Among the company's top executives, those who truly valued their lives rarely used their own bodies when conducting business outside.
Most relied on star-puppet chips, remotely controlling other people's bodies. When necessary, their will would be transmitted into these avatars to carry out negotiations face to face.
That way, even if the other party struck back, only the substitute would die—the true body would remain completely unharmed.
This technology wasn't especially common within the company, but it was hardly a secret. Still, Lana had never imagined that something like this would one day involve her.
Her heart pounded violently. She didn't know who the other party was, but she knew—instinctively—that this was an opportunity.
An opportunity to rise.
She had always believed she was extraordinary. Yet as she grew up, life had dulled her edges, grinding her down until she accepted her own mediocrity.
And now, after losing everything, fate had suddenly turned. A chance to become someone—someone important—was right in front of her. All that remained was her choice.
Lana knew that choosing [Agree] might cost her life.
Even so, her trembling fingers still clicked [YES].
She was sick of the garbage dump. Sick of starvation. She wanted to turn her life around—to truly live, to earn respect.
"Dimension Network connection…"
"Connection complete!"
"Identity verification in progress…"
"Verification complete!"
"Congratulations. You have been chosen by the God of All Machines. From this moment onward, you are the human agent of the God of All Machines. Your designation: 001."
Ding~ You have received the blessing of the God of All Machines. By offering sacrifices, you may draw His attention and obtain His power. The specific sacrificial procedures have been implanted into your brain.
Ding~ Your current identity is: Mechanical Monk. Please expand your followers as soon as possible. The system will grant additional authority and power accordingly!
Message after message flashed before her eyes. Lana felt as though her brain simply couldn't keep up.
Human agent?
God of All Machines?
How was that even possible?
As someone with advanced mechanical training, she had always been a staunch materialist—one might even call her a militant rationalist.
And yet now, someone—or something—was telling her she had become a god's agent.
According to the information flooding her mind, the God of All Machines was an entity that existed within nothingness itself—an indescribable being formed from the integration of all knowledge, data, laws, and essences.
It was the God of All Machines who spread primordial power throughout the world, granting all machines their initial force.
Om Messiah was the human incarnation of the God of All Machines.
The agent's role was to indoctrinate and guide mechanical believers, while also overseeing all technological and mechanical rituals to ensure their correctness and sanctity.
Lana's first reaction was that she had encountered some kind of magician.
Her second reaction—after reviewing the rules of the Dimension Network—was that completing tasks would earn her money.
"…Fine."
"From today onward, I am the most devout believer of the God of All Machines."
"I shall praise Om Messiah~"
Her ideological conversion took less than a second.
Without hesitation, Lana began drawing a ritual formation on the ground. Though it resembled tangled circuit-board wiring more than a traditional magic circle, wasn't that exactly what suited the God of All Machines?
When the formation was complete, she placed her only precious radio—along with assorted rusty scrap metal—around the circle.
Then she knelt at its center, clasped her hands, and prayed with fervent passion:
"Immortal God of Machines, hear our prayers.
We are Your children, scholars walking the path of machinery.
Grant us knowledge far beyond ourselves, for this is Your eternal gift to humanity.
Inspired by blessings born of machinery, we advance through technology,
striving to become worthy of Your divine glory!"
Bzzzzzzzz——
Accompanied by a sacred roar, the seemingly haphazard ritual array suddenly lit up. Its circuit-like lines gleamed, silver-white cyber aura flowing endlessly through the formation.
All the steel and materials placed upon it were swallowed whole, transforming into a beam of light that plunged straight into Lana's forehead, leaving behind an exquisitely intricate mark.
"In the name of sacred binary, praise Om Messiah!
All glory to the God of All Machines!
May the gears of loyalty never rust!"
When the ceremony ended, Lana's eyes burned with fanatical devotion.
The messages hadn't lied.
God was real—and God had acknowledged her.
At first, Lana had only cared about money. Yet in the blink of an eye, she had become a zealous believer of the God of All Machines.
She chanted praises loudly, repenting in her heart for her former doubt and irreverence.
To beg forgiveness, she even cranked the radio speaker—just absorbed by the ritual—to its maximum volume, broadcasting her hymns so that everyone nearby could hear.
The deafening sound and mysterious praise drew the attention of nearby wanderers. One by one, they peeked out, staring at Lana's flickering cyber aura with curiosity and unease.
When Lana finally finished praying, she knew this was the perfect chance to spread the gospel.
She went to a vending machine and spent the few dozen euros she'd just received from the sacrifice on the cheapest food available. Piling it onto a table, she smiled warmly at the gathered drifters.
"Are you interested in hearing about the God of All Machines… and Om Messiah, dear?"
Driven by hunger, the wanderers swallowed hard and crowded forward.
Their first instinct was to snatch the food—and the strange woman offering it.
Clang—!
Lana's arm instantly transformed into a battle axe.
One swing—and the nearest vagrant was cleaved in two.
The scene terrified the others. They turned and fled in panic. Anyone who didn't even possess a combat prosthetic stood no chance against her.
Lana leapt forward, chasing them down. She spun midair, the axe whirling in a vicious arc, flinging bodies skyward with crushing force.
Borrowing momentum from the fall and the spin, she brought the axe down once more, splitting the last man cleanly in half.
Corpses flew. Blood rained down.
Yet not a single drop stained Lana's body.
"May the Lord bless you."
She traced the symbol of the God of All Machines across her chest, condensed a [Primordial Power Seed (Cyber Aura)], and smiled radiantly.
The mutilated bodies shone with silvery brilliance. Seconds later, they dissolved into countless motes of fluorescent light that drifted into the air.
Part of that light quietly flowed back into Lana, merging with her prayers and becoming the source of her strength.
"Preaching progress +1!"
"Preaching progress +1!"
"… "
"… "
On her personal interface, the progress bar representing her Mechanical Monk level shifted from (0/100) to (4/100).
Several new basic prosthetic blueprints also appeared on her technology page—proof that the range of prosthetics she could transform had expanded once more.
…
…
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