Chapter 49: Awakening Memories

Wojciech Belik took a deep breath, straightened his red robes, and just as he was about to press the electric bell, the airlock roared and the cabin door opened, Ninglu's deep voice coming from within.

"Enter."

The middle-aged man with neat, short brown hair paused for a moment, thinking of the monarch's various powers, and realized it was not strange for him to have sensed his arrival.

Regarding the airlock, Wojciech said respectfully.

"My King, you summoned me."

Ninglu nodded slightly: "You have completed the work I entrusted to you well, and I have decided to grant you a reward."

"It is my honor to serve you."

Wojciech said as he bowed, and just as he finished speaking, he saw the golden potion in the giant's open left palm.

His brown pupils trembled, and after a moment of silence, he picked up the potion and drank it down.

As the potion hit his stomach, Wojciech's whole body trembled, and a massive explosion of knowledge occurred in his mind.

"Awakening memories," he recalled in their entirety all the texts, data, and books he had ever read, quickly understanding and mastering them.

Wojciech clearly discerned the difference; his past understanding of knowledge had come from the teachings of the Tech-Priests, a religious-style worship and ritual.

Now, he understood everything he had experienced from the perspective of principles, as if he had lived through his life of dealing with machines with a brand-new perspective.

When Wojciech had previously selected polymers to make waterproof paint, he had simply relied on the table listed in the appendix of Chapter 23, "Material Guide," of the *Omnissiah's Guidance* to find epoxy resins suitable for use in the Cradle of the Sea.

Now he knew that the reason epoxy resin was the optimal choice was because this material is a rigid, polymeric chemical material with characteristics such as high strength, high toughness, waterproof weather resistance, and corrosion resistance, making it suitable for high-strength and corrosive seawater environments.

Wojciech, suffering from this subversive impact, was stunned for a long time before he realized he was floating in the air, and the body wearing the red robe below was his own.

"Do as I say..."

Ninglu's majestic voice rang out; Wojciech was influenced, subconsciously doing as the giant said, and gradually calmed down.

One standard ship-hour later, Wojciech had mastered Meditation and returned to a normal state, but he still had not come to his senses, staring blankly at the giant before him.

【He can actually bestow such power upon me; how is this possible? Could he be the incarnation of the Omnissiah?】

After another dozen seconds of silence, he finally spoke.

"My King, thank you for your gift. I will certainly make good use of the power you have bestowed upon me to serve you."

Ninglu sensed Wojciech's emotional fluctuations and knew he needed some time to adapt to the transformation of his world; he would also give the other party time to adjust.

"Go back and rest; afterward, I want you to crack the secrets within this Data Crystal."

Ninglu opened his right hand, revealing a crystal-clear cylinder in his palm, artificially processed to be extremely regular, twelve centimeters long and five centimeters in diameter.

For the Fulao people, who were skilled in the mysteries of the Ether, the primary medium for storing knowledge and other information was crystals.

While Ninglu began his research, he also wanted to let the "Knower" give it a try.

"As you command, my King."

Wojciech carefully took the Data Crystal, his spirits lifted; compared to pondering whether Ninglu was the incarnation of the Omnissiah, he was more accustomed to technical work.

After Wojciech took his leave, Ninglu also took out a Data Crystal and began to study it.

At the same moment, in the Hantemanxi Dome of Teziwoke.

An old man in blue robes, his body hunched and bent, yet his chest suddenly arched upward, raised his left claw, which resembled a Grey Vulture.

He squeezed hard, and the foreman, who was rushing over with a wrench from several meters away, immediately felt his throat gripped by an invisible giant hand.

"I really didn't expect that you scum of the Lower Hive would actually sacrifice yourselves for an Upper Hive person who oppresses you."

The bald foreman shouted intermittently: "Protect... Lord Howard..."

The workers in the scorched workshop waved the steel pipes in their hands and charged forward.

The "Arbiter's" Charm, which infected people's hearts, had already won the hearts of the workers; they were now acting not for food, but for their leader.

"Truly admirable!"

The Grey Vulture claw rubbed against tentacles that swayed like snakes, and the blue-robed old man exclaimed in a chattering voice.

"Howard Fender, the qualities you possess make me admire you; I will give you a chance."

"Believe in the God of Wisdom and join the Enlightenment Cause."

His ears twitched as he listened to a voice coming from nowhere.

"Yes, join us, and you will achieve a great cause."

"I can tell you, do not count on those subordinates of yours."

Howard saw the bald foreman fall and was stunned for a moment; in his mind flashed the simple happiness he had felt when he received the tuna and water.

Now, the foreman was charging at the front to protect him, and he held a wrench that could hardly be called a weapon, launching an attack against the terrifying enemy who had killed the HuoweiDuiZhang.

He saw again that the workers of the Dome were falling one by one under the attacks of the mutants, but no one retreated, and he had an epiphany in his heart.

【This is the power my Lord spoke of!】

But Howard also knew that fighting spirit could not bridge the gap in strength; the Wizard opposite was too terrifying.

And the order he had issued to summon his men from the Fifth Regiment—there had been enough time for them to run back and forth several times, yet they still hadn't appeared; they must have encountered obstacles.

【I must kill the psychic Wizard!】

Howard straightened his arm and aimed his Heavy Stubber at the Wizard.

The *da-da* sound of gunfire rang out, and a dense barrage of bullets covered the Wizard.

"A foolish choice."

The Wizard raised his staff, and his telekinesis erupted with a *bang*, forming an invisible force field in front of him.

The hail of bullets suddenly stopped, and then, under the control of "Mechanical Influence," they changed direction in mid-air.

The Wizard flicked his hand again, and the bullets shot out; the four remaining guards of the Finde Family fell into a pool of blood.

The bullets hit the Precision Power Armor, making a dull thudding sound, and then fell to the ground with a *dong-dong*.

Howard noticed that several craters of varying depths had already appeared on the armor on his chest.

He let go of the Heavy Stubber, brandished his drill, and charged toward the Wizard.

The blue-robed psyker shook his head, and as he raised his left claw, the rotating, roaring drill stopped at a distance of one arm's length from him.

His multicolored pupils were full of mockery as he looked at the foolish noble before him.

The blue-robed psyker was stunned; he saw not a shred of despair in Howard's azure eyes.

The next instant, he felt his right arm, which was holding the staff, being tightly gripped.

Howard had successfully deceived the Wizard, and at the moment he thought he had won, the "Arbiter" launched a surprise attack, seizing the Wizard's arm.

The blue-robed psyker was shocked and terrified; he raised his left claw, intending to blast the blonde noble away with telekinesis, but the "Arbiter" was faster, pulling the Wizard toward his chest with force the moment he seized the arm.

The blue-robed psyker lost his Balance, and his spell failed accordingly; his neck was tightly locked by the "Arbiter."

"I sentence you to Death!"

Howard's tone was grim as he exerted force with his arm.

With a crisp snap, the Wizard's head was twisted off.

The blonde noble raised his arm and pressed the drill fiercely into the back of the Wizard's head.

A moment later, after confirming the Wizard's Death, the "Arbiter" released his arm and cast the corpse aside.

At the same time, Howard felt as if something within his body was dissolving and merging with his own spirit.

(End of this chapter)