Gray's stump-like body took a step back:
"Doesn't that mean you have... in your body?"
Xilǐ'er nodded:
"It bears the soul imprint of the Wens family."
"But rest assured, the vampire marks of different lineages can exist independently and are not interconnected. I can confirm that all the Wens Lineage Blood Corpse are in the Demon Realm."
Gray nodded with lingering fear, only then realizing that the Blood Corpse he had killed certainly did not belong to the lineage trapped in the Demon Realm realm.
"Pedigree?"
Ed raised a questioning voice, never shying away from learning new things when the opportunity presented itself.
Gray explained:
"As I mentioned before, Blood Corpse are the former demon vampires. Whether now or in the past, all Blood Corpse come from the seven strongest individuals, namely the seven Blood Grand Duke I mentioned to you. We usually refer to them as seven different lineages."
"The death mark that I mentioned before attracts Blood Corpse only works on Blood Corpse and vampires of the same lineage."
"I see."
Ed stroked his chin and asked Xilǐ'er:
"So, you have a lot of experience fighting Blood Corpse, right?"
Xilǐ'er nodded and then shook his head:
"My experience only applies to ordinary Blood Corpse, whose abilities are limited to infecting others and having relatively strong vitality."
"As Living Metal, their claws and bites won't harm me; I just need to seize the right moment to cut off their heads."
Ed remained silent. Everyone understood the logic, but if Blood Corpse were so easy to deal with, there wouldn't have been so many long and tedious zombie movies in his previous life.
However... he then asked Xilǐ'er:
"The 'Earl' you just mentioned..."
"'Count' refers to Blood Corpse individual who has reached the Low Tier peak, and is the minimum level that vampires recognize as their own kind. Vampires weaker than counts are merely servants in their eyes."
"Compared to normal Blood Corpse, monsters that reach the Count level possess some rather unique abilities."
For example?
"Like that Earl of the Wens Lineage I killed, he could temporarily paralyze people by making eye contact, and at the same time, he could replenish his life by drinking blood."
Ed suddenly realized:
"No wonder it couldn't beat you, your observation window..."
"Yes, my lord, strictly speaking, I have no eyes, so its power is ineffective against me."
Ed thought to himself that the vampire count was really unlucky, but with such an instructor, Ed had more confidence in the [ Gungnir ]s.
However, thinking about this, he suddenly remembered Xilǐ'er's purpose in coming here.
The other party came to report on the training of [ Gungnir ], but was forced into battle mode after bumping into the half-tree in front of them.
What was I thinking at the time?
He was thinking about how to help the Gungnir, who were still developing, survive the Corpse Tide.
Right now, having a teacher with decent combat power is certainly good, but if we could get them some new equipment... that would not only enhance their defense but also give players a preview of the equipment available, killing two birds with one stone.
Ed turned to look in Gray's direction, his eyes almost shining:
"You're already my mechanical consultant, and I'd like to know if there's anything you can do to help...?"
Ed didn't know what word to use to replace the word "native" that was about to slip out, and finally said:
"I can help those Indigenous people who are afraid of infection—I have an elite squad of local residents who need further protection. Cost is not important at the moment, given their small numbers."
"As for those Soul Returner were overjoyed at the mere mention of war, they will not die from the Blood Corpse infection, so there's no need to consider them for now."
Gray was taken aback, not understanding why a creature made of flesh and blood wouldn't die from the Blood Corpse infection, but since his boss had said so, he would do as he was told.
So Gray looked at Ed:
"There is indeed a solution, but that's for the Graycast Corridor, and it might not be applicable here."
Tell me your thoughts; we can decide together whether it's suitable or not.
Gray nodded without refuting, and said seriously:
"For the Graycast Corridor, renovation is the best way to prevent infection."
He had just said the same thing, so Ed's expression didn't change much. Judging from Gray's lingering tone, Ed knew he was definitely hiding something.
Sure enough, Gray continued:
"The mechanical implants in the Graycast Corridor are mainly divided into two types. Those like my mechanical heart and arm are generally called 'replacement' types, while the ones like mine before..."
Gray suddenly realized that Ed probably didn't know what he was wearing during his fight with Xilǐ'er, so he gestured and said:
"When I fought Xilǐ'er, I wore an extra set of reinforced armor on the outside of my body. That armor consisted of a half-body suit and a set of metal gauntlets, and it could be integrated with my body through a mechanical structure."
"With just a slight modification, this type of implant can also be used on unmodified individuals; we generally call this 'enhanced' implant."
"You mean... you can help me make armored vehicles for them?"
Ed was pleasantly surprised by Gray's quick thinking; if he could extract some useful information from him, it wouldn't be a waste of his effort to save him.
Gray nodded:
"The existence of your settlement has been registered in the Graycast Corridor and is now archived in the [Small to Medium Friendly Factions] list."
Ed felt like he'd been given a slightly bitter candy pill—friendly is friendly, but what was with the "small to medium" part?
Gray continued:
"For factions like yours, the Graycast Corridor is quite willing to share equipment blueprints that aren't too precise or secure, and some enhanced armor sets are included in those blueprints."
Seeing Ed's somewhat strange expression, Gray explained again:
"It's not that replacement implants are some big secret, it's simply because many other factions can't get along well with mechanical structures that replace body organs... In addition, other factions generally don't have the high precision manufacturing capabilities required, while implants that can replace organs or limbs are designed with great precision..."
Ed completely ignored the second half of the sentence regarding precision, focusing instead on the first half—"They get along very well?"
Does this world even have a concept called "Machine Spirit "?
Ed wondered if the creature, in its Geodude form, could travel for days to reach his territory; whether the Machine Spirit even existed was truly uncertain.
"So, what kind of outfits can you provide for my [ Gungnir ]?"
Gray was surprised that the other party understood his meaning so quickly, and that they did not show the same fear of machinery as the nomadic chiefs had of large Aberration.
However, considering that the other party had done many other outrageous things, he felt it wasn't a big deal.