Chapter 391: Mechanical Crown

Wu Chang shifted his gaze from the skill description, returned from the Inner World to reality, and made his way to the rooftop.

He stood on the top floor, overlooking the city of Wanghai below, and activated his ability—the spatial domain unfolded.

With a thought, countless threads composed of spatial root forces radiated from his body, extending outward.

These threads wove into a grid, dividing the vast spherical space centered on him into countless tiny square fragments.

This spherical space was his spatial domain, and within it, he felt utterly at ease.

He was not merely the physical center of this domain, but its actual center—everything here obeyed his commands, as if he were omnipotent.

Is this the power of root forces?

No wonder both Leng Shan and Phantom had such strong confidence when entering the S-rank dungeon.

Anyone who mastered root forces and could turn a region into their own world would feel that same confidence.

Yet, the range of his root force differed slightly from other players'.

In the Wasteland Realm, players' attribute points were scarce, and every point had to be spent wisely.

Will and Inspiration rarely increased combat power directly, so in the Wasteland Realm, they were universally regarded as useless attributes.

Most ordinary players reached a Will attribute of 20 to 25 at level cap; even top-tier breakthroughers like Leng Shan never raised Will above forty.

If another player had mastered spatial root forces, the spatial domain they could form would be at most a sphere with a 400-meter radius.

This range was already considered vast among players with root forces—after all, spatial root forces were spatial root forces; if their domain were smaller than those of other root forces, it would be absurd.

In the Steam Phantom dimension, Wu Chang had observed how other players used their root forces.

Leng Shan's cold root force affected only a hundred meters around him; Phantom's fast-slow root force was powerful but had an even smaller range—less than fifty meters.

The Divine Tongue had never used his ability in combat, so its effect remained unknown; Sword Star, just beginning to master his root force, had not yet formed his own root domain.

Compared to these players' root domains, a 400-meter-diameter spatial domain was undeniably large.

But compared to Wu Chang's spatial domain, it looked pitifully small.

After conquering the Steam Phantom dungeon and mastering Lord-level spatial magic, Wu Chang's Will attribute soared to an astonishing 283 points.

With 283 points of Will, his spatial domain had a radius of 2,830 meters—when activated, the entire neighborhood fell within his domain.

Standing in his home in the Jinjingyuan residential complex, his spatial domain directly reached the distant commercial street.

Wu Chang gazed at the Emotion Gallery at the commercial street's entrance; since the Painter's disappearance, this once-popular gallery had shut down and ceased operations.

The straight-line distance between the Emotion Gallery and him was roughly 2,600 meters.

He reached out and grasped through the air—the gallery's sign twisted into a metal sphere.

The sign's transformation came from spatial distortion; if the target were an unprepared transcendent, the outcome would be identical.

He curled his finger—the twisted metal sphere vanished from its spot and reappeared directly before him.

He weighed the metal sphere in his palm, then released it, letting it fall freely; just before it struck the ground, he kicked it.

He was currently using his physical body, but even in his normal state without any bonuses, he possessed 126 points of Strength.

With one kick, the metal sphere vanished into the night sky with a piercing whistle.

He brushed nonexistent dust off his hands—if the national team had his leg strength, they wouldn't be unable to qualify for the World Cup.

He was very satisfied with the range of his spatial domain; the only drawback was that it could not benefit from the High-Efficiency Spatial Utilization bonus.

If it could receive the hundredfold boost from High-Efficiency Spatial Utilization, his spatial domain would truly resemble that of a spatial lord.

As for the applications of his spatial domain, they certainly went beyond simple teleportation and spatial distortion—he already had several ideas for advanced uses, but to execute them in combat, he needed more familiarity with root forces.

Dismissing the spatial domain and maintaining spatial magic applications cost him only ten energy points.

Against his normal 241-point Energy attribute, combined with high recovery from Stamina, if he didn't use spatial magic frequently, it was practically zero cost.

