'Doesn't the NY City Beast Tamer Alliance have beast tamers?'
'Aren't there beast tamers stationed in the Forbidden Land?'
Although Asher always said he was a beast tamer, Asher also knew that they more often regarded him as a professor researching pet evolution.
Handing this matter over to him?
Asher felt like something wasn't quite right.
"Isn't it because you're invincible…"
"Stop!", Charlotte's words were forcibly interrupted by Asher.
'Undestood!'
'They just want to borrow my invincible luck, right!'
Asher: —_—
He walked out of Charlotte's office and boarded the plane back to NY City.
Not until landing, returning to his own territory, did Asher finally breathe a real sigh of relief.
He pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"What's up," Asher tapped the phone, and a large eye that would drive one mad with san-value loss appeared on the screen.
Asher had long since become familiar with it.
Not afraid at all anymore.
Angel was his good assistant for working from home.
No need to be afraid at all.
In fact, if there were no Angel, Asher would even feel a bit unaccustomed.
"You buzzed a few times earlier in the office, didn't you?"
After being with Angel for so long.
The tacit understanding was there.
The feelings were there.
Asher was clear.
If it wasn't really something important, or a significant discovery, Angel would definitely not buzz in that kind of situation.
Angel blinked its eye.
"So…", Asher took out that so-called map again, which looked like some ghost talisman.
"Is it really this thing?"
["Yes, Mr. Asher."]
Angel's voice sounded.
Asher was already used to all these messy, complicated and ever-changing forms of address, and had begun to learn to ignore them.
What else could he do?
Angel just had this one small hobby, he couldn't possibly forbid it, right?
Fortunately, all these titles were still within Asher's acceptable range of embarrassment.
Just treat it like some weird roleplay, and get used to it.
Asher shifted his attention to the map.
"You know what this map is about?", Asher asked.
["Yes."]
["This map is from an alchemy workshop from 3,800 years ago."]
Asher: "..."
Somehow, after hearing Angel's words, Asher wasn't that surprised.
Asher nodded.
"Alchemy workshop huh…"
"But after all these years, that alchemy workshop should be basically non-existent, right," Asher said while stroking his chin.
["It's not as you imagine."]
Angel continued, ["Alchemy workshops can exist far longer than you imagine."]
["If supported by core equipment, three to five thousand years is not a problem."]
'Three to five thousand years?'
Asher was a little surprised, but not too surprised.
After all, Angel had existed for so many years.
What's one alchemy workshop?
Piece of cake.
"If that's the case…", Asher blinked, poured himself a glass of water.
Then he released Little Raven, Cat-Worm, Little White Snake, and Little Jellyfish.
Prepared food for all of them.
Asher then sat back down on his chair.
Stroked his chin and said, "Would it be better to pretend I don't understand?"
Just like that ancient tomb excavated in Graymont earlier.
In the end, it was confirmed to be an alchemy workshop from a thousand years ago.
The uproar it had caused instantly calmed down.
It's not that people didn't value alchemy workshops.
It's just that, the value of an alchemy workshop can't match what people need today.
No matter how glorious alchemy once was, or how powerful.
If it can't keep up with the times.
Can't be learned or mastered by humans. Being forgotten and eliminated by society becomes inevitable.
["Mr. Asher, Angel thinks maybe this alchemy workshop could be useful for me."]
Asher paused.
'Huh?'
Not that it was anything else.
Angel rarely made requests.
The time it asked for energy replenishment was probably the hardest request Angel had ever made to Asher.
But in the end, Asher still managed it.
Angel and Asher became companions, partners, friends.
Since then, Angel had continued to provide company and help to Asher.
And hadn't made any more requests of Asher.
But this time…
Asher unconsciously sat upright.
He felt the invisible weight on his shoulders grow heavier again.
"Explain in detail, what's going on."
After some thought.
Angel began to speak.
["This alchemy workshop is the most special one out of all the alchemy workshops Angel knows. Inside, there is a Heart of Machinery, which provides the energy source for the entire alchemy workshop."]
