Shadow of the Beautiful World

Doomsday Volcano, the edge of the Mechanical Palace.

The just-resurrected omnic Scourge was standing there like a statue.

From here, you can see the scenery of the entire wasteland hell, which of course requires excellent eyesight.

For a robot whose eyes can change focal lengths constantly, field of view isn't a problem.

The black mountains at the end of this wasteland, and the demons flying along the River Styx are also vivid.

I've never seen anything like this.

He whispered:

It's a strange, indescribable sight.

No way?

Merlin's voice came from behind omnic, he said:

Whether it's Optimus Prime or Shockwave, they have all traveled through the stars. In the endless sea of ​​stars, aren't there many barren worlds?

But that's just pure desolation.

Scourge leaned slightly towards the man floating beside him, and then replied in a respectful voice:

Simple desolation and the despair emanating from the inside out are not the same concept.

In my memory, I have seen worlds that died when their stars were extinguished; I have also seen wasteland crushed by asteroids with my own eyes; I even left footprints on Mars.

The omnic paused, and said:

But those places, those scenery, are different from your homeland.

Desperate?

Merlin didn't get angry, or lose his composure, because of the omnic's comment.

He just said:

You've only been here for a day, and you've already learned the truth about this wasteland? Should I praise you for being smart? Or should I say you're sharp?

neither.

The omnic blinked suddenly, and he said to Merlin:

I just met a lady named Hope, she briefly told me the story of this hell, about the past of this wasteland, it was used as a cage for those fallen evil souls who had nowhere to go, A prison that can never be released.

The tone of such a prison must be hopeless and gloomy.

Scourge says:

I just came to this conclusion with logic. Don't you think that I came up with the precise adjective of despair based on the scenery in front of me?

I'm a robot.

He said:

I don't have such a perceptual thinking circuit. Maybe the former Optimus Prime can perceive it, but I can't. After all, I was just born.

Ha ha ha ha

The frankness of the natural disaster and that kind of weird humor made Merlin laugh out loud.

He suddenly felt that this robot composed of two souls was quite interesting.

Speaking of it, it was probably because Icarus was born from part of Merlin's soul, which led to the distinctive personality of the soul that established the Mechanicus.

In the current Mechanicus, those high-level omnics seem to have their own unique personalities.

Although they are not as changeable and complex as human personalities, they are really different from the absolutely cold robots in the traditional concept.

This is probably another manifestation of people flocking together and things forming groups.

Merlin floated back a few steps, he stopped, and looked back at the natural disaster who was bending over, he suddenly asked:

After you recovered, you chose to join the Mechanicus. I'm actually curious what drove you to make this decision... Do you really believe that I and Icarus can help you rebuild Cybertron? Or, just A compromise made under pressure to be dismantled?

Scourge maintained that bending motion.

He didn't answer.

Merlin added:

Or let me ask more directly, do you join the Mechanicus from the bottom of your heart? Or is it just a temporary choice?

Your question is meaningless, Your Majesty.

After a few seconds, Scourge replied:

I have written the data and information of converting to Mechanicus into my thinking circuit, and I am now an apologist for Mechanicus.

I have accepted this identity. As for whether I want to or not, as for what purpose I have, it doesn't matter.

No, it's important.

Merlin emphasized his tone, and he said:

The Mechanicus doesn't know much about the mechanical soul of the Cybertronians, and the particularity of your soul. You gather the will of two legendary warriors, Optimus Prime and Shockwave.

After putting on a suitable body, the strength you can explode is even stronger than Icarus.

In other words, under certain special circumstances, Icarus has no ability to order you to do things you don't want to do.

Merlin blinked and said frankly:

Icarus is working hard to become a qualified leader, but I know that she still lacks. She has a sense of trust in robots and her compatriots. She has not experienced 'betrayal'.

Lord Raven smiled, and said:

I also don't want her to experience something that isn't good.

Ah, I understand. You are out of concern for the people around you, and you are also worried that I will rebel at a critical moment? This will have a terrible negative impact on the development of Mechanicus.

Scourge raised his head, his mechanical eyes looked at Merlin.

After a few seconds, he said:

With all due respect, Your Majesty, your worries are unnecessary.

Then explain.

Merlin hovered in the air with his hands behind his back, he said:

Let's have a more open chat.

This time, don't use the glorious reason of resuscitating Cybertron as an excuse. You also said that Optimus Prime is just one of your thoughts. It will make this decision, but you may not.

All right.

The omnic straightened up.

He didn't hide his true thoughts anymore. A powerful creature like Merlin had already made his words very clear, and the conversation between the two had reached this point.

Scourge knew very well that Merlin was not treating him so politely because Lord Raven was gentle by nature.

To put it more bluntly, the Mechanicus, which is just emerging at this time, needs the extraordinary force of the natural disaster and the understanding of Cybertron affairs.

The two had this conversation only because he had enough value.

But after seeing the hell under Merlin's command, the Scourge also realized that he was not irreplaceable, and Merlin's attitude proved it.

The kind of frankness he showed when he recovered did not fool the keen maharaja.

If the natural disaster doesn't know good from bad, if he doesn't tell the truth, then his end is doomed to be miserable.

I am not lying, Your Majesty.

Omnic said:

A large part of the reason why I joined the Mechanicus is because I believe that you and Ms. Icarus are more trustworthy than Quintasha who deceived Optimus Prime with lies.

Of course, when we first met, I asked the two of us to help us interstellar refugees who have lost their homes to rebuild the world. It is very rude and very impossible.

When the natural disaster said this, he hesitated.

He glanced at Merlin's expression, and then expressed his true thoughts:

Even the reconstruction of Cybertron, the idea itself is more likely to be an obsession left by Optimus Prime in my will.