He stepped forward and teleported back to his room—the world dungeon was coming soon; he needed to find someone to practice combat with.

But before that, he had to meet He Yun first, to push the Wanghai City renovation plan and the trip to the Steam Phantom dimension to acquire transcendent industrialization onto the agenda.

In the room, Erin held the Eternal Lake in meditation, sensing the power within the Sacred Sword.

Wu Chang did not wish to disturb Erin, so he went alone to the Sacred Song Corporation dimension.

Sacred Song Corporation, 99th floor.

Since becoming Wu Chang's private space, the time flow of the Sacred Song Corporation dimension had synchronized with the real world.

It was already dawn, but for Sacred Song Corporation, overtime had just begun.

He Yun sat in the chairman's seat, using Sacred Song Corporation's actual operational procedures to study the knowledge left by Schultz.

She had developed further ideas for Prime Armaments: they were not merely a technique to extract divinity from humanity, but also a method to add characteristics to divinity.

The abilities manifested by Prime Armaments were the use of humanity as a guide to attach characteristics to divinity.

The divine mechs she had created so far possessed only the most basic, uncharacterized divinity.

According to Wu Chang's classification, this state lay between demi-god and lower deity—a stage where the divine seed had just matured and the individual began attempting to control divine power.

Although Prime Armaments were crude, their final version, the Hymn of the Artificial God, already possessed true, characterized divine power.

Only when divine power carried characteristics could one truly be called a lower deity, reaching the intermediate stage.

For Erin, this was equivalent to her Angel of Strength phase.

He Yun was now contemplating how to combine Prime Armaments with her divine mechs—if successful, her mechs would advance further.

Her power relied entirely on her mechs; she had to continuously strengthen them to keep pace with Wu Chang.

Just as she thought of Wu Chang, the voice she wanted to hear came from behind her.

"How's it going? Any progress?"

He Yun turned her chair, stood up, and embraced Wu Chang, whispering in his ear:

"I had none—until I saw you, inspiration struck."

Wu Chang made a bitter face and said:

"You got inspiration—does that mean you're going to lock yourself in research again and ignore me?"

He Yun smiled: "This time, you won't have to."

Wu Chang was surprised; he had already prepared to put down the items, leave a message, and leave, never expecting He Yun to say he didn't need to go.

Could his charm have surpassed research?

"That doesn't sound like your style."

He Yun moved the chair she had been sitting on, revealing the computer on her desk—she hadn't touched it, yet the text on the screen was rapidly increasing.

He Yun tapped her own head with her index finger and said:

"It seems you stayed too long in that other world—you've forgotten the ability I gained from my psychic enhancement surgery."

"My consciousness can appear in any machine. I don't need to sit at a computer to keep working."

A service robot arrived before them, carrying two cups of coffee.

In the past, this task of delivering coffee was handled by a dedicated personal secretary, who also provided other services to soothe Schultz's mood.

Since He Yun became chairperson, it was replaced by service robots.

The robot spoke in He Yun's voice:

"Actually, right now, if you go to any department, you'll see me working there."

"Enough, don't say more—it's starting to get creepy." Wu Chang suddenly pulled He Yun into his arms, covering her mouth.

He had indeed stayed too long in the Steam Phantom realm—exactly one full month, as required by the main quest.

The gloomy smog of Grimlan had made him forget He Yun's Mechanical Heart ability, awakened through psychic enhancement surgery.

When using this ability, He Yun could scatter her consciousness to appear simultaneously on any machine within a three-kilometer radius; it seemed she was using this method to multitask and rapidly absorb all of Song Corporation's knowledge.

It sounded impressive, but the thought of her consciousness split into dozens of fragments, operating dozens or even hundreds of computers and robots simultaneously while talking to him made him feel uneasy. Though Wu Chang had silenced her physical body, the nearby service robot could still speak:

"Alright, let's change the subject—how do you like the Peacekeeper I made?"

