Lin Qingyue and her three companions stood frozen in place, feeling as if their brain circuits were about to overheat and snap.
What kind of nonsense was this?
The Gate BOSS of the final dungeon, having not seen a living person for ten thousand years, had one of them turn into a chatty programmer and the other into a retired old cadre full of complaints?
The abrupt shift in tone was so unexpected that the Holy Light Lin Xiyue had just condensed almost dissipated on the spot.
She shouldered the heavy [Blackstone's Protection], feeling like a security guard who had stumbled into a crosstalk performance, her face practically screaming, "Who am I? Where am I?"
"Um..."
Lin Xiyue opened her mouth, taking a long moment to find her voice again.
"What happened to that aura from earlier, the one where you were going to crush us into powder? Hey, where's your professional ethics? Just like that, the 'Purge Program' is canceled?"
"Program?"
The Rock Giant Bedrock scratched his moss-covered "chin," shaking loose a few fine stone chips and a few withered leaves of lichen.
"Oh, that. That's just the auto-reply."
"When no living beings have entered for ten thousand years, the System defaults to treating them all as intruders. Who knew you guys would be carrying the 'Boss's' token."
As he spoke, he used his millstone-sized finger to skillfully pluck a clump of moss growing on his shoulder, rolling it into a small ball in his palm.
With a flick of his finger, the small ball vanished into the distant darkness.
Su Wan also silently dispersed the Frost Magic Circle she had already formed. She adjusted a pair of glasses that didn't even exist, calmly analyzing, "The shift from 'Purge Program' to 'Highest Respect' only happened after the medal lit up. This 'Creator Beacon' has an absurdly high level of authority."
Only Xia Lian truly let out a long sigh of relief.
The moment those two colossal statues had stood up earlier, she had almost thought they were about to fight a desperate battle to the death.
As her tense nerves finally relaxed, her cheeks began to flush slightly again, and she muttered softly, "As long as we don't have to fight, as long as we don't have to fight..."
Bedrock clearly had an issue with his companion, turning his massive head toward the Steel Golem.
"Steel Bone, every time you reboot, you sound like you're reading a report. It's been ten thousand years, can't you change your lines? Hearing it makes the stones in my head resonate!"
His voice was deep and muffled, filled with the weariness of an old employee facing a fixed routine.
The Steel Golem named "Steel Bone" slightly turned his massive metal head toward his companion, the light in his blue electronic eyes flickering as if performing some kind of logical operation.
"Serial Number B-01, please mind your language."
The cold, synthetic voice spoke with meticulous precision,
"The Creator's Favored One is present. The rigor of the procedure is part of paying them the highest respect."
"Every single byte strictly adheres to the regulations of the Ancient Sealing Area Security Protocol, Chapter One, Section Three."
"Any simplification of the security protocol is a desecration of this sacred duty."
Bedrock let out a low, heavy sigh. If he had eyelids, he would have rolled them all the way to the sky by now.
"Regulations, regulations! You can't eat regulations! I just want to know when the moss on my body will be scraped off. It's almost grown into a cloak!"
Lin Qingyue looked at this pair of gatekeepers, one a talkative grumbler and the other a stickler for procedural justice, truly the two most absurdly mismatched figures in the Sealing Area.
The last bit of tension in her heart completely vanished, leaving only a sense of absurd amusement.
She stepped forward, shaking the [Medal of the God of Machinery and Creation] in her hand, which still emitted a soft golden glow.
"Ahem, hello, big brothers."
A gentle smile graced her face.
"Could you briefly explain the situation here?"
Steel Bone's blue electronic eye immediately locked onto the medal in her hand, shooting out a beam of blue light to perform a detailed scan.
"Beep."
"Secondary authorization confirmed... 'Creator's Favored One.' You possess S-rank highest authority for 'Sealing Area Maintenance and Inspection.'"
"Welcome. Sealed Entity A-01, Steel Bone, and Sealed Entity B-01, Bedrock, will provide all assistance within the scope of your authority."
As it spoke, Steel Bone's massive frame actually bent slightly, performing a gesture similar to a bow, filled with cyberpunk-style politeness.
"You talk too much."
Bedrock waved his hand impatiently, the resulting gust of wind blowing the hair of the four girls.
"Why don't you explain to the 'Boss's' honored guest what the situation is here? Stop just reciting the manual."
"Forget it, I'll do it."
He seemed to have found someone to talk to and suddenly became energized.
"This place, well, it's the first physical seal of the World Heart. The two of us are the first seal itself. To put it simply, we're the gatekeepers."
Steel Bone's mechanical head turned toward Lin Qingyue, seemingly processing Bedrock's irregular "urging" command.
After a few seconds, its electronic eye returned to a steady blue glow.
"As you wish. My companion, Serial Number B-01, though crude in speech, has made a request that aligns with the current optimal interaction logic."
"Our fundamental purpose for existing is to prevent any unauthorized life forms from breaking into the Core Area and to continuously record the stability index of the Sealing Energy."
Steel Bone's Electronic Eye flashed, bringing up data.
"You are the first batch of authorized visitors to arrive here in the 9766 years since the World Coordinate Era."
"The previous illegal intruders... a total of 73428, have all been formatted within the 'Purge Program'."
"Over nine thousand years..." Lin Xiyue gasped.
This number caused Lin Qingyue and the other three to fall silent for a moment.
This meant that these two somewhat eccentric guys before them had been alone in this dark and sunless place, carrying out orders for nearly ten thousand years.
This wasn't just 996 anymore; this was a ten-thousand-year 007.
Lin Qingyue sharply grasped the key information: "Our goal in this journey is to completely purify the pollution of the Heart of the Ancient God. Does this action, in your Authority System, count as an authorized operation?"
"That's wonderful!"
Bedrock's voice, rumbling like a millstone, betrayed obvious joy.
"You're going to put us out of a job!"
Lin Xiyue froze. "Put you out of a job, and you're still this happy?"
"Happy! How could we not be happy!"
Bedrock slapped his thigh, sending a tremor through the entire corridor.
"Little girl, you don't understand. This job is for life! Room and board are provided, but there are no vacations, no entertainment, and no internet!"
"Our only pleasure is counting which of Steel Bone's parts have rusted, or studying what new species of moss has grown on my body!"
"As long as you purify 'that thing' inside, the entire Sealing System will be declared terminated! According to the Final Protocol left by the Creator, we can apply for a formatted retirement!"
"When that happens, our Core Consciousness Data will be uploaded to the Divine Kingdom Database, and we can go wherever we want! We'll never have to crouch in this pitch-black place again!"
Bedrock grew more excited as he spoke, his massive rocky body trembling slightly with anticipation, as if he could already see the beautiful life of traveling the world and basking in the sun after retirement.
Steel Bone's electronic eye swept over the medals in the hands of Lin Qingyue and her three companions, the blue light flashing with a noticeably increased frequency.
"Authority scan complete."
"Sealed Entity A-01 Steel Bone, Sealed Entity B-01 Bedrock, confirm that the visitor's mission matches our Ultimate Protocol 'Return to Silence'."
"We will now open the 'Nirvana Corridor' leading to the Core Area for you."
In the cold, synthesized voice of the Steel Golem, there was actually a hint of... impatience?