A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 502

Chapter 502: 375 Chapter 502: 375 Just like that, Duanmu Huai successfully obtained a Horse Maiden familiar… and for him, it was an unimaginable surprise!

The reason is simple, it lies in the particular traits of this Horse Maiden.

[True Machine Spirit (Superior Charm)]
[Superior Charm: Exceptional cuteness and attractive temperament, she's on her way to become the world's cutest.]
Oh my god!

When Duanmu Huai formed the contract and saw this trait, he was nearly moved to tears.

Finally, finally, he's got his big break!!!!!!

Duanmu Huai's joy comes with good reason.

Why hadn't Duanmu Huai chosen to walk the path he once followed after crossing over to this world?

Reason was simple, other than the fact that his initial server was located in Zhen Dan rather than Imperial, there was one major factor… many of his tasks were triggered by Charm.

Initially, when Duanmu Huai created his in-game character, he made his character's Charm exceptionally high, allowing him to trigger some hidden tasks that only he could initiate. In fact, in the game, Duanmu Huai basically relied on successive tasks triggered by Charm to survive his journey from Zhen Dan to the cosmos.

For instance, shortly after he started the game, an old man stopped him in a pub, smiling as he said, “Looking at you, young lady, I can tell you're not ordinary. You're a gifted individual. I have a favor to ask.”

And when Duanmu Huai venture out to the cosmos, the first cosmic chain task was triggered by an NPC approaching him, proposing that since she was so beautiful, she may be interested in partaking in an underground competition… This led Duanmu Huai to meet another member of a dark organization undercover, which in turn granted him a new profession and identity…

In short, high Charm works like this: you might simply walk down the street doing nothing, and hidden tasks will come to you.

Even if lewd thugs are attracted to your beauty, it could lead to a sideline task hiding a huge conspiracy.

This was one of the reasons Duanmu Huai was able to rise as a top-tier player early on. His high Charm, combined with the fortunate acquisition of a native Holy Blood Angel gene, practically started him off with maximum Charm. All sorts of tasks were lined up and practically begging to be done. While other players were wracking their brains trying uncover hidden tasks, Duanmu Huai had a queue of hidden tasks waiting to be undertaken.

Because of that, when Duanmu Huai himself crossed over to this world, he was plunged into despair.

His current level of Charm was nowhere near what was required to trigger hidden tasks. Even if he knew which NPCs held hidden tasks and actively sought them out, they probably wouldn't tell him. If they were to say something like “get out of my sight, ugly”, Duanmu Huai would have no choice but to beat them to a pulp…

When his Charm was at its max, all sorts of tasks would rush towards him.

But now… He estimated that even regular tasks wouldn't come his way, let alone hidden ones. After all, while lascivious cultists would surely be tempted by a beautiful woman, only an idiot would willingly provoke a terrifying enemy. Under these circumstances, it was basically impossible for Duanmu Huai to receive any useful tasks from others.

But that's all changed now!

With the Superior Charm of the True Machine Spirit, Duanmu Huai can finally try to find his original plotline and trigger some Charm-restricted tasks!

After all, logically speaking, if a True Machine Spirit is his pet, then the pet's Charm should be equivalent to the master's. When rounded off, you could say Duanmu Huai's Charm is now maxed out, right?

Moreover, this Horse Maiden, who calls herself Karen, is indeed pretty adorable. Her exterior is already appealing, with soft white curls, playful ears and tail, plus the cute and delicate face — a sight that would set anyone's heart fluttering. Besides, she's extremely cheerful and vivacious, socialising effortlessly. It didn't take long after she joined Duanmu Huai and his group for her to fit in perfectly.

However, unlike Tutu, whose mental age seemed to be under ten, Karen is more of an upbeat, lively, and playful type. According to her, her goal is to make the world recognize her cuteness, and use her charms to heal the world… Well, at least it's a dream.

Honestly, she'd be a great match against Obsessive Sin. At least this cutie is genuinely cute and beautiful, so she won't distort anyone's sense of beauty.

The influence of the God of Lust, or Obsessive Sin, is far more prevalent in interstellar civilizations than on their primitive counterparts. The reason is simple: interstellar civilizations house numerous alien species, whose features vary drastically. Naturally, most ordinary people wouldn't accept a species with wholly different appearances.

But in the Cosmic Age, due to the sheer number of alien species, the human aesthetic of interstellar civilizations has broadened considerably.

That's why the aesthetic standards of many humans in interstellar civilizations went from–only accepting humans–to only recognizing human-like creatures–to tentacles also seeming pretty cute–to slime monsters not seeming so dirty–to it doesn't matter what they look like as long as it feels good… They took off at breakneck speed towards the realm of the Evil God Cultist.

This was also one of the reasons why the Imperial Empire clamped down fiercely on alien civilizations back in the day. If aesthetic tastes become too twisted, humanity might become infatuated simply by looking at a Subspace Demon…

As for those activists who tirelessly claimed things like “There are countless species in the universe, we should ignore appearances and focus on their soul and inner essence”, they were publicly hanged by the Judges.

