Chapter 291: Chapter 9: The Intelligent Mechanism Pledges Allegiance, Ambition for a Tier 2 Civilization

"Even if the Intelligent Mechanism wants to discriminate against us, the so-called ’condemned,’ it would still have to ask for the Deities’ approval."

"Don’t forget, this civilization’s covenant also emphasizes the so-called freedom of faith."

"What is faith? And what is the relationship between Deities and faith? I invite you all to think creatively. Consider how our race imagined Deities during the age of ignorance, back when we worshipped nature."

"Therefore, to the Deities, every living being on the surface—every mortal—ought to have some value."

"And how many of us, the so-called condemned, are there? Even without an exact count, the combined population of all the surface-dwelling races surely exceeds a billion."

"So, when you connect that with what’s happening now—the Intelligent Mechanism broadcasting these very images to us on the surface through an information incursion—I’m sure it’s not hard for any of you to imagine the implications!"

This analysis from one of the resistance commanders instantly calmed all the Octopuses present.

"He’s right!"

"Jonah’s analysis makes perfect sense. Looked at that way, everything falls into place."

"So, does this mean our days of suffering on the surface are finally over?"

"What else could it be? Heh, I never thought I’d see the day the Intelligent Mechanism was brought to its knees, forced to yield to another powerful civilization."

"Forced to yield? I’m not so sure."

"In my opinion, the Intelligent Mechanism’s only goal is its own evolution."

"The path of the Deities might just be another direction it has set its sights on."

"I don’t know how a being like the Intelligent Mechanism could evolve along the Path to the Extraordinary, which was designed for carbon-based life, but there’s definitely more room for it to grow."

"So, everyone, our chance to prove our worth has arrived!"

"The moment people from the Star Empire enter our world, or even make contact, we must immediately expose the threat and risks posed by the Intelligent Mechanism."

"Digital life is fundamentally different from carbon-based life like us. I’m confident the Star Empire will understand the threat posed by an Intelligent Mechanism."

One Octopus said this, but others expressed uncertainty.

"It’s obvious the Intelligent Mechanism has already been in contact with these Deities. Are we really going to talk about an AI crisis in a world that has actual Deities? Does that not sound a little far-fetched to you?"

"Even if these Deities achieved their Ascension to Divinity as carbon-based mortals, can they really be considered carbon-based life in their current state?"

"You all saw the Dragon God’s form. It was almost the size of a small, burning Sun. Do you call that carbon-based life?"

At this, all the Octopuses fell silent.

But regardless, at this moment, every Octopus—whether on the surface or in the Floating City District—was consumed by excitement and fervor.

An Extraordinary World, with Transcendents and Deities!

Such a world was irresistibly alluring.

While the Octopuses were ecstatic, the Deities—and the Players who had just received the news—were left rather speechless.

The Players were grumbling that the rewards for this campaign had just gone up in smoke.

The Deities, meanwhile, were grumbling that they’d wanted to test the technological Power of this so-called Magicless World. ’And this is it?’

But in any case, acquiring a nascent Interstellar Civilization without bloodshed was undoubtedly a major boon for the Star Empire.

By quickly acquiring this world’s existing technology and combining it with the immense computational power of an Intelligent Mechanism, the foundation would be laid for developing even more powerful Magic Side technology.

Therefore, acquiring this world would bring enormous benefits to the Star Empire.

With such a foundation, it might even be possible for the Star Empire to become a Tier Two Civilization in a short amount of time.

A Tier Two Civilization, by definition, is one capable of fully harnessing all the Energy and resources of its entire Fixed Star System and possesses the power to undertake long-distance interstellar colonization.

And this, in fact, was the real reason Lince wanted to completely assimilate this civilization.

And now, the foundation for all of this was finally laid.

Lince was, naturally, quite content.

Now, after a period of quiet consolidation, Lince would possess the Power to probe a Demon World, one on par with the Oakland Continent in its prime.

As for the target... well, that was obvious.

It was, of course, the one world anchored by the True Game that was rated as a mid-to-high-tier Demon World.

The Crimson World.

As for the High-Demon Wizard World, he wouldn’t dare touch it—not in the short term, and certainly not before he was absolutely confident.