Chapter 81: Enlightening the Tank

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Enlightening the Tank

Ambrose looked at Vierlia’s smile, unable to suppress his curiosity. Having watched this outstanding junior grow up, he naturally knew that her demeanor was born of genuine confidence. After thinking for a moment, he simply waved his hand, ordering someone to place a chair below his throne.

He didn’t have much longer to live anyway, so now was the time to be fearless.

The grand hall fell silent. The guards and maids trembled slightly, sensing the oppressive atmosphere of the calm before the storm. This lasted until the sky grew dimly lit.

Several figures descended from the sky, landing directly inside the Royal Palace.

The leader wore a white robe, yet he somehow exuded a damp and gloomy aura. With his hooked nose and sharp gaze, it was difficult to look at him directly. This was the Vice Hall Master of the Holy Hall—Bill. He was a Great Saint. In charge of the Holy Hall’s punishments, he had always been famous for being strict and inflexible. He was widely considered the most terrifying figure in the entire Holy Hall.

"Where is Alberta?" the Vice Hall Master demanded immediately, skipping even the most basic pleasantries.

"Paladins are not under the kingdom’s jurisdiction. Why are you asking me, Vice Hall Master?" Vierlia replied unhurriedly.

A Paladin’s cultivation suppressed desires, including coercion. As long as they had no evidence to leverage against her, they had to abide by their own rules. She just needed to stall for time.

Dawn was fast approaching.

***

Meanwhile, Shen Yun, who had also waited all night, nervously watched the gradually dissipating thunderclouds. The early morning sunlight broke across the horizon.

It was so bright!

Shen Yun found himself staring at a massive, shiny lightbulb! He hurriedly shifted his viewing angle and finally got a clear look at the person slowly descending from the sky.

It was a shiny, bald head. The figure wore a brown vest, but other than his head, his exposed limbs and torso were entirely made of green, metallic muscles. Standing at around 1.9 meters tall, his mere presence alone gave off a powerful aura.

It was a man!

This fell in line with Shen Yun’s expectations. Tanks were different from fighter jets. Their main bodies were filled with the aesthetics of violence, and the welding lines on their outer shells were particularly menacing. If a tank turned into a woman, she probably wouldn’t be very pretty.

However...

"What’s with his body?" Shen Yun asked Little Nine.

"He’s maintaining a partial demonification state," Little Nine explained, seeing through it at a glance. "I can do that too. For example, I can turn part of my skin into a screen..."

"Uh." Shen Yun imagined the scene of lying on Little Nine’s body to watch a movie. He felt it would be super weird and decided to pass on that idea.

He slowly walked toward the bald man. The moment the man saw Shen Yun, the confusion in his eyes gradually faded. He raised his hands and cupped his fists over his chest in a salute.

"My Lord!"

The clear voice was accompanied by a resonant CLANG of clashing metal, along with a small ring of air currents that erupted when his fist struck his palm. It felt incredibly domineering.

"It looks like I don’t need to explain anything," Shen Yun said, looking his new companion up and down with great satisfaction.

Little Nine had previously mentioned that Enlightened monsters naturally harbored a deep affection for him, the master who granted them life. They also understood their own identities. Coupled with the restrictions of the Bodhi Branch, as long as Shen Yun did his job well as their master, he basically didn’t have to worry about betrayal.

"Yes! My Lord has granted me life." The bald man looked at Shen Yun with gratitude, his eyes full of admiration and worship. To give birth to a soul from an inanimate object—what a tremendous miracle!

"Let me give you a name." Shen Yun thought for a moment and decided to scrap his previous ideas. "I’ll call you Little Jeno."

The image of this metallic man reminded him of a character from a fantasy work: Jenos. Although Jenos wasn’t bald, their expressions and imposing auras were indeed somewhat similar.

"Yes! From now on, Little Jeno will continue to be My Lord’s weapon. I will never let any enemy harm My Lord!" Little Jeno’s eyes carried a resolute determination.

He also possessed a clear understanding of "self." A tank was a weapon, born to protect. Moreover, the endless joy surging within his heart at this moment made his soul tremble. This was the feeling of gaining "life" and the feeling of gaining "thought." Because he had personally experienced such a miracle, his feelings toward Shen Yun were largely filled with pure reverence.

COUGH COUGH.

Little Nine suddenly cleared her throat, reverting to her human form. She stood beside Shen Yun and said solemnly, "Just keeping people from hurting Master isn’t enough. In this world, Master has given us everything. Therefore, we must protect Master’s dignity and glory. In this regard, you still need to learn from me."

"I see. Little Jeno will remember this." Little Jeno actually nodded in all seriousness.

"Hey, hey, don’t teach him weird things," Shen Yun said helplessly. Little Jeno hadn’t been out of the factory for long to begin with, and with his soul newly born, he was still very naive.

"How can you call these weird things? This is very important!" Little Nine gently took Shen Yun’s hand and placed it against her chest. She looked at him as sincerely as a praying saint. "Master is very sacred in our hearts because you chose to grant us life of your own free will. If your will is slighted by others, it would be an unimaginable insult to us. Therefore, Master must absolutely never look down on yourself."

"That’s right, it is indeed so." Little Jeno nodded again, deeply moved. "Your will is the reason for our birth, so it naturally represents the dignity and meaning of our existence."

Shen Yun opened his mouth slightly, suddenly at a loss for words. However, putting himself in their shoes, he indeed felt an indescribable sense of gratitude toward the parents who had given birth to him. Because of them, he possessed everything he had now, including his own thoughts. This was a universal moral principle in nature.

"We have a long road ahead of us. Why get so serious now?" Shen Yun couldn’t help but rub the back of his hand against Little Nine’s smooth cheek. He smiled. "Since you’ve finally come into this world, experiencing positive emotions is a very important thing."

"Positive emotions... To summarize the pursuit of life in a single sentence, as expected of My Lord!" Little Jeno’s eyes sparkled with worship, already etching these words into the depths of his soul.

He felt that he had found his goal in life. As a tank, following and protecting his master could bring him a strong sense of fulfillment.

Shen Yun froze for a moment before offering a helpless smile. Once again, he came to a clear realization. Whether it was Little Nine or the tank in front of him, even though they had human forms, they couldn’t be understood using human common sense and logic. What normal person could figure out what a tank’s positive emotions were?

Still... having a new companion felt really nice.

"Let’s go, Little Nine, Little Jeno. Our journey is about to begin again."

Shen Yun, accompanied by Little Nine, who had turned back into a smartphone, and Little Jeno, whose body color had returned to a normal skin tone, flew toward the Violet Royal Capital.