Chapter 361: Alarm

"God Bone. The bones of a deity?"

In the Joy Company's underground Laboratory, Yun Mu felt a trace of surprise on her face after hearing Airui Laya's words.

"Where did you find it?" she couldn't help but ask: "Also, how can you be certain that this is the bone of the Beastkin god?"

"Don't be impatient, we can talk about these things slowly." Airui Laya led Yun Mu and the others into the entertainment area on the right side of the Laboratory.

There was a phonograph, a bar counter, and all sorts of snacks and drinks here; Airui Laya gestured for them to sit down.

"What would you like to drink?"

"... Iced fruit juice, please." The sharp-eyed Yun Mu spotted the drinks placed in the refrigerated cabinet at a glance.

"And you?" Airui Laya looked toward the others.

"Black tea."

"Beer!"

Brenna and Lita spoke at almost the same time.

"I, I'll have the same as Miss Yun," Iliyasi said, feeling somewhat nervous.

She, she, she, she was just an ordinary person; was it really okay for her to be involved in a topic related to deities... *sob*... she really wanted to leave, but didn't dare to say so.

Iliyasi shrank her neck, the whole person acting like an ostrich, keeping her head low.

After everyone finished stating what drinks they wanted, Rafael, who was standing beside Airui Laya, turned and went to the bar counter to prepare them.

The fruit juice and beer were ready-made and could be taken directly from the refrigerated cabinet.

As for the black tea, it would require a little time.

Besides that, Lady Airui Laya liked to drink coffee; although she hadn't said it, she knew what she should do.

After Rafael brought over the fruit juice and beer, Airui Laya spoke up: "The death of the Beastkin god Robert is shrouded in mystery, but one thing is certain: He is indeed dead."

"This bone fragment was excavated from underground by the company during archaeological research. Other companies have similar things. Besides that, it is said that the leader of the Beast God Cult holds a piece that is the largest in volume and also the most well-preserved God Bone."

"The fact that the Beast God Cult has been able to remain active until now without being wiped out must have something to do with that God Bone, but until now, no one knows what exactly they have researched from that God Bone."

Airui Laya paused for a moment and mused: "Of course, regarding the question of whether these bones are truly the God Bone of the Beastkin god, there is still no conclusive evidence."

"It is just that the Beast God Cult calls it a God Bone, so we are just treating it as a God Bone for the time being."

As she spoke, she turned to look at the bone fragment floating in the liquid: "Although the power lingering on the bone makes even me feel Fear, that aura, which is so ominous it feels as if it wants to infect the entire world, is really hard to associate with a deity."

"It's not that I haven't seen so-called Outer Gods, but the power on that bone fragment is far more Evil than any deity I have ever known."

"The Scholar who originally excavated it went insane the moment they saw it. It is only this quiet now because it is being suppressed by a Magic Energy Device."

Sure enough, that feeling when seeing the bone fragment at the time was not an illusion!

Hearing Airui Laya's words, Yun Mu thought to herself.

However, what did these things have to do with them?

Yun Mu was somewhat puzzled, but she didn't ask. Since Airui Laya would talk to them about this, she would definitely explain the reason; she just needed to wait patiently.

Sure enough, she soon waited for the follow-up.

"About two years ago, all the God Bones held by companies, including Huanle Intertainment, suddenly became very active. This should have been a bad thing, but..."

Airui Laya said this, reached into her bosom, and took out a... USB drive? Ignoring Yun Mu's somewhat strange expression, Airui Laya continued: "We soon discovered that during the period when the God Bones were active, the God Bones, which were originally wrapped in an Evil aura, actually revealed a trace of Divinity."

"After some research, we deciphered a piece of code from the God Bone."

"Is it this thing?" Yun Mu looked at the item in Airui Laya's hand that looked like a USB drive: "What is this code used for?"

Not asking why a piece of code could be deciphered from a God Bone, Yun Mu chose to ask directly about the function of this code.

"Hehe..." Airui Laya chuckled upon hearing her question.

The other party pushed the USB drive from the table toward Yun Mu and said: "This code can decipher all equipment and mechanical bodies of the Old Legion. Theoretically, if you can find its Mainframe, controlling the Mainframe is also not a problem."

