Chapter : 685

“Alright,” he said, a slow, dangerous grin spreading across his face. He had been humbled by his father, by his enemies, and now, by his own omniscient System. Perhaps it was a lesson he needed to learn. “Alright, Administrator. You win. My imagination has failed me. So please, enlighten me. Let’s rephrase. Show me the alternative.”

[Acknowledged,] the voice droned, without a hint of triumph. [Accessing alternative material databases. Cross-referencing for desired functionality: ‘Programmable, continuous instruction execution.’ Stand by.]

Lloyd leaned forward, his elbows on the desk, his chin resting in his hands. The schematics and their ink-stains were forgotten. A new door had just opened, a door he didn't even know existed. And he waited with the breathless anticipation of an explorer about to hear a description of a new, undiscovered continent.

The silence that followed the Administrator’s declaration of “Stand by” was a new kind of silence. It wasn’t the empty, frustrating silence of his own limitations; it was the charged, humming silence of a massive, unseen engine processing a request. Lloyd could almost feel it, a subtle vibration at the edge of his perception, the sense of cosmic gears turning, of vast libraries of impossible knowledge being sifted for his benefit. He was no longer a man alone in a room; he was a client who had just submitted a query to the universe’s most powerful search engine.

He used the moment to center himself, to push aside the lingering shock and awe and re-engage his strategic mind. This direct line of communication was a paradigm shift. He had to understand the nature of the entity he was speaking with.

“Administrator,” Lloyd began, his mental voice now calm and focused. “What are your operational parameters? What are the limits of the [INQUIRY] function?”

[The [INQUIRY] function provides access to the System’s non-restricted data archives,] the Administrator explained, its cadence as rhythmic and unvarying as a metronome. [Data is provided based on the specificity and accuracy of the user’s query. The function is designed to provide information, not solutions. It will identify tools and resources. It will not dictate their application. Strategic and ethical determinations remain the sole responsibility of the user.]

Lloyd nodded to himself. So, it was a library, not a guide. A provider of facts, not a co-conspirator. That was good. It meant his own will, his own strategies, were still the primary drivers of his fate. The System was a tool, a phenomenally powerful one, but still just a tool. He was still the one in command.

[Database search complete,] the Administrator announced, its voice cutting through his thoughts. [An alternative material has been identified that aligns with the user’s desired functionality.]

Lloyd leaned forward, his entire body tense with anticipation. “Identify it.”

[The material is a crystalline mineral formation designated as a ‘Lilith Stone.’ It is a rare, psycho-receptive quartz variant that possesses a unique molecular lattice structure. When subjected to a continuous, stable stream of refined spirit power, this lattice can be imprinted with a single, complex, and continuous Task Protocol.]

Lloyd’s mind, the mind of the engineer, seized on the key phrases. Psycho-receptive. Imprinted. Single, complex, continuous Task Protocol.

His heart began to hammer against his ribs. It wasn’t a multi-core processor. It wasn’t a quantum computer. But it didn’t need to be.

“Explain ‘Task Protocol,’” he commanded, his voice tight.

[A Task Protocol is a command instruction set that does not require branching logic or multi-variable analysis,] the Administrator droned. [The Lilith Stone cannot make decisions. It cannot choose between Path A and Path B. It can only execute Path A, perfectly and endlessly, as long as it is supplied with power. For example, it could be imprinted with the protocol ‘Maintain altitude at 300 meters,’ or ‘Adjust trajectory to intercept target X,’ or ‘Fire weapon system upon receiving trigger impulse Y.’ It executes a single, unwavering command.]

Lloyd’s breath hitched. A slow, brilliant, sun-like dawn was breaking in his mind. It wasn’t a CPU, the complex brain of a computer. It was a PLC—a Programmable Logic Controller. A simple, robust, and utterly reliable workhorse. He didn't need his battle suit to think for itself. He, the pilot, was the brain. He just needed the suit's various components to flawlessly execute his commands.

