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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Yuan was momentarily taken aback. This was not the first time he had heard of the Knights Order; it was recognized by the higher-ups of Mechanical City as a true elite, offering immense benefits. For instance, the Kaka he had encountered before belonged to a different branch of the Mechanical Knights Order. They were akin to mercenary groups, serving powerful families or the higher echelons of Mechanical City, taking on corresponding missions in exchange for rewards. In simple terms, it was a relationship of hiring and being hired.
Becoming a Mechanical Knight meant that one would be regarded as someone of high status in Mechanical City. Not only could they become Second-Class Citizens, but even the nobles of Mechanical City would look upon them with greater respect.
"Then, as you said, if I agree, will I receive those sponsorships?"
Lin Yuan did not choose to refuse immediately. He did not see himself as the traditional lone hero nor as some ace protagonist. Although he seemed to have crossed over into this world, everything he experienced proved that this world was not suited for a protagonist's mode.
Thus, he would not reject any factor that could provide him even a slight advantage out of so-called pride or face. Moreover, from Kress's earlier words, it seemed that every Elite Mechanical Warrior had many sponsoring families or Knights Orders backing them. If that were the case, why should he act independently and hasten his own demise?
At this moment, hearing Lin Yuan's inquiry, Kress's eyes flashed with a quick glimmer of surprise. She had come to speak with Lin Yuan with a mindset of merely testing the waters.
In Mechanical City, Mechanical Life was the absolute dominant force. The Seven Great Families, based on Earth Humans, appeared immensely powerful but were practically insignificant compared to the entirety of Mechanical City—like comparing Earth to the entire Galactic System.
In such circumstances, while the Seven Great Families could recruit numerous ordinary Mechanical Warriors, Elite Mechanical Warriors were scarce and especially difficult to recruit higher-level Mechanical Knights, which required enormous costs to bring one on board.
For example, although each of the Seven Great Families claimed to have formed their own Knights Order and were nominally recognized by the higher-ups of Mechanical City, they could not be compared to the official Mechanical Knights Order. Kress herself was a core member of her family's Knights Order but lacked the qualification to venture into Alien Battlefield and could only form her own mercenary group.
This illustrated the disparity. The Cress Family's Knights Order possessed only three Mechanical Knights. Not only did they require exorbitant costs for their nominal presence, but these three Mechanical Knights only needed to appear a few times a year; otherwise, they were free to go wherever they pleased without constraints.
The other major families' Knights Orders were generally similar. Perhaps only the Ankara Family's Knights Order could be considered genuinely recognized by all levels of Mechanical City. This was due to the fact that the leader of Ankara Knights was an A-Level super expert who commanded fifty loyal Mechanical Knights. Alongside those cultivated and recruited by Ankara Family itself, they could amass up to five hundred knights—each above D1 level in skill. Adding in numerous Professional Retainers made Ankara Knights' overall strength formidable enough for them to periodically venture into Alien Battlefield and acquire valuable war Merit Points.
Thus, upon hearing Lin Yuan's question without any hesitation, Kress's elation was understandable. If this individual named Papaya truly agreed, he could potentially be the first full-time Mechanical Knight she had successfully recruited for her family.
This is an unparalleled honor!
An opportunity that one could never encounter in ordinary times, for those Elite Mechanical Warriors are as proud as Gallic roosters. Unless they have suffered setbacks on the Alien Battlefield, or have encountered a streak of bad luck over eight lifetimes, or have been expelled by the Mechanical Knights Order, they would never settle for second-rate families.
Taking a deep breath inwardly, Kress maintained a calm demeanor and explained to Lin Yuan, "Mr. Papaya, regarding this matter, you must first understand that the training in Mechanical City for Elite Warriors is extremely rigorous. Surely you are aware of the Ten Subjects training tasks in Mechanical City? For an ordinary Mechanical Warrior, it doesn't matter whether they pass the Ten Subjects or how many they pass. However, as an Elite-level warrior, the basic passing standard for training is to clear at least eight subjects with a good rating, or to clear at least five subjects with a master-level rating, or to ensure that three subjects are cleared with each rated as legendary. These are exceedingly harsh conditions."
