We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 495 [Wings of Freedom] [Sanctuary Angel]

The passageway was winding and twisting, surrounded by cold metal pipes and steam valves.

The air was filled with the smell of engine oil and metal.

As Shane walked, he asked Ironfist for more information about the Mechanoid Territory.

"You say the Great Sage is oppressing free will, what exactly do you mean by that?"

A fierce rage flashed in Iron Fist's mechanical eyes.

"He forcibly rewrote the thought process of mechanical beings through so-called 'faith purification'."

"Let us unconditionally submit to the will of the God of Steam and Machinery."

“Any individual who questions or rebels will be sent to the ‘re-education room’ and turned into a puppet without self-awareness.”

Shaun frowned: "This does sound like tyranny."

[Iron Fist] hesitated for a moment, then activated a projection device within his body.

"According to our investigation, the Great Sage was not a ruler from the beginning."

“About five hundred years ago, an event known as the ‘Awakening Catastrophe’ changed the entire Omnic Territory.”

Blurred historical images were displayed in the projection.

Xia En saw that the human cities in the scene were gradually being taken over by mechanical life forms, and the rebels were being brutally suppressed.

"Initially, machines were simply tools for humankind."

"But as the faith in the God of Steam and Machines spread, more and more machines awakened their self-awareness."

"The Great Sage was among the first to awaken and was also the leader of the rebellion."

Shaun frowned: "So, this is a mechanical revolution?"

"No, it's not that simple."

The [Iron Fist] transition screen, displaying early footage of the [Great Sage].

"Look here, before the rebellion, the Great Sage's steam core was just a normal blue color."

"But shortly after the rebellion, it turned dark red."

“We suspect that something… or some kind of force, has influenced him.”

Xia En's heart skipped a beat: "You mean..."

"The God of Steam and Machinery?"

"Probably."

[Iron Fist] nodded: "According to ancient records, the [God of Steam and Machinery] was originally a magnanimous and benevolent being."

"It is also acceptable to tolerate the existence of people without faith or of other faiths."

"But at some point, His teachings suddenly became extreme, requiring all living beings to believe in a mechanical god."

"And that point in time coincided perfectly with the time when the core of the [Great Sage] changed color."

Ann suddenly spoke up: "So, the God of Steam and Machinery may have been corrupted?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Iron Fist's mechanical eyes.

"Pollution? That's a novel idea, but it's certainly possible."

Xia En and An exchanged a glance, and strange thoughts arose in their minds.

Information obtained from the [Dragon's Nest Secret Realm].

Many deities in the Seven Seas World left the Seven Seas World after that divine war and went to the Secret Sea.

In addition, there's the correlation shown in the [Peeping Eyes].

not difficult to see.

The God of Steam and Machinery of the Mechanic Realm and the one of the Seven Seas World are very likely the same deity!
At this moment, the symptoms of this deity's corruption inevitably reminded Xia En of the being who had attempted to corrupt countless [Secret Realms]—

【Dirty Siming】!
However, this is just Xia En's guess.

To determine the truth, more information needs to be gathered.

Shaun continued, "After Lyra—that witch—took the [Shard of God] away, did the [Great Sage] react in any unusual way?"

[Iron Fist] pondered for a moment: "According to our intelligence, [Great Sage] became extremely anxious after that."

"He dispatched all the Templars to search for the witch's whereabouts, even at the cost of exposing some hidden strongholds."

"and……"

He lowered his voice: "There are rumors that the power of the Great Sage is waning."

"This is also why we dare to openly resist."

Just then, a commotion arose at the front of the passage.

"arrive!"

"Iron Fist," he said with exhilaration.

As everyone stepped out of the passage, the view before them suddenly opened up.

This is an underground space that is much larger than the previous outpost.

Beneath the towering metal dome, countless mechanical lifeforms are busily at work.

Some were repairing equipment, some were training combat skills, and others were researching some kind of complex mechanical device.

"Welcome to the headquarters of the Resistance – Wings of Liberty."

"Iron Fist," he proudly introduced.

