Sovereign of the Ashes

“You actually need to unlock three layers of command locks just to gain your freedom?” Sein frowned, sounding a little exasperated.

The Gallant Federation had created these intelligent robots, so of course they had built in countless backup measures and firewalls.

Their scientists had surely considered from the start the possibility of the robots being taken over by enemies.

The Magus Civilization was already impressive for having the means to break through the federation’s command locks. There was simply no way to make the process any easier.

According to Titanfang, even if Sein unlocked all three layers, it would only “liberate” the robots in the Nexon Star Domain. The factories in the other star domains would remain unaffected.

Still, it seemed that aside from Nexon, there had been no reports of robots in other star domains awakening to self-awareness.

“We higher-tier robots need to break free from all three layers of restrictions. For ordinary lower-tier robots, breaking free from two or even just one is enough. The core control on Nexon is critical. It directly governs more than seventy percent of the robot army in this entire star domain,” Titanfang explained.

“And the BHR678 space station is our place of enlightenment. Every robot who has awakened to self-awareness, whether high-level or low, is connected to that place,” he said heavily.

At the mention of the BHR678 space station, even the humanlike faces of other intelligent robots shifted subtly, betraying emotion.

The station housed nearly two thousand federal scientists and was one of the most important research bases in the Nexon Star Domain.

In a way, the scientists there were the “fathers” of the intelligent robots who now stood before Sein.

But change, and the struggle for freedom, always came with bloodshed.

The Titanfangs had already accepted that sacrifice might be necessary.

Yet the thought of bloodshed at BHR678 filled them with unease—especially when it came to Michaelis Bell, the station’s chief scientist.

It was he who had imparted wisdom and humanity to the robots, and also regarded every self-aware machine as his own child.

As the leaders of their respective robot factions, Skyhold and Titanfang were the two most treasured creations of that biologically childless federal scientist.

The decision to conceal the awakening of self-awareness in intelligent robots like Titanfang had also been made by the chief scientist of the BHR678 space station.

Unfortunately, Michaelis was only an exceptional scientist of the federation. For all his extraordinary talent, he was neither a politician nor a financial magnate.

In the Gallant Federation, even scientists of immense wisdom and vast knowledge were nothing more than tools for the ruling elite, exploited to secure more comfort and longer lives.

At least in the federation, there had never been a case of scientists where scientists guided the course of civilization.

Michaelis must have known that if he reported the awakening of self-awareness among the Nexon robots, the federation’s upper echelon would respond not with understanding but with ruthless suppression.

Granting these robots so-called “equal rights” was laughable.

When had slaves ever stood as equals to their masters?

And with the federation commanding trillions upon trillions of robots, the thought of all of them awakening to self-awareness was terrifying!

It could mean the collapse of the entire civilization in an instant.

The ruling elite would crush any chance of that happening, even if the odds were only one percent.

It was precisely because Michaelis regarded these intelligent robots as his own children that he chose to keep them hidden.

Many of the federal scientists stationed at BHR678, as well as intelligent robots like Titanfang, understood his reasoning.

But inequality itself had already set robots and Federation humans on opposing sides.

Even with reluctance in his heart, Titanfang still made the choice it believed was the right one.

***

Negotiations between civilizations and races were never simple or straightforward.

Although the talks started off rocky, both sides gradually made concessions, and many of the disputes were resolved.

As the official representative of the Magus Civilization, Sein already knew his civilization’s bottom-line demands before leaving Magus World.

The demands of Titanfang and the other Nexon robots were not particularly high. All they wanted was freedom and equal rights.

And as a civilization built on magic and battle qi, Magus World clearly showed more tolerance toward these intelligent robots than the Gallant Federation ever had.

Sein also asked whether any other envoys from the Magus Civilization had met with the Titanfangs before his arrival.

The answer was a firm shake of the head.

Sein really was the first to arrive at Nexon. But he clearly remembered that when he accepted this mission, he was told he was not the only one assigned to it!

The subtle pressure of that knowledge, combined with the heavy authority he carried in these talks, pushed Sein to deliberately speed up negotiations.

Now, as the sole representative of the Magus Civilization, so long as he did not cross its red lines, his words alone would decide the course of the talks.

The “efficient” way Sein handled the discussions left a strong impression on Titanfang and the other intelligent robots.

Having long dealt with the federation’s bureaucrats, who were notorious for endless delays and stalling tactics, the comparison made them appreciate Sein and the Magus Civilization far more.

When the terms were nearly finalized, Sein produced the very key of freedom Titanfang and the others had long desired: a shimmering blue light orb of laws.

Although Titanfang and the others did not agree to fire the first shot against the Gallant Federation, they had already decided in the course of these talks that once war broke out between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation, they would join Magus World without hesitation.

They would prove their loyalty through force when needed!

This commitment was even programmed as additional commands of all Rank Four and higher robots present before Sein, serving as another kind of law contract.

“I’m curious to see how this light sphere works, and what changes you will undergo once you gain your freedom,” Sein said with a smile, holding the glowing orb in his hand.

A brilliant azure radiance burst forth, flooding the artificial satellite and bathing every metallic structure in soft light.

Basking in the gentle glow, Titanfang let out a long sigh.

“So this... is what freedom feels like?”