Chapter 219: Artificial Human!

On the fifth level of the maze, beneath the gray dome was an endless wasteland, and the turbid air emitted a slightly decayed smell.

That's the smell of spores.

They are like a thick fog that will not dissipate, occupying a large area of ​​land in the vast wasteland.

And on that piece of land shrouded in thick fog, thick roots slowly rose and fell like wriggling pythons.

And right next to the roots, strange "fruits" are growing vigorously like mushrooms on tree roots.

That's no ordinary mushroom.

They have pale skin, hollow eyes, and stand silently. They look like humans, but also like soulless shells placed in a wax museum.

"Welcome to see my masterpiece, respected Demon Lord. According to your request, I created these soulless bodies on my roots through 'grafting' branches."

Standing beside Luo Yan, "Helen" spoke words that did not belong to her in a hoarse and slow voice.

There was a peaceful smile on that face with soft lines, and a dark green light flickered in her pupils. The stiff movements and voice were exactly the same as when her father was possessed by Gray Wind.

Admiring the masterpiece of Huifeng in front of him, Luo Yan showed an expression of appreciation on his face.

"You did a great job, that's exactly what I needed."

These artificial humans were created entirely according to the characteristics of the Chao people.

They are highly adaptable and can grow in extreme environments, just like hardy fungi.

Not only that, the most important thing is that they do not have self-awareness like the Kao people, but they have a nervous system that is not inferior to that of the Kao people, and can serve as a perfect "container" to accommodate the soul mirrors of the players.

This not only solves the problem of players' consumption of "containers", but also avoids ethical disputes.

There is no better tool than this!

"I'm glad to satisfy you," Helen nodded with a smile, her eyes flashing green. She cast her gaze on the unconscious artificial body in front of her and continued slowly, "Thanks to your help, in this incredible work, I not only saw life forms that I had never seen before, but also got to know myself better."

Standing next to her sister Helen, Shirley walked forward curiously and poked the face of one of the androids.

The strange touch was like that of a matsutake mushroom that had been caught in the rain, wet and slightly slippery, with a fleshy rebound as her index finger moved.

The android didn't react at all and didn't make any sound when his face was being kneaded.

"This is so weird... Are these guys really human? They don't even have any reaction." Shirley withdrew her hand and circled around the android several times, touching her chin and marveling at it.

While she was commenting curiously, Arakdo couldn't help but open his mouth and took a bite. He bit off half of the body of one of the androids and swallowed it.

The remaining half of the android was like a cucumber that had been split open, revealing the gelatinous flesh inside.

Not long after, it began to wither and was then absorbed by the undulating roots nearby.

"It tastes good." Arakdo muttered his comment while chewing, and burped after a while.

"Helen" standing nearby looked at it with a peaceful smile and spoke in a slow and gentle voice.

"I don't recommend you to treat my children as food. The energy I spent synthesizing them is far greater than what you absorb from them. If you are hungry, I can treat you to other fruit pulps... which will be much easier to digest than them."

Luo Yan glanced at Arakdo, and the latter immediately closed his mouth and dared not to be greedy anymore.

What Gray Wind said is actually correct.

The nutrients needed to produce an artificial human require the "nutritional surplus" of several acres or even dozens of acres of forest working for several months. It is no exaggeration to say that this guy drank up a ginseng fruit in one gulp.

Cheap is only relative.

As food, this kind of artificial human is not cheap at all, and is not easy to digest, but compared with the resources consumed in raising a baby into an adult, it is much more cost-effective.

Looking at Shirley who blinked curiously, Luo Yan answered her previous question.

"They are certainly not human beings, not even animals, and they don't have souls."

Shirley tilted her head and said in confusion.

"What's the use? They can't talk or move. They can't do any work."

"How can it be useless?" Luo Yan raised a smile and said amiably, "Rather, this is just right for me."

"Helen" smiled and looked quietly at the respected Demon King, waiting for his next move.

As if responding to Huifeng and Shirley's expectations, Luo Yan walked forward and stretched out his right hand.

At the same time, he muttered to himself.

"Youyou, are those test players ready?"

The ethereal entity floated beside him like a shadow, and then a spirited reply floated into his ears.

"It's ready, Demon Lord!"

"Then let them get on board."

"receive!"

As Youyou's voice fell, dozens of soul images were released from Luo Yan's fingertips and poured into those soulless empty shells.

These soul images are prepared in advance.

As early as several days ago, the official website of "Catastrophe OL" opened a channel for appointment testing of the new race, and as expected, it received tens of thousands of enthusiastic registrations.

Both players and cloud players are full of expectations for the new races tested in "Cataclysm Online". After all, before this, the characters that can be played in "Cataclysm Online" are either undead, demons, or elemental golems, but not humans.

If you can look a little more like a human, you might be able to sneak into the NPC town and have fun! With the world background currently shown in "Catastrophe OL", the player's activity radius and the content to explore will be increased exponentially! Such an exciting test, not to mention those cloud players who are still waiting for it, even some players who have obtained the closed beta qualification are jealous!

