result of his emotions fluctuating so violently that he could no longer control his Mental Power. He said excitedly to Adam, "It works! It really works! Compared to before, it barely hurts at all. I feel more relaxed than ever before!"

Frank had every reason to be excited. This performance from Telekinesis gave him immense hope. When he had originally applied for the experimental project, he had only wanted to lessen his pain. Now, that goal had already been achieved.

Adam had originally wanted to try constructing Blood Vessels with Telekinesis, but Frank's current state was unsuitable for further experiments. He withdrew the Telekinesis, and Frank's expression immediately twisted in pain. Adam turned a blind eye and said calmly, "That will be all for today. You may go back and rest, or you can join James in constructing the Meditation Method."