Xia En looked around and couldn't help but be amazed by the scale of the place.

This isn't some kind of resistance organization; it's practically a complete underground city!
"How long have you been operating here?"

"Nearly a hundred years."

[Iron Fist] explained, "This place was originally a refuge from the old days, and we have been expanding it ever since."

"Now, this place can accommodate tens of thousands of rebels."

He led Shane and the others through the bustling square to a relatively quiet area.

"This is the rest area for VIPs."

"You can rest for a while, I'll go arrange an intelligence meeting."

"We will tell you everything we know later."

Xia En nodded his thanks: "Thank you for your trouble."

After Iron Fist left, the crew members immediately gathered around.

"Captain, do you think they are trustworthy?"

Joey asked in a low voice.

Xia En pondered for a moment: "At least for now, their account matches our observations."

"and……"

He looked at Carlles: "Did you find anything?"

Carles, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

"The mechanical lifeforms here... are quite special."

"Although their steam cores are of different models, they are all kept in a pure state."

"There are no signs of it being forcibly modified by some external force."

Vivian seemed thoughtful: "So, the [Rebel Army] is indeed upholding free will?"

"That's understandable."

Carles nodded.

Ann suddenly said, "But I always feel that things aren't that simple."

"If the God of Steam and Machinery has truly been corrupted, then Lyra's act of taking away the Fragments of God might actually have helped this secret realm."

Xia En frowned slightly: "You mean..."

"I'm wondering if Lyra's act of collecting the fragments of the gods might not be entirely out of the will of the [Blind and Foolish God]?"

An's words made everyone fall into deep thought.

The exact state of Lyra's current situation is a considerable mystery.

Just then, the door to the rest area was pushed open.

[Iron Fist] led several high-ranking rebel leaders in.

"Gentlemen, the intelligence meeting is ready."

"Please come with me."

The group followed [Iron Fist] to a spacious conference room.

A dozen or so rebel leaders sat around the round table. They were all different in appearance, but their eyes shone with a determined light.

"First of all, please allow me, on behalf of the [Rebel Army], to express our sincerest gratitude to everyone."

"Iron Fist," he said solemnly.

"Without your help, our stronghold would likely have been destroyed."

Xia En nodded slightly: "It was no trouble at all." "Now, could you tell us more about the [Great Sage] and the [Fragment of God]?"

A mechanical being with a female body stood up; her voice was soft yet powerful.

"I am Silver Feather, the intelligence chief of the Resistance."

"According to our investigation, the [Fragment of God] is actually the core energy crystallization of the [God of Steam and Machinery]."

"It is not only the source of divine power, but also the key to maintaining the operation of the entire [Intelligent Realm]."

She brought up a set of holographic projections, displaying a complex network of mystical forces.

"Look here, all the mechanical life forms in the [Intelligent Territory] are actually connected to the [Fragment of God] through some kind of invisible link."

"This is also why the Great Sage is able to control all living beings."

Xia En carefully observed the projection and suddenly discovered a key point.

"Wait, this secret energy network... seems to have some kind of regular fluctuation?"

Silver Feather looked at Xia En in surprise: "You have a very keen eye for observation."

"That's right, this fluctuation occurs every 72 hours."

"We call it the 'Pulse of God'."

"During the pulse, the Great Sage's control will be temporarily weakened."

"This is also the best time for us to launch an attack."

After thinking for a moment, Xia En asked.

"I heard that the witch took away a [Fragment of God]."

"But the Great Sage still has considerable control over most AI machines."

Does this mean that there is more than one [Fragment of God]?

Silver Feather nodded: "That's exactly right."

"According to our intelligence, there are three [Fragments of God] in total."

"The witch took only one of them; the remaining two are still kept by the Great Sage in the deepest part of the Central Sanctuary."

A glint of light flashed in Xia En's eyes.

At this moment, he became extremely interested in this so-called "Fragment of God".

Do you have a detailed structural diagram of the Central Cathedral?

Silver Feather and Iron Fist exchanged a glance, then brought up a holographic projection on the table.

