CHAPTER 362: CHAPTER 5: GREASEHEAD_2

She looked at Bert standing before her, with a faint smile on her face, and said, "Who is this?"

Someone snatching business right before her eyes?

The F46 district has just begun immigration, with currently only a hundred thousand people, poised to grow to over five hundred thousand. She was preparing to make a bold move and open up the market.

It’s a time when various forces haven’t carved out their territories yet; getting a head start would mean quicker success later.

Don’t they understand ’first come, first served’?

Bert caught the faint smell of engine oil under the perfume she used to cover it, his gaze lingering momentarily on her full bosom, seeming pensive. No wonder he couldn’t persuade Duncan; people from the Mechanical Divine Sect don’t play fair, using beauty to lure such young and vigorous men.

Who could resist that?

He presumed Tassia was from the Mechanical Divine Sect because that smell of mechanical holy oil was way too familiar. As an esoteric practitioner on the natural side, his sense of smell was keener than most, and she couldn’t cover the scent of machinery.

Duncan seemed to notice the change in Bert’s expression, sidestepped from under Tassia’s arm, and said flatly, "Just a friend."

He wasn’t quite used to her overly familiar demeanor.

Are we that close?

They had only met two or three times. There’s no need to act so chummy and close, as if they were intimate. If she weren’t non-hostile, Duncan would have instinctively countered.

And that oily smell on you is overwhelming!

Bert glanced at Duncan, nodded slightly, and turned toward his room. He despised dealing with those reeking of machinery; just the smell of engine oil made him uncomfortable. As an esoteric practitioner on the natural side living in the steel jungle, it was a sorrowful existence, and if not for the necessity of finding talent to carry on the esoteric teachings, he would have preferred to stay in the deserted and harsh radiation deserts.

In the Mysterious Era, some of these transcendent beings didn’t even use metal due to their fundamentalist roots.

Bert had gradually modernized the esoteric teachings with time. His marksmanship was exceptional, able to transform ten fingers into vines at a moment’s notice, maneuvering ten firearms simultaneously at his limit.

Many spells from the Mysterious Era were abandoned; by the time you finished casting, the enemy would have already emptied a magazine on you.

The Esoteric Practitioners pursued efficiency, instant casting, and stealth.

Tassia watched Bert’s departing figure, leaned closer to Duncan’s ear, and whispered, "Esoteric Practitioner? A branch of the Natural Sect?"

"They’re just relics of the past."

"Not all that strong."

This woman raised an eyebrow and said, "It would be better to find some formidable mercenaries than to cooperate with them."

"Moreover, they always shun technology."

"Believing that nature was destroyed by the abuse of technology, we’d be lucky if they don’t create more trouble."

Duncan brushed her arm away; the weight of her ample bosom on his shoulder felt oppressive. Tassia’s skin, though smooth and fair, felt greasy to the touch.

How should I put it?

You’ve heard of skincare products women used in the past, right? Duncan thought Tassia might have used engine oil as a skin moisturizer!

Moreover, her skin was so slick it seemed like it had been waxed, polished, and depilated.

Even though she bore the mark of a rebel, her power seemed to align with that of the Mechanical Divine Sect. Even her sweat had that sticky, oily feel, appearing like sweat but feeling like lubricant to the touch.

This was a transformation from the inside out, with bodily functions already differing from ordinary people.

Duncan looked at her unemotionally and asked, "What brings you to me this time?"

Tassia shrugged off his indifferent attitude, folding her arms below her chest with a puzzled look and said, "Wasn’t it supposed to be about working together with you?"

"Did he try to convert you?"

"Don’t believe him! The Esoteric Practitioners have no future."

"Their own lineage is on the brink of extinction."

"Of course."

"If you ever decide to dabble in tricks and magic, you might as well learn from them."

Tassia’s attitude was rather condescending; those involved in machinery look down on Esoteric Practitioners because many of them only reach the level of mere tricksters. The sparks they fiddle with don’t even match an electric baton.

Duncan remained unfazed and said to the woman before him, "Could you squat down first?"

Tassia looked puzzled but complied, squatting with her head raised quizzically, "Why do you want me to squat down?"

Duncan looked down at her and said calmly, "I’m not used to talking to someone with my head tilted upward."

Doesn’t the Emperor care about his dignity?

Tassia looked a bit speechless but went along, sitting down as she joked, "Don’t worry, you’ll grow taller one day."

"Have you given any thought to our collaboration?"

Duncan nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "We can give it a try."

"However—"

"At the very least, show me some skill first."

Skill?

Tassia placed her arms below her chest and slightly lifted them, instantly showcasing her ample assets, nearly bursting her tank top.

Duncan’s eye twitched slightly; it had been a long time since he encountered someone like this.

Anya wasn’t nearly as bold as she was.

Upon noticing the change in Duncan’s expression, Tassia gradually grew serious and said slowly, "I have prepared more than ten people, all skilled hands, with all the necessary tools ready."

"As soon as the Defender Army of the Mechanical Divine Sect withdraws, we can explore the underground ruins."

"Moreover, we are working on getting a legal license."

"With a pioneer license, other matters would become much easier to handle."

The pioneer license was akin to having the status of a mercenary.

The Underground Nest City wasn’t filled with countless adventure stories. People risked their lives for wealth, and having an official status eased the process for subsequent supplies and exchanges.

Looking at the woman before him, Duncan spoke slowly, "Were you once a Mechanical Priest too?"

Tassia was quite surprised but nodded candidly, "Yes."

"However, I was expelled from the sect."

No wonder she had that mechanical sect smell all over her.

Duncan curiously asked, "Expelled? Why?"

Tassia seemed eager to gain Duncan’s trust, pondering before she spoke, "I hail from the D36 district, where they chiefly served the Insight Angel."

"My Mechanical Tutor was obsessed with human modification."

"He wanted to insert tubes into me, remove my spine, and equip some bizarre devices."

"But I refused."

"So I was stripped of my status and driven out of the Insight Seeker Sect."

Seeing Duncan’s slightly puzzled expression, Tassia asked curiously, "Have you always lived in the Steel Angels’ parish?"

"No wonder!"

"People who serve the Steel Angels are relatively normal."

"They may be rigid, but they’re obsessed with cultivating the body into a machine, not relying on external mechanical modifications."

From Tassia’s words, Duncan learned something about the other sects.

Followers of the Steel Angel belonged to the Combat Cultivation Sect, not caring much about mechanical calculations. Their aim was to cultivate the body into a machine, transforming into literal steel and iron, ultimately merging one’s entire being with the power of the Mechanical God.

The top-tier members of the Steel Angel sect were known as ’Mechanicians,’ appearing human but, in essence, already mechanical constructs.

As for the Insight Seeker Sect, they revered computational abilities and pursued technological monopoly, requiring massive memory and capacity, which human bodies couldn’t accommodate. Thus, they began mechanical modifications early on, starting with implanting data segment interfaces and gradually removing internal flesh organs to imbue more mechanical components and constructed prosthetics.

Ultimately, after replacing the brain with a mechanical one, they earned the new title of ’Alpha Apostle.’

Within the numerous sects of the Mechanical Divine Sect, the Steel Angel sect was considered a maverick.

But they were formidable.

The followers of the Steel Angel sect were powerful, with rich battle experience, resembling living regenerative metals. Though their computational skills lagged behind other sects, they could later develop into humanoid giants. In secret conflicts with other mechanical sects, Steel Angel followers rarely suffered losses.

.........