Chapter 397 - 208: Martial Uncle’s Gift

Chapter 397: Chapter 208: Martial Uncle’s Gift

Qin Huaiming raised an eyebrow. "I just hope you don’t get us chewed out by the senior brothers from the other two factions this time."

"Heh heh, this time’s different. Besides, I don’t plan on showing it to them." Gu You’s smug expression deepened. He reached into the bulging leather pouch at his waist and fumbled around for a moment before pulling out an entirely black metal box, about a foot square.

Gu You placed the box on the ground and tapped the runes on its lid in a specific sequence. The runes immediately lit up one by one with a silver halo. A soft CLICK sounded from within, and two seconds later, the box slid open silently, revealing the space inside.

Inside was a dark void, clearly a high-grade storage-type Magical Artifact. With a mere thought, Gu You retrieved a ’body’ from the storage space and gently placed it on the floor.

Yang Wenqing stared intently. It was indeed a body, but it was definitely not human, nor did it belong to any known Demon Race.

It was roughly the size of an adult, its entire form a metallic, silver-gray. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the soft light of the hall. The lines of its torso and limbs were extremely clean, with joints made of exquisite ball-and-socket or hinge structures. Though motionless, one could easily imagine its fluid and precise movements.

Its head had no facial features, just a smooth, curved surface, currently dull and lifeless. In its chest, where a heart should be, was a palm-sized opening. Through the gap, one could see a complex internal structure composed of countless fine pathways of light and unknown materials.

In the very center of this structure floated a gray, walnut-sized crystal, emanating an ineffable aura of vastness and mystery.

"Is this a being from the Outer Realm?" Qin Huaiming recognized it at a glance.

"That’s right!" Gu You rubbed his hands in excitement. "I had a few members of the Yellow Springs Guide who specialize in knowledge of the Exotic Realms appraise it. This thing is a Star God Puppet, created by people from the Outer Realm. See the Star God Core in its chest?"

"This Star God’s ability is creating barriers." He patted the silver-gray metal shell, producing a dull CLANG CLANG.

As he spoke, Gu You extended his left hand. A faint, dark Spiritual Light glowed at his fingertip. He gently touched this point of light to the center of the mechanical puppet’s smooth face.

VMMMM...

An extremely faint hum resonated.

The smooth, silver-gray surface then rippled like water as the contours of a human face swiftly emerged.

Eyebrows, eyes, a nose, and a mouth appeared simultaneously. Even the texture of skin and pores were simulated with lifelike detail. At the same time, the metallic skin all over its body began to undergo a strange transformation, rapidly shifting from cold silver-gray to mimic the color and texture of human flesh. One could even see the faint lines of blood vessels.

Within a few breaths, the naked body of a handsome yet unremarkable adult man lay silently on the floor.

But its vacant, lifeless eyes, and the Star God Core glowing with a gray, stellar light from the small opening in its chest, served as a reminder that it was not truly human.

Yang Wenqing was so stunned by the bizarre transformation he was at a loss for words. Lan Ying flew down from the rafters and landed on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder, regarding the "person" on the floor with a mix of curiosity and wariness.

"So? Pretty amazing, right?"

Gu You pulled back his hand. "The creation techniques of Outer Realm civilizations are truly beyond imagination in some respects."

He pointed to the puppet’s hollow eyes and the core in its chest. "Its native memory and consciousness were wiped by special means by the people who targeted it when it arrived in our world. I went through some... special channels and spent a fortune to get my hands on this relatively intact shell. I’ve already inspected it. The memory residue is zero. It doesn’t even have its most basic operational logic."

Gu You paused, then looked at Qin Huaiming. "We can ask Senior Brother Lu to take a look and double-check it, just to make sure it’s completely clean. Then... we can inject it with a preset memory and personality. For example, a loyal guard, a silent attendant, or even a companion that simulates a specific personality."

"That way, it can live just like a normal person. A lot of the great clans and Overseas Loose Cultivators like to process captured Outer Realm puppets this way. Especially the female ones, heh heh..."

He gave a couple of ambiguous, low chuckles, but then his tone shifted, and his expression turned serious. "However, I don’t recommend doing that."

"Why not?" Yang Wenqing asked instinctively.

"Because human nature—or let’s call it ’will’—is something that is independent and grows."

Gu You’s flippant expression vanished. "If you inject it with a memory and personality, no matter how perfect or loyal the initial programming is, its consciousness will begin to evolve and grow on that foundation as soon as it starts interacting with the world."

"You can’t predict exactly what it will become. Loyalty could turn into paranoia, silence into sullenness. It might even encounter some information or stimulus that awakens some underlying fragments that weren’t completely wiped, leading to unforeseen changes. Keeping something like that around is dangerous. For you especially, Nephew Wenqing, the risks outweigh the rewards in your current situation."

His words made it clear he intended to give the puppet to Yang Wenqing.

Qin Huaiming nodded, clearly agreeing with Gu You’s assessment. "Senior Brother is absolutely right. ’Those not of our kind are sure to have different hearts.’ This is even more true for a creation so completely alien to us. Rather than risk cultivating an uncontrollable companion, it’s better to maximize its value in other ways."