Under the MDT's detailed scan, the secrets of the legendary Ebon Blade were slowly revealed.
The truth was shocking.
Hao Ren did not expect that on this planet that was about the same level as Holletta, there would be such a high-tech situation. The Ebon Blade knights were no longer human, and based on what the MDT said, they were actually a complex cyborg, cyborg synthetic human. Their "raw material" may have been humans, but when they wielded their swords, they could no longer be considered a normal lifeform. "Most of the organs have degenerated to varying degrees or their functions have shifted.
The blood circulation system has two sets, one is the original cardiovascular system, and the other is maintained by something like a mechanical pump. There are complicated tubes in the body, and in it flows the grease that can conduct magic. The bones are semi-metallic, and the vital parts are covered in extra alloy armor … "The MDT scanned as it projected the results in the air, and the siblings were no longer surprised by the sight." The brain tissue is severely degenerated, and the main nerves are showing signs of fiber loss. The shrunken brain has less than ten percent efficiency, and the nerve signals used to direct the body are all concentrated near the spinal cord, where there is a complex electronic structure … In this world, it is a magical device … "
The entire body structure of the Ebon Blade knights was projected, and under the armor, there were signs of mechanical corrosion and modification. If he did not know that this was a world filled with magic, Hao Ren would have thought that he was following the old popsicle from Fallout Shelter 111 against synthetic humans …
"Interesting …" Rheia showed an interested expression, and while the technology was crude in her eyes, it was several levels ahead of the current era in this world. "Zoom in on the artificial nervous system near the spinal cord for me to see."
The MDT zoomed in, and the holographic projection showed a spindle-shaped object made up of countless thin lines and nodes.
"This is his real thinking organ? Wait a minute … that's not right … "Rheia frowned as her eyes glowed faintly, and the true face of the spindle structure was quickly revealed under the gaze of the goddess." This is just a device for transmitting and releasing nerve signals, the real signal source is not it … "
"What do you mean?" Hao Ren was stunned. "This is not a thinking organ? Then how did the Ebon Blade Knights move? "
"If I'm not wrong … it's remote control," Rheia said, pointing to the tip of the spindle. "This is a signal receiver. It receives commands from the outside world, and then converts them into nerve impulses to control this body. In other words, the Knights of the Ebon Blade are unable to think, they are just remote controlled puppets. "
"Remote control?!" This time, even Lily, who had always been imaginative, widened her eyes. "Then who is controlling it? Could it be His Majesty the Emperor? "
As she spoke, she imagined the legendary Dragon Soul Emperor sitting in his palace with a map in front of him. The Ebon Blade Knights were arranged into small groups on the map, and the Emperor would directly block A whenever he didn't like it …
The husky maiden gave herself a thumbs up for her wild imagination.
"Don't let your imagination run wild. It's definitely not what you think." Rheia waved her hand. "Remember … this guy collapsed after the chainsword was destroyed."
"Eh?" Lily was surprised.
"While this conclusion is a little weird, it's the most direct explanation." Rheia nodded. "Rather than saying the knights were swinging their swords, it's more like the swords were commanding the knights. I had vaguely sensed that their chainsword was a little weird, and it kept emitting a blurry wave. Now that I think about it … that should be the signal the swords sent out when they were controlling the knights' bodies."
Charlemagne and Awenna looked at each other. Having received formal education since young, they had never heard of such a ridiculous story. Awenna blinked her eyes as she tried to wrap her head around the theory. She then said in disbelief, "That means the souls of the Ebon Blade Knights are in the sword, and the body is the tool? So after destroying their swords, they can't move? The truth … is like this? "
"I'm a little curious. Has no one ever discovered this truth?" Hao Ren frowned. "The Ebon Blade Knights have been active for so many years, and no matter how powerful they are, they are just an elite unit. There are plenty of people stronger than them. Has no one ever separated them from their chainsword? Or has there never been a precedent of destroying a chainsword? "
"The chainsword and the body are connected by remote control, and the distance is probably not short. The signal receiver in their spinal cord can receive signals from half a planet, and for this sealed planet, this distance is more than enough. So separating the Ebon Blade Knights from their swords is useless." Rheia answered on behalf of Charlemagne and Awenna. "As for destroying their swords … those chainswords are very special. The material is strange, and they are much sturdier than the knights themselves. I think in a normal battle, the knights would be fatally wounded first, and then their swords. That's why the secret of the Ebon Blade Knights has been kept until today."