Wu Chang rolled his eyes, opened his spatial domain, and teleported the service robot to the square in front of Song Corporation's entrance, then said to the He Yun before him:

"It's too weird. Talk to me with your real body."

He Yun said calmly: "If you get used to it, this method is actually quite efficient. Besides, just now your hand was over my mouth—I couldn't speak."

Wu Chang sighed and said:

"Let's talk about the Peacekeeper instead. How do you know I used it?"

He Yun smiled: "I noticed your expression when you received it. Even if the situation didn't require it, you'd find an opportunity to test it."

The office on the top floor was spacious enough; Wu Chang pulled the Peacekeeper directly from his personal space and said:

"In fact, it helped me a great deal."

A drone flew out from the corner, connecting to the Peacekeeper and copying its usage logs.

Meanwhile, Wu Chang briefly recounted to He Yun what had happened in the Steam Phantom realm.

After all, He Yun was going to the Steam Phantom realm next—this was just a heads-up.

After listening to Wu Chang's description, He Yun's eyes lit up with excitement.

Whether it was her created techno-mysticism or Schultz's condensation of divinity from human nature, both were grounded in corresponding transcendent forces.

The core goal of transcendent industrialization in the Steam Phantom realm was to create transcendent phenomena from ordinary materials—not merely creating them, but reaching the level of primordial power, even condensing divinity.

Merely from Wu Chang's description, she knew there must be valuable insights to borrow.

Wu Chang saw the excitement in He Yun's eyes and said:

"I knew you'd be interested in the concept of transcendent industrialization, so I specially prepared research materials for you."

He Yun's eyes sparkled: "Is it the difference engine blueprints you mentioned just now?"

Wu Chang said mysteriously: "No. That kind of thing—you can examine freely when you reach Stilane. What I prepared for you has higher research value than the difference engine, and is especially important for you."

As he spoke, he took from his personal space a crown made of machinery.

"Item Name: Mechanical Crown"

"Item Type: consumable"

"Item Rank: A"

"Item Skill: Mechanical Soul"

"Skill Description: Within the Mechanical Crown, traces remain of pure mechanical force exploring the boundaries of divinity. Though it never coalesced into a seed of divinity, under the stimulation of other divine seeds, it transformed into a unique entity. After using the Mechanical Crown, you will gain the special talent: Mechanical Emperor."

"Talent Name: Mechanical Emperor"

"Effect: All mechanical abilities you possess will be upgraded by one tier and undergo transformation. Each skill can trigger only once."

"Note: You may never become the God of Machinery, but you have already become the Emperor of the Mechanical World."

The Mechanical Crown Wu Chang took out was not the Industrial Crown mentioned by Olivia at the World Industrial Exhibition, but it could be said to share the same origin.

This crown came from Xavier's resentment.

Xavier's blood-soaked final words read: 【Find the truth behind Ron's death and witness the pinnacle of transcendent steam engines.】

Wu Chang had already deduced the truth behind Prime Minister Ron's death, and Olivia had confirmed it.

As for what Xavier wished to witness—the pinnacle of transcendent steam engines—it referred to the Industrial Crown Olivia had taken out at the World Industrial Exhibition—the difference engine.

Upon seeing the difference engine appear and experiencing its ability, Xavier's blood-soaked final words vanished.

Completing Xavier's blood-soaked final words granted Wu Chang 2 Life points, 2 Inspiration points, 1 Will point, and the Mechanical Crown he now held.

From Xavier's resentment, it was clear that before the Steam Council's rebirth and before Prime Minister Ron's death, he had continuously tried to use transcendent steam engines to touch the realm of gods.

Unfortunately, even when Ron committed suicide and Olivia's plan was fully activated, Xavier still failed.

In the end, the divinity he condensed to become the God of Machinery was not mechanical divinity, but the Famine Divinity hidden within Lehmann's flesh-and-blood steam engine.