Are you also planning on engaging in soulful conversations with Subspace Demons?

Heretics, be gone!

Compared to the aliens, Karen, who's not only beautiful but also quite cute, fits Duanmu's aesthetic sense better. Moreover, the pure-human certification by the Tribunal is based on skull structures. Although Karen is a Horse Maiden, her skull, as seen in X-ray images, still meets the human criteria of the Tribunal. So … obsessing over Horse Maidens is better than having your sense of beauty distorted by aliens.

Besides, she brought a huge surprise as soon as she joined.

“Right here?”

Staring at the steel gate before him, Duanmu Huai asked, whereas Karen next to him nodded.

“Yes, Karen discovered it while taking a walk before. What do you think? Doesn't it have a certain villainous feel to it?”

“Hmmmmmmmm…”
Upon hearing Zhen Jiling's words, Duanmu Huai's eyes twitched slightly. He lifted his head, gazing at the gigantic steel gate in front of him – they were standing in front of a mountain wall on the edge of the grassland. Hidden under layers of vines here, was a steel door that looked as though it hadn't been opened for many years.

Even though the door was covered in dust, Duanmu Huai immediately spotted the logo of a skull and gears in the center.

“This is the emblem of the Mechanic Religion…”

Duanmu Huai gasped, never having thought that he would encounter something created by the Mechanic Religion in this mysterious world!

The skull, gears, and the Aquila are symbols of the Empire.

The Aquila is a symbol of the imperial government, the gear is the emblem of the Mechanic Religion, and the skull is the symbol of the national religion of the Empire.

The emblem of the Tribunal also derives from these symbols.

Duanmu Huai had simply modified it slightly.

Was it an oversight to have come here without power armor?

Seeing the emblem in front of him, Duanmu Huai felt some regret. He never thought that this world concealed a secret base of the Mechanic Religion. Although he didn't know what was inside, based on Duanmu Huai's experiences, it usually wasn't easy to deal with.

However, danger also meant opportunity. Generally, the bases of the Mechanic Religion contained all sorts of valuable goods. After all, many things were only known to those damned technician priests. They hid many of the Mechanic Religion's secrets deeply… In fact, a large portion of the T1 Class equipment and weapons unearthed by players came from the ruins, warehouses, or secret bases of the Mechanic Religion.

“What happened? Did Karen cause trouble?”

Seeing Duanmu Huai's serious expression, Zhen Jiling, who was standing next to him, looked at him uneasily. Duanmu Huai, however, shook his head.

“No, you did a good job. I didn't expect such a secret to be hidden here. If it wasn't discovered…”

“Rumble…”

However, before Duanmu Huai could finish his sentence, suddenly, the massive iron gate shook, slowly opening to reveal its dark and quiet interior.

“Tsk…”

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai clicked his tongue. He had originally planned to leave this ruin here temporarily and return after lifting his seal. However, it seemed that man proposes, and God disposes. He didn't know what had gone wrong, leading to the activation of this base, but it appeared that he had no choice but to go in and investigate.

“Ogis and I will go in to check it out, you all stay outside.”

Having made up his mind, Duanmu Huai quickly made his decision. Hearing his decision, all three familiars were taken aback.

“But, Master…”

“It's an order. It's too dangerous inside. I can't guarantee your safety.”

Duanmu Huai cut off the maid, his familiars–according to the system–were just his pets. They may have some combat power, but Duanmu Huai didn't believe they could face the Mechanic Religion's creations unscathed. All things considered, even as a judge, he might not be able to handle these damned things — taking them in would only increase the risk.

Fortunately, Duanmu Huai still had Soul Cards to utilize. Hence, with the War Hammer in hand, Duanmu Huai and Ogis boldly stepped into this dormant subterranean base.

“Boom!”

Just as the two of them had entered, suddenly, the massive iron gate that had been open swiftly closed with a force as fast as a thunderbolt.

“Phew…”

Although the exit was closed, Duanmu Huai relaxed somewhat.

At least now he wouldn't have to worry about something sneaking out to cause trouble while he was away.

However…
“It's laughable if they think this can hold me back.”

Looking at the dark, dimly lit corridor in front of him, Duanmu Huai scoffed. If it were a standard player or NPC, they'd have no choice but to march forward, through dangerous traps and dark ruins, unaware of what they might encounter… Unfortunately for them, this move doesn't work on him!

With that thought, Duanmu Huai raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The next moment, hundreds of puppets appeared out of thin air, filling the once-empty corridor. Holding his War Hammer, Duanmu Huai stood his ground, calmly issuing commands to the puppets.

“Scour every corner of this place and uncover everything it hides!”

Yes, the Soul Walker never worked alone; he was always an army!

Following Duanmu Huai's command, the Puppet Army quickly got to work, spreading out in all directions immediately!

Chapter end

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