"This is intelligence that we have spent decades collecting."

In the projection, a magnificent metal building appears in three dimensions, complete with internal passages, rooms, and defensive facilities.

The Central Cathedral has seven floors.

"The top floor is the residence of the Great Sage and the throne room."

"The sixth floor is the Templars' stronghold."

"The fifth floor is the Hall of Divine Revelation, which is where important ceremonies are held."

"The fourth floor..."

【Silver Feather】explained the function of each floor in detail.

Shane noticed a special mark in the center of the third layer.

What is this place?

"【Shrine Room】."

Silverfeather's voice turned serious: "It is believed that the remaining fragments of God are stored there."

"How's the defense?"

"Extremely meticulous."

[Iron Fist] interjected, "Not only are they heavily guarded, but there are also all sorts of traps and mechanisms."

"The most troublesome thing is that there are also [Sanctuary Angels] there."

"【Sanctuary Angel】?"

Xia En had heard the name "Iron Fist" before and sensed his obvious apprehension.

Hearing him bring it up again now, I couldn't help but feel a little curious.

Iron Fist explained, "The Holy Angels are the most powerful warriors under the command of the Great Sage."

"Even the weakest among them possesses the strength of a seventh-tier legendary!"

"And the strongest of them, the six-winged angel, has power approaching the ninth rank!"

"Ninth rank?!"

Upon hearing this number, Joey couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

In the [Secret Realm] that Xia En and others encountered, there were very few beings with ninth-tier combat power.

And in this [Intelligent Realm], there are mechanical life forms that are close to the ninth rank?
Xia En's expression also turned serious.

With the current strength of the Black Swan crew, dealing with ordinary Templars is naturally a piece of cake.

However, facing the [Sanctuary Angel] would likely be a fierce battle.

Not to mention the unfathomable "Great Sage".

"Do you [Rebels] have any experience dealing with [Sanctuary Angels]?"

Xia En asked in a deep voice.

[Iron Fist] gave a wry smile: "To be honest, we tried to raid the [Shrine Chamber] three times, but each time we were repelled by the [Sanctuary Angels]."

"In the most devastating incident, we lost over a hundred elite soldiers."

"From then on, we could only adopt guerrilla tactics to avoid direct confrontation with the [Sanctuary Angels]."

At that moment, Carles suddenly spoke up.

What are the weaknesses of the [Sanctuary Angels]?

Silver Feather shook her head: "Almost none."

"Their armor is made of a special alloy that can withstand the vast majority of attacks."

"The steam core has been specially reinforced, giving it extremely long endurance."

"and……"

She paused, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes: "They seem to be able to predict the enemy's actions and always strike first."

"Prediction?"

Shaen frowned: "Is it some kind of computing ability?"

"No, it's more like... a kind of intuition."

Silver Feather explained, "We analyzed the combat footage and found that their reaction speed far exceeded the theoretical limit."

"It's like... being able to see into the future."

Xia En was startled.

Can you see into the future?

Why does this ability sound so familiar?

He suddenly recalled the time when he fought alongside Lyra.

Lyra has demonstrated similar abilities.

Could it be that the abilities of the [Sanctuary Angel] are related to Lyra?
Or perhaps it's related to the [Fragment of God] that was taken away?
Xia En pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked.

When is the next [Pulse of God]?

[Silver Feather] checked the data: "Tomorrow at noon."

Shane exchanged a glance with the crew, then looked at Iron Fist.

"We have a plan."

"If the [Rebel Army] is willing to cooperate, we might be able to seize the [Shards of God]."

Shock flashed in Iron Fist's mechanical eyes: "You want to attack the Central Sanctuary?"

"It's not a full-scale attack."

Shaun explained, "It was a precise surprise attack."

"During the [Pulse of God], our team will infiltrate the [Shrine Chamber] and seize the fragments."

"At the same time, the [Rebels] can create disturbances outside the city to distract the [Templars]."

There was silence in the conference room.

The rebel leaders looked at each other, clearly shocked by this audacious plan.