Im Not A Demon Lord's

Chapter 4's

Elizabeth stepped cautiously into the fog.

As soon as his body entered the fog, the nano-electronic sensors installed under his skin immediately returned the data set.

Relative humidity: 90 percent.

Composition of fog: dihydrogen monoxide, which is a water molecule.

So this is just pure fog? Elizabeth furrowed her brows with concentration. “Then why..”.

“... does all equipment installed outside my body not work?”

As a human cyborg warrior, Elizabeth's body has undergone a special transformation.

It is equipped with the most advanced detection equipment. From top to toe, he was tightly sealed with various sensors, and he had an advanced private quantum core attached to his brain.

In theory, he could identify even Diablo information.

But now, all the peripheral sensors in his body were acting as if they were not functioning.

As for the biological cells in his body, they felt as if they were being cooped up by something.

The moment he entered the fog, the laser blade protruding from his arm was automatically pulled.

The nano-biomechanical armor that covered his entire body had also been withdrawn entirely.

He had once again switched from battle mode to standby mode.

It looks like only the quantum nucleus embedded under its cerebral cortex and some other nano-organ unrelated to the discord is still in operation.

Elizabeth's eyes could see that at the boundary of the thick fog there seemed to be a light source similar to a lamp, which pulsed between light and dark.

After pondering for a moment, he followed the light, moving forward.

A few steps in, his feet came into contact with something.

Elizabeth leaned over and picked up the thing.

It was the drone he had used just now.

However, the four-winged drone has returned to being a watch.

Tiktok, tiktok, watch hands move slowly.

Placing it back on her wrist, Elizabeth continued forward.

Suddenly, he felt his feet stepping on something soft.

Bowing again, Elizabeth looked at the object with the help of a watch lamp.

It was a collection of flesh and blood that quickly rusted and evaporated like melting snow.

From the remaining outer lines, he could vaguely see the original appearance of this bloody lump of flesh. It was a descendant of the Moon Demon that looked like a bison.

This formidable Moon Demon bloodline was being rotted away by an inexplicable force amidst this thick fog.

In a few seconds, it had melted and evaporated, not even leaving behind its feathers and bones.

Only a slippery crystal the size of a goose egg remained on the ground.

Elizabeth took it and carefully carried it into her arms.

This is precisely the treasure that humanity has been searching for diligently and tirelessly: The Quartz of Diablo.

It was a powerful crystal that only existed in a few Diablo descendants.

It was also a source of energy for the control center of the Doomsday Fortress of mankind.

A Diablo Quartz of this size could sustain the operation of a large fort for a year.

Therefore, its value cannot be measured.

Holding it carefully, Elizabeth continued to pursue the light source.

Finally, he reached where the light source was.

He looks around. A building made of red brick and blue tiles appeared amidst the thick fog.

The old walls are covered in dust. A plaque appeared before Elizabeth's eyes.

The character surprised him. “This is... Chinese characters..”.

He can read this character.

Its quantum core includes templates from most of the world's major texts and languages.

This template was necessary to facilitate communication with possible survivors he had met outside the fortress.

Unfortunately, there is no chance to use it.

“Qiyuan .. Book Store ..” Elizabeth looks at the dusty plaque. He looked glum, but continued to step forward firmly, gently opening the door that seemed to be made of glass.

…

As expected, after drinking the water that had been soaked in those leaves, Ling PingAn dominated the game.

In three games in a row, he won regardless of circumstances.

No matter how slovenly his teammates were or how strong his opponent was, Ling PingAn could turn foul and foul into rare and refined, crippling all his opponents directly.

He was able to bring along four of his incriminating teammates with ease.

This prompted Ling PingAn to make another cup of tea from these leaves.

Holding the tea in his hand as he drank it, he unhurriedly sat down on the chair at the counter.

At this moment, he heard the sound of a shop door opening. He raised his head on the table and saw who entered the shop.

He saw a foreign woman with blond hair and blue eyes pushing the door open and entering.

He looked to be around 23 or 24 years old. He was probably no older than Ling PingAn.

Ling PingAn noticed that he was wearing clothes that seemed to be worn by characters in science fiction movies. He looks very futuristic.

“Science fiction fans..?” Ling PingAn thought.

Therefore, he asked with a smile, “Nona ... do you want to buy a book?”

…

Elizabeth opened the glass door and entered.

As soon as he entered the door, he gulped.

In front of his eyes, there was a space that was not too big.

Some strange people were sitting behind a table that seemed to be made of wood.

He was thin, without much muscle, and his entire face seemed to be shrouded in mist, making it difficult for others to see him clearly.

Seeing him enter, the strange man stood up.

Inside his murky eye sockets at the head part in the mist, a hint of starlight was quietly flashing.