"However, the Ten Subjects only account for a small part of the Elite Warrior training—about 20% of the overall assessment. The remaining 80% is related to life and death: real combat scenarios. Of course, do not think that this is akin to the low-intensity tests faced by ordinary Mercenaries; rather, it involves direct deployment into corresponding Alien Battlefields. A slight misstep could lead to death. Such tests are held once every Mechanical Year, but even that is not the worst part. The most terrifying assessment is known as Death Purgatory. This assessment is not held frequently; it occurs only after each Elite Warrior successfully advances to the next level. They are then either individually or in small groups sent to unknown and distant mysterious planets—places from higher-dimensional worlds—and only by overcoming challenges there can they be considered to have passed. Thus, from e1 level to d1 level, you will need to endure a total of eight Death Purgatory assessments."
"So, Mr. Papaya, you can imagine the immense pressure you will face once you enter the Elite training mode. After all, there is no time limit in that mode; if you wish, you could remain at e1 level indefinitely. In that case, aside from participating in the annual Alien Battlefield trials, all other times would be safe. Many Mechanical Warriors choose this method; they reign supreme there and demand exorbitant protection fees from newcomers or other expensive materials. My family will help you manage these trivial matters."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan couldn't help but exclaim, "Is that all? It seems like this deal isn't worth it for me."
"Of course it's more than just that! You must know that the entire Elite Training Center in Mechanical City has its entrance in Mechanical City but is actually a separate space. Each Mechanical Year, every Elite trainee only has ten days to go outside. In that space, everything is scarce—there's no Trading Platform and no energy replenishment; everything must be obtained by yourselves. Therefore, during those ten days each year, you need to return to Mechanical City for extensive procurement. However, if you have my family's sponsorship, you won't need to struggle so hard; just list what you need and we guarantee delivery in the shortest time possible—without any limits!" Kress spoke smoothly, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
Yet Lin Yuan didn't pay much attention to her excitement nor did he fully understand how valuable his identity as an Elite Mechanical Warrior was. He was already quite tempted; free materials without limits sounded incredibly luxurious!
"It sounds pretty good, but I have one question: if the list I provide has a high value—say one hundred billion Mechanical Coins or even one thousand billion Mechanical Coins—would your family still be willing to bear that?" Lin Yuan asked again for confirmation. He found it hard to imagine what would happen if the Cress Family encountered someone unreasonable; they would surely go bankrupt. It was necessary for him to give them a heads-up.
"Uh—of course! No problem!" Kress smiled so widely her eyes nearly turned crescent-shaped. At this moment, she was completely certain that this Mechanical Warrior before her was definitely a novice; otherwise, how could he ask such a naive question?
In Mechanical City, Mechanical Coins were merely circulation currency for lower-tier citizens. For instance, a Mercenary might work tirelessly and earn several million Mechanical Coins in a year and feel quite proud of it; however, in reality, the higher-ups in Mechanical City do not use Mechanical Coins for transactions—they have higher-level settlement methods such as ordinary Merit Points, War Merit Points, and Special Contribution Merit Points. These are fundamental currencies; Kress's family controls five Sub-bases and likely earns trillions of Mechanical Coins annually—but even those trillions pale in comparison to what a Mechanical Knight could earn in War Merit Points on the Alien Battlefield because certain precious resources can only be purchased with these Merit Points.
To put it simply: these Mechanical Coins can only buy buns and bread but not computers or cars or planes. This is how the higher-ups in Mechanical City maintain control—ensuring that lower-tier citizens do not starve while concentrating most resources on the Elites.
Therefore, the Cress Family would never lack Mechanical Coins, and the materials needed for Mechanical Warriors from levels e1 to e7 could basically all be purchased with Mechanical Coins. This was a good thing that wouldn't cost much.
"Alright, this condition is not bad. Of course, I'm not someone who likes extravagance. But aside from that, are there any other benefits?" Lin Yuan was already prepared to agree. Such a good opportunity was hard to come by; he was even imagining the Mechanical Parts piling up before him, feeling blissfully happy!
"Of course, this is just part of the benefits. If Mr. Papaya can successfully transition to a Mechanical Knight, my family will provide you with at least one hundred Professional Retainers. They will obey your commands for life, and as long as you have any needs, my family will wholeheartedly assist you," Kress said with a smile. This made Lin Yuan feel an illusion; damn it, this woman couldn't be trying to trick him, could she? So many good things—thank goodness he was a good person; otherwise, she'd end up squandering everything! (To be continued.)
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