After having been separated from Adam within the vastness of the treasure hall, Sebastian had been guided by the incessant voice of 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer', who had not wasted any time in reiterating that there was something in that location he absolutely needed to see.

The old man once again traversed several dusty rooms, feeling a slight weariness from having had to return there after it had cost him so much to finally escape. However, 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' sounded utterly excited, telling him he was glad Sebastian had finally heeded his instruction.

He finally reached a chamber filled with numerous apparatuses and other dust-covered objects that did not look like anything remarkable. However, the Patron told him to search immediately until he found the [Weird Recombobulator], a very powerful object that he knew was hidden somewhere in the clutter. Sebastian sighed with profound resignation.

"How is one supposed to recognize this object to begin with?"

Sebastian asked the Patron politely.

"It looks like a cube about the size of a baseball."

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' replied with perfect recall, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The old man spent several minutes meticulously searching among mountains of disparate objects that had nothing to do with what the Patron had requested. He found a few interesting relics here and there, but nothing that seemed functional. Meanwhile, 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' continued to speak to him about the magnificent exploits and greatness of Gilgamesh, an account the elderly man simply listened to with tranquility as he continued his tedious search.

He did not truly know why he obeyed the instruction, because Patrons were entities that, up to this point, had only proven to be sources of endless trouble, much like 'The_Hunger' was for Adam. However, he felt something profoundly different about this one, as if he knew the entity and that it was a good friend, making him wonder if this affection was a residual memory inherited from his alter ego in this timeline… To be honest, he didn't know how that entire chaotic affair functioned.

After a long while, Sebastian finally seemed to locate what he was looking for. He pulled out the requested cube from beneath a large, heavy piece of scrap metal. The old man was momentarily impressed after realizing how much his physical strength had increased, as he was able to lift the heavy metal plate as if it were nothing. He then observed the cube closely, but it did not appear to have anything special about it; it simply looked like a cube of rusted metal.

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' spoke with intense excitement.

"I knew the object was there! Absolutely knew it!"

The Patron exclaimed with triumph, like a little kid who was proved right.

"After all, it was an invention that Gilgamesh made a long time ago, but it was lost in some unimportant scenario. Since I manifested in this place, I could faintly feel the characteristic energy of his gadgets. Surely the world where the cube was lost was attacked by the dragons at some point, and it ended up here among all the other stolen objects."

Sebastian examined the cube for a moment but failed to decipher anything. In fact, even his title 'Legendary Antiquarian' did not seem to activate with it, demonstrating that either it was completely useless and nothing more than scrap metal, or that it was an item so technologically advanced that even his title could not provide information merely by touching it.

The elderly man finally resigned himself to the mystery and asked politely for the next step.

"What exactly am I supposed to do with this now?"

Sebastian inquired with calm curiosity.

"It is a rather particular treasure that serves as a guide point, or rather, it is an object that only Gilgamesh could use to instantly transport his belongings without having to rely on the System interface for the retrieval."

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' explained happily. Sebastian observed the cube again and asked calmly about the one key point that was missing.

"If it is something only Gilgamesh could use, then how could I possibly activate it?"

Sebastian's question was rhetorical, but 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' seemed to understand the implication.

"I cannot guarantee that you can activate it either, but theoretically, you are both the same person."

The Patron reasoned, his voice tinged with the possibility of success.

"It is worth the attempt. It is much better than simply letting all of Gilgamesh's creations remain abandoned throughout the System after his death… The only thing you need to do is concentrate energy into the cube, and it should activate itself."

Sebastian remained thoughtful for a moment. Energy? He had absolutely no capacity for managing or channeling external or internal energy. This realization visibly rattled the Patron, who sounded genuinely dislocated by the news.

"That is not possible!"

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' exclaimed in surprise.

"You do not possess energy manipulation?!"

Then, the Patron began to check something, an action that could not be seen because the he existed on another plane, but the sound was almost like someone furiously typing on a hidden keyboard. After a while, he finally spoke.

"Do not give me those scares! I was not mistaken! You do have the same race as my Gilgamesh, so by default, you can use energy in various ways!"

The elderly man remained pensive for a moment. He certainly remembered that his race had supposedly changed to 'High Mechanicus', but until that very moment, he had no idea what that change truly implied. He sighed and slowly explained his lack of knowledge.

"I'm sorry, the entire subject of my 'new race' is rather new to me."

Sebastian said with resignation.

"I do not even feel that different from when I was a human."

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' was instantly scandalized by the revelation.

"How is it possible that you know nothing of the glorious race of which you are a part!"

The old man was mildly surprised by this, but he then began to explain the circumstances of his change.

"I was changed to that race relatively recently as part of a Personal Subplot given by the 'Mechanica Deus' of my own timeline. I have really had no time or opportunity to investigate anything about it."

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' remained thoughtful for a while.