"You've experimented with it?" Yun Mu raised an eyebrow, not reaching for the code.

Not answering her question, Airui Laya rested her arms on the table with a look that was not quite a smile: "This is the core code written into all Old Legion mechanical bodies; even if the Mainframe knows it, it cannot change it."

"It's yours now... This is an extra reward for the Champion," she said.

Listening to her words, Yun Mu frowned.

She pushed the code back: "I don't want to get involved with the Old Legion; you should keep this thing yourselves."

"No." Airui Laya shook her head and pushed the item back: "We still have a backup of this code; it doesn't count as anything precious."

"Just accept it as a small gift."

"... Alright." Seeing Airui Laya say this, Yun Mu put the item away after a brief hesitation.

"Is there anything else?" she said.

"Of course." Airui Laya rested one hand on the table: "Aren't you curious why the code of the Old Legion would be deciphered from the God Bone of the Beastkin god?"

"Hmm... indeed, I was just thinking about this question," Brenna said, lowering her head in thought: "Could it be that the Old Legion was originally a creation from the era when the Beastkin god ruled?"

"Thinking about it this way, it is also reasonable for the Beastkin god to have control over the Old Legion."

"Because it is the creation of the Beastkin god, that is why it attacks the Federation?" Yun Mu thought of something at this moment and spoke thoughtfully.

"Well, who knows." Airui Laya's tone was flippant.

Rafael walked over carrying a tray, placing the steaming coffee and black tea on the table.

The group chatted casually about the Beastkin god, the Federation, and the Beast God Cult.

Soon, when Rafael was about to refill everyone's cups for the third time... "Hmm? Is it done already? Okay, I understand."

Rafael suddenly froze in place and spoke a few words to the air.

However, everyone present knew that he must have just been on a communication call.

Judging by the content of his words, it should mean that the information Yun Mu and the others requested had been fully organized.

Looking at the time, it was two o'clock in the afternoon, which was about right.

"Then let's stop here for today." Airui Laya stood up, a Mask appearing in her hand at some point, which she then put on her face.

"I still have some matters to attend to, so I won't be accompanying you all."

"Let Rafael take you there."

"Yes." Rafael nodded with a respectful expression.

"Please follow me." After Airui Laya left, Rafael reached out, gesturing for the group to follow behind her.

Taking the elevator back to the first floor of the building, someone was already standing at the elevator entrance waiting for them.

Upon seeing Rafael, a deer-kin man wearing sunglasses and a gray-black suit handed her an inconspicuous little card from his hand.

"Everything has been organized; it's all here," the man said to Rafael.

"Thank you for your hard work, go ahead and get back to your tasks." Rafael smiled and took the card.

After the man left, she handed the item in her hand to Yun Mu and said, "This is a memory card specifically for storage; it can be used as long as it is inserted into a Personal Terminal."

"Because there was simply too much data, it wasn't printed out, but if you need it..."

"No need, this is fine," Yun Mu said with satisfaction. Compared to physical documents that were numerous, inconvenient to store, and potentially prone to damage, this kind of portable data card was much more convenient.

Moreover, the information stored on the data card could be layered, making it relatively convenient to browse.

The only pity was that it could only be used in the Federation, which possessed Magic Energy.

If there is a need for this in the future, she would just have to ask Airui Laya and the others to help print it out.

Or they could buy a printer themselves... After obtaining the data, Yun Mu and the others bid farewell to Rafael and subsequently returned to the Old Residence of Iliyasi's family.

"Ah—finally done."

Just after returning inside the house, Yun Mu collapsed directly onto the sofa.

That match this morning was truly exhausting; even for a Transcendental, keeping one's spirit tense at all times is a very draining thing.

Now she could finally relax properly.

As for Brenna... she indicated that she wanted to look at the information stored on the data card, and once the timing was right, she could begin the modifications to Elena's original body.

However, before returning to her own room, looking at the exhausted Yun Mu, a hint of a smile could not help but appear on Brenna's face.

"You've really worked hard, Miss Yun." She knelt before Yun Mu, reached out to take one of Yun Mu's palms, and placed it against her own cheek.

With a peaceful smile on her face, Brenna leaned forward, touching their foreheads together.