Asher: "?"
Felt like he heard something he didn't understand.
But it didn't matter.
Asher chose to keep listening.
Since Angel brought it up, then Angel would definitely explain what it meant.
The now-fed Little Raven, Cat-Worm, Little White Snake, and Little Jellyfish.
At some point, had gathered again beside Asher.
Asher casually hugged them into his arms.
Gently petting them without much intent.
Then continued listening to Angel's explanation.
["The Heart of Machinery is the greatest creation of effort from alchemists, besides Angel."]
Asher: "..."
'Ahem!'
"Maybe we can stop with the comparison for now?"
'Greatest creation is fine.'
'Why must it be followed with 'besides Angel'… okay fine.'
Asher glanced at the Angel on the screen.
Then recalled the data panel of Angel he saw back then.
Asher chose to shut up.
Angel being awesome was indeed awesome.
A true mythical creature.
Besides Angel, the other two mythical creatures Asher had seen, or rather, their remains, were in miserable states.
One failed at bloodline regression.
One only left behind a vague body, and some fortune for Little Raven.
Asher didn't know what to say.
Could this world simply not allow the existence of mythical creatures?
Asher didn't think so.
There must be something he didn't know here.
["The Heart of Machinery is a special type of kinetic energy, it can continuously, automatically, produce mechanical creations with semi-life."]
Asher, who was lost in thoughts, suddenly froze.
'Wait?'
'What did Angel just say?'
'Continuously.'
'Automatically.'
'Produce what?'
["Produce mechanical creations with semi-life."]
As if sensing Asher's disbelief, Angel repeated that sentence again separately.
Asher: "..."
Asher: "!"
"Isn't that mechanical-attribute beasts!"
"Holy crap!"
"Holy crap! holy crap!"
Asher shouted one after another.
He was seriously shocked.
Angel paused a moment.
["There may be a difference between what you imagine and these mechanical-attribute beasts."]
["The definition of beasts, is that they must have independent consciousness, able to control their life path and actions independently."]
["But the semi-life mechanical creations produced by the Heart of Machinery do not meet this condition."]
["Their actions and behavior patterns all follow a certain rule."]
["The Heart of Machinery can create their external forms, but cannot give them a soul."]
Angel explained clearly and methodically.
Asher rubbed his forehead.
"Semi-life… what does semi-life mean?", Asher caught the key point, "Surely you don't mean they're half-alive, half-dead?"
["Mr. Asher, you can understand it as being in between awakened consciousness and not fully awakened."]
["If we have to describe it… artificial dumb intelligence?"]
Got to admit, Angel had learned quite a bit of useful stuff online recently.
Yeah.
Like those dumb robots in hotels.
Meet them in the hallway, they'd insist someone's blocking their way.
In the elevator, they'd insist someone took their spot, and try to squeeze people into the corner.
If you saw the elevator stopped on a certain floor.
Don't be surprised.
Maybe the dumb robot fell over and collapsed at the elevator entrance.
Then the elevator just wouldn't go up or down.
In short…
["About like that."]
["Although slightly smarter than them, these mechanical creations still can't be like Angel, possessing a will to think independently."]
Asher coughed twice.
He was amazed by the examples Angel listed.
'Artificial dumb intelligence, truly terrifying.'
Compared to them, Angel's intelligence was really top-notch.
"For humans now, this level of mechanical creations should be just right," After thinking, Asher said very seriously.
Mechanical-attribute beasts.
Asher didn't even dare imagine.
If all mechanical-attribute beasts were like Angel.
Able to roam the internet freely.
With amazing learning abilities, powerful computing logic, and strong strength.
Wouldn't humans feel scared?
The AI rebellion Asher once feared might really come true.
But at the level of semi-artificial intelligence, it's just right.
Slightly smart.
But not really usable.
Full of logic.
But still can be fooled.
Everything is just perfectly balanced.
Thinking of this, Asher's heart couldn't help but burn with passion.