"Huh… That seems curious to me, because the Gilgamesh of my timeline acquired that race in a completely different way and much later after having been selected to be part of Team Eden, during a rather long adventure within a S-Rank scenario."

Sebastian did not understand some of the concepts the Patron was using but found the detail fascinating.

"That certainly sounds like an incredible journey."

Sebastian commented with genuine interest.

"Yes, it was incredible!"

The voice replied, filled with pride.

"In fact, the 'High Mechanicus' are one of the few races that have a natural affinity for my 'creation', Mechanica Deus. They were extremely agreeable to my Gilgamesh, which is why I started paying attention to him."

Sebastian smiled gently because he enjoyed hearing how 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' spoke with such genuine interest, almost as if he were a young man discussing things he was passionate about.

After a couple of seconds, he asked about something crucial that was going through his head.

"If I may ask, what exactly are the characteristics of this race? A little help would not hurt for me to get to know myself better."

Sebastian asked with a light tone. The Patron became excited again, eagerly beginning to detail what he knew about the race.

"The 'High Mechanicus' are a rather rare life form that only inhabits a particular S-Rank scenario, even for System standards a unique race is very rare to find. The thing is that they are something like living machines, although they are not robots per se. Think of them as humans made of a material known as 'Nano Techfiber' instead of flesh. They were a technologically advanced civilization that—"

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Sebastian continued listening without interrupting the biological explanation that 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' was enthusiastically providing about the 'High Mechanicus'. However, he had to admit that much of the information, though curious, was not useful to him at all, making it clear that the Patron had gotten carried away and was simply reciting data as if reading from an encyclopedia.

He did not interrupt the excited explanation, but while the voice continued speaking, Sebastian held the cube again and observed it closely. It truly was just a simple, unadorned metal cube, and there was nothing outwardly special about it.

However, he tried something different this time. He concentrated on his hand, specifically on his new form. If what he now had was not flesh but some kind of synthetic material, then it should technically be possible to affect it using his title 'Member of the Mechanical Cult', which granted him the passive ability to 'control' all technology related to the cult of the god 'Mechanica Deus'. And by the Patron's own admission, a 'High Mechanicus' was technically technology with a close affinity to that same god.

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' continued speaking, completely unaware that Sebastian was no longer listening to the technical data. The old man, on the other hand, concentrated intently on his hand, on his fingers, on every small cell that touched the metal, like searching for something... And then he felt it.

He felt as if his fingers were beginning to fuse with the cube. He opened his eyes wide and saw what looked like the tips of his fingers melting, or something similar, starting to integrate with the cube's surface.

Immediately, and in the middle of the Patron's words, the cube finally activated itself, causing a System window to appear before Sebastian.

[The item [Weird Recombobulator Rank A+] has been activated upon recognizing the energy of its... owner? The treasure is not entirely convinced of this claim.] [A new save point has been established. All items belonging to the user Sebastian Rüegg outside of the System inventory will be teleported to the user's location.]

Immediately, and to Sebastian's utter surprise, Falk materialized in a small poof of displaced air right in front of him. The steampunk bird began to flutter its wings, visibly startled, completely unaware of what had just happened. Even Sebastian was startled, and 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' finally stopped his incessant chatter, realizing the dramatic interruption.

Falk took a moment to understand his surroundings but was visibly agitated. Sebastian tried to calm the bird down.

"Do not be startled, Falk. I accidentally summoned you using an artifact I found."

He reassured his companion. However, Falk immediately replied, his robotic voice stressed.

"I am not agitated about that! It is about the others!"

Falk exclaimed with clear concern.

"What do you mean by that?"

Sebastian asked, worry instantly gripping him. Falk then began to explain the situation.

"I was with part of the group when suddenly a large energy fluctuation manifested like a pentagram on the floor, and in just a blink, everyone disappeared! It should have been a trap or enemy skill, but I'm unable to read what it was."

The old man became worried upon hearing the account because he did not know what could have happened; he even asked 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' if he knew what had occurred. However, the Patron simply shrugged it off.

"I have no idea. I was not paying attention to the rest of the scenario."

Even then, the Patron was quick to redirect the focus.

"But that is not the important thing right now. The important thing is the fact that nothing else appeared when you activated the cube."

It was clear that 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' genuinely did not care about the rest of the users or what was happening in the scenario, and that his only interest was the things that concerned him.

With a sigh of resignation, Sebastian looked at the rest of the System message that had been generated after the activation of the cube.

[A total of 195 items have voluntarily refused to accept the call of the user Sebastian Rüegg.]

Sebastian tilted his head, reading the message aloud, causing the Patron to yell in surprise.

"What?! How is that possible! They received a direct call from their owner! How is it even possible for an object to refuse to obey!"

The elderly man remained thoughtful for a moment while 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' continued to complain, but after a moment, and after seeing Falk perch on his shoulder, Sebastian understood the profound reason for the refusal.

