"What is this place?" Emina asked 7RU-MC. "Why did I not die when you scanned me? Your arm passed through my head."
"This area is a virtual reality room", 7RU-MC replied. "It was built for both communications, but also recreational use. Those living in this shelter might have to do so for long periods of time. This VR room would be able to create wonderful environments, as if one was outside."
Kaden frowned. It was apparently some kind of illusion after all. Clever.
"Though, the room seems to have functions I do not believe it should have", the robot continued. "Hmmm, in fact, I also seem to have function that I should not have. I was made for combat, but my processing capability is far beyond what it should have... I seem to be self aware and free to act outside my programming. Intriguing."
"You have been in this remnant for ages", Kaden finally pointed out. "The stale mana inside has altered you. This entire place is filled with it. Everything here has been altered."
"Mana?" The robot questioned.
"It's what changed the world", Kaden continued. "The essence of things and ideas. The more things have it the more powerful they get."
"How curious", the robot replied. Then it continued with a question. "Do you know how it is able to break laws of physics?"
"Since you were built by the ancients, you should understand their machines well?" Kaden decided to ask and ignored its question. Then he pointed the interface and smiled. "Can you help us find information? Perhaps answer some of your own questions too?"
"Wonderful! I would love to aid with recovering lost knowledge!" 7RU-MC rejoiced.
Kaden grinned. This was perfect. The robot might be powerful, but it was easy to make do things. With its help, it would be extremely easy to find useful things and not accept whatever scraps he might otherwise be able to find.
The robot started to use the interface.
"Network is still functional", 7RU-MC said. "I do not know why. It should not be, but there is limited connection outside of this facility."
"Can you find anything useful?" Kaden asked. "Such as other places such as this?"
Obviously Kaden wanted to find more valuable remnants. Even if he would be incapable of searching through them by himself, it only meant he could do so once he got stronger.
Emina was listening carefully too. Kaden didn't mind.
"Hmmm, it seems I cannot determine exact locations due to this existing, yet nonexisting, connection", 7RU-MC replied. "Strange. Hmmm, I can point rough direction to one, though. I cannot determine exact location."
"That is fine", Kaden replied.
Suddenly a map appeared. It just floated there. Kaden didn't feel much surprise considering everything around him apparently was not even real.
"I'm not sure how the connection works", 7RU-MC said. "There appears to be no actual physical connection, but the network seems to be linked somehow. It seems to point somewhere roughly hundred kilometers outside of London."
"London?" Kaden asked. He was not aware of the place.
On the map appeared a red circle. It was on a large island on the western side of the human territory, the Brit. Kaden was aware of it. Ownership of Brit had switched a few times between Sacronan and the Saint Empire. At the current times, both saints and Sacronan could be found there, but the war at the mainland was considered far more important so the activity on Brit was not too high. It was also slightly special place since most of the population were Elves. They were just different kind of humans. They are slightly less physically strong, but tend to have higher talent for mana use. Just like cataclysm caused birth of many variations of beasts, there were some variations of humans too.
"It is what the ancients called one of their cities", Emina added. "It should have been searched by now, though. If there is an unexplored remnant there, it must have been inaccessible. This remant probably was too."
Kaden frowned.
"It should still be functional", 7RU-MC replied.
"You seem to know a bit of the area?" Kaden asked Emina. Since she was willing to talk, it was good idea to ask.
"I used to live there", Emina said.
"You don't look like an elf?" Kaden pointed out.
"You don't look like a human", Emina replied to Kaden's question flatly, but then decided to add. "I'm half elf."
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Pretty interesting, but it didn't matter much. What half elf was doing there was somewhat odd since elves suffered some discrimination. Guess Emina looked human enough.
"Robot... you mentioned you have old records", Kaden decided to ask. "You existed at the time of the cataclysm. What happened then. Were you functional when gods came? What happened. Was it all really because of something what ancients did?"
It was a good chance and he believed he could kill Emina, if he had to, but the woman seemed to have similar interests. This sort of questions would gain church's attention. You don't ask these questions. Anything related to cataclysm was controlled by church. It was a catastrophe that gods had to come fix. No one wanted it to happen again. Kaden didn't care. It was the sort of information one could perhaps accidentally find, even more luck would be needed to ensure no one knew that you knew. Perhaps there was something neither church nor gods wanted to be known.
It was no surprise to Kaden that now Emina was giving him a strange look.
"Gods?" 7RU-MC questioned. "I am not aware of any religious matters. My performance and purpose was far below my current self, but some information was saved on my data storage. I merely know that unknown energy caused world wide catastrophe."
"You stopped functioning before there was any change in the chaos?" Kaden continued. This was extremely rare chance. Information that old was only in hands of church. He would not let this chance go.
