Anya wasn’t nearly as bold as she was.
Upon noticing the change in Duncan’s expression, Tassia gradually grew serious and said slowly, "I have prepared more than ten people, all skilled hands, with all the necessary tools ready."
"As soon as the Defender Army of the Mechanical Divine Sect withdraws, we can explore the underground ruins."
"Moreover, we are working on getting a legal license."
"With a pioneer license, other matters would become much easier to handle."
The pioneer license was akin to having the status of a mercenary.
The Underground Nest City wasn’t filled with countless adventure stories. People risked their lives for wealth, and having an official status eased the process for subsequent supplies and exchanges.
Looking at the woman before him, Duncan spoke slowly, "Were you once a Mechanical Priest too?"
Tassia was quite surprised but nodded candidly, "Yes."
"However, I was expelled from the sect."
No wonder she had that mechanical sect smell all over her.
Duncan curiously asked, "Expelled? Why?"
Tassia seemed eager to gain Duncan’s trust, pondering before she spoke, "I hail from the D36 district, where they chiefly served the Insight Angel."
"My Mechanical Tutor was obsessed with human modification."
"He wanted to insert tubes into me, remove my spine, and equip some bizarre devices."
"But I refused."
"So I was stripped of my status and driven out of the Insight Seeker Sect."
Seeing Duncan’s slightly puzzled expression, Tassia asked curiously, "Have you always lived in the Steel Angels’ parish?"
"No wonder!"
"People who serve the Steel Angels are relatively normal."
"They may be rigid, but they’re obsessed with cultivating the body into a machine, not relying on external mechanical modifications."
From Tassia’s words, Duncan learned something about the other sects.
Followers of the Steel Angel belonged to the Combat Cultivation Sect, not caring much about mechanical calculations. Their aim was to cultivate the body into a machine, transforming into literal steel and iron, ultimately merging one’s entire being with the power of the Mechanical God.
The top-tier members of the Steel Angel sect were known as ’Mechanicians,’ appearing human but, in essence, already mechanical constructs.
As for the Insight Seeker Sect, they revered computational abilities and pursued technological monopoly, requiring massive memory and capacity, which human bodies couldn’t accommodate. Thus, they began mechanical modifications early on, starting with implanting data segment interfaces and gradually removing internal flesh organs to imbue more mechanical components and constructed prosthetics.
Ultimately, after replacing the brain with a mechanical one, they earned the new title of ’Alpha Apostle.’
Within the numerous sects of the Mechanical Divine Sect, the Steel Angel sect was considered a maverick.
But they were formidable.
The followers of the Steel Angel sect were powerful, with rich battle experience, resembling living regenerative metals. Though their computational skills lagged behind other sects, they could later develop into humanoid giants. In secret conflicts with other mechanical sects, Steel Angel followers rarely suffered losses.
.........