"If Gilgamesh is truly me, then I am certain they all would have been created with the skill [Ki-Forged Genesis (Aberration)] or something similar, which would have given all these objects a consciousness… I understand it. Every creation is something personal. Therefore, all those artifacts were capable of recognizing that it was not their creator who was calling them, so they simply refused."

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"First of all, I do not understand how you know about Gilgamesh's Personal Skill, the [Forged Genesis (Aberration)], nor what that 'Ki' suffix in the name means… But what I do know is that this is equally ridiculous. They are still objects with a soul; they should not have the capacity to have a consciousness that allows them to 'recognize' their owner, so to speak."

However, Sebastian interrupted the Patron's protest.

"That is not true. When a craftsman truly has love for what they do, every piece is irreplaceable."

He spoke with deep conviction and melancholy in his voice.

"I felt it many times when I was still a watchmaker in the real world. I always felt that many of my handmade clocks, some valued at millions, had a part of my soul in them, figuratively speaking. In this case, it is no different, except that now it is literal."

Sebastian explained the source of his profound insight like a father explaining a new concept to his son.

"I can understand the voices of the objects thanks to my title 'The one who hears the soul of machines' and, therefore, I can understand, even through a System screen, what all of these creations are thinking."

He could not blame them, and in fact, he felt it was better this way. He did not feel right appropriating creations that were not his own, even when it was another version of him who had created them. 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' sighed and sounded annoyed.

"Even in exasperating detail, you are exactly like my Gilgamesh… Always so 'upright' and doing things your own way."

Sebastian chuckled softly, ready to leave the cube on the ground. However, it was at that moment that a global announcement appeared before him.

[Team Abyss's "Adam Scholar" has invaded the scenario!]

Sebastian was instantly dismayed. The Adam of that timeline was invading the scenario? What in the hell was going on? However, the Patron reacted most strongly upon reading the news, screaming in surprise about the appearance of Adam Scholar and expressing his immediate contempt for the fact. Sebastian tried to calm him down, but 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' only continued screaming and insulting.

"Perhaps we could do something to help them."

Sebastian suggested with concern. However, the voice instantly dismissed the possibility.

"That is impossible! I know the level of the 'Black Phoenix' team. I have seen them a couple of times, and they are nowhere near capable of facing a beast like Adam Scholar."

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' stated the grim reality with resignation.

"Everyone in that place is condemned. The only good thing is that you are far away, so you can leave without problems later."

The elderly man finally snapped out of his trance, his gaze becoming nervous and lost.

"Then I have to do something! I must prevent something like that from happening!"

Sebastian insisted, almost desperate to act. However, the Patron immediately dismissed his plea.

"Do not be an idiot! It is impossible for you to face Adam Scholar with the strength you possess now. The truth is, only my Gilgamesh was the one who could challenge him… But with him dead and his creations refusing to obey, it is impossible."

Sebastian then sighed, understanding the profound personal duty that lay before him. He looked at the System screen above the cube and spoke calmly, pleading directly to the objects that had responded to him earlier.

"I may not be the same Sebastian who created you, but I am sure I share his same conviction and understand the love he had for all of you."

He was speaking from the heart, calmly but firmly.

"And that is why you must know the love I also have for my teammates... I cannot allow any of them to be harmed if I can prevent it, so I ask… Please, could you lend me your aid?"

The System window remained silent. None of the objects responded, and several agonizing seconds passed with dread. 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' made a sound of discomfort and dismissed the attempt.

"There is no way to convince such obtuse egos. It is a lost cause."

Sebastian pulled away from the screen and simply smiled faintly, turning around and walking toward the room's entrance in the direction of the outside. 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' yelled his confusion.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

The elderly man simply stated his intention.

"Even without the support of the former Gilgamesh, I am going to help my companions."

Sebastian replied with firm resolve. The Patron, however, warned him of the fatal outcome.

"That is suicide! It makes no sense to go there just to die at the hands of that beast!"

The old man smiled once more, admitting the risk.

"It is possible, but I will go anyway."

The Patron finally erupted in annoyance, his voice filled with frustration.

"Who in the hell are those people that you would want to throw away your life when it is clearly more valuable than all of them!"

To which Sebastian, without stopping his determined movement, simply smiled and gave his final answer.

"Since quite some time ago, those people have been the closest thing I ever had to a family."

'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' did not respond, but the entity seemed to follow Sebastian anyway, even though he could not be seen... In that moment, the cube screen that had been left behind suddenly reappeared, this time displaying a series of different messages.

[The item [Space Station: WarWorld - Rank S] has agreed to temporarily join the user Sebastian Rüegg.] [The item [Infinite: The Mecha DoppelGanger - Rank S] has agreed to temporarily join the user Sebastian Rüegg.] [The item [Miracle StarSuit: Orion - Rank S] has agreed to temporarily join the user Sebastian Rüegg.] [The item [Personal Treasure: Seven Little Stars - Rank S+] has agreed to temporarily join the user Sebastian Rüegg.]

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