Chapter 65: How Could Someone Steal Technology Like That?

The golden-haired little girl pondered silently for a long while. It seemed she was genuinely trying to understand and accept the teachings, balancing her innate violent instincts with reason, instead of simply listening to and obeying orders like before.

Miss Vilyric had already realized that although the process of condensing the Divine Spark had temporarily robbed Xiao Guang of her memories and original body, it was like starting anew with a blank slate, allowing her to truly explore this world, bringing her possibilities beyond just being a pet or an attachment.

Finally, the little golden-haired dragon girl furrowed her brow and did not simply reply, “Yes, Master,” as usual; instead, she proactively questioned in her childish voice.

“I… still don’t quite understand, Master. As superior beings, shouldn’t we enjoy the fear and reverence of the weaker ones? If ants dare to overstep, show them our fangs and make them fear us to the point of kneeling in worship, and if they still don’t know their place, utterly destroy them. It’s survival of the fittest; those unfit should be eliminated.”

“You say that eliminating those fleets here won’t bring direct benefits, but I don’t think that’s the case. As long as fear is stamped into the enemies’ hearts, making them realize the absolute disparity in rank compared to the strong, will they dare to be so arrogant next time? If one battle can save countless troubles in the future, that is meaningful… Don’t you think so, Master?”

Though she was rebutted at length by her pet, Vilyric was not angry; rather, she smiled even more brightly and nodded slightly.

“Well said, but let’s add a premise: what I just said is my personal opinion, my attitude towards the world, and not some absolute truth…”

“Xiao Guang, we still have plenty of time. You can see with your own eyes, hear with your ears, meet more people and things, feel, think continuously, and try to find your own answers, your own path.”

The black-haired girl squatted down and gently placed her palm on the almost motionless chest of the golden-haired dragon daughter—there was no sound of anything stirring there.

This was natural, for she was not a true living being, but rather a nascent form of the [God], a bundle of newborn will yet to take shape.

“You are my most important partner and family, but Xiao Guang, your value does not lie merely in being my accessory. Don’t blindly cater to me or obey me. Find the meaning that belongs to you and fill your heart with color.”

“You’ve already taken the first step successfully, haven’t you?”

“…”

Without saying much, the golden-haired little girl simply nodded in silence and quickly turned her golden vertical pupils forward.

“Master, they are coming.”

“Really? That was quick; a warship is a warship, after all~”

Vilyric stood up again and noticed that after the quick relative sailing from both sides, the [Noah’s Ark] had already entered the array of dozens of naval fleets.

Several medium ships, around a hundred meters long, were rapidly maneuvering to the sides, avoiding the extraordinarily large sea vessel and forming a siege-like position, while the flagship, hardly smaller than the [Noah’s Ark], was slowly approaching them head-on.

Since contact was inevitable, using her divine will for remote control, the Priestess directed the central control AI [01] to shut down the power furnace and simply stopped in place, waiting for the opponent to approach.

On the sea, this behavior itself was a friendly gesture, conveying that there was no hostility from them. They needed to show their attitude first, while the follow-up actions would depend on the other party’s response.

Soon, after settling Ming Lan and several capable Lingyin Ethnics in the cabin, Princess Nitira, temporarily hidden among her people, joined Miss Le Qiao Qiao and Hong Yan at Vilyric’s side.

The sudden appearance of the princess didn’t particularly affect the situation. The Ost Empire wasn’t especially targeting or excluding the Merman race; they were merely wary of a large-scale armed force approaching the coastline. So as long as it wasn’t on a large scale or armed heavily, foreign entities coming and going only meant paying a bit more tax.

Before long, the flagship, which was almost at the same height as the [Noah’s Ark], slowly brushed past, lowering a wide and heavy gangplank with a loud clang. A team of about a hundred imperial soldiers surged from the opposite side, quickly occupying the deck area of the [Noah’s Ark] and subtly forming a siege.

Vilyric didn’t stop the aggressive actions of the other side; compared to what she saw as playful actions, the Priestess was instead more interested in the armed forces of the imperial navy.

She had long heard that the Ost Empire was undisputedly the world’s best in terms of sheer military power, and it certainly seemed to have some merit now…

First, it was necessary to clarify one point: the concept of military power was not simply judged by the number of troops. The average quality of soldiers, equipment, and morale—all these were crucial factors in determining the strength or weakness of an army. If the Holy Empire took the strategy of elite troops, excelling in individual average strength, then the Ost Empire’s greatest advantage was undoubtedly its [equipment].

Of course, this didn’t mean that every single soldier of the Ost Empire was outfitted with high-quality or even precious-grade weaponry—that was impossible and unrealistic. Their leading position was manifested in another form.

“Thud, thud, thud, thud…”

After the basic soldiers completed their garrison, a heavy and slow footfall soon emerged from the opposite cabin, stepping onto the deck of the [Noah’s Ark].

It seemed that their presence was the reason the other side had to lay down such a wide and thick custom gangplank, wide enough for a large cart to easily pass.

That was—the Golem, one of the Ost Empire’s proudest war instruments.

This giant, several meters tall and forged from mixed metals, was driven by a meticulously crafted magic core and was often referred to as a war puppet or armored giant.

Its combat strength was undoubtedly exceptional, even exaggerated. It was said that to defeat one in direct combat, at least a heavy infantry group of around a hundred men would need to work together; some special models were even more astonishing, with their power being aptly referred to as battlefield meat grinders.

These creations had been around for hundreds of years. The original design inspiration seemed to stem from a type known as the [Rock Puppet], which mainly lived in mountainous regions. However, due to issues like sluggish movement initially, high costs and an inability to understand complex commands accurately, they failed to gain enough attention and quickly fell into decline.

Only the Ost Empire recognized the potential of this technology, investing heavily in research and continuous study for decades before it was finally applied on the battlefield and astonishingly became one of the main fighting forces of the empire.

It was rumored that many nations afterward had tried to steal or purchase the Golem’s manufacturing techniques in hopes of replicating them for their own armies, but due to the empire’s strict control over relevant technologies, coupled with severe resource and basic industrial chain shortages, no force ever succeeded.

As a result, only the Ost Empire could widely apply Golems in their military, forming a versatile setup.

However, what Vilyric slightly worried about was that many of these Golems bore damage marks; their surfaces were pockmarked as though they had just fought a fierce battle. While it didn’t affect their movements, it was clear their state wasn’t pristine.

That should be the reason for this imperial fleet setting sail…

Deep in thought, Vilyric glanced again at those relatively ordinary soldiers. Aside from armor on their hands and feet, they were equipped with some kind of complex metal apparatus. Judging by the design, it was likely meant to enhance their limb strength as auxiliary gear.

That was some impressive technology, and it appeared the Ost Empire had completely mastered mass production techniques. Even among those soldiers, over a third did not carry traditional firearms, spears, or other cold weapons, but rather held peculiar shooting weapons resembling firearms, yet not entirely the same?

Wow, no wonder they say the empire’s military strength is number one in the world… This is so far off from the other countries in terms of technology!

With these enhanced armaments, it was no exaggeration to say that as long as one underwent systematic training to master their use, Ost Empire soldiers could easily leap 5-10 levels in combat against enemies, not to mention the Golems and other large war machines.

Previously, I had hardly paid attention to this kind of information. This Ost Empire… how on earth did they end up down a technology tree like this? They couldn’t have secretly pulled off some kind of industrial revolution, could they?

   

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