Sovereign of the Ashes

Since this so-called “Magic Cube” was the source of intelligence for Titanfang and the other advanced robots, it could be counted as one of Sein’s mission objectives.

Faced with Sein’s demand, Dr. Bell frowned, clearly reluctant to comply.

The two Magic Cubes represented the pinnacle of his life’s work. Handing one over to Sein felt like “selling his own child”.

Just as Sein was unwilling to share his Ashen Flame or body tempering techniques casually, the mages of Magus World and the scholars of the Gallant Federation were alike in how fiercely they guarded their knowledge.

But Dr. Bell was still only a “powerless” federal scientist. Against Magus World mages who could wield immense destructive power at will, his status and authority were worlds apart.

Titanfang would not allow Sein to harm Michaelis’s life, but it would not step in if it came down to a single Magic Cube.

Fortunately, Sein asked for only one and not both of them.

After a long, difficult pause, Dr. Bell finally agreed to Sein’s unreasonable request.

Dozens of tubes were disconnected one after another, and the protective barrier slowly lifted after Dr. Bell’s fingerprint and iris scan confirmed the release.

When he handed over one of the faintly glowing cubes, Sein clutched it tightly, barely restraining himself from grabbing the second one on the spot!

A world-class secret treasure!

This was actually a world-class secret treasure!

No wonder Dr. Bell could instantly perceive some of the mysteries within the light orb Sein had presented earlier! No wonder he could create Rank Six intelligent robots like Titanfang!

The man’s pursuit of truth and knowledge had already gone this far!

For Sein, crafting a treasure of this caliber was still far beyond his reach!

At best, he could only craft “high-grade divine artifacts” with his current abilities.

To even attempt to create a world-class secret treasure, he would need to raise his alchemy by at least one or two ranks first.

Until then, his main focus was to fully absorb the legacy left behind by Master Jorces, the Faceless Mask.

For Master Jorces to have crafted a world-class secret treasure like the Faceless Mask, he must have possessed profound insight into the power of laws.

Unfortunately, Sein had to ascend to Rank Five before he could access the deepest secrets hidden within the Faceless Mask.

Only after reaching that rank would the mask reveal its full potential to him.

The knowledge he had inherited from Master Jorces was immense, and even among what was already available to him, much remained unexplored.

That was one of the main reasons Sein had barely known rest since stepping into Rank Four.

Sein’s sudden excitement drew curious looks from both Titanfang and Dr. Bell.

For someone usually so composed, his reaction alone showed just how deeply the discovery of these two cubes had shaken him.

Still, these cubes were not complete products.

As Dr. Bell himself had admitted, his research was far from perfect. Both Magic Cubes had flaws and plenty of room for improvement.

It might be too early to call them world-class secret treasures at this stage.

At best, they were “unfinished” world-class secret treasures.

Still, the power of law radiating from the cube in Sein’s hand resonated strongly with the Faceless Mask on his face.

It might not match the mask in refinement, but for something unfinished, its quality was remarkable.

With an alchemist’s eye, Sein suspected that once perfected, the energy within these cubes might even surpass the world-class secret treasure longsword wielded by Thunder, the Rank Five knight, during the Magus Alliance Conference.

Glancing again at the cube in his grasp, Sein exhaled softly before turning to Titanfang.

“If you let me take the other cube as well, I can guarantee that once you join the Magus Alliance, you will be granted an additional reward of no less than a hundred million magicoins—maybe even two hundred million.”

“These funds will be invaluable to your kind, especially as a newly joined group that urgently needs space to grow and expand,” he added.

But Titanfang remained unmoved. It glanced at Dr. Bell, then said firmly, “No. You may take only one. Even if the Magus Civilization punishes me for it, I won’t regret my choice.”

A flicker of relief passed through Dr. Bell’s eyes.

All Sein could do was sigh.

“I understand now why war between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation is inevitable,” he murmured.

“It’s not only about resources or expansion. The federation’s technology is far too valuable to ignore. For the Magus Civilization, knowledge has always been the driving force behind growth, and the knowledge the federation holds is too tempting to pass up.”

***

Even though Titanfang and the other intelligent robots had sided with the Magus Civilization, putting them in direct opposition to the Federation, Dr. Bell still gave them a parting gift before they left BHR678 Space Station.

Perhaps it was Titanfang’s steadfast defense that moved Dr. Bell, or perhaps he truly saw Titanfang and the others as his “children” and felt compelled to fulfill his duty as their “father”.

It was a silver-black over-armor torso unit. From the design and color alone, it was clear this armor had always been intended for Titanfang.

“Upon hearing of your rebellion and the war between Nexon and the federal fleet, Blake and the others planned to destroy this armor. In the end, they couldn’t bring themselves to do it,” Dr. Bell said.

Handing over the armor, he continued, “Take it. I respect your will to pursue freedom. That was the purpose I had in mind when I first created you. I have a feeling that either you or Skyhold, my two greatest works, may achieve the perfection I once envisioned.”

“But as a Federation human, I beg you... Do not spill the blood of innocents within the Gallant Federation. That’s my only request,” he added, bowing deeply before Titanfang.

“Father, I swear that our kind will not harm the federal civilians, unless they stand in the way of our pursuit of freedom,” Titanfang vowed, placing a hand across its chest.

Dr. Bell then turned to Sein.

As a representative of the Magus Civilization, Sein had more authority than Titanfang. If the Magus Civilization demanded Titanfang to strike, would they truly refuse?

Meeting Dr. Bell’s searching gaze, Sein gave a small shrug.

“The enemies of the Magus Civilization are not limited to your federation. In fact, your Gallant Federation commands quite a few vassal civilizations of its own. I imagine the Magus Alliance will most likely deploy Titanfang and the others against other plane-dwellers. If anything, the leadership of Magus World fears a second rebellion from these intelligent robots.”

“It’s not that we doubt their loyalty. What we cannot ignore is the chance that the Gallant Federation still has some way to seize control of them through their codes,” he added.

Dr. Bell nodded in quiet approval at Sein’s frank answer.

“There’s also an exoskeleton transplant unit made for Skyhold. Take it with you as well,” he said to Titanfang.