"In order to use the Meta Crystal, you need to release the Meta energy stored inside… To put it simply, just smash it on the ground."
Ulrich spoke in a slightly serious tone.
"Is it really that simple?"
Lin Lan was a little surprised to hear this.
From the way Ulrich had introduced it, he had thought that using this small Meta Crystal would require a series of complex procedures.
He hadn't expected that simply smashing it on the ground would be enough.
"Yes, it's that simple. However, this method can only be used by you, Commander."
Ulrich paused, as if he wasn't used to talking so much at once, then continued explaining:
"Because Meta energy is like poison to us. Even though the amount of Meta energy contained in this single crystal isn't much, it has been refined and compressed into a highly concentrated form."
"Even the energy within just one of these crystals is enough to make any one of us weak for several days before recovering."
As Ulrich finished speaking, Magdeburg, who was crunching on potato chips nearby, seemed to recall something and chimed in:
"I know that feeling very well."
Not only did Lin Lan look at Magdeburg with confusion, but even Ulrich and the four sisters of Hipper also turned to look at her, wondering why she had said that.
"Last year, when Dragon Empery was organizing a Spring Festival event, two troublemaking destroyers from Dragon Empery somehow got their hands on one of these things and set it off like a rare firecracker in the plaza."
Hearing this, Lin Lan immediately guessed who those two destroyers were.
Among the Four Great Guardians of Dragon Empery, there was the mischievous Fushun and her little accomplice, Changchun.
Magdeburg's recollection wasn't over yet. She paused, stuffed another potato chip into her mouth, and continued:
"Roon and I happened to be passing by at the time. Roon was fine, but I felt just like the Commander when he had a bad flu—completely weak and unable to stand. In the end, Roon had to carry me back to the dormitory."
Lin Lan roughly understood why Roon was affected less than Magdeburg.
"Roon is a research ship, so her resistance to Meta energy is much higher. You were really unlucky. What about Fushun and Changchun? Were they okay?"
Hearing Lin Lan's question, Magdeburg couldn't help but show a schadenfreude-filled grin:
"Yeah, yeah, it was those two little brats. When the Meta Crystal exploded, they were the closest to that cursed thing and ended up bedridden for several days."
"Later, when we from Iron Blood went to Dragon Empery for New Year's greetings, I heard from Bismarck that Yixian docked their New Year's money as punishment. They cried so hard, hahaha."
Hearing about the two troublemakers' fate, Lin Lan couldn't help but smile.
As someone from Dragon Empery himself, he could completely understand Fushun and Changchun's enthusiasm for setting off fireworks during the New Year.
But even so, they couldn't just set off anything they got their hands on—this was entirely their own fault.
Through Magdeburg's story, Lin Lan also came to understand that the energy contained within a Meta Crystal was harmful to ordinary shipgirls.
Only humans or Meta-fied shipgirls were unaffected by Meta energy.
Lin Lan then watched as Ulrich instructed Magdeburg to activate her rigging, breaking the deep blue crystal that encased Suiqiong.
Once it was destroyed, they carefully placed Suiqiong's petite body on the workbench.
As the crystal shattered, the previously faded black Meta markings on Suiqiong's body began to reawaken, gradually spreading and encroaching upon her body.
"From here on, it's up to you, Commander. We'll be waiting at Akashi's shop. If anything unexpected happens, just shout, and we'll come immediately."
After giving Lin Lan a quick reminder, Ulrich led Hipper and the others out of the workshop and into Akashi's shop.
Looking at the white-haired mechanical girl lying on the table before him, a slight expression of pain on her face, Lin Lan took a deep breath.
Suiqiong was a lifeform born from a Prime Cube.
If they hadn't encountered her, her fate would have been sealed—she would have inevitably become an over-Meta-fied monster.
The Sirens constantly conducted all sorts of experiments in search of new possibilities.
And the unfortunate Suiqiong was the product of such experiments. Over-Meta-fying her might have been the ultimate goal of this particular experiment.
Lin Lan stood beside Suiqiong, raising the Meta Crystal in his hand high above his head.
Hopefully, Black Sea Mom's method would work and spare this poor mechanical girl from further suffering.
"Crack!"
With a silent prayer in his heart, he smashed the Meta Crystal onto the ground. The flat, deep blue crystal shattered upon impact with a crisp sound, like breaking glass.
A faint black-red mist instantly spread from the ground, enveloping both Lin Lan and Suiqiong.
"So this is Meta energy?"
Lin Lan was startled.
Being shrouded in this black-red mist, he didn't feel any physical discomfort.
But when he tried to breathe, he immediately realized something was wrong.
Negative emotions began to rise in his heart.
Rage, sorrow, fury, hatred, despair…
However, his rationality allowed him to suppress these emotions, preventing him from falling into chaos.
Experiencing the direct effects of Meta energy firsthand gave Lin Lan a new understanding of its nature.
"Shipgirls are originally born from Cognitive Cubes, and as they evolve through Cognitive Units, they become more and more like humans."
"But Meta-fication occurs when a shipgirl experiences the utmost despair, causing a reversal in personality while gaining immense power. At the same time, they gradually lose their sanity and become more like thoughtless… weapons."
"These might be the two completely opposite developmental paths of Wisdom Cube technology."
As Lin Lan struggled to suppress the negative emotions stirred by the Meta energy, he suddenly noticed something strange.
The shattered deep blue Meta Crystal fragments at his feet were beginning to emit a faint glow, gradually vaporizing.
Within just a few seconds, the fragments completely disappeared, turning into a light blue mist that merged with the black-red Meta energy mist.
Lin Lan quickly realized that all the mist surrounding him was converging around Suiqiong's body, as if being drawn to her.
The black markings on the mechanical girl's body also started fading rapidly as the mist around her body thinned.
Finally, when the mist completely dissipated, the only remaining sign of her Meta-fication was her sharp, black wings—everything else had returned to normal.
The pained expression on her face had also vanished.
"That should… be it, right?"
Lin Lan scratched his head in confusion as he examined the cute white-haired, black-winged mechanical girl.
But after waiting for a while, Suiqiong still showed no signs of waking up.
Just as he was hesitating about whether to take another Meta Crystal from the bag and smash it, Suiqiong finally opened her eyes.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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