The Climb to the Summit and the Sleeping Machine

The path to the summit of the scrap mountain was not a simple walk. It was a true climb, on the most dangerous and unstable terrain. Giant metal plates could slide away at any moment with a single wrong step. Razor-sharp, rusted iron edges jutted out from all sides, ready to tear apart anyone who was careless.

But Yanaki's party demonstrated their excellent coordination. Sylva, with its strength and sturdy body, became a mobile anchor. It used its hands to hold large metal slabs in place, creating a temporary safe path for Yanaki. Volt went ahead, using its sensors to check the ground's stability, informing them which areas to avoid. Elara floated high above, observing the panorama and pointing out the most optimal route, avoiding dead ends and areas with a high risk of scrap-slides.

After nearly an hour of tense climbing, they finally reached the top.

The summit of the mountain was not pointed, but a relatively flat area, sunken like a small crater. The detector in Yanaki's hand was no longer beeping; it was emitting a continuous, piercing hum. Its needle pointed straight to the center of this area.

There, a scene both magnificent and lonely was revealed.

Lying half-buried under newer layers of scrap was a giant, ancient machine. Its design was completely different from anything they had seen in Aethelgard. It didn't have the rough, industrial look of the Steam Guild's machines, nor the intricate complexity of the Gear Guild's. Instead, it had soft, organic, almost artistic curves. Its shell was made of a pearlescent white metal, with not a single trace of rust despite being buried for who knows how long. It looked like a sleeping metal giant, a forgotten god.

Yanaki cautiously approached. The detector confirmed, the strongest signal was emanating from the chest cavity of this giant machine.

She felt no sense of danger. The gatekeeper had been defeated, and this machine seemed to be completely inactive. The challenge here was not combat, but engineering.

The machine's chest cavity was protected by a metal plate, locked by an incredibly complex ancient mechanism that included both mechanical tumblers and an energy socket.

"This puzzle requires both of you," Yanaki thought.

She commanded Volt to step forward. Her automaton connected to the lock mechanism, using its precise mechanical fingers to slowly turn the mechanical tumblers in a complex sequence. But the tumblers only opened halfway before getting stuck. It needed a precise energy signal to open completely.

"Elara, it's your turn."

The Spirit of Memory floated over, placing her hand on the energy socket. She closed her eyes, "listening" to the residual energy flows, the "memories" of the energy frequency that the creators had used centuries ago.

"Frequency 3.71... with a slight fluctuation at the end," Elara reported.

Yanaki took out an energy crystal, connected it to the socket, and carefully adjusted the flow, trying to replicate the exact frequency Elara had sensed.

Click!

With the perfect combination of Volt's mechanical precision and Elara's spiritual sensitivity, the lock mechanism finally opened. The metal plate on the machine's chest slid aside without a sound.

Inside, lying on a faded velvet lining, was a beautiful crystal sphere. It had an incredibly complex structure, with microlight circuitry of white light moving within, and it emitted a soft, melodious hum.

This was the [Cognitive Controller Model-0].

[You have found the [Cognitive Controller Model-0]!]

[Quest has been updated.]

New Objective: Bring this item back to High-Rank Artificer Valerius.

Yanaki carefully, with both hands, lifted the crystal sphere out. It was warm and vibrated gently in her hands.

As she took it out, her hand accidentally touched the metal frame inside the machine's chest cavity.

A strange sensation was transmitted to her through her [Covenant Summoner] skill. A very faint "vibration," a deep consciousness sleeping within this ancient machine. It wasn't emptiness, but a vast presence, lying dormant.

She suddenly realized. This machine wasn't "dead." It was just "sleeping." And she had just taken its "brain," or rather, its "soul."

A new ambition, greater than anything she had ever considered, began to sprout in Yanaki's heart. One day, she would return here. Not to search for components, but to return the soul to this sleeping god.

With their objective complete, the party began their descent.

They stood at the elevator station, preparing to leave the Automaton Graveyard. In Yanaki's hand was the key that would allow her to understand ancient technology, the stepping stone for her to be able to create the Energy Cores for her main quest.

But in her mind was the image of the pearlescent white metal giant, sleeping on the mountaintop. Her journey in Aethelgard, it seemed, had just gained a new personal objective, one even larger than the gear race.