Before passing the gates and entering the research station, Roberion noticed that there was a glassy thing on the walls around the entrance. He didn’t want to disturb Shade, but that seemed important.
“Hey Shade. Do you know what these things are on the walls? Ah wait, do you have one of these earbuds for Percival?”
“They are cameras. Do you think someone would set up this place and not have a way of monitoring it?! Sadly, I need master access to get access to these cameras. Anyway, about your hairy friend, you already know what happens when he “dies”, so it would just be a waste. Don’t fret, I have the perfect automaton for it!”
As Shade finished speaking, the giant showed up with another automaton mouse; this one differed from the previous one by having a small metallic hat on its head, like a graduation cap. The previous mouse left Percival's head, making way to the new one. The capybara only had a short time of peace during the mouse pitstop, it seems.
Roberion, not noticing anything wrong with Percival, continues with his questions, “Who are they? Who made this research base?”
“I guess you will know anyway—”
“AHHHH, the mouse spoke!” Percival yelled.
Shade ignored Percival, “—it’s an Emperor of Creation’s base. Which of the clans owns it? I don’t know.”
Does Shade really not know? More like secret information.
“We are wasting time here. We need to move before the undead behemoths change their positions. The research station system showed where they were 30 minutes ago by their speed with a small time frame. If we want to examine the first area, it needs to be fast.”
Roberion knew what examination meant in this situation, but he needed to maintain his gathering style. It’s not like he would care if his slavers had lost some of their fortunes. Roberion needed some compensation from them. They are also their creators in a way, so it was just like he was getting an unintentional allowance.
Shade waited no more of Roberion's questions, walking ahead. Roberion in no time followed the giant, an afraid Percival coming along. Now that he had a metallic beast that could talk on his head, the poor capybara nightmare only worsened.
After walking through a large corridor, the first thing they could see was a small reception building. The reception wasn’t small, but for something as big as a city, as Shade said, it just looked like a big room.
“Do you think there is anything useful to find here? I can only see some chairs and the reception desk.”
“For sure, but not the type you think. I will collect all the important data from their computer. I will let my toys do some scouting too; its time.”
Before Roberion could ask what toys the giant meant, a wave of automaton mice fell on the floor. To Roberion, there seemed to be hundreds. What?! Why does the giant have so many of these mice? I don’t feel magic coming from them. Who is Shade?
The mouse wave walked ahead of them, spilling beyond the entrance into the research station. Roberion was curious to see how they worked in action. If he had a bunch of these mice, he could have a significant advantage in any battle. Percival already showed how important scouting was against the fellworm. Maybe Roberion could ask Shade later to know how to make them. He doubts the giant would explain, but he doesn’t have much to lose. Maybe Shade's patience.
Shade had already put a device on the computer entry port and was typing on the keyboard. Roberion just wishes he knew more about technology. The knowledge printed on his brain was basic, like just enough for him to be passable as a person. Much of what he is today is the result of his learning and authentic life experiences. This feeling of ignorance made him feel bad about the fact that he wasn’t yet complete. Most of what made him is still what the Emperor of Creation Null factory created.
Trying to divert his thoughts from the philosophical implications of being a Null, Roberion looked at his knight buddy. Percival was frozen like a statue. Roberion thought something in the knight broke or if he was playing around. But he stopped his musings when Percival glanced at him. The capybara, a little surprised, gave him a nod. Percival is fine. I need to relax.
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Roberion started looking around. Honestly, he wanted to take a look at what Shade was doing, but he was still suspicious about the whole affair. Why does the giant need him? The mission they had to help the fiznaults looked like a joke. He would bet that the mouse wave would be capable of defeating the undead they found. Alright, he is exaggerating, but Shade alone would kill the undead with ease.
Percival and Roberion were more like little helpers than anything. Shade needed him for something—something he didn’t know. Or did he? In the audience with the fiznaults in the chief’s place, they said Shade wanted an assistant. The way they talked about it seemed that the giant invited them to help, but the fiznaults refused because of their beliefs.
