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墨書 Inktalez
The weather was pleasant, and the sun shone brightly. Thomas and Fat Three were still enduring the harsh conditions of their task, as Lin Yuan had ordered them not to stop until they earned enough to cover the fare for the Fair Wind Ship.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan had nothing to do, so he strolled leisurely under the warm sunlight, claiming he was simply enjoying the sun.
The truth was that he genuinely had nothing to occupy his time. He wanted to avoid drawing too much attention, couldn't train, and certainly couldn't engage in his usual Mechanical Assembly training in front of everyone. To make matters worse, he was troubled by Claire's disappearance.
Based on the fragmented information he had gathered, he could roughly deduce that Kress's team had come here because of a distress signal sent out by Claire.
However, the problem was that Kress clearly had not been able to locate Claire. So where had she gone?
Moreover, since she had issued a distress signal, why hadn’t she shown herself? Did she not trust Kress? If she didn’t trust him, why send out a signal at all?
And ultimately, why did she leave him?
This question nearly drove Lin Yuan to madness. He had no leads; the Punisher System showed no signs of malfunctioning, but there were no traces left by Claire.
This left Lin Yuan feeling somewhat melancholic. After spending so much time together, he had grown quite fond of this Intelligent Core Program. They were both outcasts and shared a common language, didn’t they?
While Lin Yuan languidly basked in the sun, in the control room of the Black Swan interstellar patrol ship, Kress, dressed in a red outfit, elegantly held a glass of red wine and watched with interest a Virtual Screen displaying Lin Yuan’s seemingly lazy demeanor.
Behind Kress stood a middle-aged man in a tailcoat with a respectful demeanor—clearly a butler.
"How interesting," Kress remarked with a chuckle. "As an Elite Mechanical Warrior, he manages to present such a decadent and lazy state. It's quite bizarre; I’ve never seen a Mechanical Life enjoy sunbathing before."
Observing Lin Yuan’s slow and carefree figure on the screen made Kress laugh. "Tebor, how is your investigation coming along?"
"Yes, Kress. As per your request, our family has confirmed the backgrounds of those three individuals. They all previously served in a mercenary group known as Troll at E1 level. Six Mechanical Years ago, they went to G-715 Sub-base for a mission but encountered a Migratory Swarm. The team leader at that time was someone named Lord J, who used some special item to escape from G-715 Sub-base. These three—Papaya, Thomas, and Fat Three—were kicked out of Troll Squad during this process. It’s unclear how they managed to escape from the Migratory Swarm; however, it aligns with their so-called lost navigation. Additionally, Thomas and Fat Three have clear records as citizens of Mechanical City from birth through their development. Particularly Thomas seems to hold great admiration for our Viper Mercenary Corps. But that one numbered 18044507984—he has some peculiarities!"
"Oh? What peculiarities? Tell me!" Kress asked curiously.
"It is like this. According to the information we have gathered, the identification number 18044507985 belongs to a Secondary Citizen of Mechanical City. He joined the Mercenary Association five hundred Mechanical Years ago and formed a level e1 Mercenary Group called 'gp.' They accepted a mission to eliminate rebels and arrived at Sub-base S-15, but the mission was not completed, and his Mercenary Group suffered a blow from the Destruction family. However, seventy-eight Mechanical Years ago, this fellow suddenly emerged as the Executive of the soon-to-collapse S-15 Sub-base. During that time, he even paid a tax for the Sub-base. But shortly after, he fled S-15 due to threats and was sentenced to three years of labor by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Mechanical City. It was then that he was bought by the Troll Mercenary Team for Forced Labor. Although this entire process sounds quite ordinary, the problem lies in where he went during the five hundred Mechanical Years prior to the seventy-eighth Mechanical Year," the butler named Tebor calmly raised his question.
"That is indeed strange! Tebor, I have a feeling that he is not simple at all," Kress nodded.
"Kress, should we invite him for questioning?"
"There's no need for that; it's not that serious. Besides, I don't think he has any relation to our objectives; it's all just coincidence. However, we can choose to win him over. You know, he is now an Elite Mechanical Warrior. With training in Mechanical City, he could become a true Mechanical Knight. Bringing such a potential asset into our fold is crucial for the family's development," Kress said lightly.
