CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 5: MECHANICAL BRAIN

Boom!

A massive pyramid appeared in Shawn’s mind.

Reality! Illusion! Spirit Realm!

A tree-shaped pyramid constructed on three support points rose, with twelve levels. The higher it went, the smaller the space, and the more obscure and profound the contained mystical knowledge became. The Primitive Magic Power within Shawn began to stir, then submitted to it. An immense torrent of knowledge surged, directly suppressing the mystical knowledge in Shawn’s mind.

This tree-shaped pyramid represented the twelve-ring spell limit of the Casting Path.

There was once someone who wanted to gather all the powers of the Casting Path to oppose the ancient unnameable.

But they did not expect that the living knowledge would turn the computer that carried everything into a forbidden Sealed Object.

This is the number 1 Sealed Object of the real world—the Mechanical Brain!

........

"Number 1 Sealed Object—the Mechanical Brain."

"Origin: A powerful Sealed Object left from the Dark Era, created by a Demigod of the Alchemy Path. Once provided ’computational power’ support when the seventy-two Great Sages built the ’Clockwork Nirvana Twelve Realms’, possessing a tree-like network of all Casting Paths, supposedly recording the twelve-ring spells of the Dark Era. An unnameable illusion, a carrier of Activated Knowledge."

"Danger level: Extremely dangerous, above Angel Rank, suspected to be an Ancient Evil."

"Confidentiality level: Top secret."

"Sealed Object Traits: Suppresses all Activated Knowledge within its range, seals spell abilities of all Casting Paths below Legendary destiny, can connect to the underlying computational power of the ’Clockwork Nirvana Twelve Realms’, enabling a regional Forbidden Magic Domain. Other abilities unknown. This Sealed Object is an Ancient Evil level Illusory Creation."

"Forbidden price: Only specific existences can activate and use this Sealed Object, others who approach and touch it will have their knowledge bound, possibly instantly burning the knowledge in their brains, effect equivalent to ’Idiocy Spell’ of the Wizard Path, only Miracle Level spells can restore."

"Observer’s record 1: A few powerful Sealed Objects with relatively low activation cost, occasionally a fortunate one receives a gift of knowledge, but most contacts become permanently idiotic."

"Observer’s record 2: It is possible to forcibly activate and use part of the Sealed Object’s abilities, but at the cost of brain death."

"Observer’s record 3: Contact with Otherworld souls might awaken the target."

........

Shawn saw a gigantic net.

It was the teleportation nodes spread throughout the territory of the Dorne Kingdom. The Mechanical Brain connected human miracles in some way, and under its immense computational power, all teleportation nodes connecting to the real world were marked off.

Then, Shawn saw some grayish light spots, so abrupt as if they were dust-covered light bulbs.

"Coordinates 152, 210." Shawn involuntarily uttered a sound.

It was a cold, emotionless mechanical voice.

In a secret room.

The cables connecting Shawn’s head and flesh nerves retracted, and after the needle-like wires were withdrawn, a thin trickle of blood oozed from Shawn’s skin.

However, he did not feel any discomfort; on the contrary, the mystical knowledge in Shawn’s brain began to become active, akin to ’Electrotherapy’, the active mystical knowledge started to further digest the content of ’Reading Magic’ memory, allowing him to quickly complete further analysis of the stored knowledge in his brain with a comprehension exceeding that of ordinary humans.

Primitive Magic Power was surging.

The Extraordinary Essence within Shawn further digested, seemingly adding a bit more to the limit of Primitive Magic Power on its original basis.

This couldn’t be determined for sure because the mystical knowledge felt itself brimming with ’Wisdom’ at this moment.

Shawn suspected the knowledge had gone mad.

By the time Shawn came back to himself, he had already been led out of the secret room by the Tomb Guardian.

The tall woman before him was staring intently at Shawn, with a restrained expression but an unmistakable hint of shock, she spoke in a deep voice, "Do not tell anyone outside about your identity and origins."

"And definitely do not disclose anything related to ’Foreigners’.

Shawn nodded silently.

The Tomb Guardian should have a similar status to the Butcher, and if the Butcher trusted her to escort him back and forth, it meant she was trustworthy. On this point, Shawn chose to trust the Butcher.

The Tomb Guardian nodded softly, holding the Glowing Lantern in hand, "Let’s go."

"You can’t stay long here."

"They’ve caught your scent and are growing thirsty."

They?

Those Sealed Objects?

Shawn felt like a delicacy to some monsters, especially those Evil Objects related to the unnameable illusion, who coveted his body.

A ray of sunlight appeared.

Shawn found himself once again in the office; Doctor Enid came to give him a physical examination, doing a simple disinfection of the wounds. She asked nothing, only turned back to look at Shawn once before she left.

A Night Watcher is also a keeper of secrets; people here knew better than to ask what shouldn’t be asked.

Soon enough.

A stern-looking middle-aged man came in; looking at the resting Shawn, he said, "The enemy’s location is already found."

"Rarely has there been such a large-scale operation in these years."

"You should come along too."

Large-scale?

The word unexpectedly gave Shawn a bit of unease.

The defense of the real world had always been passive; they needed to fend off the invasion of bizarre beings and erase their traces, preserving the order of the real world. This understanding upheld the foundation of reality; should ordinary people learn the truth of the world, madness and despair would spread like a plague, attracting even more bizarre beings to invade.

The middle-aged man before him opened a box and handed a unique silver Badge to Shawn: "Carry it with you. Don’t lose it."

"Go report to Captain Benjamin."

"You’ll act with his Night Watcher Squad."

A Curios.

However, the mystical knowledge offered no answers; only a vague judgment.

——"A token of the Night Watchers, a Badge with special functions."

Shawn met Benjamin on the second floor, in a completely enclosed room, alongside him was the Mystic Scholar Gemma, whom he had met once before. She was holding a staff, seemingly preferring to opt for a staff over a Magic Staff for less conspicuousness among today’s Casters.

Benjamin, William, Daisy, Gemma, Shawn.

The five gathered.

Daisy playfully winked at Shawn from the side, mouthing, "Welcome back."

A faint mist appeared.

In this totally enclosed room, a two-meter-high standing mirror suddenly seemed covered in a layer of dust. Alongside this, swirling marks emerged, with tearing spatial ripples, some sneaky reflections appeared on the mirror surface.

"Be careful."

"Don’t look around; we have to pass through the Mirror Gate," Gemma’s low voice sounded.

With those words, she stepped in first.

William followed closely, then Daisy, Benjamin motioned to Shawn, letting him go first.

"A Teleportation Gate?" Shawn mused silently.

In the grayish mist, Shawn appeared to see another world; he tried his best to calm his mind, but due to his entry, some eerie changes occurred around the mirror. Pale arms stretched out from the mist, instinctively trying to grab the present Shawn.

A brilliant silver Flowing Light streaked through.

Benjamin’s figure appeared, following right behind, slashing through a dozen of these pale arms, which upon severing, dissipated into gray gas without a trace of blood.

........