Chapter 463: Chapter 451: Cyber Spirit Realm

The award ceremony was underway.

When Yak was carried out of the cockpit, his legs could no longer support him.

The aftereffects of his Spirit Core’s transformation left his face as white as a sheet, but he couldn’t stop himself from grinning.

The host raised the Knight’s Certificate high above his head, and the cheers of a hundred thousand people nearly shattered the sky.

"Lord Wesley, did you know he would win all along?"

"No." Allen’s gaze was still fixed on the gray Zaku below. "I only knew that his Spirit Core was at the critical point of transformation. Winning or losing was not important."

He paused.

"What’s interesting... is the type of Spirit Art he developed after his transformation."

William’s heart skipped a beat. "What type?"

"I’ll leave that for you to discover on your own."

Allen withdrew his gaze from below and suddenly said to William, "King William, I need to use the Spirit Communication Network to announce a decision to all your subjects across the kingdom."

William’s brow furrowed. He hesitated. "Your Excellency, now? Announcing any unknown news at a time like this could cause uncontrollable riots."

Allen tilted his head slightly, his gaze as calm as a deep pool. He faintly uttered two words.

"Good news."

No explanation, no persuasion.

Just those two words, yet they seemed to contain a kind of magic that made his words law. William felt all his doubts, and even his authority as King, instantly crushed beneath that placid gaze.

"...I understand."

William took a deep breath, suppressing the questions in his heart.

He straightened his royal robes and walked back to the amplification matrix at the front of the box.

"My subjects, my Knights!"

The King’s majestic voice drowned out the tsunami of cheers.

The roaring arena fell silent in an instant, as if someone had pressed pause.

Everyone turned their eyes toward the royal box, and William’s figure appeared on the live broadcast.

William’s voice echoed throughout the venue. "In today’s duel, we have witnessed a will of steel, an indomitable soul! But this is merely the beginning!"

He paused, then raised a hand to point toward the shadows of the box behind him.

"And now, our Aiselan Kingdom’s greatest guide, the Guardian of the kingdom, the creator of the Steel Knights, Lord Wesley, will personally announce... a momentous plan concerning the future of our civilization!"

The entire arena was silent.

The countless citizens watching the live broadcast also fell into an eerie quiet.

’Lord Wesley?’

’That mysterious figure who exists only in legends and rarely appears? He’s going to make an announcement himself?’

Countless gazes converged on the blurry, black-robed figure.

Allen walked to the front of the stage.

At that moment, all Spirit Communication Towers and all amplification devices were taken over simultaneously.

A calm, grand, and emotionless voice resounded in every corner of the arena, across every inch of the kingdom, and on every Aiselan’s terminal.

"Citizens of Aiselan."

"In three months, a virtual world called the ’Cyber Spirit Realm’ will be open to all."

’A virtual world?’

Countless people looked bewildered.

The voice gave them no time to think, continuing its world-shattering announcement.

"The ’Cyber Spirit Realm’ is an immersive virtual space based on a psychic link. Within it, your consciousness will enter a new world built from data."

"You can also think of it as a game, with a theme of Mecha combat and cross-Plane warfare."

"There, there is no distinction between high and low born, no class divide. The son of a miner and a noble from the Royal Capital will stand on the same starting line. You will receive equal resources and pilot the Steel Knights you’ve always dreamed of, from the Zaku, to the Unicorn, and even... the ’Gipsy Danger’."

"There, there is no true death. Every time you are defeated, you will simply wake up in reality with no physical injuries."

"There, you can fully experience the thrill of piloting a Steel Giant, hone your combat skills, and unleash your battle instincts!"

BOOM!!!

If Yak’s victory had lit a bonfire, then Allen’s words had just thrown a sun onto a vast, dry prairie!

’No risk of death?’

’No class divisions?’

’Everyone can pilot a Gipsy Danger?’

’This... isn’t this a dream?’

However, the god-like voice then threw out a fatal lure.

"This is not just a game."

"The ’Cyber Spirit Realm’ will also become an additional selection platform for the Aiselan Kingdom’s ’Steel Knights’!"

"All citizens’ combat data and point rankings within the Spirit Realm will be recorded. Each season, the top 10 players, regardless of their background or past, will be directly recruited to become official Mecha pilots in the real world!"

"AHHHHHH—!!!"

"Mom! What did I just hear! Is this real!?"

"Everyone can pilot a Mecha! Everyone has a chance to be a Knight!"

"Long live the King! Long live Lord Wesley!"

A raggedly-dressed boy trembled with excitement. He looked at his calloused hands, worn from years of hard labor, and for the first time, a light called "hope" burst forth in his eyes.

A down-and-out nobleman who had just gambled away his family fortune scrambled up from the ground, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the Spirit Communication screen, as if he had just seen his only path to a comeback.

In the border mining districts, miners who had just come up from the pits, without even bothering to wipe the coal dust from their faces, listened blankly to the voice from the Spirit Communication Tower. Their pickaxes fell to the ground with a CLANG.

A path to change one’s destiny, a road to the heavens, had been laid out before every mortal without any warning!

An unprecedented fervor swept through the entire kingdom in an instant, like a psychic plague.

Half an hour later, the crowd gradually began to disperse.

Inside the luxurious box, William had dismissed all the attendants, leaving only him and Allen in the room.

He watched the still-celebrating crowd outside the window, his burning gaze turning to Allen.

"Your Excellency... the ’Cyber Spirit Realm’... this isn’t just for entertaining the masses, or for selecting soldiers, is it?"

As a King, he keenly sensed that there might be a deeper purpose behind it.

Allen turned around but didn’t answer him directly.

"You saw Yak’s victory."

"Yes, his Spirit Core broke through during the battle, and he awakened a new Spirit Art," William nodded.

"Correct," Allen said faintly. "Extreme pressure, the threat of near-death, the purest desire for victory... these extreme emotions are the best catalysts for a Spirit Core’s transformation. But in reality, every such opportunity comes with an extremely high mortality rate and incalculable combat losses."

William’s pupils shrank abruptly. He understood in an instant.

"So... the ’Cyber Spirit Realm’..."

"It is a completely safe simulation ground for ’life-and-death crises’."

Allen gave the answer. "In the Spirit Realm, they can experience death tens of thousands of times. Their spirits will be repeatedly forged, filtered, and catalyzed through intense emotional fluctuations in a virtual setting. Therefore, it won’t just bring you one Yak, but thousands upon thousands of ’Yaks’ capable of breaking through on the battlefield."

William felt a chill shoot up his spine to the crown of his head.

’Using a virtual game as a breeding ground for the spiritual evolution of the entire populace, mass-producing High-tier Spirit Mages?’

’What a... terrifying and magnificent plan!’

"As for the access terminals,"

Allen, as if seeing through his doubts, added, "It’s an extremely low-cost Alchemy Helmet that uses a miniature Magic Power storage unit and Spirit Core resonance technology. The cost won’t exceed fifty copper nars, enough to be distributed throughout the entire country within three years. It’s not just a game console; it’s the ultimate filter, automatically screening for the most talented individuals."

After hearing this, William could no longer suppress the excitement and awe in his heart.

He bowed deeply, deeply to Allen.

"Your Excellency... for the survival of Aiselan, you have not only bestowed upon us bodies of steel for self-defense, but you have even... paved the way for the very bloodline and soul of our civilization’s future!"

"Aiselan will never forget your grace for all eternity!"

Allen silently accepted his respects without responding.

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