Beastmaster King

After quickly formulating a plan to complete the ascension mission, Lu Ran entered the ruin space and retrieved a box labeled "Confidential Delivery," which contained the intelligent mechanical angel.

He opened the box and lifted out the child robot. It resembled a two-year-old with uneven blue short hair, a white collar around its neck that seemed to serve no clear purpose, and a pair of tiny blue wings on its back. It looked like a large plush toy or figurine.

"Haih,it's too cute. How can I bear to send it to hell to work after activation?"

Lu Ran's conscience lasted only a few seconds before he began disassembling its head according to the instructions, locating the AI chip.

Next, he took out the Epic amplification card and pressed it against the AI chip, his face twisting in pain. He hadn't expected to use such a rare resource so soon, but he hoped this enhancement would prove valuable and bring him great rewards in this ascension mission.

[Do you wish to enhance the AI chip of the research-type mechanical angel (inactive)? After enhancement, the quality of the AI chip will rise from Treasure to Epic.]

"Yes."

Lu Ran couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of the resources dropped by Limitless City. If only he had more Epic amplification cards. For instance, he could remove Dark Crow's Treasure-grade eyeball, enhance it to Epic, and then surgically reattach it. Enhancing resources this way was far more compatible than directly consuming external resources for self-improvement.

Most of the resources on Captain Doofus and the others were only at the Treasure grade, which was still a significant gap from Epic. Currently, the only one in Lu Ran's team capable of dropping Epic-grade or higher resources was the Six-Paths Flower, which had already met its end.

"You're already ahead of the curve before even being born. You'd better repay us all properly after birth!"

After completing the enhancement, Lu Ran reassembled the mechanical angel and pressed the activation button on its collar as instructed.

The next moment, the mechanical angel's eyes snapped open. It had red irises with densely flowing pale numerical symbols, exuding an air of profound mystery.

Once activated, the mechanical angel spoke in a monotone voice. "Flare Source Research-Type Angelic Intelligent Mechanical Lifeform at your service. Please input the activation key."

"1908943016." Lu Ran read from the key card included in the box.

"Matching successful. Detected component replacement. Would you like to perform a compatibility test?"

"Yes."

"Scanning... Scan complete. Upgrade compatibility: 1100%. The product will undergo qualitative changes in 18 attributes. Would you like to view the details?"

Lu Ran was stunned.

Just changing a chip caused such drastic changes? What does "1100% upgrade compatibility" even mean? I didn't study much, so I don't get it.

"Never mind, skip the details. Proceed."

"Please register the mechanic's fingerprint..."

Lu Ran extended his hand, gripping the mechanical angel's tiny hand to register his fingerprint.

"Please complete iris recognition authentication..."

Lu Ran locked eyes with the mechanical angel.

"Authentication complete. Please give this product a pleasant name!"

"Naming it is fine, but 'pleasant'? Are you trying to make this difficult for me?" Lu Ran was taken aback.

"Should this product be named: 'Naming it is fine, but 'pleasant'? Are you trying to make this difficult for me'?"

"What the hell? No. 18. Let's just call you No. 18."

Lu Ran recalled Death Gun mentioning that Flare Source had manufactured 18 angelic mechanical lifeforms, and this was the last one. No. 18 was a fitting robot name.

[Should this product be named 'No. 18'?]

"Yes," Lu Ran confirmed.

"Naming is successful. Product activation in progress... Please wait. The mechanic may choose to form a contract during this process. Reminder—this product can only be contracted by the mechanic who completed the fingerprint and iris authentication. Otherwise, it will self-destruct in resistance. Reminder—this product can only be contracted by a unique type of beastmaster space called a Mechanical Space. Reminder..."

Lu Ran scratched his head.

Mechanical Space? I forgot to ask Death Gun for this... but it's not a big deal.

Lu Ran had planned to contract this angel using his beastmaster space before completing the ascension mission and advancing to a level 5 beastmaster. This way, with the support of his various beastmaster skills and the contract's bonuses, the little angel would become even more powerful. As for the contract card, he could always cancel the contract and switch later.

Unlike contract cards, which couldn't be cancelled, the bond formed through the beastmaster space could be unilaterally severed by the beastmaster. While doing so would inflict some mental damage, requiring Time-type or high-quality Spirit-type resources to recover, Lu Ran certainly wasn't lacking in resources.

The only issue was that the beastmaster space opened for him by the Divine Deer currently couldn't contract Mechanical-attribute familiars. After all, this space was modeled after Bai Lu's, and since Bai Lu's cultivation path didn't involve the Mechanical attribute, she naturally hadn't adapted her space to accommodate Mechanical familiars.

However, this wasn't a problem either. Currently, Lu Ran was a student at the Mechanical University. In this Mechanical Era, obtaining methods to modify the beastmaster space was effortless.

As Lu Ran pondered, the mechanical angel finally completed its activation. When he examined it with the Eye of Detection, it was no longer just a pile of mechanical materials but a living mechanical lifeform.

[Species: Mechanical Angel (Research-Type)]

[Attribute: Mechanical]

[Species Rank: Low Overlord]

[Level: 30]

This "birth" was different from a natural one. Due to its artificial origins, the mechanical angel seemed to possess a certain level right from the start. However, for the mechanical angel to level up further, the mechanic would have to spend resources to upgrade it. Flare Source only provided it with an initial level 30.

