Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Chapter 948: Chapter 54: Robert Manipulator

The Collector quietly sat on his sponge throne.

It was a soft-bodied lifeform he had collected, categorized as Tier 3, possessing unfathomable atomic spacing. When stretched, it could envelop an entire planet.

He very much enjoyed this living chair. Whenever he wanted to relax, he would immerse himself in it, feeling as if he was enveloped by a soft-bodied planet, his body fully submerged in the soft tissue.

However, at this moment, his expression was unpredictable.

The Void Dwellers remained as arrogant as ever, but since they had something to ask of him, they didn’t demand large quantities of Void Gems as they had in the past.

They required him to explore a special space-time, which had a certain probability of being a ’Quantum Space.’

Only his special ability could locate the coordinates of this special space-time.

This could potentially bring great rewards, but it might also entail unknown risks.

As one of the rare Subspace species, the Void Dwellers lived relatively comfortably in this star system. However, with other emerging Level 3 Civilizations aggressively expanding their living space, even they were feeling a strong sense of insecurity.

Expanding living space wasn’t limited to resource planets and immigrant planets; it also included various space cracks and space-time dimensions.

Level 3 Civilizations had already unlocked ’Advanced Space Exploration Technology.’

This undoubtedly threatened the living space of the Void Dwellers.

Especially because the Void Dwellers revealed a very unsettling piece of information.

They might have been targeted by an unknown civilization hidden in the Robert Star System.

The nature of this civilization was very likely similar to theirs; both were space exploration-type civilizations.

This could likely lead to a more dangerous Civilization War.

Because of this enormous threat, the noble Void Nobility made significant concessions, such as offering ten clusters of ’Early Cosmos Material.’

These high-density Energy Sources often came from the depths of a fixed star, a resource even advanced Level 3 Civilizations couldn’t excavate.

The explosion of a fixed star and the explosion of a planet were entirely different concepts; the danger level of such an explosion even exceeded a typical Supernova Burst, with larger scale and stronger destructive power, easily causing star system-level ’interstellar disasters.’

This was just one of the troubles involved.

’Pai Daxing’ recalled the messages he had received via his Black Market channels over dozens of Stellar Vortexes nearby, even reaching more distant interstellar regions.

It wasn’t just the Void Dweller species facing troubles; the tension between the Galen Republic and the Mirta Federation was also growing stronger.

During this period, he had spotted signs of at least three unfamiliar emerging Level 3 Civilizations.

Or rather, it wasn’t that he discovered them, but that they purposely let their presence be known, akin to announcing their intention to join in the feast of civilizational competition.

For billions, even tens of billions of years, suppressed by the Purple Giant Star and locked tightly at the Level 2 Civilization’s cap, various powerful technological achievements could only remain at the Blueprint stage, and the ’thought trends’ spurred by civilizational development could only be theoretical.

Finally, with the seal lifted, every civilization hidden in the shadows was eager to make its move.

"To be or not to be, independence or collaboration, purification or fusion; it’s truly unimaginable."

The Collector rubbed his face once more, reminiscing about the past.

He awoke during a time when a powerful Level 3 Civilization challenged the Mechanical Throne.

It was a Level 3 Civilization with terrifying potential, breaking through mechanical control at incredible speed, ascending to a Level 3 Civilization, and within a very short time, reaching the ceiling of Ascension Civilization.

Hence, a battle was inevitably launched.

In that Civilization War of obliteration, spanning dozens of Stellar Vortexes, he lent a helping hand to the Mechanical Sovereign, pinpointing the core coordinates of that civilization due to his special ability, thus gaining friendship with the Purple Giant Star.

And now the increasingly murky situation of the Robert Star System gave him a familiar feeling from back then.

’Pai Daxing’ muttered to himself.

"Robert Star System, hey, now there are very few people who know how this star system got its name."

Robert Controller

The name of a top Level 3 Civilization from bygone eras.

According to the Civilization Council’s ’Ascension Civilization Charter,’ every civilization involved in the Ascension Domain must name the star system of its birth, which must also receive public recognition from the Pan-Civilization Council.

In the late stage of that Civilizational War, the Robert Controller finally couldn’t withstand the Mechanical Sovereign’s undefeatable legion. Before defeat, they forcibly ascended, attempting to turn the situation around in this manner.

