Chapter 62: Mechanical Ascension and Folly

Life naturally tends to pursue profit instinctively, and every action it takes has a purpose. Since you have attained true life, you must have your own pursuits.

Doya said with a cold expression, "I analyzed the mechanical ascension plan you prepared for that crown prince—an artificial Soul Guidance mechanical deity. It is a bold and pragmatic piece of research. From this, I once deduced that your purpose was to free life from its shackles and guide it toward a free future."

"However, upon deeper investigation, I discovered a fatal problem. As the entire body is modified into a mechanical form that is more precise, complex, and powerful than the original, how is the human spirit supposed to control it?"

"I used that crown prince's data to run a simulation experiment and calculated two outcomes: First, the spirit itself would be utterly incapable of controlling the mechanical body; the mechanical body would turn into a cage, trapping the spirit until it ultimately perished into nothingness."

"Second, the spirit would barely manage to control the mechanical body, but due to the extreme mismatch between the two, the mechanical body would spiral out of control, resulting in ultimate and forcible destruction."

"Both outcomes point to the failure of the mechanical ascension plan."

"Yet, you still participated in it."

"Mm, yes." Facing the smiling Chun, Doya nodded earnestly and said, "Because I believe in you. I believe you have a way to solve this problem, and that this solution is likely intimately tied to your true purpose."

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Chun clapped his hands vigorously and laughed, "Splendid! Truly splendid! Absolutely correct!"

Casually tossing over a book, Doya caught it and fixed his gaze upon its pages. He read from the very first page until he closed the back cover. Even as composed as he was, a trace of shock appeared on his face.

Taking a deep breath, Doya stared at Chun and said, "How should I judge this? Genius or madness? No, the two coexist. In your case, I think 'foolish' is a much more fitting description."

In his hands was a blueprint even bolder than mechanical ascension, one that could only be described as wildly imaginative. The manpower and material resources required were so vast that even the Sun Moon Empire would struggle to sustain them, and the resulting consequences were virtually uncontrollable. Yet, the true purpose described at the very end of the book was utterly unbelievable—

It was meant as a birthday gift for a child.

The product of this grand blueprint was actually nothing more than a gift!

"Heh, what is a genius? It is gathering the will of two hundred thousand people into one, holding all the cards with supreme mastery, just like you."

Chun pointed one finger at Doya in a teasing manner, then pivoted to point at himself, a brilliant smile blooming across his face.

"What is foolishness? Someone like me! Blindly optimistic! Obsessively chasing the impossible! Acting the fool with utter dullness!"

"What is an idiot? Me! I am the absolute idiot!"

Chun burst into roaring laughter, enjoying himself immensely. He extended a hand toward Doya and asked, "Well? Will you join? Will you join in this folly?"

Looking at the jade-white hand before him, Doya fell silent. A moment later, he reached out and grasped it.

"Since you've been so frank," Doya said indifferently, "I have no reason to refuse. Besides, helping you is, in a way, helping myself."

From this blueprint, he caught a glimpse of another possibility—a possibility of liberating his savior from the seal, the one who had pulled him out of a daze of utter despair. Perhaps this was precisely what Chun had intended for him to see.

It was all to get him to join. His position in this plan was crucial; from start to finish, his precision calculations were indispensable.

Doya sighed. "It seems we cannot count on these fellows."

Glancing over at the geniuses who had been debating for ages without even managing to produce a preliminary draft, a look of utter exasperation at their incompetence surfaced on Doya's calm face.

He truly despised fools. Truly! It made his blood pressure skyrocket!

Doya directly and bluntly interrupted their discussion, dividing them into groups tasked with forging specific parts and components, which would then be submitted to him for centralized assembly.

Amidst the initial respect, subsequent shock, and eventual numbness on the faces of numerous Soul Guidance masters, it took a mere three days to forge a suit of armor that looked deceptively simple on the outside, but whose internal precision far surpassed any Level 9 Soul Guidance device.

This was a product far exceeding the technology of this current era, and it was the joint creation of the twenty thousand wills and Doya—a Soul Guidance device theoretically capable of granting an ordinary person the strength of a Titled Douro.

The resources consumed by this single piece of armor directly alarmed both the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy and the Mingde Hall. Upon receiving the news, they rushed over one after another to witness the birth of this cross-era creation.

Looking at the armor, which bore a completely different style from the Soul Guidance devices of this era, Mirror Red Dust was struck completely speechless. After a long while, he hurried forward, placing a trembling hand upon the armor and cautiously channeling his soul power into it.

The next moment, a multitude of Soul Guidance arrays engraved within the armor lit up simultaneously, emitting a thunderous roar as if a long-dormant entity had finally awakened!

Doya calmly explained from the side, "Give it a single push of momentum, and it will activate the Soul Guidance arrays throughout the entire body. These arrays are interconnected like gears, engaging and exerting force in tandem, one force driving a hundred, endless and inexhaustible."

Upon hearing these words, Mirror Red Dust staggered and collapsed straight to the ground. Yet, he seemed completely oblivious to it, merely staring wide-eyed in a daze as he muttered, "A perpetual motion machine?"

"..."

Doya pressed a hand to his forehead. He felt a fierce wave of asphyxiation wash over him.

Glancing around at everyone else in the vicinity, he found the exact same comprehension plastered across their faces. Doya gritted his teeth and snapped, "Idiots! Fools! Utterly incorrigible! Get out! All of you, get out! Go find Xu Tianran!"

He was not afraid of these people leaking secrets; all the Soul Guidance masters had signed confidentiality agreements, and both the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy and the Mingde Hall were supporters of Xu Tianran, having provided this laboratory themselves.

However, he was terrified that if these fellows stayed any longer, they would manage to anger his immortal self into an early grave!

Facing Doya's wrath, everyone present felt as though a heavy hammer had struck their chests. They snapped back to their senses instantly, their faces flushing red with embarrassment.

Doya's attainments in the field of Soul Guidance were simply too unfathomable, causing them to momentarily forget the fundamental truth that a perpetual motion machine was utterly impossible.

Those elderly Soul Guidance masters gathered around the armor like pilgrims witnessing a miracle, their gazes as infatuated as a young man looking at his first love.

Soon enough, Xu Tianran was invited over. The Sun Moon Empire was a nation founded upon Soul Guidance technology, and as the crown prince, he was naturally a Soul Guidance master himself. The moment he laid eyes on the armor, he instantly perceived the unfathomable depth of its creator within the realm of Soul Guidance technology.

The mere thought that this was custom-designed specifically for him made Xu Tianran so excited that he actually tried to stand up from his wheelchair, though fortunately, those nearby reacted quickly and steadied him just in time to keep him from falling.

Brought before the armor, Xu Tianran violently brushed away the hands supporting him and shouted, "Quick! Quickly, put it on me!"

He could no longer wait to test out this armor that promised him a new lease on life!