Chapter Forty-Eight: The Madmen of the Divine Machine Battalion

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"Greetings, Your Highness the Third Prince."

As soon as Pei Xiunian stepped down from the carriage, several members of the Divine Mechanism Battalion, all clad in pure white robes, bowed to him from a distance, their manner earnest and respectful.

Pei Xiunian responded in kind to those who had come to receive him, then greeted the bearded, middle-aged gate master standing at the front:

"Master Du."

Du Zimo seemed somewhat surprised that this third prince could call out his identity. He quickly gestured with his hand, inviting him inside:

"Your Highness, please do come in."

Such an attitude puzzled Pei Xiunian in turn. How could the head of such a renowned organization have so little air of superiority? The Divine Mechanism Battalion was not like those court officials who sought to curry favor or attended court at the whim of the prince. This faction was fed by the royal household; even if they offended a prince by putting on airs, at worst their funding would be slightly reduced. In fact, less funding might even be a benefit rather than a detriment.

Though Pei Xiunian was here by order of Emperor Zhaoning, it was little more than a tour—hardly even an inspection. He hadn't expected the gate master himself to receive him, and with such sincerity. From this, Pei Xiunian sensed something unusual beneath the surface.

The massive, heavy, uniform gates opened with a thunderous clatter. Even this fully automated entrance hinted at the level of research within the Divine Mechanism Battalion.

Pei Xiunian silently mused over many thoughts as he followed Master Du inside. Rows upon rows of tightly interlocked gears gave the entire interior the feeling of a colossal clockwork, intricate and precise. Yet, he wasn't particularly impressed. He felt a pang of regret that he hadn't seen mechanisms that could move the walls or transform the entire building at will.

He took only a cursory glance before regaining his composure, walking alongside the Battalion members. His calm demeanor surprised some of them.

Unaware, Pei Xiunian recalled what he had read in the Literary Hall regarding the Divine Mechanism Battalion. Many years ago, it had been a subsidiary branch of the Celestial Bureau. Over time, it had become a direct arm of imperial power, focusing primarily on the development of giant automata for warfare.

Strictly speaking, it was not so much under royal authority as it was under the emperor's personal command. The Battalion was a force cultivated privately by Emperor Zhaoning, much like the Sword Sect, though the Battalion was officially a military research department.

Thus, Emperor Zhaoning had sent Pei Xiunian here partly to show him the depths of his resources, to reassure him. As for why he was shown the Battalion rather than the Sword Sect, there must be other reasons.

From these details, it was clear that Emperor Zhaoning was quite ambitious. Since the prestigious noble clans controlled the alchemy workshops of Great Zhou, he sought to make his mark elsewhere.

With the alchemy workshops... the emperor's own interest in alchemy was seen as a sign of rivalry with the noble houses, so people didn't suspect much.

As for the Battalion's research—officially for warfare, but whether these giant automata breached any regulations was unclear. If not, deploying them on the battlefield would be akin to introducing tanks in the First World War, capable of wreaking havoc among mortals and low-level cultivators.

Yet this was the world of cultivation—no enemy state would lack countermeasures. Most likely, experts would be dispatched to handle the threat, and only then would decisions be made about escalating the arms race or breaking relations entirely.

Though it was the cultivation world, Pei Xiunian had never visited the inner chambers of the Celestial Bureau...

Ah, the main building of the Celestial Bureau was not actually situated near the Forbidden City.

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Strictly speaking, the Skyward Pavilion was not part of the Celestial Bureau. Its main purpose was to observe celestial phenomena, and it served as a way to meet the Grand Fate Keeper.

Yet, those who did research there had made considerable achievements. For example, the smooth operation of Great Zhou's waterways depended on them; normally, in winter, one would worry about rivers freezing, but the Celestial Bureau could simply add a bit of elixir to the water to solve the problem.

Such trivialities revealed their capabilities.

Should a military arms race between cultivators ever break out, it might turn into a clash of artillery and nuclear bombs—no, rather, a collision of grand formations and spells spanning thousands of miles.

So, Emperor Zhaoning's real aim in funding the Battalion was likely not warfare, but rather to maintain a loyal corps of elite warriors.

"Your Highness, here is the latest battle automaton. Please inspect it."

Master Du dispatched disciples to lift a towering white cloth, revealing a giant automaton kneeling on one knee, its entire body shimmering silver, each joint engraved with countless fine and intricate formations.

This was clearly a different line of research from the human-sized automata Pei Xiunian had seen beneath the Celestial Bureau.

The giant automaton had a distinctly mechanical feel, not derived from the human form. Its style was not steampunk, but rather a fusion of ancient martial arts and science fiction.

A slender disciple stood nearby, holding a ledger, and began to introduce the automaton:

"Your Highness, this is the latest Grade B battle automaton, crafted by Senior Brother Zhao and others over two and a half years, at a cost of..."

Pei Xiunian didn't pay much attention to the costs and improvements. He turned to Master Du and asked:

"Master Du, what level of combat power does this automaton possess?"