As for whether that world can be rebuilt, to be honest, I am not sure. After all, I still have the scene when it was completely torn in my memory, and it is almost irreparable.

Merlin nodded.

The voice of the heart heard by the power of vanity is consistent with the statement of the natural disaster.

This robot, who doesn't know much about magic power, doesn't know that Merlin doesn't need to have this conversation with him at all. Merlin can hear all his thoughts with his ears.

It's a conversation and a test.

Once the natural disaster makes any concealment, any insincere words, any malicious intentions, the power of vanity will take over its soul and will.

Its soul was stitched by Merlin himself.

It would be strange if Lord Raven, who is cautious by nature, did not take any measures and precautions during this process.

The power and knowledge of the Scourge is indeed what Merlin needs.

But Merlin has already paid the price for trusting others.

He would rather destroy the free will of this robot with great potential, which can even break through the Heavenly Father, than allow himself or Icarus to suffer another shameful betrayal.

Being cheated for the first time can be attributed to bad luck.

But if you are cheated a second time, then it's all your own problem.

But as you can see, I still made a choice.

The natural disaster didn't know what Merlin was thinking, nor did he know that he was walking on the edge of a terrible cliff. Just one lie would make him fall into the abyss completely.

He said to Merlin:

The reason why I choose to believe you and Ms. Icarus is actually very simple. Just now, I heard from Ms. Hope about the relationship between the omnics of the Mechanicus and this hell.

He said:

I can't understand the belief in life and death in the Cult Mechanicus. The Cybertronians don't have that belief.

But I think, if you can accept a batch of primitive robots into your hell, you can treat omnics as your people and allow them to exist, multiply, and develop civilization in the wasteland...

Then, in our time of need, this hell should also open its arms to the Cybertronians among the stars.

Scourge says:

Optimus Prime's will requires me to rebuild the world, but if Cybertron is completely unable to rebuild, then the next best thing is to find a new home for the exiled people without war and discrimination.

I think this should also satisfy Optimus Prime's last prayer and obsession.

Pointing to his head, he said:

Of course there is Shockwave, that guy is much easier to convince than the troublesome Optimus Prime.

It longs for war, longs for destruction, and I heard from Miss Hope that this hell is preparing for war. You seem to be going to war with other hells.

The Mechanic shrugged and said:

Shockwave's thirst for war will also be satisfied in Hell's Fields.

The omnic spread his arms and said to Merlin:

I do have selfish intentions. If I don't satisfy the obsessions of these two guys, my newborn soul will have no peace, and there may even be a risk of being torn apart. I don't want to die.

And a world that can satisfy both Optimus Prime's desire for peace and the future, and Shockwave's fanatical pursuit of war... is really too hard to find.

Scourge looked at Merlin as if he were a prisoner waiting for a verdict.

Merlin folded his hands behind his back, his blue eyes were calm.

A few seconds later, he turned around, waved his hands without looking back, and said to the natural disaster:

Icarus has prepared a new body for you.

Merlin says:

First go to the construction workshop to exchange for the body of the Cybertronian, and conduct a comprehensive test on your future body. Don't choose to wrong yourself because of adaptation, and make sure that your new body can exert your full strength.

After that job is over, you and Icarus come to my office.

Merlin says:

I have a few more questions for you about the leadership module you brought back.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Scourge leaned down again, respectfully sending Merlin away from the edge of the volcano.

After Lord Raven's figure disappeared, Scourge breathed a sigh of relief. Although the omnic didn't have the function of breathing, his nervous heart finally relaxed a little.

When facing Merlin, even a robot would feel the instinctive fear like facing a natural enemy.

That His Majesty only needs to wave his finger, and the life that has just begun from the natural disaster will be completely ended.

Any creature has the pursuit of living, even robots.

You shall neither lie nor hide.

Looking back at the landscape of the wasteland hell, the robot whispered something, then turned and walked towards the construction workshop located under the crater of Doom.

A few minutes later, he came to the large cabin of the construction workshop.

A giant body with a height of about 15 meters is standing there.

Hundreds of mechanical arms are making final adjustments to the body that has just been produced in the workshop of the Smart Tower in a dizzying manner.

That huge body is composed of tens of thousands of parts, it stands in the white gas used for cooling, like a hill in the smoke.

And its appearance looks very similar to Optimus Prime's body, except for some details, such as the weapon module, which seems to be borrowed from Shockwave's body.

Icarus, Hope, and Adam with the hammer on his back, the three giants of the Mechanicus, stood under the mechanical body.

They seem to be talking about something.

With his arms on his back, the natural disaster walked towards them under the action of the propellers of his feet.

He wasn't deliberately imitating Merlin.

This is just a subconscious behavior. At the moment when any life is just born, they will instinctively imitate the person they see at first sight.

Just like the imprint of a chick.

Our powerful guardian knights are here.

Hope, with the sharpest eyes, turned his head and saw the natural disaster floating quietly.

She said something to the two people around her, and the Great Dark Sky nodded very politely to Miss Hope. He stopped beside Icarus, raised his head, and looked at his new body.

The glasses girl noticed the natural disaster and didn't say a word, she asked curiously:

What? Are you not satisfied?

Do you want to hear the truth, Ms. Icarus?

Scourge turned his head and said:

You omnics are very smart, very much like the Cybertronians in their primitive society, but your understanding of machinery... In short, if I have to evaluate it, this body is quite poorly made.

You just combined the bodies of Optimus Prime and Shockwave very rigidly, this is not acceptable.

He glanced at the mighty body, shook his head, and said:

Tear it down.

It doesn't meet my requirements. Of course, you can leave it for other omnic warriors to use. In addition, on the way I came, I observed the combat training of the mechanical warriors of the God Cult.

Those trainings are rough and useless. Starting today, I will take over the training of mechanical warriors... no problem?