The players were driven nearly to exhaustion by their attempts to clear the Desperate battle dungeon. This time, the difficulty was nothing like the Midnight Rain Knight Desperate battle of the past. With levels compressed to 60 instead of 30, players now had access to far more skills, which in turn made the dungeon's mechanics and numerical design far more complex than before.
Clearing it would require a tremendous amount of time. This had already become standard homework for professional players. Fortunately, there had been no large-scale wars or major events recently, nor were there any tournaments on the horizon, allowing them to focus entirely on tackling the extreme battle.
While the players struggled inside the dungeon, the Venus continued its steady course toward Siracusa. During this lull, Felix boarded a plane and returned once more to Kazdel.
The construction of the [Chosen] was nearing completion. The internal structure was essentially finished; all that remained was finalizing their exterior plating and appearance. To be honest, Felix was rather picky about this part. As his abilities as a mechanic improved, the technology at his disposal had far surpassed what he once possessed. While other nations still left bare metal exposed, he was already capable of producing artificial skin through biotechnology, though he had received substantial help from Weedy in this regard.
Seeing Hoederer and a group of high-ranking officials waiting to welcome him at the airport, Felix rubbed his forehead lightly. Since he had finally made it back, there was no escaping the work reports.
At the same time, Saria had research on Originium Arts she wished to share with him, particularly studies related to controlling Originium catastrophes. Beyond research matters, Felix also met the Lung girl he so often saw in his dreams. She had a pair of expressive blue eyes, and her presence gave him the warm, comforting feeling of returning home. Naturally, he needed to ask this "Sister Shu" about the latest developments in agriculture.
On the internal affairs front, Hoederer had grown steadily more competent. At the very least, he no longer resembled the slick old mercenary he once was. After sitting in an acting leadership position for so long, responsibility had shaped him. He was now more reserved, more composed, and more humble than before, someone who could be entrusted with important duties both now and in the future.
Kazdel currently possessed four major inhabited regions. The largest and most central was the Kazdel mobile city. The fortress cities in the east and west had also been transformed into livable urban areas. Beyond these three was the Frontier District established from the very beginning, a place that still hosted a considerable number of players and mercenaries.
Saria had never put aside her research in high-energy physics. She had discussed many topics with Professor Naumann, and in the field of Originium Arts, she drew on the experience of Catastrophe Messengers to attempt earlier prediction of Originium disasters, allowing evacuations to begin sooner.
Shu brought him a pleasant surprise. The soil she had brought from Yan was far superior to what Kazdel had, which was only natural given how frequently the latter suffered Originium catastrophes. She had shared everything she knew, applying techniques from her home, Dahuang City. Mobile experimental fields could avoid catastrophes to the greatest extent possible. Felix also offered several suggestions, such as installing jet-assisted propulsion systems on the field carriers to increase their mobility, or even programming them so that once an Originium catastrophe was detected, the fields could relocate automatically.
These technologies were things Yan would find difficult to acquire at present. Felix generously told Shu that they could be offered to Yan as a form of recompense. Yan had always been generous in its dealings with him, fulfilling requests thoroughly whenever possible. Felix believed in returning goodwill, and besides, in Yan's foreign policy, its primary enemy had always been Ursus. Kazdel barely registered by comparison. If Kazdel had not once attempted to challenge all of Terra, Yan would never have been part of the allied forces in the first place.
Shu smiled brightly, as did the students she had brought with her. Before leaving, she pulled Felix aside.
"Um, when you head back, could you take me with you? I heard Nian and Ling are on the ship. It's been a long time, and I want to cook a meal for them."
Felix agreed without hesitation.
After seeing off the farming team, Felix continued discussions with Saria and the Naumann couple on predicting Originium catastrophes. Though he had been away from the scientific world for quite some time, and had originally entered it merely as a stepping stone, his experiences were genuine, and the knowledge he had gained remained firmly etched in his mind.
After rotating through these meetings, Felix finally found time before dinner to visit the industrial district. Led by Clever, he saw rows upon rows of unfinished units. They stood upright in silence, like a mute army.
It was indeed an army, but one that would need to speak and communicate.
Before possessing a soul, one first needed a body. After some thought, Felix realized that the number of Sarkaz under his command was already rather high, making him, a theoretical Sankta, look a bit awkward. He might as well shape these [Chosen] into a race closer to the Sankta.
A mechanical race with halos added. Artificial skin was, of course, a must. Felix was not a particularly skilled artist and had no painter class levels, but he could simply explain his requirements to Clever and let her generate the designs automatically. It was oddly similar to using ChatGPT in real life.
In the end, Felix selected a design where the halo was tilted and rested slightly to the right side of the head. Since artificial skin was being used, making them all female should pose no issue. Hairstyles and eye colors could be freely customized, but one requirement was absolute. Hair color had to be white.
Why? Because he like white haired android girls, simple as that.
Ah, creating a mechanical army and his preferences were already showing.
This mechanical race would answer only to him, belong solely to him, another of his personal guards. They would be implanted with thoughts born of the same origin as Felix's, ensuring obedience to his commands while still allowing them to develop distinct personalities. Naturally, in the beginning, they would need to learn everything, like newborn infants entering the world.
After some consideration, Felix chose the name [Melira] from among all the options provided by Clever. In the current design phase, he had not yet created any individually overpowered units. That decision would wait until this stage of construction was fully complete.
An army needed a legion commander, and beneath that commander, several squad leaders. As for these specialized designs, Felix already had a clear plan in mind.
The legion commander would be all-rounder, while four squad leaders would serve beneath her, each specializing in one of the four most critical combat roles: melee assault, heavy defense, caster operations, and long-range sniping. He had yet to decide on their names, but the specialization paths were already set.