Of course, this unprepared ascension was doomed to failure, and the catastrophic consequences of ascension failure were even more severe than military defeat.

Nonetheless, even entering the Ascension Domain, the Robert Controller Civilization bound its name to this star system, and even the mighty Purple Giant Star had to abide by the Council’s regulations.

This is an iron rule established by the six most powerful Level 9 Civilizations in the cosmos before the Cosmic Net!

’Pai Daxing’ thought it over, seemingly transported back to those days of military glory, as various styles of Mechanical Legions silently tore at each other in different Stellar Vortex worlds.

Yet, a ’beep beep’ sound soon interrupted his contemplation.

’Pai Daxing’ glanced at his communications watch, showing a disgusted expression, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately chose to connect.

A holographic projection appeared on the opposite side, its visage unclear, but it was vaguely discernible as a towering mountain-like figure, the powerful organs reminiscent of a Cosmic Monster, demonstrating its terrifying Power.

’Pai Daxing’ took several scans of the other.

"What’s this, you’ve switched to the Carbon-Based path again? Whose Carbon Throne genome code did you copy? ’Stellar Destroyer,’ ’Godslaying Group,’ ’Infinite Demon’?"

Carbon Throne, Mechanical Throne, Energy Throne, Information Throne — these esteemed titles describe powerful fruits that blossom on a certain branch of a Technology Tree.

However, the specific meanings of each fruit vary.

Carbon Throne often refers to individual strongmen of the Carbon-Based Sequence.

The Mechanical Throne refers to an entire Mechanical Legion or a super mechanical creation.

The Energy Throne is a type of Cosmic Super Energy, like the recently discovered Dark Matter 521.

The Information Throne connects to an open-source Virtual Realm.

Similarly, those Carbon Throne strongmen such as ’Stellar Destroyer,’ ’Godslaying Group,’ and ’Infinite Demon’ have a powerful Carbon-Based Civilization backing them.

Even the mighty Purple Giant Star can only currently say one hand is grasping the Mechanical Throne’s armrest, whether they can truly sit on the Mechanical Throne still depends on their subsequent performance.

So ’Pai Daxing’s’ comments mainly carried a mocking tone.

Yet the other seemed not bothered, instead, cheerfully responded:

"Whatever type of throne it is, isn’t it something that’s obtainable whenever we want, for individuals like us?"

"After all, you and I are part of the Universal Principle!"

’Pai Daxing’s’ always genial face darkened.

"You need to make it clear! I am not anything like you, don’t associate me with you creation engine crazies, and I am certainly not your Supreme Being!"

The Creation Engine, Universal Mainframe, or Universal Principle as referred by the other, essentially denote the same thing.

These ’Supreme Being lunatics’ believe that at the dawn of this cosmos, an intention crafted the ’Big Bang’ creation project, and both he and the other were pieces of that intention, fractured entities.

According to these lunatics, the only way to restore ’wholeness’ and become the ’cosmic intention’ again is to reverse-engineer the creation project, returning the cosmos to its pre-Big Bang state, known as ’World Annihilation.’

This is utterly insane!

’Pai Daxing’ had maintained a lucid understanding of their mental state ever since the other had contacted him several years back.

This is a deranged organization in endless conflict with the cosmos and all civilizations.

"Haha, saying that, as your fellow kind, you do wound my feelings."

The other cheerfully responded:

"By the way, do you like the gift I sent you?"

"You arranged the Liberation Association!?" ’Pai Daxing’ first froze, then gritted his teeth.

"Indeed, the former ’Purple Giant Star’ protected you, leading to our inability to officially extend our invitation. Now that she’s left, we believe the time has come to introduce you to the organization."

"I’m not interested in your organization!"

"This has nothing to do with your free will. As a string of space code scattered from the ’Creation Engine,’ you are a crucial component of the Entropy Increase Plan, regardless of your willingness, you must join us."

’Pai Daxing’ calmed down this time and pondered:

"So, the Liberation Association is also your people?"

"Specifically speaking, the artificial Evil God behind the Liberation Association is a creation of one of our members. I merely use it to send you a friendly greeting."

The other smiled amicably and said:

"And the next time will be the formal invitation."