Yet under the stimulation of Famine Divinity, the unformed concept of mechanical divinity shifted; further, witnessing Olivia create the difference engine without condensing divinity—using only rules and the Primordial Spirit Core—further transformed this power, eventually coalescing into the present Mechanical Crown.

Though he had forgotten He Yun's Mechanical Heart ability, he believed her talent would allow her to extract something from it, so he brought it along.

Now, recalling He Yun's talent, he felt even more confident in her.

Mechanical Heart, Mechanical Crown—sounds like a series of abilities.

The moment the Mechanical Crown appeared, it instantly captured He Yun's gaze; she stared at the crown in Wu Chang's hand and said:

"Can I take a look at it?"

Wu Chang handed the crown to He Yun and said:

"Of course—it was originally prepared for you."

As an A-class consumable, the Mechanical Crown is undoubtedly precious, but it pales in comparison to the Peacebringer He Yun forged for him, especially since her continuous improvements have made the Peacebringer grow stronger over time.

In return for her kindness, Wu Chang was never stingy—he could easily part with a mere Mechanical Crown.

He Yun caressed the Mechanical Crown; what had been an ordinary item in Wu Chang's hands came alive in hers.

The Mechanical Crown, like a miniature extraordinary steam engine, activated in He Yun's grasp and shifted its form.

Upon closer inspection, the transformed crown's band and dome revealed traces of a Difference Engine, yet blended with designs from other extraordinary steam engines.

He Yun murmured:

"It's extraordinary—more extraordinary than anything I've ever seen. I can feel it as if it's alive, calling out to me."

He Yun stared intently at the Mechanical Crown, while Wu Chang stared at He Yun and said:

"It's not an illusion—it truly is calling to you."

In his eyes, he clearly saw He Yun resonating with the crown in her hand; with the resonance, primal power surged from her body.

The primal power of machinery.

This primal power was triggered by the Mechanical Crown, yet did not originate from the crown itself.

Wu Chang had previously wondered: according to the standards of the Steam Phantom realm, at least one of He Yun or He Yi should be a Realm Child.

Without realm rules, whether in strength or control over technology, the He siblings far surpassed Xavier and Olivia—so why had they not awakened their primal power or influenced the realm?

Now it was clear: He Yun was indeed a Realm Child—she too possessed primal power.

Perhaps the Underground Shelter realm's level was too low; perhaps her talent was too great—she obtained the Desire Stele and directly leapfrogged into studying Techno-Mysticism, no longer needing primal power, causing her innate primal power to remain dormant.

Now, under the influence of the homologous Mechanical Crown, He Yun successfully reclaimed her ability.

Holding the crown, He Yun stood motionless, sensing the call from within the Mechanical Crown; on the office desk's computer, He Yun's face appeared and said to Wu Chang:

"The call from the Mechanical Crown has triggered a transformation in my inherent Mechanical Heart ability. I cannot yet predict the final outcome, but I am certain this is a positive upgrade."

"I can fully perceive the power within the crown through my Mechanical Heart without damaging it, and it will not affect your future use of it."

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow; if the Eternal Lake was Ailin's exclusive weapon, then the Mechanical Crown was He Yun's exclusive item.

He had come intending to give the Mechanical Crown directly to He Yun, but he hadn't expected she could reap its benefits without consuming its uses—truly an unexpected boon.

He used his Transcendence talent to get free use of items; she used her Mechanical Heart talent to get free uses of consumables—no wonder he chose her; she was truly one of his kind.

He Yun's Mechanical Heart talent took nearly five minutes to complete its upgrade.

As she had said, the Mechanical Crown in her hands did not vanish after use—it remained intact.

She casually placed the Mechanical Crown on the desk, leaned close to Wu Chang, and said:

"I love the gift you gave me. There's still a long time until dawn—how should I reward you now?"

(End of Chapter)