On one hand, it seemed like he was expecting it. He asked Elizabeth, “Nona .. do you want to buy a book?”

This sentence fell on Elizabeth's ear. The quantum nucleus in his brain suddenly began operating under an overloaded condition.

Because there are many facts and examples.

Any human who comes into contact with a Diablos or similar being will be distorted by the ripples produced by language, consciousness, or even the contact they have with them.

Therefore, from time to time, humanity has paid a heavy price, and humans have had to choose to symbiose with machines.

They have to implant biochemical machines into their bodies.

They had to implant a quantum nucleus into their brain and undergo a Mind Mechanization Procedure.

This is done for the sake of isolating and filtering the Diablos pheromones, to protect themselves.

After the quantum core completed its calculations in this overloaded state, Elizabeth finally got the best answer.

He nodded gently and activated the language template. Using his electronic voice cable, he said, “Halo, what book do you have here?”

…

“Halo, what book do you have here?” The cold and robotic voice caused Ling PingAn to frown.

“One of those cosplay fanatics?” Ling PingAn looked at the foreign woman in front of him.

Her face could be classed as a beautiful melon shape that matched the public's aesthetics.

His only criticism is that he's a little too fair.

His blue eyes did not look like humans. They have a texture like metal.

His pointed nose seemed to give off an incredible sense of craftsmanship.

“It could be her makeup, I guess.” thought Ling PingAn.

In addition, his physique was also almost too high.

Its height is about the same as Ling PingAn, about 5’8″ according to conservative estimates.

Its long, slender legs have a nice shape and are very beautiful.

Looking at the clothes he was wearing, Ling PingAn smiled to himself. He knew that this girl was rolling around in it.

From the style of his outfit, Ling PingAn guessed that he must be a new player in the game “Stellaris”.

Incidentally, this bookstore has stock of some official artwork from the game “Stellaris”.

“When luck is on my side, I can't even keep it from me!” Ling PingAn was overjoyed.

He asked, “Nona, did you choose Synthetic Ascension?”

…

“Nona, do you choose Synthetic Ascension?”

Listening to the question from the freak in front of her, Quantum Core Elizabeth started rumbling frantically.

The bottom line carried countless case records, and each of those bloody tragedies was displayed before him.

Those cases all tell humanity the ultimate truth: When faced with questions about the Diablos or an existence that should not be contacted, do not answer! Don't answer! Don't answer!

Because for any answer, during the slightest deviation, it can lead to unpredictable results.

However, he could not just keep quiet.

Because in the face of Diablo, silence is futile.

They can easily see through the human mind and spy on their original thoughts.

Many people thought that everything about them was normal after meeting Diablo.

However, the results often become tragic.

Therefore, on the one hand, one should not directly answer their questions, lest he step into an unexpected dangerous situation.

However, on the other hand, one must figure out a way to deal with the entity and gradually discover the logic behind their behavior.

Only then can one have a chance to survive.

“Synthetic Increases?” Carefully following the plans made by Quantum Core, Elizabeth turned on her electronic vocal cords and asked questions.

…

“Ya!” Ling PingAn looked at the unknown foreign woman in front of him and asked very kindly, “Or did you not choose Synthetic Ascension?

“Which path do you choose? Psionic Ascension? Genetic Ascensions? “

Against this overly obsessed childish cosplayer, Ling PingAn made no distinction, not at all.

Because in this bookstore, all customers are God.

Especially now when business is getting harder.

If he could not think of a way to sell some books, he feared it would be difficult for him to cheat on the subsidy for the next month.

The Federal Empire is not stupid.

Could they continue to subsidize bookstores that are constantly losing money and have no income…?

…

“Or did you choose Synthetic Ascension?

“Which path do you choose? Psionic Ascension? Genetic Ascensions? “

Elizabeth's surprise is on the rise.

Synthetic Ascension, Psionic Ascension, Genetic Ascension …

Three terms he had never heard.

The quantum core is constantly heating up.

Finally, after careful cutting and calculation, the core gave him a choice.

Seeing that choice, Elizabeth fell silent.

“So ..” He thinks. “... core has chosen to sacrifice me or make me a test subject?”

A quantum core has been installed in his brain.

After his death, the core would automatically disintegrate on its own.

Furthermore, the key information stored in its core would reappear in the control center of the Doomsday Fortress through quantum entanglement.

Today, most of the knowledge that mankind has about Diablos or similar existences has been acquired through this method.

After hesitating for only three seconds, Elizabeth chose to follow the core advice.

Because he and the humans had no other choice.

“Can you tell me about Synthetic Ascension, Psionic Ascension, and Genetic Ascension?” A vibrato occurs in his electronic vocal cords for the first time.

