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"What is this…?" The Goblin chief stared at the blueprint Riku handed over, scanning it quickly before realizing what it was. "A blueprint for a kind of mechanical weapon?"
"Yup." Riku nodded coolly. The original IS mechas weren't much use in this world—they might intimidate some average monsters, but that was about it.
But this one was an improved version from the system. Powered by spirit energy, capable of absorbing solar power, and able to evolve based on the pilot's consciousness—it actually had decent potential. It probably couldn't beat top-tier species, but it should at least be on par with the mid-tier ones.
He figured these mechs could help boost humanity's strength a bit—or at the very least, they'd make for a cool collection.
"This is incredible!" the Goblin chief's eyes lit up as he stared at the blueprint. They'd always relied on warships for military use. Personal weapons were fine, but still a bit lacking.
But this blueprint? It opened up a whole new world of possibilities. With it as a foundation, they could eventually create even stronger weapons.
He could already imagine Goblin soldiers piloting these mechs, and just the thought made his blood boil with excitement.
Riku had already expected this kind of reaction. But he wasn't worried. With the power he held now, the Goblins trying anything would just be suicide. And once he became the One True God, the entire world would be under his control. No one would dare defy him.
The reason he gave the blueprint so freely was simple—he wanted humans to come learn from the Goblins and improve their own tech.
"Don't worry, Lord Riku. We'll start working on the mechs right away," the Goblin chief said passionately. Goblins were obsessed with research—and this kind of eye-opening tech was exactly what they loved.
As for using the new weapons to rebel against Riku? Please. They weren't stupid enough to think a mech alone could take him down.
Riku just gave a small nod at the chief's promise.
After discussing a few other matters, Riku wrapped up his meeting. It was time to go hunt for platinum treasure chests.
With the Goblins' high-tech systems, it'd be way easier for the major races to communicate in the future.
As for why he wasn't involving the Mechkin race? They were just too complicated—and he still hadn't fully figured them out yet.
"I wonder how Zhubi's doing now," Riku muttered as he looked up at the sky. He had a special place in his heart for her. Among all the women in his life, she was always the most important.
"Please don't do anything reckless, Zhubi…" he sighed. As much as he wanted the Mechkin's power, he'd never trade Zhubi's safety for it.
It didn't take long before Riku found a platinum treasure chest hidden away in a secret room.
He stared at the chest, shook his head a little, then placed his hand on it and opened it.
As the lid lifted, light burst out—and a glowing orb silently floated up.
"Ding! Congratulations, Master. You've opened a Platinum Chest and obtained: The Core of Machinery."
Core of Machinery: Exclusive item for the Mechkin race. When absorbed, it grants them a human-like data consciousness and triggers evolution, massively boosting their capabilities.
"Now this is a gift at just the right time," Riku muttered with a smirk after hearing the voice in his head.
Platinum chests and above were supposed to drop what he needed most—but he hadn't expected this.
With this item, Zhubi's strength would skyrocket. She might even be able to control the Mechkin with ease now.
"Alright, where to next?" Riku stored the core in his system's inventory and opened up the system map, scanning for more treasure chests.
There were two platinum chests left. One was on the moon. The other was in the ocean, inside the Sea Dwellers' main nest.
As for the diamond chests, there were still two. One was in the Demon King's lair, marked with a massive red dot—probably insanely dangerous. The other was in the Giants' territory.
The Mechkin area didn't have any chests at all—their movements were way too unpredictable.
"The moon can wait. Sea Dwellers or Giants… Eh, let's go with the Giants first," Riku decided. He was drooling over that diamond chest.
With his mind made up, he casually told the Goblins he was heading out, then left to respectful bows and goodbyes.
"Lord Riku, you done with the Goblins?" Zhuyue asked, noticing his presence above her.
"Yeah. Made 'em my free labor for a bit," Riku said casually. "They knew their place, didn't complain at all, just agreed to everything."
"That so?" Zhuyue said, a little disappointed. "When did those guys become so obedient? I was hoping to knock them around a bit. Guess I missed my chance."
"Enough of that. Let's focus. Next stop: the Giants," Riku rolled his eyes and said.
Zhuyue changed direction and shot off through the sky at top speed.
Meanwhile, in another place, where Zhubi was...
"Why… why won't you believe me? If it were Riku, he'd definitely..." Zhubi looked helplessly at the male Mechkin in front of her—the current Command Core of the Mechkin network.
[Response] uc207pr4f57t9, you have suffered total system corruption. You are no longer eligible to rejoin the network.[Warning] Rejoining the network will result in massive data corruption and viral instability.[Suggestion] uc207pr4f57t9, self-deletion is the optimal choice.
The Command Core's voice was cold and emotionless.
"..." Zhubi stared blankly at her former comrade, her former leader. Her lips parted, but she said nothing. She slowly sank to the ground, her eyes empty.
What now? She couldn't accept this.
Her memories with Riku were the most precious thing she had—how could she share them with the rest of the network? She didn't want to. She couldn't.
"Hey, Riku, what should I do…"Zhu Bi stared blankly at the dark, blood-red sky. Hugging the plush doll tightly to her chest, she muttered in a low, gloomy voice.
"Lord Riku, we're here. Up ahead is where the giants live. Looks like those big guys have already noticed us."Zhu Yue had already flown to a towering mountain forest and spoke respectfully.