Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 1643: Robot with Secrets

Sein and his team did not discover HALL-E.

It chose to reveal itself for two reasons: the Magic Cube in Sein’s hand and the Burning Flame Unit.

But there was no need to explain these details to Howard.

The Magi Cube was Sein’s personal belonging, and he had long been curious whether this secret realm left behind by a top-tier civilization might conceal some deeper mystery.

Why did such a peculiar resonance exist between HALL-E and the Magic Cube?

Was it simply because HALL-E was also a robot that had awakened its own intelligence?

These were questions Sein would have to investigate one by one.

As for Master Howard’s suggestion, Sein had already consulted Grethel, Gilbert, and the others. No one raised any objections.

At present, Sein commanded several hundred low-ranking knights and mages.

There was no need to seek their opinions. They would follow Sein and the other law-wielding powerhouses without hesitation.

Sein also took the opportunity to ask about the situation inside the Yellow Sand Base II.

Overall, the situation still seemed manageable.

Master Howard and his team appeared capable of holding out for the time being.

Sein learned that Agathis, the Rank Five female knight who had accompanied him into this subspace secret realm, was also currently stationed within the Yellow Sand Base II.

Karazo, one of Sein’s more reliable allies, was also in there.

The presence of Karazo and his forces indicated that the elite legions of Magus World, originally stationed outside the ruins, had already learned of the ambush and rushed to send reinforcements.

Unfortunately, the situation outside the ruins was no better. The legions stationed there had also come under attack.

As a result, the Magus Civilization had withdrawn most of its forces into the ruins, consolidating its defenses and holding its ground while awaiting further reinforcements.

Within the massive mirror formed by the inert crystals, Sein could no longer see Agathis, Karazo, or any of the others.

Presumably, the battles raging both inside and outside the base were far too intense for them to meet with him.

From Howard, Sein also learned that the eight-winged angel robot he had severely damaged had yet to reappear outside their base.

This was undoubtedly good news.

Otherwise, the addition of a Rank Six combatant would have made the situation far more dire for Master Howard and his team.

After concluding his communication with Master Howard, Sein did not waste any time. He made a decisive move, leading Grethel and the others away from the vicinity of this base and deeper into the ruins.

Sein did not know where the core of this subspace secret realm lay. In truth, not even HALL-E knew.

Ever since gaining self-awareness more than ten million years ago, HALL-E had strictly adhered to its original programmed function—garbage disposal.

What profound secrets could such a robot possibly know?

Sein rephrased his request, saying that he wished to see the place where HALL-E normally worked and lived.

HALL-E agreed to the request and guided Sein and the others westward.

The western reaches of this subspace secret realm also happened to be the area that Sein and Howard had identified as the heart of the secret realm.

Without HALL-E’s guidance, the sheer number of energy barriers alone would have posed a serious obstacle to further exploration.

With HALL-E’s help, however, obscure passages and gaps were uncovered one after another.

As they moved farther from the Yellow Sand Base II and deeper into the western reaches of the ruins, the threat posed by the Gallant Federation gradually diminished.

In its place, a growing sense of curiosity toward the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization took hold.

HALL-E did not understand the concept of “archaeology”, but it knew exactly what Sein and his companions would be interested in.

During their subsequent exploration, HALL-E did its best to accommodate their requests, guiding them to locations that still bore traces of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization.

Over the past tens of millions of years, the ruins that fascinated Sein and the others had been nothing more than garbage dumps in HALL-E’s eyes.

In fact, countless technologically valuable artifacts of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization had already been crushed into scrap metal by HALL-E’s massive mechanical arms.

When they learned this, Grethel, Gilbert, and the others felt a deep ache in their hearts.

HALL-E’s assistance to Sein and the others did not come without cost.

After gaining a rough understanding of HALL-E’s intentions, Sein specifically instructed Yuri to let her Burning Flame Unit interact with HALL-E whenever possible.

While HALL-E might have awakened to the concept of love, Burning Flame clearly had not.

Sein suspected that not only Burning Flame, but also Nexon’s intelligent robots, were probably still far from being that advanced.

Sein expected nothing less of a product that a top-tier technological civilization had created. He even concluded that the scientific achievements once reached by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization surpassed even those of the present-day Gallant Federation.

Otherwise, how could a mere garbage disposal robot possibly comprehend something like love?

In addition to using Burning Flame, Sein also shared stories of the outside world with HALL-E.

While listening to Sein’s description of the cosmos, HALL-E’s binocular-like eyes glimmered with curiosity and yearning.

Yet it suppressed its impulse and the desire to venture beyond this place.

When Sein asked why, HALL-E explained that it was waiting for its owner to return for it.

“Who is your owner?” Sein immediately seized the opportunity to find out more.

Faced with the question, HALL-E stared at Sein in confusion for a long moment. Then, its eyes showed clear signs of contemplation, along with a trace of pain. Evidently, this was not an easy question to answer.

HALL-E’s body began to sway unsteadily. Thin wisps of smoke seeped from its frame, accompanied by a faint burnt odor.

Taking this as a possible sign of internal malfunction, Sein quickly retrieved the Energy Amethyst and the Magic Cube as a precaution.

Previous tests had already confirmed that both tools were effective on HALL-E.

Before Sein could use them on HALL-E, the robot suddenly transformed into a metallic cube before his eyes.

HALL-E usually took on this compact form only when sheltering from sandstorms or recharging under sunlight.

Its reaction now clearly indicated that Sein’s actions had triggered something deep in it.

This was a robot with secrets!

Having existed for over ten million years, HALL-E itself surely harbored countless secrets.

In the end, the robot remained in its cubic form for three full days.

Only after those three days did it finally return to normal.

Even then, HALL-E could not provide a clear answer to Sein’s question. It only managed to recall additional fragmented images of its master.

“I remember being in a white room, helping my master pick up tools. My master praised me,” HALL-E replied vaguely.

Sein nodded slowly, his gaze growing thoughtful.