…

Customer demand, of course, is Ling PingAn's big commission.

For Ling PingAn, who had sworn to become the future book giant of the Federal Empire, this was also a way for him to get used to and understand the details of all the books in his shop.

Therefore, he had read most of the books in this bookstore.

So, of course, Ling PingAn replied with a smile, “Sure!

“Synthetic Ascension is about embracing machines and leaving a fragile biological body in motion towards an enchanting world, forged from steel.

“The meat is weak, but the steel is eternal!

“With absolute reasoning, absolute materialism, and absolute rationality, you will march towards a bright future and embark on a journey to a sea of stars!”

…

The flesh is weak, but the steel is eternal!

Its quantum core is under extreme overload.

Computing speeds are soaring to the highest level ever.

Elizabeth was amazed at the future depicted in these words that seemed like a heavenly truth.

“With absolute reasoning, absolute materialism, and absolute rationality, march towards a bright future, embark on a journey towards a sea of stars.”.

He pondered what the freak said, “Isn't this the hope of mankind and the blueprint for the future?”

The earth is now full of holes and has become a paradise for Diablos.

The Solar System has been completely destroyed.

The sun has become the lair of Diablos.

Jupiter and Saturn have become sacred lands for the children and henchmen of the Diablos to breed.

The Moon has been taken over by the giant Diablo Spider, named Dark Side of the Moon.

Humanity could only endure their weak existence within the Doomsday Fortress and fight on as they relied on biochemical machinery.

Therefore, if humans wanted to survive and continue to live, wouldn't the scene described by this freak be their only hope?

Elizabeth doesn't care about anything. He clasped the strange man's hand tightly and pleaded, “Can you guide me and humanity towards this great path?”

…

Ling PingAn looked at the excited foreign woman in front of him.

A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Following the tone of the Synthetic Ascension supporter he saw on the gaming forum, he said, “My son, I will never refuse your request.

“The fragile and weak human body will surely become the shortcomings and shortcomings of mankind.

“Only through human machine can last forever!”

Yeah, but what if he chooses Psionic Ascension or Genetic Ascension?

He just swapped the word “machine” for Spirit Power or genes. Everything is generally the same.

“I will take you to the sanctuary of truth and ascend to the heaven of machine,” Ling PingAn continued.

…

“My son…

“I will take you to the holy place of truth and ascend to heaven machine.”

The voice of the strange person sounded holy and majestic.

Although Elizabeth had received the Mind Mechanization Procedure, she remained excited.

Therefore, she bowed deeply to him, “I'm counting on you!”

At the same time, he secretly gave instructions to his quantum core, “Initialization Plan A.”

The so-called Plan A is the emergency self-destruction of the backup files.

That gives authority to the point that if he faces a possible life-threatening situation, the, it would soon self-destruct and start a quantum entanglement program to send information back to the quantum control center in the Doomsday Fortress.

The point was to quickly accept his instructions.

Hence, Elizabeth had no more fear in her.

He raised his head and looked at the strange person in front of him. Step by step, he walked towards the dark, distorted, and unfathomable space.

The space was as deep and murky as a black hole.

At the edge of space, the asphalt-like liquid crept slowly.

In the boundless abyss, there seemed to be a pair of ferocious eyes, opening and closing again and again.

This place is like the void where Diablos was born, full of mystery, the unknown, distortion, and madness.

…

Ling PingAn walked to the back of the bookstore, found the science fiction section, and looked at the books one by one.

Finally, he found the book he was looking for.

A bright smile appeared on his face, “Finally, there is hope for me to sell this book.”

He dropped the book.

It was a heavy book and a lot of it.

His book name is “Stellaris: Settings for Synth Ascension”.

It was the official artbook of the most popular science fiction game today, “Stellaris”, which is available on the market.

In the book there are many beautiful illustrations of the game.

More importantly, there are official and authoritative interpretations as well as the introduction of Synthetic Ascension.

That is a must read for beginners who have chosen the Synthetic Ascension path.

Judging from her appearance, this foreign woman must be a beginner who immediately followed the game after she played it.

This official artwork will surely be liked by him.

Of course, the most important thing for him was the price:.

It was one of the highest priced books in Ling PingAn's shop.

And at the same time, it was his most profitable book.

If he could sell it, he would get at least half of the profit.

“If this deal works... tomorrow morning, I can ask Aunt Cai to give me an extra bowl of Douhua ..” Thinking about sweet Douhua, Ling PingAn becomes full of fighting spirit.

And thus he carried this tome with both his hands and walked towards the foreign customer who was waiting at the counter.

******

[TL – Douhua: Chinese snacks made with very soft tofu. Also referred to as tofu pudding or soy pudding. ]