Du Zimo considered briefly before replying:

"Your Highness, it can match a cultivator at the mid-sixth realm."

Pei Xiunian nodded, though he remained unclear about the realms and their corresponding strength. He knew the sixth realm was the 'Inquiry of the Dao' stage, but had no real concept of its power.

He assumed the automaton's strength and defenses equaled its realm, but it lacked the magical abilities, techniques, and adaptability of a true cultivator. To defeat a peer cultivator would be wishful thinking.

Its only advantage was being a cold, emotionless machine, absolutely obedient to command.

Emperor Zhaoning needed such things to enforce his decisions.

Pei Xiunian glanced at the automaton, noting it seemed to have no offensive means beyond its limbs, and murmured:

"Is there nothing it can launch?"

A disciple's eyes lit up on hearing this. He instantly produced a firearm-like object from his storage pouch, knelt, and presented it respectfully:

"Your Highness, this is our latest research. The projectiles fired from this weapon are even more lethal and accurate than top-tier crossbow bolts. Please take a look."

Pei Xiunian was genuinely surprised—he hadn't expected researchers in the cultivation world to invent firearms already.

Such weapons were devastating on mundane battlefields, but perhaps less so here. Not to mention whether their power could threaten high-level cultivators. Even if the average cultivator wasn't faster than a bullet, hitting them would require the shooter to keep up with their agility and aim.

If that were possible, the firearm's role would be somewhat limited.

Pei Xiunian shook his head without comment, declined the weapon, and pointed to the automaton, explaining:

"My meaning is that if these battle automatons rely solely on physical strength, isn't that rather passive?"

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Moreover, it looked heavy and clumsy, unlikely to catch nimble cultivators—easy prey for those adept at evasive maneuvers.

Pei Xiunian continued:

"But if the automaton is equipped with mechanisms for launching projectiles, its threat level would be exponentially increased. I believe mounting such weapons would be ideal, especially if they can be concealed when not in use, allowing for surprise attacks."

The white-robed members of the Battalion exchanged glances, their seriousness giving way to delight. Suddenly, they began to have new ideas about the battle automaton that had previously seemed uninteresting.

Several enthusiasts immediately started gesturing at the Grade B automaton, discussing possibilities.

Even Master Du's eyes shone; he had considered mounting bows or crossbows before, but those were either too weak or too large and heavy, further hindering mobility. Using the newly developed firearms was a perfect fit.

Master Du quickly clasped his hands and said earnestly to Pei Xiunian, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

Pei Xiunian felt these research fanatics in the Battalion were desperate for recognition—weren't they supposed to be an imperial department? Why did they lack the arrogance typical of official organizations?

He returned the salute, then asked about something he was genuinely curious about:

"Recently, I saw several automata in the Skyward Pavilion of the Celestial Bureau, indistinguishable from real people—even the Imperial Guards couldn't tell them apart, and their mobility was remarkable. Are those also works of the Battalion?"

"We do have such automata," Du Zimo nodded slowly. "But I only just returned from Yangzhou and am unfamiliar with the matter. If Your Highness has time, shall we go inside and take a look?"

Pei Xiunian nodded, and immediately a familiar young girl sprang forward:

"That was Yan Xinghe's latest research. He got several people to help him test it, but something went wrong during the trial and they all crashed. I was sitting at the bottom of the Skyward Pavilion watching them, and the Imperial Guards chased us off in quite a mess! Haha!"

"But Yan Xinghe checked afterward and insisted there was absolutely no issue..."

Du Zimo glanced at the suddenly appearing Luo Xiaoning, somewhat surprised. "Luo Xiaoning, what brings you here today?"

Then he introduced Pei Xiunian, "This is the third prince, Xiaoning. Mind your manners before His Highness."

Luo Xiaoning waved her hand, completely at ease. "Oh, I have extensive dealings with His Highness—the prince often comes to the Skyward Pavilion to play chess with my teacher. We're all quite familiar, aren't we, Your Highness?"

Extensive dealings...?

Pei Xiunian nodded casually. He had little patience for formalities, and asked out of curiosity:

"Is the Battalion's main focus on automata rather than battle automatons?"

Du Zimo paused, then nodded again:

"Indeed, Your Highness. His Majesty has never mandated which to prioritize, so the disciples prefer to create and study automata. If we can mass-produce them, much unnecessary labor could be replaced."

Pei Xiunian was greatly astonished—was this really a mindset that could emerge from a feudal dynasty?

No wonder the gate master himself lacked the arrogance of a typical government official.

The idea of liberating labor was practically heretical in a populous feudal kingdom like Great Zhou. If not for the emperor's personal support, and the Battalion's status as a military organization, it would doubtless have been suppressed by the noble clans.

Du Zimo remained oblivious, continuing:

"Just as Xiaoning mentioned, Yan Xinghe is one of our outstanding disciples, dedicated to developing automata with true intelligence. Of course, our faction pursues this path as well."

Good heavens... this was even more astonishing. These madmen were aiming to develop genuine artificial intelligence...

Such ambitions were truly epoch-making...