'Mechanical creations!'
'Mechanical-attribute beasts!'
'Who wouldn't love them?'
Anyway, Asher was the first who couldn't say no.
Angel: (个_个)
Angel stared at Asher with its one big eye, along with the floating circle of eyes around its body.
Asher snapped out of it quickly.
"Ahem!", Asher looked back at Angel and said, "I wasn't thinking anything!"
Then Asher shut up.
Didn't explain further.
Asher decided to skip the topic.
["So why did you say that alchemy workshop is also useful to you?"]
Angel silently looked at Asher for three seconds.
Still very cooperatively followed Asher in changing the subject.
Asher, while feeling relieved in his heart.
Couldn't help but think sincerely.
'Angel really is a little angel.'
'Though it looks scary.'
'But can't be helped.'
'Back then Angel was built as a weapon from the start.'
'Weapons being scary, isn't that perfectly normal?' [T/N: Make it pointy]
If a weapon looked too pretty, it wouldn't feel threatening anymore.
But Angel's personality was completely opposite to its appearance.
Just look at how Asher and Angel got along.
["The Heart of Machinery might be able to create a temporary body for me."]
["In that case, I wouldn't have to stay in your phone anymore, and could help you in the real world with force."]
Angel looked at Asher, sincerely speaking.
Asher: "!"
'Damn it!'
'Angel is simply too good at talking!'
And so—
———
"I don't even know how things turned out this way," Asher looked at the beating thing in front of him, which upon close inspection was entirely made of various metal parts, a heart.
He couldn't help but raise a hand to cover his face.
"You alchemists are really…", Asher hesitated to finish.
Angel interrupted Asher, ["Mr. Asher, Angel is not an alchemist."]
["It's just that the map already had a method of teleportation."]
Yes. Just as Angel said. If you wanted to find the treasure marked on the map, just following it wouldn't work. You'd only end up lost.
So how could you find the location marked on the map?
You had to rely on those things Asher couldn't understand. Symbols that looked like patterns but also like some special script.
That was the real "map."
Pick out the necessary symbols.
Then silently imagine the features of the alchemy workshop.
In the next second.
A magic-circle-like thing enveloped Asher.
And teleported him in one second.
Asher: "..."
'Let's just say.'
'You alchemists really know how to play.'
'This kind of method.'
'Just ask, what normal person can come up with it?'
'Even if the map accidentally got spread, ordinary people won't be able to crack it.'
Not to mention now, thousands of years later.
No humans even recognized the patterns on the map anymore.
Let alone find the so-called treasure location.
"I suddenly understand, maybe Kates did look for it, she just couldn't find it," Asher thought of the info he got from Byrd.
Kates clearly had this map.
But never used it or searched.
As if it wasn't something very valuable.
But at the same time, she protected the map very seriously.
That sounds contradictory, doesn't it?
After knowing the real method of reaching the alchemy workshop, it instantly made sense.
It wasn't that Kates didn't want to find it, she just couldn't.
If Asher didn't have Angel's help, he definitely wouldn't have found this place either.
But what gave Asher a headache was. Because during the teleportation Little Raven, Cat-Worm, Little White Snake, and Little Jellyfish weren't in his spiritual sea beast space.
So, no surprise, the little guys didn't get teleported with him.
And even…
Asher disappeared right in front of his pets at home.
Thinking of this.
Asher couldn't help but feel a headache.
"Hope while I'm gone, the few of them don't wreck the house."
If he returned to find his research lab in ruins, Asher couldn't promise he wouldn't be mad.
"Then let's make this a quick battle," Asher clenched his fists, and looked at the mechanical heart, the true Heart of Machinery, his gaze gradually turning heated.
Heart of Machinery: "..."
Not sure if it was affected by Asher's burning gaze.
The Heart of Machinery, which had been completely still like a delicate large toy.
In an instant.
Started to operate.
Ka-cha ka-cha——
Ka-cha ka-cha——
Sounds like unlubricated machinery reached Asher's ears.
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