Chapter 1898: Battlefields

Machina pointed to a spot. "We are here."

"Okay." Nathan nodded.

"The previous world you visited was..." Machina shifted her finger for a meter. "...here."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "That’s quite concerning."

The map that Machina made was fifty meters in size. It was extremely big because she wanted to add as many details as possible, and they were inside the hologram.

Still, a single warp covered only a meter, so it might look extremely bad for them because they might need a lot to reach the alien."

"It’s not exactly as concerning as you might think." Machina walked to the other side of the hologram. "The Great Void is this one."

She showed a big space and abstained from almost everything. Since the projection was bright, it didn’t look like a void, but he didn’t mind the details.

"I see." Nathan crossed his arms. "We’ll probably need about five more portals to reach that place."

"According to my calculations, it’s more than that, unless you find a way to bypass them." Machina shook her head. "Every time you enter a portal, it moves like a snake. It’s not a straight line. Instead, it’s seeking a place with more energy."

Nathan nodded in understanding. "Well, we’re not planning to go straight. Instead, if there are civilizations like this, it’s good to stop. Maybe we can recruit them to resist the aliens."

"Unfortunately, you can’t recruit the empire, Master. Even if you recruit them, I don’t think you can trust them."

"It’s fine. I managed to recruit you." Nathan smiled.

"I’m flattered that you think of me that highly.

Nathan asked, "Well, I’ve got the idea of the location. So, what do you want to show me?"

Machina nodded. "There might be more civilization than you thought. The empire had known about them, but they thought it was just an anomaly from a planet or something. That was probably how we explained it because it was more believable that way.

"But after knowing there was someone who looked like a human but could travel in outer space freely, it might not be a planet anomaly. Instead, it might be someone like you. We’ve spotted many of them, but we have no way of confirming whether it’s truly just planet anomalies or manmade."

"I see." Nathan crossed his arms, contemplating. "Show me."

Many planets shone, indicating their anomalies.

"There are definitely a lot of them." Nathan nodded with a serious expression. "Well, we can check if we pass by. If they’re someone we can recruit, we will do that. If we can’t invite them, then we’ll just continue. Our biggest potential ally is another alien who hasn’t been controlled by the black cell.

"We’re intending to head to the alien world to find this alien and see our options in defeating Azathoth, Yog-Sothoth, and the black cell.

"By the way, can you locate Azathoth or Yog-Sothoth?"

"I’m sorry, Master. We are unable to locate those beings. It’s either they’re too small to be found or they might be something we’ve discovered but can’t recognize."

"I see." Nathan sighed. It was a shame, but it wasn’t exactly a problem. "Got it. How about the other two ancient battlefields?"

"Unfortunately, we don’t have any information about them, so I can only try to look at a place with high energy density or at least a trace of it. Since it’s a battlefield that is not used anymore."

"Have you found any?"

"No. I’m still scanning everything, but it will take time."

"In that case, try to scan if there’s any active one as well. I’m sure some powerful gods are fighting openly in outer space."

"I understand. I’ll try to see the ones happening recently."

"Can you do that? I mean, the speed of light is constant, right?"

"We’re using spacetime signals. It reduces the distance required for the light to travel. However, the limit is six months. The closest distance will date to six months ago, and longer distance means more time required."

"That’s fine as well." Nathan nodded with a smile. "Just getting that information will be enough. If there’s a battlefield we can join, we will join."

"Understood. I will also find that later." Machina nodded. "As for the other two ancient battlefields, I don’t know if they’re still active or not, but I think we will be able to find them if we continue to search for a spike of energy."

"Considering the ones fighting on those battlefields are gods, I guess their power will remain." Nathan approved the mission. "Does the empire know anything about this?"

"No. I’ve blocked their access for the time being. They’re most likely fuming right now, but considering the fact that they can be destroyed because of their impure intentions, it’s not a big punishment. Besides, they will receive it back soon."

"I see. Do you find anything from them?"

"Not much, but I have finally heard the true order from the emperor."

"Hoh?" Nathan narrowed his eyes.

"Will you not get angry after I say this?"

"The matter has passed, the punishment has been given. There is nothing more I should do to them."

"Thank you, Master." Machina politely thanked him. "The emperor gave an order to wait until you and the alien fought it out. Once you were exhausted, both of you would be sealed inside.

"They were willing to let you out if you accepted their condition, which was to implant an ASP chip in your brain."

"ASP?"

"After Service Prisoner Chip, it’s a chip that is used for prisoners. They can release enough electricity to kill a person, ensuring that the prisoners can’t escape. And they intend to use it to monitor your brainwaves to figure out what you’re thinking and find other information."

"I see." Nathan nodded in understanding. It was a quite vicious order. No wonder Machina asked him not to get angry. "I guess I don’t have to feel bad about using their military telescope."

"Of course. You shouldn’t. I’m using it for you to get the ’compensation’ you deserve, Master." She smiled. "I have been copying all their military equipment so that I can build it for you in the future."

Nathan looked surprised before chuckling. "I guess I recruited the right one."