That is why, after receiving the pop-up private message that the test was about to begin, almost all the lucky ones who got the activation code put on VR glasses and sat in their chairs waiting.

Many people even watched the cutscenes over and over again, just to get more details about the game before entering.

As the soul images completely merged with these soulless containers, almost at the same time, a scene that surprised all the demons present happened!

Dozens of androids suddenly opened their eyes, as if they were alive! Shirley, who was standing nearby, was startled and screamed.

“They’re moving!”

Not only did they move! They also made strange noises from their mouths, speaking a language that the demons present could not understand.

Fortunately, Shirley, who was standing next to them, didn't understand, otherwise she would have swung her fists as big as puddings to beat these rude people until they were black and blue.

certainly--

This may make some guys with brain problems happy, after all, there are all kinds of players in "Scary Online".

"Fuck! Elves!"

"Haci haci... hehehe."

"Sister, why are your ears pointy?"

"Wow, this light! This water! This dust! This is too fucking real!!"

"Wake up, this is obviously a maze, where are the light and water?"

Some people lay down and kissed the ground, some screamed with excitement, and some danced.

Some stupid guys even stretched out their hands towards Shirley, but ended up losing control of their legs. They stumbled and fell to the ground, forced to chew mud.

In fact, even if Luo Yan turned a blind eye, that stupid guy wouldn't be able to do anything.

After all, these guys are new to the game, their levels are still blank, and their speed and strength are not even as good as those of the old farmers in the empire.

The basic panel of the android is slightly higher than that of the skeleton soldier, but only slightly.

"Ah! This guy's eyes are so disgusting!" Shirley looked at the stupid guy with vigilance, and dodged more than ten meters away.

Her face was full of disgust, but she couldn't hide a hint of surprise. She obviously didn't expect these guys to be able to move, and just like real human beings.

Not only Shirley was surprised, but also Gray Wind.

Although its emotions were not obvious, Luo Yan could still feel the violent fluctuations of magic emanating from "Helen".

“It’s… incredible.”

"Helen" let out a soft sigh of admiration, and her eyes, flashing with a faint green light, stared at the group of living artificial humans, as if she was watching a miracle bestowed by the gods.

"I feel it... my children are becoming independent individuals. They are taking the initiative to break away from my arms. This has never happened before!"

Of course Luo Yan knew what that was.

These are his players logging in.

"I gave them souls." Looking at the artificial humans jumping and dancing in the wasteland, Luo Yan said in a gentle tone.

Gray Wind attached to Helen cast a surprised look at him, with a gleam of brilliance flashing in his dark green pupils, as if he had suddenly realized something.

"It seems that you are more amazing than I thought... Manipulating souls is the realm of the gods."

After a pause, it lowered its voice and asked tentatively.

"Have you awakened your godhood?"

The demon god Bayali was once the Demon King.

As the Demon God's direct subordinate, the Demon King is exposed to the power of faith and the crystal of faith all day long, so it is reasonable for him to awaken his godhood.

There was a hint of excitement and a hint of worry in its voice.

Luo Yan smiled without saying anything. He neither nodded nor denied. He just turned his gaze to his minions.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

"That's not accurate."

"Based on my understanding of the gods, I am more inclined to believe that... this is the choice of the people."

While Luo Yan and Hui Feng were whispering to each other, these players who had logged into the game for the first time had already begun to explore the mysteries of the game world.

One of the players tried to leave this "birthplace" and take a look at the mushroom forest in the distance.

However, the unfortunate guy didn't walk far before he ran into a demon wolf wandering on the fifth floor of the maze. His head was bitten off by a wolf and he was sent back to the Quality Square at the entrance of the maze to be "reincarnated" again.

Since he was a newbie, his contribution value was 0, so this unlucky guy could only be reborn as a skeleton soldier. The opportunity to test the new race that he had worked so hard to get for free was wasted.

Seeing the miserable state of this unfortunate fellow, the other players became much more obedient and refrained from provoking the Demon King or his mount, Arakdo.

"Catastrophe OL" does not have a real protection mechanism for novices. Players need to judge safety and danger based on their own IQ.

Although it was their first time to enter the game, after all, they had been exposed to the official website of "Scary OL" for a long time and had some understanding of the hardcore of this game.

The area in the distance was too dangerous, and the NPCs nearby were even more difficult to deal with. These newbies didn't dare to continue playing stupid games, and could only play by themselves.

"Wow, it's great to be a human being! Those skeletons and zombies are so ugly! Looking at the pictures, only the little devil fits the aesthetic a little bit."

"It's okay. Anyway, when you die, you will be a skeleton when you are resurrected."

"The guy just now has been resurrected in the Quality Square. I saw him posting on the forum, saying that only by dying can the real gameplay be unlocked, so we should hurry and send him off."