These [Chosen] units, the [Melira] models, were undeniably expensive. Last year's expenditures had barely managed to surpass pharmaceutical costs, and even then only by a narrow margin.
Watching as artificial skin was gradually applied to each chassis, Felix withdrew his gaze. Beneath the skin, nothing essential would be omitted.
These Meliras would accompany him across countless battlefields. Even if the Lightbearers were replaced time and again in the future, the Meliras would never age.
As the artificial flesh enveloped the frames, what stood before Felix was no longer machinery, but lifeless bodies. Above the right side of each head floated a softly glowing white halo.
The hairstyling phase began. Felix sat there, watching the birth of one exquisite work of art after another. All of this came from Clever's internal data, referencing hairstyles from renowned stylists across various nations, transplanted onto these bodies. In an instant, it felt as though they had been given souls.
He clapped his hands lightly. The Meliras' eyes slowly opened. They still possessed no consciousness and were merely bodies under Clever's control. Walking before them, Felix noted that each had a different hairstyle and eye color, even subtle variations in facial structure. He nodded in satisfaction.
Finally, he stepped to the very front, where the first Melira stood. Glancing at her hairstyle, he was surprised to find it resembled Asuna's.
The facial model was strikingly similar as well, though the eye color did not match. Felix did not dwell on it. From among the unupgraded units, he selected four more with particularly distinctive appearances. Five in total, five blossoms, to be further refined as special units.
For now, however, it was not yet time for them to take the stage. Felix set up the next workflow within Clever's system and then left the factory. By the time he returned, these Meliras would likely be ready to accompany him into battle.
With Shu in tow, Felix and the others returned to the Venus. The moment Shu disembarked, she went off to find Nian and Ling. To be honest, those two had little presence on the landship. One spent every day locked in her workshop hammering metal, the other stayed holed up in her room drinking. They were rarely seen. Felix had little interaction or conflict with them. He had merely provided them with living quarters.
As the Venus drew closer to Siracusa, the players temporarily set aside their frustrations with the Desperate battle dungeon. Laughing and draping arms over one another's shoulders, they disembarked early to explore the nearby mobile cities and get a feel for the place. Many players had never been to Siracusa before. They had heard from NPCs that the land was rife with mafias and famous for its pizza, and they were eager to see it with their own eyes.
As for whether the players' actions would draw the attention of the families, that was a certainty. The only question was how those families would respond.
Felix looked at Ingrid, who was speaking with his daughter, then shifted his gaze to Mountain beside him. "When dealing with the families, remember to remain fair. Every family wants to press down on the others, but none of them wants to be the first to stick their head out. With Signora Sicily and the Grey Hall present, no one wants to be the first to be purged."
Mountain had previously mentioned in meetings that once they entered Siracusa, he intended to travel between different mobile cities to negotiate business with the families. What deals he would make, and how many, would be entirely his responsibility. Felix trusted him completely.
Their docking point this time was Siracusa's center, the capital mobile city of Montelupe. After reaching the outskirts, the Venus came to a halt. As the engines powered down, operators and players poured out, heading toward the nearby city.
Mountain also departed with several operators aboard a plane. His schedule was extremely tight.
"Texas, do you want to enter the city?" Lappland asked.
Resting her head against the sofa cushion, Lappland smirked. "Wouldn't you rather go back and kill your way through?"
"That would just cause trouble for His Highness," Texas replied.
She frowned slightly and let out a soft sigh. "Besides, I don't have any fond feelings for the Siracusan families right now. Going back would just be asking for trouble."
"Ah… then I won't go either."
"..."
"Come on, let's head to the cafeteria and grab something to eat. I heard the chef prepared the most delicious mille-feuille today, just the way I like it."
As Lappland dragged Texas through the corridors of the Venus, Felix's plane was nearing Montelupe Airport. Alongside him were Ingrid, acting as guide, and several senior reconnaissance operators, including Yelena.
Loughshinny remained behind on the landship to teach Alina, Hellagur and Degenbrecher trained the operators together, and Patriot continued his treatment. All things considered, the arrangements were fairly solid.
Waiting to receive them was a guard unit wearing Lupo masks. Felix cast a scan and found that they all belonged to the organization known as the Bocca al Lupo. Within Siracusa, their status was likely comparable to Yan's imperial guards. In terms of strength, they could indeed dominate within Siracusa's borders. If they were to clash with the Lightbearers or Saviadel, however, the Bocca al Lupo would not come out on top.
The men in black suits bowed politely to Felix and invited the group to get into the car.
Siracusa's automotive culture was far more retro than that of other cities. Perhaps influenced by old Columbian films, the local aesthetic leaned heavily toward classic styles. The streets of Montelupe, the capital, were filled with all kinds of vehicles. Luxury sedans like the one Felix rode in were rare, but black cars were everywhere.
"Black sedans are typically used by the families," Ingrid explained. "Their crests are displayed on the license plates for identification."
"Understated, yet luxurious. Just like in the movies," Felix remarked.
The car delivered them to a hotel reserved for distinguished guests. Signora Sicily had been generous, assigning each of them a separate suite, sparing them the awkwardness of sharing rooms. Perhaps she already knew the nature of their relationships.
Gazing out at what was clearly a retro version of "Columbia," Felix stepped down the stairs. Before the negotiations began, he had intended to take a walk through the city.
However, when he noticed the elderly man seated in the hotel lobby, his steps came to a halt.
"Coming to see me before the meeting. Was this at Signora Sicily's request, or was it your own decision?"
Felix inclined his head slightly toward the old man seated in the chair. "I have long heard your name. This is our first time meeting in person, Father Agenir."