"Spirit Network?" Leng Xiyue carefully searched her senses, but aside from feeling as though her intelligence had increased, she noticed nothing else. Perhaps it was because she currently had no Protoss units she could control.
"So, can we claim the mission reward now?" Leng Xiyue rubbed her hands together and asked excitedly.
This basic Protoss legion was clearly a rare windfall. To be called a legion, it had to have at least ten people, right? Even ten ordinary people who obeyed her commands and whom she could trust completely would be a tremendous help.
"Of course. Hurry up and take out that redemption card so I can help you weigh your options." Xiao Bai was also getting impatient. That bastard of a system rarely handed out anything good, and she was curious about what it had given them.
Without hesitation, Leng Xiyue quickly fished the extra card out of the Storage Space. With a thought, the card dissolved into motes of light, which scattered through the air and slowly coalesced into three projections:
"Host, please choose from the following three options:"
[Purifier Squad] Unit composition: Kaldalis (level 95) x1, Legionnaire (level 62) x10, Conservator (level 53) x2 Traits: All elite units, equipped with reactive armor and shields. Self-repair capabilities minimize combat losses. [Dragoon Legion] Unit composition: Zealot (level 51) x100, Dragoon (level 62) x10, High Templar (level 74) x2 Traits: Low minimum armor requirements, allowing for easy reassembly. [Shadow Guard] Unit composition: Observer (defense: level 20) x100, Dark Templar "assassin" (level 74) x10, Dark Templar "mage" (level 84) x2 Traits: All units can cloak.
The three options seemed somewhat uneven, and their differences were obvious, but each actually had its own strengths. Each would serve a different purpose for Leng Xiyue, yet there was no denying that all of them were useful. It was difficult to choose.
The most tempting part of the first option, the Purifier Squad, was undoubtedly the hero unit with strength as high as level ninety-five and a unique personal name-Kaldalis. The projection also showed this hero. He was essentially a basic ground combat unit, much like the other Legionnaires, but considerably larger and equipped with much more advanced armor. One glance was enough to tell that he possessed terrifying combat power.
Whether in size, strength, combat experience, or armor model, the Legionnaires far surpassed ordinary Zealots. They were effectively upgraded units-an entire force of elites.
Of course, this did not mean that the second option was weaker than the first simply because it lacked a hero. Quite the opposite: all these legions provided by the system could be revived. Even if they fell in battle later, their personality data could be transferred into brand-new suits of armor. The armor used by low-level units such as Zealots would be much easier to manufacture through the Forge, whereas Legionnaire armor contained numerous advanced components, making it difficult to gather the materials and reproduce it.
That would amount to commanding an army of over a hundred absolutely loyal soldiers who could be revived at any time. Soul Kings might be as common as cabbages in Spirit City, but that certainly was not true across the Empire. Add the Dragoons, ranged units capable of firing light cannons, and the High Templar, who could cast spells, and this was already a considerable force.
These Protoss units had no flesh-and-blood bodies. They were made entirely of steel, with all sorts of components inside and a neural nexus in their heads. As long as their intelligent personalities were backed up, they could return to battle. Under the system's control, these warriors' intelligent personalities would automatically return to the mental space after they were destroyed.
If the first two were legions that could fight on the front lines, one emphasizing quality and the other quantity, then the third option's defining feature was already quite clear: it was a ready-made intelligence agency. There might not be many high-level units among them, nor any overwhelmingly powerful ones, but the ability of every unit to cloak was impressive enough on its own.
The most important units were the Observers. They could drift through the sky like plankton and had extremely high endurance. They could also stop at any time and transform into stationary surveillance devices, remaining permanently cloaked at low power consumption while enhancing their detection capabilities. If she dispersed them all, every major city worth naming on the Douluo Continent, along with forests and other treasure-rich locations, would have an eye in the sky watching everything. She could easily uncover any information she wanted.
However, given her current standing, Spirit Hall's intelligence network across the continent, and her foreknowledge of the main plot, if she truly wanted to investigate something, she would not even need to approach Bibi Dong. She could ask Yue Guan to help her inquire, drawing on the friendship they had built over the years. Wasting this opportunity on the small amount of information outside the plot that even Spirit Hall could not uncover would hardly be worthwhile.
After carefully weighing the remaining two options, Leng Xiyue ultimately chose the Purifier Squad.
A level ninety-five powerhouse was simply too tempting, especially a hero unit. A high-end combatant she could deploy however she pleased would be incredibly useful. Against Tang Hao, for instance, the Clear Sky Hammer might be powerful, but facing this hero's exceptionally formidable armor, Tang Hao would surely be evenly matched at best, if not considerably weaker. Otherwise, this alien civilization known as the Protoss would be rather pathetic.
With a means of countering Tang Hao early on, she could knead and mold Tang San however she pleased. Once she dealt with Tang San, the threat of Spirit Hall's destruction would immediately be cut in half.
Having made up her mind, Leng Xiyue tapped the projection. The three screens of light quickly vanished, and then the system's voice rang out:
"Selection complete. The corresponding legion units have been added to the storage module. The host may summon them at any time or recall them into dormancy."
"If a unit dies, their intelligent personality will enter the soul space and survive in the form of a soul. Once the corresponding armor has been forged again, the host may summon them anew to enter combat in a new form. The new armor's strength may be increased or decreased relative to the original, and the intelligent personality's combat experience will not diminish upon death."
"All units are absolutely loyal, and obeying orders will always take priority. They will also automatically connect to the Spirit Network created by the host. The host may share their vision, issue immediate commands, or assign long-term tasks for them to complete independently-for example, protecting caravans, hunting soul beasts, or gathering resources."
"In combat, the host's experience will generally not exceed that of these intelligent personalities. Therefore, attempting to 'micromanage' them during battle is strongly discouraged. Otherwise, the host must bear the consequences."
"Wow, that sounds so cool." Hearing this description, Leng Xiyue's eyes lit up. With a wave of her hand, she summoned eleven steel figures and two strange constructs resembling flying saucers.
Ten of the steel figures stood just over two meters tall, while the one at their head was nearly five meters tall. His armor looked far more imposing than the others', engraved with all manner of intricate patterns, and an overwhelming sense of pressure accompanied his arrival.
Naturally, this pressure was not directed at Leng Xiyue. It was an aura he emitted on his own, considerably stronger than those of the Titled Douluos she had met, though still somewhat weaker than Bibi Dong's.
As Leng Xiyue studied them, all eleven steel figures stepped back in unison, then dropped to one knee and spoke respectfully in ethereal voices:
"Purifier Squad/Kaldalis, reporting to the High Bishop!"
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