The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 664 - 280: Fond Spirit of the Mechanism_3

"Master Ying!"

Su Mei and Wang Xinfei both brightened up at the sight and crowded over, their faces showing no signs of estrangement.

"It seems you’ve got along quite well in the period I was away from the domain."

Ye Hanjun raised an eyebrow slightly, a trace of a smile curling on the corner of his mouth.

Then, that smile vanished, and his gaze returned to the Turret Demon Spider, contemplating as he said,

"Mechanical Spirits... indeed special."

"This line of Chaos Seals is extremely powerful yet also exceedingly unstable."

"Mechanical beings inherently of the Mechanic species, just like Soldiers, Heavens, Origins, Medicines, and Beasts among the Fond Spirits, are rare."

"However, many mechanical beings are actually Acquired modifications, referred to as ’semi-mechanical bodies.’"

"Once the transformation is successful, the original Chaos Seal will be wiped clean, and the seal that inevitably appears anew will surely be ’Mechanism.’"

"This is an effect of strength that cannot be manifested by any means of variation and is more easily endowed with the most profound change of bloodline by mechanical modification alone."

Ye Hanjun shared many musings, all because of the caution toward the mechanical tribe he had heard from childhood to adulthood.

"Such Fond Spirits are best suited for Authorities like ’Fitter,’ ’Lubrication Master,’ ’Mechanic,’ ’Mecha Master,’ ’Metal Scholar,’ ’Ace Pilot,’ and the like."

"In non-essential situations, Yushi Clan members would not contract them, and your job transfer to ’Heavy Armor Knight’ does have a measure of relevance..."

Ye Hanjun was a man without secrets, sparing no detail in his explanations.

The mechanical tribe is extremely strong, always one of the dominant forces within the Favored Spirit Ecosystem.

There once was a devious Supreme Saint Mechanical Spirit that, in an attempt to bring about The Fetus of Divine Enthronement, brought calamity to the world.

Any Fond Spirit captured by it, once endowed with a fleshly body, had a high probability of being transformed into a semi-mechanical body.

The most terrifying part was that these semi-mechanical bodies were not free willed; with virus programs implanted within them, all former memories and intelligence erased, and various powerful combat programs installed to help them become emotionless killing machines.

This was a famous battle of the Near Ancient Era’s Third Epoch, and without the direct intervention of The Fetus of Divine Enthronement, the disaster would have been impossible to effectively resolve.

Some even jovially referred to that epoch as the "Mechanical Era."

Ye Hanjun, recalling these historic events in his mind, regarded the Turret Demon Spider with particular wariness.

"Clang?"

The iron wall at the very front of the Turret Demon Spider cracked open, and two large, wire-connected, light bulb eyes blinked, flickering with a hint of intelligent spark.

Seemingly aware of his concern, Ye Liuying snorted,

"Don’t worry. This Turret Demon Spider is a toy that Uncle Ye Feng sent over."

"He had one of our ancestors authenticate it to ensure it’s of independent bloodline, not secretly manipulated by any higher-level mechanical being."

"As for advancing its level... Although it’s a bit troublesome."

"But it’s not terribly difficult to hire a Mechanic at great expense to upgrade its system, reinforce its structure, and fortify its metal... With willingness to spend money, it can undoubtedly be accomplished."

"Uncle Ye Feng sent it?"

Five years on Demon Dragon Island had passed without these topics ever coming up, so Ye Hanjun couldn’t help but feel surprised upon suddenly hearing this.

However, his concerns were quickly allayed, and his gaze toward the Turret Demon Spider normalized notably.

"He must have prepared the gift in advance, just waiting for you to finish the trial before presenting it to us."

Ye Liuying shrugged.

"Pity, though, we didn’t get to see him in person."

"With his wandering nature, who can tell whether he would be willing to return to the family even when the Clock of the Era tolls."

"Impossible, right?"

Ye Hanjun clicked his tongue, "Uncle Feng may be mischievous, but he knows the gravity of things."

"After all, having advanced to the rank of Elder in the main family, he has responsibilities he can’t avoid."

"Who knows, let’s wait till he returns to talk about it."

Ye Liuying took a sip of tea from the dining table, her index finger busy motioning as she ate and drank, muttering,

"I’m seriously suspecting that Uncle Feng’s recent hobby is tomb raiding."

"The batch of gifts he brought, aside from normal ones like the Turret Demon Spider, the rest are all plaques from the dead."

"Such things, to call them gifts, are more like pranks, which are quite in line with his temperament."

"It’s just a matter of getting used to it. It’s not like you’re meeting him for the first time."

Ye Hanjun chuckled without concern,

"Since we were kids, the pets around us were cockroaches, centipedes, spiders, ants, venomous snakes... weren’t they all gifts from him? You used to like them when you were little, so why are you so picky now that you’re older, even complaining about them?"

"How could it even be the same?"

Ye Liuying rolled her eyes, ending the topic there and focusing on eating her food.

Ye Hanjun was hungry too, beckoning the others to start eating as well, bringing many exotic and curious delicacies to the table, full of the savory scents of sweet, sour, salty, and umami.

"Great wine!"

"A toast to Master Han!"

Gu Miaoyu took a sip of the Dragon Saliva Wine brewed with Demon Dragon saliva, her head tilting as she first collapsed on the table, then slid to the floor. If anyone passed by her, she would stretch out her toes to trip them, displaying her awful tolerance for alcohol.

"Master Han, you’re not really going to have me plant trees on the grave mounds, right? I’m a scaredy-cat, and I fear these things the most."

Yu Ruoxin couldn’t eat a bite, pulling at Ye Hanjun’s clothing, worry welling up within her.

"Don’t worry, those are all fake graves, and even if there are bones, they might ultimately be resuscitated to flesh and blood."

Ye Hanjun patted Taoist’s head, offering soothing words,

"Once there, you just need to open up your domain, farm sincerely, and don’t worry about anything else."

"The seeds for the herbs definitely won’t need you to prepare them. Whatever they give you, you plant; no matter what comes up, don’t be alarmed. If you’re idle, try talking to the Elders and Ladies in the graves; some of them should be close to waking up. After being confused for so long, they’ll surely be happy to have someone to talk to."

"Ah..."

Yu Ruoxin’s face grew even paler, feeling as though her master had tricked her.

"Master Han... with my skinny arms and legs, when I come out from the graves, won’t I be missing some of them?"

"Don’t overthink it, don’t overthink it."

Ye Hanjun’s voice was even softer, like a big bad wolf coaxing a child:

"My elders are all quite gentle. Knowing your Authority, they would only hold you in high regard, how could they harm a hair on your head?"

"Are you perhaps experiencing social anxiety again?"

"Don’t be scared. You’ll improve their environmental quality, and later on, you can stroke just about any big treasure from them, even things I would envy. The fortunes you’ll gain are endless."

"Okay, okay... I’ll try my best!"

Yu Ruoxin clutched her clothes, uncertain whether she had really listened or not, her face full of gloom.