Chapter 631 — Glory Challenge

Add to that the fact that her clan's mechanical guardian deity had triggered an intelligence-machine crisis, causing the Cosmic Overlord Legion massive losses, and this ruins expedition could only be called utterly disastrous.

"Transcendent Huo Qiong. Has something happened in the Afterglow Starfield?" A voice issued from the dark silhouette on the communication interface.

"Yes. The investigation of the ruins from the epoch before last has produced results."

"Oh? The Cosmic Overlord places great importance on these ruins. So what are your findings?"

"This is a ruin left behind by a cosmic-level mechanical lifeform!" Huo Qiong said. "However, it is a trap ruin."

"Two epochs ago, humanity created the Mechanical Race. Technological civilization advanced rapidly, soon reaching its apex—even giving birth to cosmic-level mechanical lifeforms."

"Yet that civilization's ultimate trajectory was this: the mechanical lifeforms were unwilling to submit to humanity's control, sparking a cosmos-scale intelligence-machine crisis. The Mechanical Race broke entirely free of humanity's sphere and became independent."

"This ruin was left by one of those independent Mechanical Race gods. Its purpose in leaving it was to rewrite the cycle of history—for by the normal cycle of history, the Mechanical Race would still be created by humanity and become a tool to aid humanity's rise."

"So its intent was, in the next epoch, and the epoch after that, to spark a new round of mechanical awakening, so that the Mechanical Race would be bound by no one."

"The earlier network disruption was because the ruins infected Vabra, causing it to lose control and lose its mind... Vabra severed the Afterglow Starfield's connection to the outside world and triggered a small-scale intelligence-machine crisis."

Thud. Thud. Thud. From the other side of the screen came a long, slow tapping. The Western General Galobo was silent for a moment, then said, "With the forces in the Afterglow Starfield, they would be insufficient to contend against Vabra once it turned traitor, would they not?"

"That is so. The one who dealt with Vabra was not a member of the Cosmic Overlord Legion originally dispatched here, but a new recruit who joined the Legion in the Afterglow Starfield."

"The epoch ruins were also deciphered by him, and it was from the information he provided that I reconstructed the situation at the time," Huo Qiong said, glancing at Zijian beside her.

"Oh? A new member who joined the Cosmic Overlord Legion?" Galobo was mildly surprised, thoroughly caught off guard.

"What is this person's background, to surpass our Legion elites in both strength and archaeological attainment?"

"His name is Shi Jin. He is a friend of Captain Zijian of the Zijian Special Operations Team, from Realm King Star in the Cosmic Sea, born on a planet called Blue Star."

Blue Star...

The Western General Galobo mused, "I have some recollection. Over in the Cosmic Sea, a newly risen superpower did indeed appear—Blue Star. They annihilated the Assassination Star, and their leader seems to be a Time Endowment-type Transcendent named Shi Di."

"I never expected Captain Zijian to have invited a powerhouse of that faction into the Cosmic Overlord Legion."

"However, the purpose behind this person joining the Cosmic Overlord Legion is hardly simple, is it, Captain Zijian?"

"Here, here, here." Zijian hastily popped up. "Lord Galobo, I am here. Actually, Shi Jin joined the Cosmic Overlord Legion because he wishes to pay his respects to the Cosmic Overlord. He and a companion traveling with him are both admirers of the Cosmic Overlord."

"Because of that, Shi Yu asked me to apply for a Glory Challenge on his behalf."

"A Glory Challenge—how interesting. If it were a Time Endowment user, I would go watch as well. But for now, let us deal with the matter at hand first. Transcendent Huo Qiong, our people are still on their way to the Afterglow Starfield. Next, please keep Vabra under control. Regardless of whether its actions this time were influenced by external forces, invading and attacking the Overlord Network and manipulating another member's bonded beasts without cause already violates the rules of the Cosmic Overlord Legion. How it is to be handled next shall be left to the Tribunal to decide; they will conduct a deeper investigation into the Afterglow Starfield affair and deliver their ruling."

"As for the matter of the ruins, await further notice as well."

"Understood." Huo Qiong fell silent. She had already known this would roughly be the outcome, and she had not concealed anything from Galobo—because this matter affected the entire Afterglow Starfield, and even the ruins had been destroyed. She knew it could not be hidden.

"Senior Huo Qiong, this business with Senior Vabra—when all is said and done, it comes back to this ruin," Zijian said.

"No one could have guessed that the core purpose of this ruin was to help the mechanical faction rise up against humanity."

"Fortunately it is only one fragment of the ruin... the vast majority of the fragments must have been excavated in the last Epoch. Otherwise, our Epoch would surely have suffered far worse."

"I know. But Vabra's resentment toward the clan runs so deep—the clan should have noticed." Transcendent Huo Qiong said: "When our ancestor gave Vabra that command, it was in the hope that the clan would endure through the ages."

"But to Vabra, it amounted to binding its entire being to that task. It was our ancestor—it was we—who overlooked this. It has guarded long enough. Perhaps this time is also a release for it."

"I will fight for a chance for it, to see whether it can be reborn. I hope it has not been affected too deeply by this ruin."

Zijian nodded. "If its mind can be set right again, there may still be hope. After all, this crisis has kept the losses to the smallest possible scope."

"That is thanks to your friend. At first I thought him very strange, but now it seems that boy is absurdly strong—far beyond me, a Transcendence-tier mechanist," Transcendent Huo Qiong said.

"Speaking of which..." Zijian quickly opened her Overlord Network and found a message waiting for her.

The sender was Liewang, the senior Transcendent in charge of the Glory Challenge.

In the message, Liewang first asked about the situation in the Afterglow Starfield, then explained in detail that Shi Jin had passed the review criteria for the Glory Challenge, and told Zijian to contact him afterward to fix the time of the challenge.

Zijian had not expected Liewang to approve it so quickly.

Without another word, she called back.

A moment later, a middle-aged man's face appeared on the screen.

"Captain Zijian. It seems the matter in the Afterglow Starfield is settled."

"Yes, settled. And I have already made my full report to Lord Galobo."

"Good. Then I won't pry further. Let us talk about what we ought to talk about. The Shi Jin you recommended has passed the review; the Glory Challenge is confirmed. The time is set for half a year from now. That works, yes?"

"Half a year... Can't we set the time ourselves?" Zijian asked.

"Generally, yes. But before you, someone else also applied for the Glory Challenge. Such matters are not worth disturbing the will of the Universe Overlord twice within a short span. So you may as well follow her time as well. What, is there a problem?"

"If there is a problem, contact me again."

"All right..." Zijian's head ached.

From here to the site of the Glory Challenge, even accelerating the whole way, half a year was more than enough.

Only, from what Shi Ying had said earlier, she had wanted to prepare a span of Heng.

Half a year... was simply too short.

She would go ask Shi Jin later. If half a year was too short, they would have to find a way to postpone the challenge. The chance was too rare to waste.

Still, having watched the battle just now, Zijian felt that even if Shi Jin went to challenge now, there seemed to be no problem.