Seed Ruins, Mechanical Titan

"Designed by several races working together?"

Ulysses was stunned by Richard's words. He had not expected this thing to be something other than a native creature of this world.

But then he spoke dismissively. "It probably absorbed technology from other civilizations. This sort of thing is common."

Though it sounded somewhat strange, war truly was a way to promote the integration of cultures and technologies.

Even civilizations as vastly different in social structure as the Star River Mayflies and Wizards had cultural exchanges and technological integration between them.

If two races possessed civilizations that were roughly comparable, war might even promote the merging of those two civilizations.

If the war reached a stalemate, the two civilizations might call a truce or even form an alliance.

"No, this definitely isn't ordinary technological integration."

Richard's expression was solemn. Though he was no veteran Alchemy Master, his attainments in Alchemy were far beyond the ordinary.

Unless the technologies of different civilizations stood in a superior-subordinate relationship, technicians would inevitably attempt to interpret another civilization's technology through the methods of their own civilization.

But the design of this metal fortress was nothing like that. The technologies within were simply pieced together from different systems, yet they had been cleverly made to coordinate with one another, producing an effect where one plus one was greater than two.

"Not that? Could it be..."

Ulysses looked at Richard, and both saw a trace of shock in the other's eyes.

Richard said in a low voice, "Perhaps what we are exploring this time isn't a Seed Base left behind by a single civilization, but one left behind by a Civilization Alliance."

"Good heavens." Ulysses looked somewhat at a loss. "We've run into something huge this time."

With the artifact's assistance, Richard found the core component of the mechanical