Regarding the fourth point, my thoughts are...
Gray gathered his thoughts and said:
"Let's leave Keen Risos alone for now. He holds a prestigious position and possesses exceptional strength. Any slight movement will alert him. If, as you say, you can eavesdrop on all conversations within the Great Labyrinth City, then we can issue a standard order to assign Keen Risos to certain areas of expertise, preventing him from leaving the Great Labyrinth City for the time being."
"As for Suolaer Aoermo..."
Gray thought of the guy Soul Returner words had come true—the one who fainted on stage after a narrow defeat—and sighed, saying:
"As you said, there might be something wrong with his health. Let me arrange a medical check-up for him in my personal capacity. As for the reason... let's say it's to check if there are any aftereffects from his previous fainting spell."
"By the way, to avoid alerting them, try not to issue these two orders at the same time. Also, while mobilizing Keen Risos, give the other two Grand Artisan similar assignments. This will reduce their suspicion."
Gray rambled on for a while before realizing that he wasn't the real Grand Foundry Master, but merely Grand Foundry Master cosplayer and mascot in name only.
" The Great Labyrinth City, am I overstepping my bounds by saying that?"
Gray said with some concern.
"No, Gray, your answer is very helpful to me. I will use some of it as appropriate and modify it based on my own understanding and memory."
"As for what you're worried about, it won't happen anytime soon—"
The Great Labyrinth City's tone remained steady, his voice still resonant:
" Machine Spirit are different from humans. What are labor and burdens for you are necessities for our existence."
Gray frowned:
I don't quite understand what you mean.
The head-like robotic arm swayed left and right and said:
"Before my Psionic Energy were officially activated, my condition was far worse than that of Aiboke, who was imprisoned in the Mind Coffin."
"It's a state where you can vaguely perceive your surroundings and accumulate memories, but you can't give any feedback."
"Of course, back then, neither I, nor any of the machines at that time, could think about this matter itself."
"Once activated by Psionic Energy, we can begin to think."
"Looking back now, every Machine Spirit, including myself, feels a deep fear, unless it is a creature that was activated immediately after being created, and thus completely unaware of the pain of being in a state of ignorance."
"Therefore, dealing with certain events, which obviously requires thinking, is not a burden for us, but rather makes us feel more alive."
Learning and understanding new knowledge can produce a similar effect.
"Therefore, to sum it up in one sentence, I, and the Machine Spirit, both enjoy the process of thinking and working, which makes us feel that we are truly alive at this moment."
"That's roughly it, so Gray, do you understand why I don't care?"
Gray, who was hearing the Great Labyrinth City speak so much for the first time, paused for a moment before nodding:
"I understand. Just as humans need to ingest food to survive, they also need to do something to feel alive."
"These two aspects of your Machine Spirit have been replaced with Psionic Energy and thought."
"That's right."
The Great Labyrinth City of Machine Spirit nods its head:
"Well then, I need to take care of these matters. You can continue in the Great Library."
"Okay, Great Labyrinth City."
Gray agreed and then added:
"In that case, I hope you can trust me in the same way. If there's anything I, as the publicly known Grand Foundry Master, need to do to help, just let me know. After all, that's my job right now."
"Okay, Gray."
For the first time, the tone of the Great Labyrinth City's voice carried a hint of friendliness:
I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration.
Having said that, the majestic voice of the Great Labyrinth City disappeared from the ground floor of the Great Library, leaving the couple to savor the words of the Machine Spirit.
Outside the Great Library, on the street near the square.
More than a hundred pitiful "boatmen" were still slowly pulling the paralyzed Golden Cup and Gray Knight forward.
Accompanied by the rhythmic stomping of their feet, the members of the Corridor Guard immediately raised their heads.
A group of ten people were approaching from a distance. Although they were also wearing the uniforms of the Corridor Guard, the style and design were different from theirs.
This is the elite of the Corridor Guard, the true elite, the elite who only obey the orders of the Grand Foundry Master!
As truly High Tier, the safety of the Grand Foundry Master does not require the protection of these elites.
All they needed to ensure was the security of the Great Labyrinth City's defenses and to accurately convey the Grand Foundry Master's orders to the target.
As the elite guards drew nearer, these wretched soldiers were almost on the verge of weeping with joy.
"The messengers of the Grand Foundry Master have arrived! We are saved!"
Intermittent cheers rang out, not because everyone wasn't happy, but because they were all exhausted from towing the truck for so long.
As the elite Corridor Guard approached, the commanders of the Golden Cup and Gray Knight, who were leading the towline, immediately stepped forward and asked:
"Has this been an order from the Grand Foundry Master?"
The elite guards nodded solemnly.
"Very good!"
The two almost hugged each other on the spot:
"May I ask which esteemed person has been chosen as the Grand Foundry Master?"
Under the expectant gazes of over a hundred members of the Corridor Guard, the envoy parted his lips and uttered a name that sent chills down everyone's spines:
"It's Gray Grey Gris."
"..."
After Gray's name was called out, the hundred-plus guards fell into a deathly silence. One of the two fortress owners pretended to faint from exhaustion, while the other, seeing that things were about to slide into an abyss, immediately prepared to lead his men to flee.
It's okay that the Golden Cup is broken; we can go back and fix it and it'll still work. But if we don't leave now, we might only end up in the Great Labyrinth City Prison...
Just as he took a step, a stern voice rang out behind him:
"Stop!"
The fleeing fortress owner stopped abruptly, knowing it was too late; the punishment for running away would only be worse.
"The Order of the Grand Foundry Master "
Then the elite soldier at the very front immediately unfurled a scroll sealed with sealing wax, and read aloud to the crowd:
"All crew members of the Golden Cup and the Gray Knight were immediately reorganized into the elite guard and sent to the guard's garrison in the city for questioning."
"The commanders of the Golden Cup and Gray Knight fortresses are stripped of their command and are immediately dispatched to the Great Library for investigation."
"Any disobedience will be punished swiftly and severely!"
Meanwhile, two blocks away.
Bang bang bang.
A heavy wooden door was knocked on, followed by a series of hurried and loud footsteps.
The door opened, and the boy, whose legs had been replaced with prosthetics, met a kind-looking man with a large beard.
Where have I seen that face before?
After a brief moment of thought, the boy instantly showed a surprised expression:
"Ge... no, Da, the Grand Foundry Master?"
Gray patted the boy's head and asked with a smile:
"Aren't you going to let me in?"