Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

Seeing that Chaoyang did not answer, Number One did not pursue the matter further. "Our purpose is very simple, that is to lift the mutual restrictions between divinities and Prayers, allowing Divine Power to be used by more people. It will no longer only benefit a certain family or company, but all of humanity will be able to enjoy the welfare it brings."

"But I only see you bringing war and slaughter..." Shandela muttered discontentedly, although her tone was much more restrained than her earlier loud reprimands.

Chaoyang, however, was slightly startled; he suddenly had some idea of what Duke Longjiu and the God of All Machines really wanted to do.

"You are a smart person, you should have also seen the drawbacks of divine protection," the other party seemed to read the change in his expression, "Coming to Thistlefort is undoubtedly an adventure, but now I am much more at ease... Perhaps coming here was the wisest choice."

"The rise of the Longjiu Family is only a matter of the past one hundred years. Since the factories began producing Steam Constructs continuously, people’s belief in machinery led to the birth of Kosmos. Gao Feng Industrial Company seized this opportunity and began mass-producing large-scale machinery powered by Steam Constructs and gradually developed into the giant company it is today. Now, when people mention artificial constructs, they think of the Longjiu Family, but in fact... they are not the creators of the Steam Constructs."

Chaoyang nodded, "I’ve read about this part of history in books."

The invention of the Steam Constructs was the work of a small company, which was quickly acquired by the Longjiu Family.

The name of that company was not even left in the books.

Now there are four or five manufacturers producing Steam Constructs, and more or less all of them are related to Gao Feng Company to some extent. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"This prosperity will not last forever; advanced constructs will replace the old, just as the New Divine replace the old gods. When the next impactful power source is developed, there will surely be new mechanical structures that match it; gears, springs, and rotors will no longer be mainstream. People’s craving for the next generation of machines will most likely give rise to new divinities. The God of All Machines only has two choices... one is to accept obsolescence and exile itself; the other is to become a First-Rank Miracle Construction and continue to utilize its remaining heat."

Number One said this, and the hum of the vibrating disc became even deeper.

"Divinities leave behind mechanical relics, originally meant to benefit mankind, but due to the loss of their own will, they almost all end up as tools for the profit of a few. Although the God of All Machines chose the Longjiu Family, it does not mean it is willing to see the latter monopolize the production of machinery, because this would hinder the progress of other new technologies and even cause society to regress."

"Even if Wilson Longjiu is a wise family head, it doesn’t mean the Longjiu Family will continue to follow the rules of their predecessors. When new constructs appear, the Longjiu Family will also face a dilemma: either fall behind and decline, or use various means to suppress and swallow up, even Duke Longjiu cannot deny this."

Chaoyang raised his eyebrows, "No matter what you say, that is still a matter for the future. Is the head of the Longjiu Family willing to push his own family into decline now?"

"It is always the minority who dare to explore new paths, and Wilson happens to be one of them. Therefore, the God of All Machines made a deal with him. By working together, they can avoid both bad outcomes."

"I see," he said thoughtfully, "No wonder Wilson Longjiu became the God’s Gifted of the All Machine Cult... and then came the war to overthrow the Laurel Dynasty. It is not most important who controls the Kingdom; what matters are the mechanical relics in the Royal City and Star Peak City. Completely unmanned war machinery, the self-aware Gao Feng Butler, I guess all these innovations came from these relics?"

"Correct."

"Huh?" Shandela looked at Chaoyang with a puzzled face, clearly not quite understanding the logical progression here.

A stark betrayal, how did it become a new path that breaks the mold and benefits humanity?

"Allow me to explain," said Number One, speaking again, "If you don’t want to stagnate, you must keep progressing. This contradicts the very nature of the divinities, who are destined to decay, so they could not achieve this on their own power. Kosmos’s choice was to transform itself into countless tiny conscious entities, allowing them to coexist with humans... These entities are now the machines of Gao Feng Industry. I am the first individual that was differentiated, but since I was born before the fusion with the ’Holy Grail’, I don’t possess the ability to pass on souls."

"Isn’t the Holy Grail controlled by the Abundance Sect as a First-Rank Miracle Construction?" Shandela couldn’t help asking.

"Its core comes from another ancient divinity who shelters the holy offspring of birth, Gaide. This construct was originally not part of the Abundance Sect, but, like most constructs, it has been repeatedly plundered by the powerful and annexed as their exclusive treasure," it explained in detail, "After merging with the remnants of the holy offspring, regardless of whether the machine was produced by Gao Feng Company or not, it could potentially inherit from the God of All Machines, thus Awakening into an autonomous entity."

Chaoyang caught the key point in the other’s words, "You’re saying they’re individual entities? Meaning Kosmos can’t directly control them?"

"Of course," said Number One decisively, "If everyone was just a part of the divinity, what distinction would that hold from a single divinity? Countless conscious entities possess countless possibilities. The remnants of the God of Knowledge, Ninata, provided the foundational conditions for the birth of consciousness—we obtained not rigid knowledge, but the method to learn and the instinct to adapt to civilization. Lastly, the Goddess of Abundance... she provides the wishing power and is the fertile field for the growth of machines."

"By growth, you mean..."

"Her harvest extends beyond just plants, literally, until the God of All Machines dissipated, machines would continuously spring forth from The Divine Country to compensate for the inadequacies of factory efficiency. Duke Longjiu delivered on his promise, and with his assistance, the God of All Machines obtained all the pieces of this plan. Just give it another year or two, and construct machines will no longer be expensive goods serving only a privileged few... most people will be able to enjoy the conveniences brought by machines without having to pay money to greedy companies. Within these machines will also be born leaders and wise men who will govern the Kingdom together. As a reward, Gao Feng Industrial Company will become part of this system, responsible for producing the newest models of Gao Feng butlers to meet the special needs of the wealthy few."

"The God of All Machines predicts that this will greatly drive social productivity, and humanity’s annual output will increase by three to four times compared to the past... When people live a life of abundance without worries, and divinities no longer emerge due to prayers, or even if they do emerge, can be integrated into the divine body, the cycle of history will be broken, and a new era will then arrive,"

As Number One said this, it released a long stream of steam as if this grand design had been pent up in its mind for a very long time, and now at last, it had someone to share it with.

Chaoyang had to admit, this was indeed a bold and avant-garde plan.

To endow all machines with souls, allowing them to become living entities capable of continuous evolution, and to engrave the mission of helping humans into their marrow, that way, even without leaving behind any remains, the God of All Machines could still watch over humankind for thousands of years to come.

He also completely understood why the Longjiu Family didn’t simply take power themselves... as long as the Laurel Family hadn’t fallen, the Goddess of Abundance would still be able to garner wishing power from the followers. This wishing power would continuously flow into the merged body of Kosmos, becoming the nourishment for the growth of machines.

Everything seemed reasonable, however...

"But you did not risk coming to Thistlefort just to show off this plan to me."

In a sense, the Paradise Divine was also a target of their fusion.

"You’re right..." The other’s voice suddenly dropped, "An anomaly has arisen within Kosmos, I don’t know where the problem lies, but it has recently deviated from its intended course."