Return to the Giant Tower X Gathering Information

After saying goodbye to Biscuit and the other two.

Kevin and his companion finally found Tuck.

Tuck was standing close to Kansai at that moment.

Hey! You're so annoying!

Even in the noisy Kansai, it seems that Tuck is starting to become unbearable.

Your choice of words doesn't seem to conform to human logic. Why is that?

At this moment, Kansai's veins were throbbing.

He was on his daily patrol when Tuck approached, which irritated him.

At this moment, both of them noticed Kevin and his companion coming from behind and stopped to look over.

"You're here to see him, right?" Kansai asked quickly, a hint of hope in his voice.

Kevin paused for a moment, then nodded.

Is Tuck really that annoying? Even the Kansai can't stand him anymore.

Seeing Kevin's reply, Kansai smiled and, using both hands and feet, leaped away from the spot in a few bounds.

"I'm going on patrol now."

The sound came from afar, and the people had already spread out to be several hundred meters apart.

Tuck remained where he was, watching Kevin and the other man.

Is there something you need?

The fluctuations emanating from the mind seem to be becoming increasingly human-like.

Kevin then explained the purpose of his visit.

Tuck stopped in his tracks without answering, and after a long while, he seemed to be thinking.

"Sorry, the information gathering process took a long time; after all, my data processing capabilities have diminished considerably."

Tuck said that.

Although these Machine Lifeform do not have a concept of lifespan, they do degenerate due to the aging process caused by their bodies.

Especially in situations like now, where it's impossible to replace various parts.

"The Record Chip on you is one of the Chip we brought from the Homeland Core. It's Data Copy, a Feedback Data Chip, so it can't be actively queried."

Tuck said that.

Although he already knew about the Data Chip on Kevin, he hadn't paid it any mind. Now, he offered an explanation.

"This Data Chip is one of the items we modified ourselves after we lost contact with the Homeland Core, and we used it to trade with Sapient Life."

"There are still many similar items, but many are no longer usable. Many of them have been modified and used as new Mental Carrier."

Once you put it that way, Kevin understood.

"In order to better prolong the existence and activity of my will and spirit, I removed some unnecessary parts and stored them inside the Bronze Tower."

"So if we want to look up information, we have to go back inside the Bronze Tower."

Upon hearing this, Kevin pondered for a moment before nodding.

"No problem, let's get ready and set off."

Kevin and his companion returned to the camp.

Since Tuck was leading the way this time, the route was relatively safe. Kevin had traveled this route before.

So this time Kevin brought along Gon and Berolete, who insisted on coming along.

After all, Berolete's Nen ability meant he needed to deal with mechanical beings, and he was equally interested in Tuck and the Bronze Tower, Tucker's Reconnaissance Node.

Then I brought along Shalnark and Pairo.

After all, such a small team lacks a scout, so bringing Shalnark along is to see if they can find anything by going to a more distant place.

The six-person makeshift exploration team followed Tuck out of the camp.

Under Tuck's guidance, the entire process was quick and efficient, with almost no dangerous incidents along the way.

The entire path was recorded by Pairo.

A safe route is still very important.

Do you know what those Pit Sand Worm are?

As they drew closer to the Bronze Tower, Kevin seemed to recall his past experiences here.

So, having thought of something, he asked Tuck, a being who knew this place better.

"Pit Sand Worm?"

Kevin provided a more detailed description.

"Oh, you name this creature that? We call it the Desert Messenger, and similar creatures have been observed at several previous nodes."

"Unfortunately, we have no ability to capture individuals, nor have we ever seen any juveniles. We have only seen them under special circumstances and when they cause damage to the surrounding environment."

"We have never had close contact with it, but based on observations, it rarely gets too close to the territory of dangerous creatures, consuming more of the soil, plants, and sand in its environment."

Tuck clearly documented these more obvious individuals.

However, it is clear that individual Sand Worm are also powerful creatures of a Lord Level.

Therefore, even Tuck and his team were unable to keep detailed records.

"You're afraid of Sand Worm? Then how did you manage to obtain information about the Resentful Eater Snake?"

Kevin asked, somewhat puzzled.

It's important to know that his Data Chip contains a lot of feedback regarding the Resentful Eater Snake.

"Because they have territory, as long as we set up strict monitoring around them that does not affect their existence, it is easy to obtain detailed data by conducting ecological and environmental surveys."

"Furthermore, they exist in groups, including juveniles, so if one is willing to take the risk and capture only the juveniles, it is possible to obtain more detailed biological information."

Tuck made no record of where the information came from.

However, according to his understanding, a considerable price must have been paid, not at this point in time, but at a much more distant place, where the information was obtained long ago.

And so, Kevin got the information he most wanted to know.

That Giant Bird that blotted out the sky.

"That one, we call him the King of the Sky, a powerful being who must never be angered."

It's a very fitting name, but surprisingly, there's hardly any record of it?

"The only record of it is the scene of it flying through the sky each time, gliding through the sky every ninety days and nights."

"Its origins and purpose are unknown."

That's all the information we have.

That would be a real shame.

Kevin was quite eager to learn more about this King of the Sky.

In this way, without much time and with almost no disturbance along the way, they quickly arrived at the Bronze Tower.

It's clearly made of bronze, but from a distance it looks like a black High Tower.

This was Kevin's first time being so close to this place.

Looking around at the various giant mechanical objects of different shapes.

With Tuck, a local, on our side, we were able to get the information directly by asking around.

"What's going on with these Machine Lifeform? They seem to be still active."

The somewhat aggressive mechanical structures surrounding the entire Bronze Tower were still in motion.