"Until they met someone like you." Hao Ren looked at Rheia. "And you disintegrated their weapons …"
"And I'm afraid the secret of the Ebon Blade Knights is not completely unknown," Charlemagne said. "I've heard some knowledge about the Dragon Empire from my court tutor, and he mentioned that the souls of the Ebon Blade Knights are attached to their swords. But this theory is usually treated as a legend in the White City Confederation."
Hao Ren nodded. "Information is limited, there are too few samples, and the search for the truth does not bring about a matching reward, so the secret has been kept."
At that moment, Vivian suddenly remembered something and exclaimed softly, "Ah, if that's the case … then the three Ebon Blades that we killed before are probably not dead. At that time, I saw it very clearly. Although they were blown away, their swords were still intact … "
Awenna blinked and said softly, "It is said that after the death of the Ebon Blade Knights, their swords will be retrieved by their servants and sent to the 'Sacred Armory' of the Blacksteel Fortress. When the qualified candidates are selected, they will receive the swords of their ancestors and become the new Ebon Blade Knights. This process is called 'promotion', and after the promotion, the Ebon Blade Knights will live a life similar to that of a monk, cutting off all ties with their previous lives … This is what I read in the history books."
Hao Ren's eyes narrowed. "So, these swords are passed down from generation to generation, and the knights are the consumables … But I have another question, do they have less swords every time they break? While the swords are very sturdy, they are not to the point where they are indestructible. After so many years, they must have been worn out, right? Won't the number of the Ebon Blade Knights decrease? "
"There will be new swords forged to make up for the wear and tear, so the size of the Ebon Blade Knights will not decrease," Charlemagne said, explaining the knowledge he got from the court tutor. "But correspondingly, their size has never expanded. Since the founding of the Dragon Empire, the Ebon Blade Knights had 770,000 soldiers, and as the empire expanded, the size of the imperial army expanded countless times, but the Ebon Blade Knights never increased or decreased. Even now that the Dragon Empire has expanded to the point where the size of the Ebon Blade Knights could hardly protect the entire territory, His Majesty Berentine only added a large number of standing armies to make up for the lack of knights. The real Ebon Blade Knights … are still only the original 770,000."
770,000 was a very subtle number. For a small kingdom that had just been founded, such a large number of super soldiers was enough to wipe out all opponents of the same level, and even those of a higher level. But when the Dragon Empire expanded to the size of half a planet, this number was clearly not enough to deal with the long border.
And according to Charlemagne, new swords could be forged, so the factor that kept the size of the knights in check was very curious.
"There's only one explanation. They could only forge 770,000 mechanical swords, and the quantity of a certain key material is limited." Vivian pondered and said, "Considering the function of these swords, maybe this material is the soul … But is the soul also limited?"
"Probably only Berentine himself knows what's going on." Hao Ren shrugged. "Anyway, these Knights of the Ebon Blade are full of mysteries, and one secret won't make much of a difference. We still don't know why they mutated like this. "
The MDT shook its body up and down. "That's right, based on what the siblings said, a normal Ebon Blade knight looks no different from a normal human, and I have confirmed this when I scanned their body structure. The mechanical modification in their bodies only strengthened their bodily functions, and did not cause them to look like monsters. This is a rather mature synthetic technology, and in theory, it is not poisonous."
"Which means, something else caused these normal looking Ebon Blade knights to look like relatives of the ancient gods." Hao Ren rubbed his forehead as he vaguely felt that he was coming into contact with some truth. "Rheia, can you feel some … 'presence' from them? Like the influence of the Mad Lord or something. "
Rheia hummed in acknowledgment, and after a moment of serious sensing, the little goddess shook her head. "Nope, I can't feel it at all."
But she quickly added, "But we can't completely rule out the possibility. Maybe the presence is too weak to be distinguished, or maybe the remnant power of the Mad Lord in this world has changed into something I don't recognize. We still have to keep an eye out, after all, these knights' mutation is filled with blasphemy, and no matter how you look at it, it looks like the style of the Mad Lord …"
Charlemagne and Awenna were confused as they asked in unison, "What is the Mad Lord?"
"Abstract performance artists, especially good at messing with your sense of beauty." Hao Ren waved his hand. "I don't know if I can tell you now, so don't ask. Compared to that, we have a more important question … Are we sure we are not on the wrong track? "
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