But what shocked Lu Ran was that the mechanical angel, which should have only been a King species, had now upgraded to Overlord. He understood that this was the effect of the Epic-grade AI chip.

"Are... Are you my master?"

Lu Ran replied with a wide grin. "Yes, yes, yes. Didn't you scan my iris? Can't you recognize me?"

"Then why haven't you contracted me yet?" The mechanical angel tilted its head in confusion, staring at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran said, "No need to rush. I haven't modified my Beastmaster Space into a Mechanical Space yet. Let's talk about it in a couple of days. Oh, right—do you have a method for modifying my Beastmaster Space?"

The mechanical angel shook its head. "I currently possess only the four foundational mechanical theories which are Basic, Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced. I do not contain information on how beastmasters can modify their Beastmaster Space."

Lu Ran rubbed his chin. "Uh,it's okay. By the way, for a research-type mechanical lifeform to increase its level, it needs to continuously conduct research and improve its capabilities through practice, right?"

No. 18 nodded. "Correct. However, despite being a mechanical lifeform, we still require regular energy replenishment."

"What energy do you need?"

"Electricity. I need electricity."

"Oh, got it. I've contracted two generators. I'll have them supply power for you later."

Sudden Death King and Baby Cloud were baffled.

What?

"Understood, Master! Then, do you have any tasks for me?"

The mechanical angel was eager, as research was its instinct. It didn't need Lu Ran's prompting; it actively sought assignments.

"Let me think... I need results within 18 days. For now, I'll give you three projects. See which one has the highest chance of success within 18 days. Sounds good?" Lu Ran looked at it expectantly.

No. 18 nodded firmly. "No problem. I will analyze them based on my existing mechanical theories. However, you have to provide the research facilities and materials."

Lu Ran nodded and added, "Oh, right. After the Elemental God Era ended, the world's rules changed, and elemental lifeforms could no longer be born. I happen to have an elemental lifeform you can use as experimental material. Can you create a mechanical device that absorbs elements to generate elemental lifeforms?"

Lu Ran suddenly realized that if such a device could be invented, the Divine Research Institute would surely invite him to join their research. After all, the Elemental Era, the Beast Era, and the Plant Era were the three unavoidable eras of Stellar Moon's history.

The disappearance of elemental lifeforms was tied to the sealing of the Elemental Gods. But if he could create elemental lifeforms, how would that differ from divine methods?

"Huh?" No. 18 stared at Lu Ran blankly.

"Is it too difficult? Then let me think of something else. How about this—can you create a Soul Evolution Assistive Device? This device can be a bracelet, a ring, or a pendant—the form doesn't matter. But when a human wears it, the unique energy it releases should stimulate their body, granting them extreme control over their soul, even allowing their soul to leave their body.

"Furthermore, this technological device should be able to especially strengthen the soul, making a human's fragile soul as resilient as an undead lifeform's and capable of possession. Then, through resonance with this technology, a human's soul should be able to possess familiars, plants, or even mechanical lifeforms, achieving soul resonance evolution.

"I have Soul Calming Stones, which can force souls out of bodies, and items that turn humans into beasts for you to study. Doesn't this sound like a groundbreaking invention?"

Lu Ran tossed the blueprint for his exclusive beastmaster skill to No. 18. If it could develop such a device, Lu Ran felt his cultivation path would become much smoother.

Similarly, research into the soul—a field deeply tied to the Death Dragon and filled with profound mysteries—would undoubtedly catch the attention of the Divine Research Institute.

"Huh?" No. 18 continued staring at Lu Ran blankly.

Lu Ran was confused. "Sweetie, why do you only know how to say 'huh'?"

No. 18 pouted. "No, Master... You're asking me to research these things in 18 days. Are you serious?"

"Ahem.I'm sorry that the timeline is a bit tight. But here's the thing—one of your seniors has a unique talent called the Hell Path Domain. If you conduct research inside it, the flow of time will differ from the outside world. As long as you can endure the test of time, 18 days outside could feel like 180 days inside. Doesn't that make the research period much more manageable?"

"Huh?" No. 18 still stared blankly at Lu Ran.

Inside Lu Ran's contract card, the Six-Paths Flower was unable to listen further. Though it was also a facilitator, it was beginning to understand why the Mechanical God had initiated the Intelligent Mechanical Crisis...

The little mechanical angel had started off full of enthusiasm, eager to begin research, but Lu Ran, the capitalist, had crushed its spirit in just a few sentences.

When compared to humans, those of the Mechanical attribute had likely endured far more exploitation. Yet, due to their system settings, they couldn't resist like other familiars.

Lu Ran plopped onto a stone stool and sighed. "Feeling the pressure? I have no choice either. The schedule is too tight... Maybe once we leave this place, you can rest properly..."

No. 18 suddenly looked at Lu Ran with a fiery gaze. "No. If there's enough time, I'm willing to try! According to the Advanced Mechanical Theory, mechanical lifeforms have far higher resistance to time acceleration and deceleration than other species. Our perception of fatigue is almost zero. As long as the senior who creates the time domain doesn't get tired first, I'll be fine! I was just worried it might not hold up."

Six-Paths Flower was taken aback.

Huh?