"Hey, listen..."
"While I did tell you to loosen up a bit, you didn't have to take it this far, did you?"
Trapped in Lynelle's arms, being rubbed against her chest like some oversized plushie, Herta spoke with clear annoyance etched on her face.
"But, this is how I usually sleep while holding your doll?"
"?"
A question mark seemed to materialize above Herta's head.
"You mean to tell me that you and Stelle lying in bed with my doll sandwiched between you counts as 'sleeping while holding my doll'?"
"Stelle was the one who climbed up on her own, Lynelle doesn't know anything about that~"
Lynelle blinked: "Besides, even if that's the case, I never let go of Herta. Doesn't that prove my loyalty even more?"
"Hmph, smooth talker..."
Herta turned her head away with a soft mutter.
"Hehe..."
Seeing Herta's slightly puffed-up cheeks, Lynelle thought for a moment, and then the Elysia Stigmata on her hand suddenly glowed.
"That's right, Herta, want to see an ability I just learned recently?"
"Oh, is it something you learned in that world within your dreams?"
Herta immediately perked up: "Speaking of which, after you infiltrated that Elysian Realm, I completely lost reception of your dream signals. What was that about?"
"Uh, it might be related to Ellie, since her identity is a bit special..."
Thinking of a certain Miss Pink Elf, who shared her nature, and her status as the 'Daughter of God', Lynelle offered a rather logical speculation.
"Anyway, I learned some amazing magic tricks there!"
Lynelle set Herta down, gracefully extended her hand, and then, under Herta's curious gaze, gave it a light flip. Instantly, a beautiful pink crystal flower appeared in her palm.
"Herta, Herta, look, a flower!"
"Oh? This flower is indeed quite pretty... but what is its ability?"
"It's wish-fulfillment?"
"?"
"Ahem, actually, their current abilities are just explosion, shaping, energy reflection... but I might develop more abilities in the future, like..."
Before Lynelle could finish, the sound of footsteps came from not far away.
"Screwllum, you're back?"
Herta's eyes lifted slightly as she asked: "Earlier you said you wanted to see the development level of the Automatons here... What are your impressions?"
"Indeed, I have gained considerable insight."
Screwllum nodded slightly, then looked towards Lynelle: "Lynelle, you mentioned in the materials regarding Belobog that their Automaton technology originated from the Interastral Peace Corporation?"
"Theoretically, that's correct."
Lynelle thought for a moment, then said: "But it's not entirely accurate."
"According to Svarog's account, when the Antimatter Legion invaded, the Corporation provided a loan and also supplied some Automatons."
"However, whether these Automatons were actually deployed in the battlefield is somewhat debatable."
"Due to the great passage of time, that part of history is rather vague. Based on Svarog's speculation, it's possible Belobog couldn't even activate that batch of Automatons back then."
"The existing Automaton technology might be entirely based on replicas of the Corporation's models made by scientists of that era. Of course, it's also possible they succeeded in activating them."
"But regardless of which scenario, the current Automatons here, aside from the core source code, are probably quite far removed from the Corporation's original products by now."
"An excellent deduction."
Screwllum nodded in agreement: "I just scanned three different models of Automatons and compared them with all Corporation models from within the last eight hundred years."
"Conclusion: the majority of the modifications made during the development of Belobog's Automatons have reached the pinnacle of practicality."
"Isn't that normal?"
Herta seemed puzzled: "In a post-apocalyptic environment, such development is inevitable, isn't it?"
"Correct, but precisely because of that, Belobog holds research value."
Screwllum began walking forward while explaining to the two.
"For a long time, there have been several different conjectures within the Intelligentsia Guild regarding the evolutionary process of silicon-based constructs from [Tools] to being defined as [Living Entities] – environment, external forces, self-iteration…"
"However, regardless of the conjecture, there is one premise tacitly accepted by most scholars: these Intellitrons need to possess a sufficient level of technological sophistication."
"From a conventional perspective, even the most advanced Automatons obtained from Belobog's history likely fall somewhat short of this standard, let alone these specialized Automatons, modified beyond recognition for the sake of survival."
"Conclusion: Under such preconditions, if the silicon-based constructs here can still produce their own evolution, it would undoubtedly serve as a significant supplement to the existing conjectures."
"However, Lynelle, your abilities might also play an important role in this."
"Eh, me?"
Lynelle tilted her head: "But, I haven't even figured out the essential nature of my Herrscher of Corruption powers yet."
"Hm? Didn't Herta tell you?"
Screwllum looked questioningly at Herta beside him.
"Forcing the seedling to grow isn't good."
Herta gave a light hum: "However, when it comes to these theoretical principles, it doesn't really matter. It's fine for you to hear about them, Lynelle."
"Very well. Then, Lynelle, can you tell me what you believe is the most unique aspect of your Herrscher of Corruption authority?"
"Hmm... Devouring?"
"Devouring is indeed very important; it is the key to accumulating quantitative change."
Screwllum affirmed Lynelle's response: "However, devouring is not unique. Similar abilities are not uncommon in the cosmos; there's even a specific Path that governs the corresponding authority."
"The key to the Herrscher of Corruption's authority lies in assimilation and evolution. It can transform other data into nourishment, replicate itself, and iterate evolutionarily. Devouring is merely the means to execute the aforementioned two."
"Example: If we compare data to organic life, then there exists a food chain among data as well. And your Herrscher of Corruption authority, Lynelle, is undoubtedly positioned in the upper, if not the very top, of that food chain."
"I... I'm that strong?"
Lynelle asked, somewhat dazed: "But... I don't feel like I'm invincible on the data level right now?"
"That is a normal phenomenon. Even if your authority can be considered a natural predator among data-based life forms, the disparity in scale cannot be ignored."
"It is akin to a young carnivorous beast being unable to defeat a large herbivore. Yet, even so, the young beast ultimately eats meat, and it will grow up eventually."
"So..."
Screwllum left his sentence unfinished.
"Don't you worry about that."
Herta stood on her tiptoes slightly and patted Lynelle's head: "With a genius like me here, no one can cause her to meet an early end."
"I have always been quite confident in Madam Herta's promises."
Screwllum smiled faintly: "If Lynelle has any needs, Screwllum can also serve as your support. After all, such an authority is most suitably held in the hands of a kind individual."
"Do I really look that harmless... What if I'm actually the great dark Demon King of the universe?"
Lynelle made a small fist.
"A great dark Demon King who can't help but perform full-body repairs on a scrapped Automaton buried in a snowbank by the roadside?"
Lynelle's adorable act couldn't help but bring a hint of laughter into Screwllum's tone.
"Well... having a Demon King like that might not necessarily be a bad thing."
--+--
T/N: How does screwllum smile…?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.