Poverty makes me capable of anything.

The two shields finally shattered, but something strange happened. The moment Ella stood in front of them, the barrage of bullets stopped, and even the half-open door next to them went silent.

"..."

An Ran paused for a moment: "Ella, step aside first."

By this time, she had reactivated her shield; the impact had caused her to lose one-tenth of her energy.

Sure enough, as soon as Ella stepped aside, the barrage of bullets began again.

After several rounds of this, the hidden defense system, which had been concealing itself, seemed to have finally adapted to Ella's rhythm and eventually stopped resisting.

Since there's no way to get past Ella and kill Anran, this "little devil," then let's just give up.

"There shouldn't be any problems now, right?" An Ran looked at the closed door and the vanished gun barrel with suspicion.

"Anran, Anran, why don't we try again?"

"Alright."

An Ran had some guesses. This dungeon was related to the Mechanical Church from hundreds of years ago. After sensing Aila, it made many strange reactions. In other words, the ancient essence might be related to the ancestors of the Mechanical Church.

However, this speculation seems a bit excessive. The top-tier combat power demonstrated by the Mechanicus is even inferior to that of the Pirate Princess, and the quality of the Ancient Essence has already surpassed what Anran knew.

Why worry so much? Let's take it slow.

Ella walked straight to the door.

click -

The door opened automatically.

A robot appeared behind the door.

Level 60.

Its appearance has a strong metallic luster and a height of over 2 meters, making it much more imposing than the short robots Anran made.

The robot did not make any move after seeing Ella, but its reddened eyes indicated that it had been activated.

He's simply the strongest and cutest bodyguard.

Almighty Ella!

As expected of a hidden character from the planet she was born on, the foodie An Qianqian must be more than just a simple character.

Afterwards, Anran and Ella arrived at a control panel without any problems. The control panel was located in the underground room behind the mech.

when.

The door closed automatically, but nothing terrifying happened.

Instead, the room instantly transformed into a "starry sky".

"Welcome to the City of Ether." It was a gentle female voice.

"What is your relationship with the Mechanical Church?" Anran asked.

With an endless starry sky beneath her feet, An Ran was reminded of the moment she had experienced in the trailer.

"No comment."

“(*￣︿￣)”

Damn it, if the rejection is so stiff, what kind of welcome is that?

"What is your relationship with the Mechanicus?" This time it was Ella who repeated the question.

“Reporting to the Lord of the Spirits, the City of Ether was established by my master, Tanhe.”

His voice suddenly became respectful and gentle.

○|￣|_

After Aurora's explanation, Tan He and An Ran learned that this was the real name of Tindas, the founder of the Mechanical Church, a figure who lived nearly a thousand years ago.

"Ether" is a core term of the Mechanicus.

As for the other term, "Spirit Lord," An Ran was somewhat puzzled.

"What does 'Spirit Lord' mean? Do you know Ella's background?"

"No comment!"

Damn! (Naglia dialect)

"I'm speechless," Anran decided, deciding to stop talking and let Ella ask through the special channel.

Based on Ella's questioning, she learned the following information.

Without Ella, a normal person would have to go through multiple trials to enter this place. First, they would have to pass through the "figure" formation, and then...

Needless to say, it's definitely going to be very difficult.

After that, people entering the underground space will no longer be harassed. After a conversation with "Tan Tang" (AI), a plot will be triggered, and then the quest "Underground Exploration" will be completed.

A total of 1500 million experience points have been accumulated as a reward.

An Ran skipped many of the previous stages and, although she gained 1500 million experience points, she lost control of the dungeon.

However, this is not a problem, as Tan Tang has already transferred some control to Ella.

Ella has already had close contact with her, so a 100% favorability rating isn't some fake value that can be arbitrarily adjusted.

As for the Spirit Lord, this was a prophecy made by Tan He in the past.

The relationship between the Spirit Lord and the Etheric Soul is very close; if you meet the Spirit Lord, you must be extremely respectful.

Thus, Tan Tangguo transformed into a sycophantic AI, treating An Ran coldly, but answering every question Ella asked, and her voice seemed to have changed.

Damn it.

Even AI is acting like a sycophant; what kind of world is this?

But one thing is certain: although Tan Tang doesn't know what the Spirit Lord is, the Ancient Essence is an existence comparable to the Ether Soul that Tan He worships.

That is a mystery at the star field level or above.

Based on levels, it's as high as level 200 or above.

It can easily crush the surrounding forces that have barely climbed to the star sector level.

[I picked up a daughter (wife), and she can enter and leave a star sector-level power seven times. What should I do?]

[Screw your bragging and get lost!]

“By opening this box, you can gain control of the entire Ether City.” Tan Tang’s illusory figure took several steps back, and then a box appeared where she had been standing.

The box floating in the void was painted with various patterns as always, but what was a bit abrupt was that the box did not look like a technological product at all.

After seeing the robots and mechs outside, An Ran didn't think Tan He had a problem with his aesthetic sense. On the contrary, he must be a rather flamboyant person, otherwise he wouldn't have given the AI ​​such a name.

The Mechanicus's "juvenile style" was created by him alone.

This box was neither mechanical nor childish; in fact, it even struck An Ran as eerie.

"Tan Tang, how do we open this box?"

"Just erase the runes next to it."

"Tan Tang, what will happen if we open this box?"

"Once this box is opened, the void &$&% dark engraving #%$..."

However, as she was speaking, Tan Tang's figure was suddenly cut off, and what came out was a mix of noise and Nagorno-Karabakh dialect.

The program has malfunctioned!

An Ran stared wide-eyed in surprise.

The starry sky disappeared, and Anran and Ella "returned" to the room, where the box remained.

It took Tan Tang quite some time to recover.

Anran, a diligent student who loved to explore, made her decision.

Keep asking.

"Cemetery#%$..."

Void, graveyard, hidden engraving.

Excluding the mahjong term "concealed triplets," the other two words are surprisingly related to the Void Abyss in the center of Paradise, also known as the Graveyard of the Void, the end of the Grand Line, and a place with strange rumors.

After repeated attempts, Tan Tang was almost driven crazy by Ella.

"In short, this box can't be opened, so it's definitely not something good," An Ran concluded.

Tan Tang was perfectly normal when asked other questions, but she became suspicious when it came to the box.

"It might be infected with a virus. This box is something you shouldn't touch."

“Hmm, how about we add a few more locks to the outside of this box?” Ella suggested.

"good idea!"

"stop!"

Just as An Ran was about to take action, a voice suddenly rang in her mind.

Vague and ethereal, its origin unknown.

Who are you?

"Me? You don't need to know who I am. Just open this box and I will give you endless benefits."

“Why should I believe you?” An Ran retorted.

“I have the power! If you’re after wealth, I can make you richer than the emperor of this new empire. If you crave power, I can easily elevate you to what you call a master, as long as you help me open this box.”

How strong are you?

"According to your rough assessment, my strength is at least at the Grandmaster level!" the voice said proudly.

"..."

An Ran fell silent; she had assumed it would be a terrifying level of power.

Are grandmasters really that awesome?