"They are not our kind, but rather assistants we created to provide help."

Tuck said that.

"The Mental Seed we nurture and divide are placed into the Storage Crystal, but not every one can nurture a complete will and wisdom."

"Those crystals that did not develop intelligence can still be used as the core of operation, serving as the computing hub to construct the mechanical shell, and can still act according to certain commands."

No wonder, that makes much more sense now.

The group entered the Black Tower.

Upon entering, Pairo immediately noticed something amiss with the surrounding traces.

"Someone has been here. There are very obvious signs of human activity; they didn't try to cover it up."

Because few beings ever enter this place, all traces are so obvious.

"It's Jin and the others, right? I remember they said they wanted to come here and take a look."

Kevin immediately thought of Kim's team and said.

After carefully looking around, Pairo nodded, confirming that it was indeed Jin and his group who had been there.

Gon and Qi circled around curiously, but thankfully they didn't touch anything indiscriminately.

The interior of the entire Bronze Tower is a manufacturing factory in operation, but the production line is aging in various places and some parts are damaged, so it cannot operate completely.

Berolete was extremely curious about this place and kept looking around and studying it.

"Can I go up and take a look? There shouldn't be any protective measures here, right?"

"Berolete asked."

Tuck gave a definite answer.

"As long as you don't cause any damage, there won't be any problems. Damage caused by mere touching won't be counted as damage, since this place is already difficult to function fully."

Simply put, after the Bronze Tower was disconnected from the central core, even maintenance became impossible.

Tuck's current body is made up of many parts that were temporarily assembled from parts found in this structure.

Berolete immediately began climbing the entire High Tower, studying the various moving joints.

Gon and Qi followed closely behind.

This complex and sophisticated mechanical structure, which is still in operation, holds immense appeal for them.

Didn't you see even Pairo was attracted? Several Butterfly were flying around inside the tower.

Kevin is more focused on information.

Tuck arrived at a crystal that was embedded in the wall.

This crystal looks unremarkable because there are many surrounding it, giving the impression that it merely illuminates the structure.

As Tuck approached, the crystal sprang out, revealing its internal structure.

A section resembling a broken cable detached from Tuck's body and was subsequently inserted into the structure for connection.

"My body is severely worn, so complete data entry is impossible; this is the only way to read it."

As he spoke, Tuck began to read.

It was clear that his core computational skills were really lacking; he just stood there, reading for most of the day.

Kevin left two maids beside him and began to curiously examine the tower himself.

Interestingly, no Machine Lifeform similar to Tuck could be found in the vicinity.

Even the life form that had previously communicated with Kevin, made a deal with him, and obtained the Data Chip is not here.

Whether next to or around the tower, there are Machine Lifeform that Tuck calls his assistants.

They are not referred to as their kind by beings like Tuck.

They patrolled the area in a very mechanical and rigid manner.

When Tuck woke up, Kevin rushed over.

"Similar information was found, but it has certain requirements; something similar needs to exist around the territory where the Resentful Eater Snake has been present for a long time."

After listening to Tuck's answer, Kevin roughly understood.

Things always have their counterparts, and the antidote is always found alongside the poison.

The Resentful Eater Snake has territory, so when a Resentful Eater Snake's territory exists in a certain place for a long enough time, it will change and influence the surrounding environment to a certain extent.

In this situation, animals or plants that have developed resistance to its toxins will appear around its territory.

Whether animal or plant, they are concealed and not the target of the other party's predation.

This is what's recorded in the information.

However, there is no record of whether such a substance exists in their area.

Because the Bronze Tower was disconnected from the center before it was fully operational after its construction, it was unable to gain a detailed understanding of the surrounding environment.

In short, based on various conditions, the target area was narrowed down to a very small circle, greatly saving Kevin and his team the time spent searching.

After learning some information...

Kevin suddenly asked, "The Storage Crystal are extremely valuable to you, aren't they?"

"If it were in the Homeland Core, it would be considered a very valuable resource, but if it were in the Bronze Tower, it would be an invaluable treasure."

They did not have any unused Storage Crystal.

Do you have any used Storage Crystal that are no longer usable?

Kevin had known about it before.

Storage Crystal can be broadly categorized into several types.

A pure Storage Crystal, untouched by any spiritual contamination.

The Spirit Seed have been sown, and now Storage Crystal awaiting their gestation.

Spiritual Lifeform has already been conceived, and the Storage Crystal houses this Spiritual Lifeform is located there.

And Storage Crystal that can no longer give birth to Spiritual Lifeform, but still carry a certain spiritual existence and have Calculation Unit.

And finally, the Storage Crystal that had been worn out and could no longer bear the spirit's will.

There should be the last two types of Storage Crystal here at Tuck's place.

"You want Worn-out Item and fillers?"

Worn-out Item are those that can no longer be used, while fillers are those that carry a certain spirit or will but cannot give birth to life.

"That's right, I want to conduct some research."

"No problem, but this is a transaction, and for a transaction to happen, there needs to be something to be exchanged."

Tuck said that.

"So what do you need?" Kevin asked.

The trading logic of Machine Lifeform is that you need something and I need something in return, without considering their actual value.

Instead, it involves exchange based on demand.

"The best exchange item is definitely Pure Storage Crystal, and the next best exchange item is a container that carries the spiritual will of its kind, but cannot enable its kind to operate normally."

"Furthermore, there are various minerals and structures that allow for the replacement of body parts."

Tuck stated his needs.

There are definitely no Storage Crystal.

Then they would need to find those crazed Machine Lifeform, destroy them, and bring back their cores.

Just like Kevin did before.

1