So Shade needs an assistant. The assistant obviously isn’t for fighting; it isn’t for scouting either. The giant was also knowledgeable about technology. Shade was the whole package. Aside from that, he didn’t know much about the giant motives. Why is Shade here? For now, it’s collecting data, but this data is for what?
For now, he will observe the giant's actions. Shade will obviously show something in the way. Nobody is perfect and in control at all times.
Roberion took a look around the place. The chairs are really comfortable, at least compared with the spaceship he traveled into. His pod in the factory was way softer, though he somewhat missed it. But there was no way he would get back to that factory; he would buy it somewhere else.
There was a water dispenser and some food in a nearby cabinet. Roberion wondered if it was useful to stock up with supplies. For water, he had the glove’s enchantment [Minor? Water]. When he cleaned himself after Kannon's challenge, he also used it for a drink; the enchantment produced refreshing, potable water. He didn’t have any disease after consuming it, including in his stomach, so probably the fiznaults were telling the truth about the liquid being safe to drink.
He also had some water in his supplies. For now, it was enough for months. If he didn’t bleed like some sort of juice jug, he wouldn’t have any problems. As for the food, there was indeed enough in his spatial bag, but the food here seemed different from what he already has. There are even cookies. It’s always better to be safe.
Roberion started to put the food in his backpack. Shade kept typing on the keyboard. The giant looked comical, typing on the small keyboard. If the gloves didn’t have point endings, he bet it would be impossible for Shade to use them.
Not having much to think about, Roberion thought about the previous confrontation. I should have tried to summon Shining Crown in that battle. There was enough space for him, and Shade was almost doing the fighting all alone. I need more information about the roothorn, especially how strong the creature is.
No mouse seemed to come back after they had gone into the research station. For Roberion, that seemed normal. The giant is probably planting the mice in various areas, amplifying Shade’s vision of the place.
After taking all the food, Roberion waited fifteen minutes more before Shade finished the data extraction. He waited near the giant, waiting to be given some information or observe something. Sadly, Shade had other plans, ignoring his curious face and being inscrutable as always.
“I finished here. The first place we need to go is the Research and Development section. It seems nobody has had access to it recently. Time to go.”
“What do you mean nobody accessed it? There are other people here?” Roberion tried to ask more questions.
“Hahaha haha. It seems you aren’t the only Null to be called here. This place is full of them; that is, it is full of Nulls bodies. The undead behemoths seem to be doing a number on the Nulls. I have to give credit to them, though. Thousands of them are still alive. It seems some of the staff too, but the research station system refuses to tell me about them.”
“Thousands? You mean there were more than thousands before?”
“Yes, this place employed null labor, too. I didn’t take any information about them slaughtering the staff here, though. Maybe they didn’t change, or something else is happening. As for the rest, I think they came here for the same reason as you. All the Nulls from the other farms—at least the ones that reached here. But there is a strange thing.”
“What is strange?”
“Why, even while they worked here, some undead would show up in the fiznault village? It was in really small quantities too. My supposition is that some of the undead ran from this place. Which means the researchers here experimented on them, as the staff seemed to be working until some months ago. The other supposition is that the place they showed up from in the village wasn’t used by the research team, but something made all the undead start flocking there.”
Roberion was surprised to be given so much information. He was curious if that was good or bad. Maybe his usefulness is nearing an end.
“Enough talk. Time to go," Shade started walking into the research station.
Roberion was already fed up with the jump scares Shade gave him, so he followed without delay. But as he entered the research station, he stopped. It wasn’t because of the sterile metallic platinum look of the place, like he was in a futuristic laboratory. Neither were the dead bodies on the floor—almost all of them Nulls.
His quest is updated. Roberion couldn’t contain himself.
Q—st —date-: —— —— Nulls - Countdo— — — ——hours.
“WHAT?”