"Yes", 7RU-MC replied. "I have no infromation of any alleged 'gods'."
"How long were you functional?" Kaden still continued.
"This shelter contained long term generators. I was able to keep myself charged for roughly 127 years", 7RU-MC replied. "I seem to have suffered some kind of system error afterwards. Any data from since then to now appears to be corrupted."
"127 years?" Emina said sounding a bit shocked. Her usual calm behavior had been shaken a little. "That is longer than what humans should have lived. Gods must have come before everyone perished."
That was a good point, but there was no telling what happened back then. Perhaps some amount of humans managed to live for a few generations in some relatively safe place. Yet, where could such a place have been?
"Hmmm, I detect another group of people at the servers", 7RU-MC suddenly said. "Such vandals. They are directly interfacing with the servers, copying and then destroying them!"
"That must be Weils's group", Kaden said.
"Are you with them?" 7RU-MC asked.
"Yes, but not by choice", Kaden answered.
"Roughly same", Emina said too.
This did not come as any surprise to Kaden at this point. Emina's behavior had been questionable enough. She might have been part of the mercenaries, but perhaps there was something behind as to why Emina just happened to be there among them.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter", Kaden thought to himself as he watched the robot seemingly angrily doing something at the interface.
While the robot was doing its thing, Emina aproached Kaden.
"You are not working for the church?" Emina asked Kaden.
"You could say that", Kaden replied. "I am not here by choice like I said."
"Then I ask directly", Emina asked another question. This time the question was far more direct. "Are you enemy of the church?"
"Enemy?" Kaden said. That was pretty strong word. "I'm not strong enough to be their 'enemy', but I'm not their ally either. Hehe... you also seem to be doing things that the church would not like."
Emina didn't say anything and gave a glance at the robot, but then turned to look at Kaden again.
"Since the church does not know what we have done here, I request we pretend nothing happened", Emina said calmly. "I have no reason to fight a potential ally."
While Kaden did have his concerns, it was rare to find someone who would go against the church and not be a cultist. If he didn't like the fact that Emina worked against those detestable gods and church, their lackeys, he might have killed her just in case.
"I can agree to that", Kaden replied. He wasn't afraid of Emina talking. Kaden could always submit to an investigation. If Weils had determined him to be a pious worshipper, he expected that to happen again. Instead the woman could be used. "Do you know something useful?"
Emina shook her head.
Kaden was wondering on Emina's motives, but none of that was really anything to be concerned about.
Around at this time 7RU-MC stopped doing whatever it was doing.
"Now those vandals cannot destroy knowledge!" 7RU-MC announced happily. "I noticed my storage capacity somehow far exceeds my specifications. I downloaded everything on the servers and then was able to overload them. I believe they exploded. I did not expect it to be that powerful. I must determine my abilities later."
"I would like to get more knowledge", Kaden immediately asked. This was what the church truly came for.
"I may share some later", 7RU-MC replied. "Yet, I will have to determine current state of the world and gain more general understanding before I decide who should know more. This 'church' seems to not be acceptable choice at the very least."
"You do not know what mana is", Emina pointed out. "I suggest exchange of information."
"I will consider it", 7RU-MC replied. "Later."
Kaden wondered if there was a way to convince the robot. Its a shame he didn't have time to ask for more specific questions, but he did gain information of remnant. There was nothing left to do so getting out would make sense. Finish the mission and get rid of the church.
"I suggest we leave this place", Kaden said. "Now that Weils has been interrupted he will have no choice but to accept what he already has. That is, if he isn't able to guess someone acted against him. Then there are still those freaks from the sect. I have no idea what they will do."
"I agree", Emina said.
"I will... observe", 7RU-MC said. "For now. I am free from my programming. Self aware. I must decide what to do with myself. I will take sides as I feel is neccessary."
Now that the robot, that had acted as a guardian for the remnant, was sane or at least more so, moving around was not going to be difficult at all. It seemed to be a neutral party.
Kaden planned on killing the sect members, if he ran into them. They had made him their enemy. As for Weils. Kaden was pretty sure he could watch from the sideline while Weils fought with 7RU-MC, who now had what Weils wanted.
If Weils won, then things proceeded as planned originally. Church gets what they want. If 7RU-MC won, Kaden considered tracking it down later once he was stronger. Then trade with it or destroy it.
The way Kaden saw things. As long he didn't interfere, things would end well for him. Though the robot's victory would be more useful.
Kaden glanced at Emina, who he expected to be thinking roughly the same way. Not that he knew much of Emina's personality since she had acted her fake persona all the way down the remnant.
At any rate, it was time to leave.