In Riku's world, humanity had nothing left, and the power brought out by the cyber cafe was real.
Riku looked at Schwi; although Schwi verbally 'obeyed' him, he couldn't guarantee that the other Ex Machinas didn't have other ideas, especially since this Ex Machina had also entered the cyber cafe.
An Ex Machina that had broken away from the linked network was a power Riku needed and was sure he could master.
"Okay, Schwi knows where the partially damaged machine is, hopefully, that will help Riku..."
"Take me there!"
"Okay."
Nowadays, it took months for Riku to reach the ruins of the Elven Capital, but when Schwi used the power of the Ex Machina, it took only an hour to complete the journey that previously took months. A certain battle had wiped out the entire region, and this place had been occupied by another race for a long time.
The Ex Machina, seeking to maximize efficiency, had abandoned the scrap metal and produced resources to rebuild again. Then the race moved out because of the war, leaving behind a field of rubble.
Riku and Schwi first encountered the ruins. Despite never having played Fallout 4, Riku and Schwi were more familiar with it than anyone else at the internet cafe.
The heritage of the Ex Machina and other races was substantial. They found valuable items like the Life Fruit Seed, strange Kikai parts, large cold-blooded animal eggs, and various knowledge and culture left behind by other races. Riku calculated that all together, these could be sold for more than seven hundred dollars—just enough for a day's worth of internet access, a sky-high price for someone like Riku who traded his lifespan for internet time.
The Ex Machina ruin pit presented a giant pit containing the physical remains of hundreds of Ex Machina, too scrapped for even recycling. Schwi showed no emotion, as there was no scrapyard for Ex Machina—only death in battle or program bugs leading to abandonment. This pit had been made by another race.
The Machina parts were useless to other races and too sturdy to destroy without significant effort, which could provoke powerful entities.
"Here..." Riku had an indescribable feeling looking at the humanoid Ex Machina in the pit.
He couldn't understand why so many races had to go to war. Couldn't disputes be settled without conflict? Was there any point to this war.
Riku looked to the sky, filled with ashes since his childhood. He wondered what the sky would look like without them.
Would it be like Minecraft, with a blue sky, blue sea, crisp air, and a warm sun?
He longed to experience it here.
"Riku..."
Schwi didn't understand Riku's behavior; to the Ex Machina, such emotional acts were meaningless. Still, she noted Riku's state for later observation.
"Alright, let's make a big deal out of this and at least cover the next period of internet bills."
"Good~"
If it were just Riku, disassembling would take weeks, but with Schwi, they quickly dismantled the remains. The core computing 'chip' of the Ex Machina, named the data core, could be sold for $300+ even in fragments. A complete data core was worth far more. Riku appraised Schwi once and found a complete Ex Machina to be worth enough for thirty humans to buy all the games at the internet cafe and play for ten years.
However, a Ex Machina with a complete form couldn't be sold by others, and he couldn't bear to sell such a lovely Ex Machina. An obedient Ex Machina was far more useful than money.
Internet time could be exchanged for lifespan, but other races' intelligence could not.
In eight hours, Riku and Schwi finished disassembling and categorizing all the Ex Machina below. To their surprise, they found a data core in perfect condition, valued at one hundred thousand.
"Riku?"
Schwi didn't understand Riku's contemplation. Shouldn't he be happy with such a complete 'part'? Why hesitate? Wouldn't it be better to trade it for more study time?
"Schwi, is it possible to obtain its data?"
Schwi shook her head, "This act is pointless; it already uploaded all its data before shutdown."
"Is that so?"
At the internet cafe, Liu Yuan yawned while chatting about a random confrontation played before opening the store.
Moon 3's tanks had invaded Liu Yuan's home, and Liu Yuan's tanks had cut into Moon 3's home. When the Iron Curtain under Kisara cooled down, it was a solid win, except Kisara gave the Iron Curtain to Moon 3's tanks instead.
"Hehehe~ shaky hands, shaky hands."
While teasing each other, Riku and Schwi walked into the store.
"Boss, shipment."
Liu Yuan spat out, "How many times have I said, this is a regular store, not a black market. Sell things honorably. Crap? There are actually excellent goods?"
Liu Yuan asked with surprise, "Did you take out a living Ex Machina? How did you come up with so many parts?" He glanced at Schwi, who was in good condition without missing parts.
"How much can you sell it for?"
"I'll do the math. 239,000+, round it up to 240,000."
"Thanks, boss."
"Thanks for what? I'll wipe your debt. But I have a suggestion."
"What?"
Tina, Minato, and Kaede all said Liu Yuan's suggestions were very useful, enough to save a life at a critical moment.
So both Scwi and Riku listened carefully.