Antasia... Antasia...
Gray knew this name all too well, from when he started learning the technology from his master more than a decade ago, to when he inherited this mobile fortress a few years ago...
He had told this name to others countless times, enthusiastically introducing this mobile fortress that his master had passed down to him.
But now, the fortress is alive.
Moreover, it calls itself Antasia.
At this moment, the two people and the corpse on the upper deck all fell silent.
Bennett had never seen anything like it before, and the two humans had never even heard of a fortress possessing self-awareness.
Gray didn't look particularly happy.
It's normal for a normal human being to feel a little panic when something inanimate suddenly gains self-awareness.
This is like someone who thinks they know their pet very well and uses their own logic to provide a self-consistent explanation for its behavior.
Then one day, the pet suddenly becomes able to think and speak, which could cause the entire logic to collapse.
What if my deduction is wrong?
If your pet says something like, "I don't think the same way you do," it might actually decrease the level of cooperation between you.
Furthermore, as an intelligent life form, should the actions of smaller fortresses be subject to the consent of the fortress itself?
These are all questions, and only questions that Gray thought of within seconds.
However, there are also advantages. A machine that can communicate with humans and operate autonomously represents a significant evolution compared to a cold, command-driven machine.
If we could replicate the miracles of the Antasia and find a way to "tame" it, or rather, to get along with it properly, then...
Even with the opening of new sea routes through the Floating Corpse Sea, even with significant victories in the battles of the Demon Realm, even with some reaching the capital of the Eternal Domain and conquering that magnificent city known as " Twilight Capital "...
Gray still believed he could compete with them for the position of Grand Foundry Master.
And if the other candidates don't do these things...
Gray couldn't think of any other way they could defeat themselves.
Thinking of this, his throat went dry, and even the lingering fear of escaping death disappeared at this moment.
He swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he asked:
"You... you're alive?"
"Yes, Gray, I'm alive."
The deep, resonant voice came again, and this time Gray heard it clearly; it was coming from the engine room at the very front of the fortress.
Knowing your own name, knowing his name, and being able to communicate normally indicates that your intelligence is not low.
"How... how did you make that sound?"
"You're very interested in this?"
Antasia's voice was calm and unhurried, as if devoid of any emotion, as she spoke:
"Yes, you can take a look yourself."
Gray picked up his warhammer and strode over to the top of the engine room, using the hook attached to the end of the hammer handle to open the trapdoor.
" Antasia."
He called out softly.
"I am here."
A jumble of indistinct sounds came from beneath the trapdoor.
With the help of the outside light, Gray could see clearly that the voice came from none other than the Blood Corpse in the engine room.
And it wasn't just one or two Blood Corpse, but every single one of Blood Corpse.
Each of these Blood Corpse had a thick vine protruding from the back of its head.
The vines, resembling a set of lines capable of transmitting data, were neatly bound together and disappeared into the wall behind the cabin.
Manipulated by these vines, each Blood Corpse seemed to emit only a sound at a fixed frequency.
These fixed-frequency sounds mix and reflect in the engine room, ultimately creating an effect similar to human voices.
No wonder I always felt something was off about Antasia's voice; it sounded muddy and had a lot of background noise.
So that's how it is; that's how the effect of speaking is achieved.
Does it match your expectations?
"This far exceeds my expectations... it's truly amazing."
Gray muttered to himself that Antasia had actually asked a question, and he didn't know what to say to Antasia at that moment, so he could only close the trapdoor again and return to the deck.
Why, why did Antasia come back to life?
Gray was momentarily confused about the reason behind the situation.
He couldn't even be sure exactly when it happened.
Judging from the current situation, it is indeed highly likely that it has just awakened.
However, the possibility that Antasia already possessed self-awareness cannot be ruled out.
It might just want to live an ordinary life, no, it was born out of necessity, and only chose to expose itself because it was in danger.
So when will it first awaken?
Recalling what he had just seen—the thick vines extending from the back of each Blood Corpse's head— Gray could at least confirm that the Antasia's awakening occurred after the last major overhaul.
In other words, the existence of the plant system played a part in the awakening of the Antasia.
So, the one that could truly and completely change the Graycast Corridor is actually the external entity known as the Second Holy See?
Is it the ingenious ideas and plant-based power of this faction that truly allow machinery to take a new step forward?
His gaze swept across the control panel, and he suddenly noticed something that seemed out of place.
In the center of the control panel, in an empty area similar to the area below a car's windshield, there was a decorative object slightly larger than a palm.
Gray recognized the ornament very well; it was a gift Ed had given him when he first left the Second Holy See.
I presented the other party with the badge representing the friendship of the Graycast Corridor, and the lord reciprocated by giving me this World Tree ornament.
After returning to the Graycast Corridor, he also handed the item over to the professionals for investigation.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Ed, but rather that this was a long-standing rule of the Graycast Corridor, and no one had the right to change it without authorization.
But it turns out that this little World Tree is just a simple ornament, with nothing particularly noteworthy except for its excessive refinement.
So the ornament naturally returned to Gray's hands and played an important role in his second trip to the Second Holy See.
Gray was unaware that photos of himself taken from various angles had already been uploaded to the encyclopedia by players.
He just felt that if he hadn't been holding the ornament, the Soul Returner passed by might not have been able to save him.
Later, the dragon brought back the Antasia, which the Soul Returner repaired and modified.
And this ornament, which had been a part of Gray's life for a long time, naturally became a symbol of good luck and was placed in the center of the control panel.