"Yes, Kress, but when are we leaving here? The family is starting to express dissatisfaction, believing we are wasting resources," Tebor said cautiously.
"Don't worry about them. The Viper Mercenary Corps is my own property; they have no right to meddle. My sister asked me to wait here for three months, and there must be a reason for it. So no matter what, I will wait another month," Kress stated firmly.
"Understood, Kress." Tebor nodded helplessly and stepped back while Kress continued to stare at Lin Yuan, muttering to himself, "Wait three months? Wait three months? Could it be that my sister wants me to wait for these three people? That seems absurd! No, you must know something; either you are lying!"
As Kress spoke these words, his eyes suddenly lit up. He immediately opened a public channel and issued an order: "Everyone prepare; in three hours, Black Swan will set sail."
After giving this command, Kress looked at Lin Yuan in the projection and saw that he indeed appeared very pleased as he quickly returned to the Cabin.
"I don't believe you won't slip up! Someone go check on Thomas and Fat Three; their performance was good. I think they could qualify as reserve members of the Viper Mercenary Corps. See if they are willing to join. As for Papaya... I will personally talk to him again."
——————————————
Kress's orders were unquestionable within the Viper Mercenary Corps. In no time at all, Thomas and Fat Three—who had been beaten black and blue—were already being questioned. However, what surprised and touched Lin Yuan was that Thomas and Fat Three rejected the offer without a second thought.
"Damn! You two idiots! How could you pass up such a great opportunity? Are you stupid? Hurry back and apologize to them; express your willingness to accept! What are you looking at me for? I'm not planning to form a Mercenary Group! This time I returned to Mechanical City to undergo training as an Elite Mechanical Warrior. Are you two just going to sit around and starve? Don't expect me to bail you out! Go now! Damn it, I'll take you there!"
Lin Yuan scolded helplessly; this situation was truly troublesome.
However, before Lin Yuan could drag the downcast Thomas and Fat Three to apologize to the butler named Tebor, guests arrived unexpectedly.
"Hello, Mr. Papaya, it's good to see you again!"
When the powerful leader of the Viper Mercenary Corps, Kress, appeared before Lin Yuan, he understood that some matters could not be resolved with mere words. He was also eager to find out what kind of alert Claire had sent to Kress.
"Kress, it's my honor," Lin Yuan replied cautiously.
Kress smiled slightly, his formidable presence making Lin Yuan feel humbled. "Is that so? Very well, Tebor, take Mr. Thomas and the others to handle the contract for joining the Viper Mercenary Corps. As for you, Mr. Papaya, I would like to propose a collaboration."
"Collaboration? I'm sorry, Kress, but I don't understand what you mean. With such a powerful mercenary group at your disposal, do you really need someone like me?" Lin Yuan thought rapidly, unsure of Kress's intentions.
"Mr. Papaya, you are too modest. As a potential Elite Mechanical Warrior, you are certainly worthy of recognition and investment from many like myself. If I am not mistaken, after returning to Mechanical City, you will participate in the training specifically designed for Elite Mechanical Warriors, correct? You must know that this training is extremely grueling and terrifying, with a high mortality rate. It gathers the most elite individuals from all of Mechanical City. The stories go that one either leaves as a corpse or emerges as a Mechanical Knight. Therefore, I believe you could use the support of me and my family."
Kress spoke calmly, his gaze fixed on Lin Yuan. Although Lin Yuan was not naive, he could sense that this woman seemed to see right through his thoughts. A D-Class expert was indeed formidable.
Moreover, was the so-called Elite training in Mechanical City really that brutal? It sounded impressive.
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yuan replied, "That sounds intriguing; however, Kress, I assume you wouldn't be interested in doing charity work for free? What do you want in return?"
"Mr. Papaya speaks plainly; it's quite simple. This is merely a long-term investment with risks involved because this Elite training will take at least several dozen Mechanical Years or even over a hundred Mechanical Years to complete. If you can successfully advance to become a Mechanical Knight, my request is straightforward: please join the Knights Order formed by my family. Of course, the benefits will be exceptional," Kress said with a smile. (To be continued.)
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