“Is this true?!”

"You'll know once you go and deliver it."

“I almost believed it!”

"Fuck, why are your models so ugly?"

"How dare you say that to me! You are not even one yourself!"

"That's right! Go look in the mirror!"

"Open a plastic surgery hospital, it will definitely be a big hit!"

"Or wear a leather case! I heard that the NPC merchants in the cemetery sell magic masks that can change the shape of your face!"

"How can I level up? Don't you have any beginner equipment? At least give me a sword!"

The new version has given rise to a new industry. It is foreseeable that with the arrival of the new version, the economy of the cemetery will usher in a new round of growth! Of course.

Compared with the current economic scale of the cemetery, this growth is probably insignificant.

Luo Yan watched them quietly, waiting for them to vent their vigorous energy before starting the next plot.

After all, if I don't do this, they won't listen to me because they haven't made enough noise yet.

He had already learned this lesson.

It's not just him. The acolytes who bring newbies into the game for him have also learned the lesson and have written down these experiences in the "employee handbook".

While the players were studying each other's bodies, Shirley, who was hiding next to Luo Yan, was also curiously observing the various confusing behaviors of these androids.

This includes but is not limited to squatting on the ground digging the soil, exploring one's crotch, and then suddenly starting to cheer for no apparent reason and then suddenly becoming depressed.

After looking at it carefully for a long time, Shirley suddenly looked at the Demon King curiously and asked curiously.

"What do they usually eat?"

Luo Yan did not answer, but looked at "Helen" beside him.

Gray Wind, who was possessed by Helen, smiled slightly and continued in a gentle tone.

"They are like fungi, they will eat anything fungi can break down, but some things will be digested faster and some things will take longer to break down."

To put it simply, they can eat most organic matter, just like the undead in the cemetery. They are "scavengers" and their diet is even wider than that of the undead.

After all, zombies, ghouls and the like can't eat wood, but these androids can even eat wood.

What a top-notch horse! It's perfect! "If only they could grow faster."

Hearing the Demon King's sigh, "Helen" nodded slightly and continued.

"This is just the initial test subject. If you need me to make improvements, I will make further improvements to the bodies of these artificial humans. Of course, if the cultivation time is shortened, it may weaken their body functions... The results you have seen so far are the compromises I made between the cultivation period and body functions."

Luo Yan said immediately after hearing this.

"In that case, let's produce them according to this template for now. I hope you can shorten their breeding period as much as possible while maintaining their properties, but if that's not possible, don't force it."

Having said that, he paused for a moment and then continued.

"Also, their lifespan doesn't need to be designed to be too long. Ten to twenty years is enough. They won't live that long anyway. As long as they can play the greatest role in this ten to twenty year life cycle, that's enough."

Hearing this, Shirley looked at the Demon King in surprise, her bright eyes glowing slightly, like agate in the forest.

As expected of the Demon King! This is too hellish! ?

As for Arakdo, he didn't react much. After all, the earth spiders in the Shadow Weaver Nest were bred according to this "design idea".

Those "artful" little spiders usually only have a lifespan of two to three years and often burn out in less than six months.

It even felt that the lifespan of these artificial humans was too long.

With the frequency at which "players" commit suicide, it wouldn't take that long for their souls to return to the Demon Lord's arms.

Gray Wind, who was attached to Helen, nodded slightly and remembered the Demon King's order.

"Yes, sir."

…

As the newbies finally finished exploring the little content around them, they turned their expectant eyes to the Demon King not far away.

As the Demon King, Luo Yan finally stopped just standing there quietly, but fulfilled his duties as a Demon King. He personally took to the battlefield after a long absence and starred in the players' cutscenes.

In addition to emphasizing loyalty to the Demon King and the cemetery, he also prepared unique "newbie tasks" for these newbies.

"My minion 'Bond' will take you to the Misty Town on the fourth floor of the maze in a while. You will report to the Adventurer's Guild in Misty Town and register as an adventurer there. Then, go to the taverns nearby or on the surface to find teammates and team up with other adventurers."

"While playing as an adventurer, I allow you to attack other players in neutral areas, but you are prohibited from attacking neutral and friendly NPCs."

"I will engrave more detailed rules into your souls. When you open the 'Player System' and go to the task interface, you can check whether the rule is activated. Remember, don't take chances. Your gods will always be watching you! Or, are you ready to pay the price for your actions..."

In order to facilitate their integration into human society, Luo Yan distributed unique novice equipment - human skin masks - to these newbies for free.

It's not made of real human skin, but once you put it on, you can have a human face. As long as you don't take off all your clothes, it won't be exposed.

And the most important thing is that these artificial humans are not afraid of holy light like zombies, and can even be nourished by holy light like humans.

After explaining these matters, Luo Yan clapped his hands gently, motioned Bond, who was carrying a big sword, to come forward, and gave him the task of escorting the newbies.

"Go explore this world—"

"My minions!"

(End of this chapter)