At this moment, a whole row of unknown creatures are sitting in this room, or rather, on the other side of the rift.
Besides the Son of God he had just spoken with, he could also see a red-haired girl with dragon horns and a disdainful expression, a lich with long limbs and fair skin, a fire demon with four arms and four eyes, a huge, round insect, and...
A lingering spirit that can be vaguely sensed through Psionic Energy.
There are no humans left!
Balund shouted in his heart.
He had always believed that the Second Holy See was a purely righteous human force, only that its power system differed from that of their Graycast Corridor.
But now it seems that it is neither righteous nor human, only its power is constantly expanding.
It seems this emerging power still holds many secrets unknown to us, such as its ability to gather demons and alien beasts, and its control over insectoids and powerful souls...
However, upon closer reflection, Balund felt there was nothing wrong with doing so.
From a human perspective, the scene before me is undoubtedly a scroll depicting hell.
But clearly, that Son of God himself had little to do with humans; from that person's perspective, all creations should be equal.
So what appears terrifying to you must look completely different to the other person?
It's probably similar to a family photo...
Balund trembled involuntarily at this thought, but fortunately the atmosphere didn't remain icy; soon a trusted confidant came to report:
" Grand Foundry Master, the 'guest' has arrived."
"Let him in."
"Yes."
The sounds of machinery running echoed continuously, accompanied by the appearance of a prison cell-like elevator car in a corner of the underground space. A figure stepped out from it, and everyone looked over.
It was a fellow who bore a striking resemblance to Ed Ed, though he appeared more mature and dressed more in the Graycast Corridor than the Second Holy See.
The most obvious difference between the two is that the newcomer's body is covered with all sorts of mechanical modifications, which are particularly conspicuous.
In the Graycast Corridor, most people carry out mechanical modifications, whether to enhance or replace existing ones, with the aim of survival or to make it easier for themselves to do something.
However, the " Ed " in front of them was not like that.
The mechanical modifications on his body made absolutely no sense; the connections between the various prosthetic parts were less coherent than the two pieces of clothing he'd casually grabbed before leaving the house.
The prosthetic eye is clearly intended for delicate work, so why install a robotic arm that can deploy twenty different large-sized wrenches?
Not to mention that many of the prosthetics on him were completely useless; those unrelated prosthetics at least functioned normally, but these seemed like a pure waste.
Balund was unaware that Ed's altered body was modified in so many places precisely to gather intelligence; he only felt that Ed treated the cybernetic modifications as some kind of fashion item, like a tattoo.
Looking at Ed's outfit, Balund's expression quickly changed from normal to "senior citizen's cell phone on the subway."
He suppressed his inner resistance and asked Ed, who had once again peered through the spatial rift:
"Excuse me, is this the person you've been waiting for?"
"That's right."
Ed nodded:
"Let him into that metal coffin, and all the problems will be solved."
Balund never expected things to turn out this way.
Should they stuff someone who was clearly the clone in front of them into the metal coffin and then run the predetermined program?
Who were the Grand Foundry Master?
It's clearly the person in front of me.
Whose Graycast Corridor is that?
It's clearly still the same person in front of me.
No matter how much Balund respected this man in front of him, whose true identity was uncertain despite his title of " Son of God," he could not possibly hand over the fruits of his life's work.
This involves the lives of millions of people; it's not a game.
"Excuse my bluntness, but I cannot agree to this."
Balund's tone was very firm.
Ed, however, seemed to see through his thoughts and asked with a smile:
"Do you think it's because I wanted to become Grand Foundry Master that I took over the Graycast Corridor?"
Balund didn't answer, but his expression clearly said, "Isn't that right? I was just being polite by not saying it outright."
Ed thought for a moment and said:
"That's really not the case."
"I don't want anyone else to die because of this kind of prison."
"To do this, the Graycast Corridor must be entrusted to a trustworthy individual, and it must also be long-lived."
Ed looked at Balund and said:
"I've already explained it all, don't you understand yet?"
"Let's be frank."
Balund had his suspicions, but he was unwilling to say it outright or offer any hints. Only if the other party admitted it themselves could he prevent them from having any further schemes.
"It's Machine Spirit."
Ed said seriously:
"My solution is to hand over the management of the Graycast Corridor to the Machine Spirit, and let the Machine Spirit become the new Grand Foundry Master."
" The Machine Spirit is kind-hearted, quick-witted, and has an amazing learning ability. At the same time, its perception of suffering is different from that of humans."
"Let the Machine Spirit become the Grand Foundry Master, and all your problems will be solved."
Hearing the other party admit this fact, Balund felt a great sense of relief, and the pressure that had been building up for decades was quietly released.
But he still asked seriously:
"I've read that patent document and have a general understanding of Machine Spirit, so you're planning to activate the Machine Spirit of that machine prepared for the new Grand Foundry Master?"
"But that machine was only completed a little over a month ago. Although it took nearly ten years to manufacture, that doesn't seem like enough time to nurture a qualified Machine Spirit, after all, this concerns millions of people..."
"That's right."
Ed echoed Balund's words:
"Relying solely on this machine is certainly not enough, and I have no intention of using its Machine Spirit to solve the problem."
A smile, tinged with anticipation and a mischievous glint in it, reappeared on Ed's face.
"What I need to activate is the Machine Spirit of the Great Labyrinth City."
Balund was stunned, but then Ed continued:
"The entire Great Labyrinth City has been under construction for eighty years, and today it is one of the largest cities on this continent."
"The main part of this city appears to be built on a wide valley between two mountains, but in fact, the kingdom's largest mine is located below it."
Over the decades, countless ores have been mined and smelted, and the real 'ground' has been constantly sinking.
"And the Great Labyrinth City, like a plant taking root, began to grow downwards."
"At this point, the Great Labyrinth City appears to be a flat city, but in reality, the road network, cargo network, and large machinery beneath it are countless, making it a completely three-dimensional city, and a mechanical one at that."
"Mr. Balund, do you think such a historically significant and constantly 'growing' giant machine has the ability and qualifications to give birth to Machine Spirit?"