He could use one Lilith Stone to manage the gyroscopic balancers of the left leg, imprinted with the simple, continuous command to ‘Maintain equilibrium.’ He could use another for the right leg. Another for the power distribution to the primary weapon system. Another for the targeting reticle. He could build a decentralized network of these simple, single-task ‘chips,’ all powered by the suit’s central spirit stone core and all receiving their trigger impulses from his own neural interface.

Chapter : 686

It was a more primitive, more robust, and more brute-force approach than the elegant, networked systems of his past life. But it would work. It would absolutely, unequivocally work.

A wide, almost manic grin spread across his face. The Aegis was back on the table. The path was clear.

“Administrator,” he said, his voice now buzzing with a new, vibrant energy. “Tell me about the properties of this stone. What is its power consumption? What is the method of imprinting the Task Protocol?”

[Power consumption is directly proportional to the complexity of the imprinted task,] the voice replied. [A simple maintenance task requires minimal energy. A complex combat trajectory calculation requires a significant and continuous draw. The imprinting process, designated ‘Will Engraving,’ requires the user to project a pure, focused, and unbroken stream of psychic intent directly into the crystal’s lattice for a sustained period. This is a high-level skill requiring immense mental discipline. It is assessed that the user possesses the foundational aptitude for this task.]

Of course he did. He was a man whose will could command gods. Imprinting his intent onto a simple rock would be a matter of practice.

“The final piece of the puzzle, then,” Lloyd said, his excitement barely contained. “Where do I find them? Provide me with the location of all known Lilith Stone deposits.”

[Accessing geological and resource databases. There are approximately three hundred known Lilith Stone mines across the primary continent. However, the vast majority—ninety-eight point seven percent—are located within regions classified as ‘High-Threat Devil Territories,’ making them functionally inaccessible.]

Lloyd’s soaring hopes took a slight dip. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Focus the search,” he commanded. “Filter out the Devil Territories. Show me the accessible mines.”

[Filtering. Four viable locations have been identified outside of demonic sovereign territory.] The Administrator then listed them. “One in the frozen northern wastes of the Ice-Fang Peaks. One in the heart of the Great Sand Sea of Vol-Taran. One on a volcanic island in the Serpent’s Tooth archipelago. And one in the rolling hills of the central plains.”

Three of the four were still in remote, incredibly hazardous locations. But the fourth…

“Give me the precise coordinates for the central plains deposit,” Lloyd ordered.

[The fourth and most accessible mine is located at coordinates…] the voice began, but then it paused. For the first time, there was a fractional delay in its response, a hesitation so brief that anyone else would have missed it.

Then, it gave the location. [The mine is located within the sovereign borders of the Kingdom of Zakaria.]

Zakaria. The name was familiar to him from his ducal briefings and his conversations with Master Elmsworth. It was a small, fiercely independent nation nestled between the great powers of Bethelham and Altamira. It had survived for centuries not through military might, but through a mastery of commerce and a fanatical adherence to the principle of neutrality. It was a kingdom of merchants, bankers, and artisans, a place where contracts were more sacred than crowns and gold was the only true god. It was, for all intents and purposes, the Switzerland of this world.

A neutral territory. Easily accessible. And likely open for business.

It was perfect. Too perfect.

Lloyd felt a surge of pure, unadulterated triumph. He had it. He had the key. The component that would unlock his ultimate weapon. The dream of the Aegis was alive again, and it was closer than he could have ever dared to hope. He could already feel the hum of its power, see the gleam of its polished armor. The ghosts of his past were still out there, hunting him. But soon, he would be hunting them, from the cockpit of a walking god of war.

“The Kingdom of Zakaria,” he whispered to the empty room, the name tasting like victory. “Prepare the carriage. It seems the Lord of Ferrum has some shopping to do.”

The study, which moments before had been a tomb of frustration, was now a vibrant command center, crackling with the electric energy of Lloyd’s renewed purpose. The scattered schematics on his desk were no longer monuments to failure; they were blueprints for a future he could now see with crystalline clarity. The Aegis was possible. The path was laid. His mind was already leaping ahead, formulating logistical plans, calculating resource requirements, and drafting a plausible cover story for a diplomatic visit to a neutral trade kingdom.