"If it weren't for Miss Yun, it would have been impossible for me to win no matter what."

"Even though Elena's matter was just my own private affair, thank you."

"Rest well now."

Rising with some reluctance, Brenna waved at Yun Mu, then returned to her own room.

Click.

"Stare."

After Brenna closed the door, the few people in the room immediately looked at Yun Mu with a strange expression.

"W-what?"

Yun Mu felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at by them and immediately stood up from the sofa.

"I'm going back to rest!" She fled back to her own room as if escaping.

"Phew, I can't slack off either." After Yun Mu left, Lita let out a soft breath.

She was also present when Elena sacrificed herself back then; if she could have been stronger at that time, perhaps the subsequent outcome wouldn't have happened.

Lita subconsciously gripped her longsword tightly.

"I'm going to train!" she said.

"... Don't you have anything you want to do?" After Lita left the room, Lucy looked at Iliyasi to the side and asked.

"No, I, I don't have anything to do," Iliyasi replied, somewhat confused.

"I don't mean right now." Lucy smiled silently: "I wanted to ask, what are your plans for the future?"

"Are you staying here in the Federation, or returning to the Fire Weaver Bird Family?"

"This... I haven't thought about it yet." Hearing Lucy's words, a hint of confusion appeared on Iliyasi's face.

She actually didn't have any dreams or anything of the sort; after her mother died, fulfilling her mother's final wish was the only thing she had to do.

But now, her mother's wish had already been fulfilled.

In truth, she herself didn't know what she wanted to do.

She was just blankly following by Yun Mu's side, watching what they were doing.

If nothing unexpected happened, once the matters here in the Federation were finished, she would likely follow the fleet back to the Frost Kingdom.

Returning to that 'home' of hers, where her mother was no longer present.

Although Uncle Leinuode was also very good to her, Iliyasi pursed her lips, and before she knew it, the corners of her eyes were already soaked with tears.

"I, I don't know," she said with a trembling voice, as a nameless Fear and a sense of emptiness suddenly surrounded her.

Lucy seemed not to have expected things to turn out this way and was slightly stunned for a moment.

However, she quickly regained her composure.

"Don't be afraid, child." She embraced Iliyasi with her broad-mindedness: "Human life is inherently meaningless, but we can choose to do those things we believe to be meaningful."

"As long as you keep living, you will eventually find a goal you are willing to devote your life to."

Iliyasi was held in Lucy's arms, and at this moment, she felt very warm.

This feeling was just like returning to her mother's embrace.

She felt as if she knew what the meaning of living was.

Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, the new year arrived.

After some preparations, Yun Mu and the others specially prepared a birthday party for Brenna.

"To Brenna's birthday, and to the new year, cheers!"

Yun Mu raised the cider in her hand and said excitedly.

"Cheers!"

Inside the Old Residence of Iliyasi's family, it was already packed with people at this moment.

Iliyasi's younger sister Xiliya, as well as Vivian, Talitaluosi, Yikeshi'er, and even Airui Laya were all there!

Originally, Yun Mu had not intended to invite anyone else, but there is a tradition within the Orc Federation: on the first day of the New Year, one must visit the homes of relatives and friends.

And Yun Mu happened to be preparing for Brenna's birthday.

Acting on the thought that since they were all here anyway, she might as well pull them in to join the birthday celebration, Yun Mu invited them all in.

Although it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, this feeling of having many people around was actually quite nice! As for Brenna, things seemed to be progressing quite smoothly on her end, and she looked to be in a good mood.

"It really is lively." Airui Laya was not wearing her Mask; she was sitting barefoot on the sofa in a side-saddle position, savoring the delicious cake in front of her.

And just as the scene inside the house was one of harmony and joy, a harsh alarm suddenly rang out from outside the window.

"Warning, warning!"

"The Old Legion is attacking the city's Energy Shield!"

"The current shield is nearing its maximum tolerance limit. Please, citizens, proceed as quickly as possible to the nearest shelter..."

"Boom!!"

Before the broadcast could finish speaking, it was accompanied by a dull, explosive sound.

A translucent ellipsoid suddenly appeared in the previously clear sky, under the gaze of all the residents of Feiluoka.

The Energy Shield shattered.

(End of this chapter)