Chapter 732: Previous Host.

’Say, Volcan...’

[Yes?]

’Since when were you a deity?’

[... what?]

Dante had a hunch for some time, but now it was pretty much confirmed. Not only does the Gear Cult have something to do with VOLCAN, it also turned out that they worship it, or a part of it. There was more than one way to interpret it, and the theories kept coming.

’Maybe your previous host had something to do with it.’ Dante thought aloud.

[That is... difficult to believe...] Volcan said. [I have been dormant for far longer than the Church of the Eternal Gear has existed. I doubt they had anything to do with it.]

’You sure about that?’

[Yes.]

That scratched off the theory that the previous host had used his powers to start the cult, even though it sounded the most plausible.

’Your previous host, huh...’

Volcan had told him that most of his data was missing, making it impossible to ascertain his origin and purpose. Dante had made an active effort not to think too deeply about the topic. To him, VOLCAN was the weapon he would use to crush his enemies, and nothing more. Until he achieved his goals, nothing else mattered. Still...

’We should probably find this relic she mentioned...’

[Indeed. We might be able to restore the remote upgrade function using it.]

The remote function would allow them to upgrade all sorts of machines, not just the bionic implants attached to his body. A true game changer. There was only one problem.

’I guess we both got no clue on how to find it...’

[I would have requested that it be prioritized otherwise.]

If the cult was unable to find the thief in two years, then there was no doubt that they were exceptionally good at not being found. That said, Dante doubted that they would steal something of that nature just to keep it locked in a vault somewhere. The thief will eventually want to make use of the artifacts, and once that happens, it’s game over for them.

~[ ]~

[Suzuka: It’s done.]

Dante woke up to the message, and after staring at it for a while, its meaning finally struck him. He jumped out of his bed then, sending a quick reply before going about his daily tasks. With his android clone going on the usual morning ride, he did the rounds around the world, delivering packages before returning to Neo-Vatra and stopping by White Hill.

This time around, there were no spatial blockers preventing him from teleporting into the district, and so he arrived in a heartbeat.

"You didn’t have to come get it today, did you?"

What met him inside the lab was the rare sight of a very tired blue-haired girl. Her pale skin and the bags under her eyes made him wonder if she was sick, and she probably was, of him. From the looks of it, she had pushed herself too far trying to finish his request.

"The sooner I get it, the better," Dante said. "That way, you can take a break without having to worry about me."

"I guess you have a point..."

Covering her mouth as she yawned, Suzuka led the way to one of the corners where a workbench awaited. Seeing the box that was on top of it brought a smile to Dante’s face, and for a moment there, he felt like skipping his steps.

-Look at you, getting all excited.-

’Shut up. Let me have this.’

Like a kid who was about to receive his present, Dante watched eagerly as Suzuka opened the box, giving him a look at the implant inside.

The last piece of the MBI set was the frame, which made it the most complicated. Unlike the arms and legs, it replaced the entire torso, which was a crazy concept in and of itself. Installing it was equivalent to chopping one’s head off and attaching it to the implant, something that would obviously lead to one’s death. Because of that, one has to take a different route, and that showed in the implant’s appearance before its installation.

The interior of the box was lined with small parts that appeared like pieces of the same puzzle. Put together, they took on the shape of a ribcage, although a mechanical one full of ports and plug points.

To minimize the chances of the recipient dying during the installation process, the implant must be assembled onto their body piece by piece. That meant removing a small chunk of their bones and muscle tissue and replacing it with the intended part, doing so with each part one at a time until the process is complete.

Dante had already undergone a similar surgery before when he got the Ares Iron Cage, which was the frame that currently supports his implants. That said, the comparison wasn’t entirely accurate since the AIC only replaced his bones. Suzuka’s frame, on the other hand, replaced his torso entirely. Since it’s meant to be a platform for his Module, he would have to remove what remains of his skin and muscle tissue, which would leave his brain and face as the only parts that remained from his original body.

"The final piece..."

Once he gets it installed, he would be able to equip the Modules of an entire armor, giving him access to all its abilities as well as its entire energy reserve, and with him being able to equip a different armor on top of it, his power would practically double.

"I’m gonna need to equip it right now." Closing the box, he scanned it while sending a message to Larry, asking him to prepare for surgery. "Thanks, Suzuka. I will transfer the rest of your payment right away."

"Slow down," heaving a sigh, the blue-haired Gear Head moved aside. "You have yet to check your other request."

The classic alloy box used for storing implants was the first thing that caught Dante’s attention, and because of that, he hadn’t noticed the large fridge-like machine sitting right beside the workbench. Suzuka snapped her fingers, and the next instant, the machine unfurled, its parts spreading out like the petals of a rose.

"No way..."

He couldn’t tell at first because it was packed into that box shape, but now that it had opened up, he recognized it immediately.

"Knowing what you’re going to use it for, I decided to get it done as fast as I can," Suzuka said. "I call it the Cradle."

"We... might need to work on your naming sense..." Dante said.

"Got better ideas?"

"Nope."

The Cradle, as she called it, was the machine Volcan designed as a solution to their upgrade problem. It made use of Suzuka’s MBIs to connect other implants to Dante, allowing him to upgrade them without having to directly install them into his body. That’s the theory, at least.

"I sure hope it doesn’t go to waste," Suzuka said.

"Yeah, I don’t want to be constantly opened up and closed."

As they had yet to test it out, there was no way to tell if it would actually work. But to do so, he would have to get the last piece of his MBI set installed.

"Alright, I will go get over with so we can test this baby."

Just as he was about to turn around, a hand fell on his shoulder, stopping him in his place.

"Where do you think you’re going?"