"Speak, machine", Kaden told the robot. "You better have a good offer or otherwise you can follow Ciner wherever the fool went."

"You are here to do something here where humans rule, yes?" 7RU-MC started. "As it happens, I have sold my clothes to some very wealthy people and I have very close ties with some of them."

Then the robot started to explain how, somehow during its time in that school, it had done some fashion shows and become very popular with the nobles. With the money and influence it had gained, the robot was able to win some rich young masters in the school. It made very little sense. In fact, Kaden thought the story was absolutely ludicrous.

Then again, he had very little reason to doubt it. It was not much different from previous descriptions of its adventures. It did absolutely crazy things and somehow succeeded in them. Kaden assumed this was somehow tied to how the it, as a machine, processed information. It likely just saw potential paths and calculated success chance with absolute logic. Where humans and Cari would reject plans due to them seeming crazy, the robot did not do so. Such as its obsession with unusual clothes. Who would buy such fancy clothes? Those with money. That is nobles. Mingling with nobles will cause it to gain influence. It wasn't a far fetched idea.

Perhaps it also produced its extreme growth speed from the same source. Did it simply calculate most efficient way to gather mana for itself? Kaden wondered, if he could replicate this process somehow, but he doubted it. He would need far greater mental capacity for his level.

"And what it is that you offer?" Kaden interrupted 7RU-MC and its recounting of its story. "You have connections. I could indeed use those connections."

"Ohoho", the robot laughed in a fake manner as if it was imitating the ways nobles often acted. "You are just wondrous. I can introduce you or your servants, if you allow me to examine your beautiful feathers."

Kaden frowned. What exactly did the crazy machine truly gain from such actions? Was it just for its 'creations' or was it hoping to use the potential that phoenixes possessed to gain something? If he did agree, he could get Nervin connected to the nobles. He had planned to do something like that anyway, but it would be far easier and cause less problems, if the robot introduced the man to the nobles.

After that it would be possible to entice the always greedy and power hungry nobles to aid him. Not that they would know who and what they were aiding.

They would likely believe Nervin sought protection from the criminal organization he now had abandoned by working for the nobles. It was even a sensible thing to do. Why be a criminal, if you can do, possibly even similar work, for nobles technically 'legally' and potentially receive more benefits. The hard part was to be allowed this chance.

Accepting the robot's aid would very likely give this chance. Otherwise he would have to make Nervin prove his value otherwise. This would waste time and had lower success chance.

Kaden continued demanding details from the robot. The nobles it was involved with. That was basically most of the families. It had somehow managed to make female members of those said families to buy large amount of its newest fashion clothes and basically attempt to determine which of them was the most beautiful.

One of these families would likely accept Nervin's work at least on some level. Even if not, 7RU-MC had quite a bit of power on its own and it could be possible to accomplish things that way too.

Yet, for this Kaden felt he was required to humiliate himself. The robot demanded to feel him. Touch him. At most Kaden was able to make it so that he wouldn't need to pull out any of his feathers. That humiliation would have been too much. His feathers! Kaden would have refused immediately, if the robot had even suggested to do anything with his most precious plume feather. He made this very clear.

"To sum up", Kaden thought to himself as he forcibly pushed down his rage. "I will have to be humiliated, but for this, I will one way or another gain a direct connection to Saint Empire nobility."

No matter how Kaden thought about it, it was trading a bit of intanglible pride for tanglible results - for things he needed.

What Kaden cared most about was results.

"I will.... agree", Kaden finally forced himself say. "But know that if any of your actions reveal my presence, I will in return arrange it so that everyone will know what you are. They will dismantle you just to extract whatever secrets you possess."

"Wonderful!" 7RU-MC replied. "Such arrangement fits within my plans."

"Your nobility connections. Do you have any near No Man's Land?" Kaden proceeded to the things that interested him. "I will require safe pathway there."

7RU-MC was quiet for a while.

"I attempted to go there, but my sensors became unreliable", the robot finally said in more mechanical manner than its usual crazy one. "I predicted low chance of survival. Afterwards I contacted human's living the northern side of the Saint Empire. None of them go there. Not even nobles, but they do fund some more powerful parties that do. You will have very low chance of survival going along with them."

"I don't need to go with anyone", Kaden pointed out. "I merely need access."

"Going alone with the levels of 'mana' that we posses has low chance of survival", 7RU-MC continued mechanically. "Calculations unpredicatable. 'Mana' unstable. High probabality of fatal environmental effects."

"That is not your concern, but mine", Kaden replied. He liked this more logical speaking version. "I believe I can protect myself well enough that I can accomplish my goals inside."

The robot was quiet once more for a moment.

"Who will I inspect for such wondrous feathers as yours, if you die", 7RU-MC started sounding crazy again.

"You will have plenty of time to look at me while things are being set up", Kaden said dismissively. "It will take months, possibly even a few years, if problems arise. So ... I will repeat my question. Do you have connections that I can use. If not, I will not require your assistance and in that case you can fuck off just like Ciner."

"Ooh... there are noble houses that owns land in the northern side of Saint Empire", 7RU-MC replied. It seemed to have made its choice. "One of these houses, the Northwind family, provide the funds I mentioned earlier and thus are involved with expeditions to No Man's Land. Due to this, I believe they may be able to provide what you seek. As it happens, due to the recent political changes, nobles are fighting each other. They have constant need of man power. Your servant should be able to be recruited. I can introduce him. One of the daughters of the house adores my wondrous clothing."

Kaden didn't question what the robot was thinking about future. It probably was well aware whatever he was planning on doing with the Northwinds would likely spell their doom. It was also likely someone would be able to trace back all the events to Nervin and the robot. What they would do after that remained to be seen.

If Nervin was seen as an attack from Shadow Pact, the entire problem could be directed elsewhere. If they were able to determine Shadow Pact wasn't behind everything, someone might start to investigate.

Then again, Kaden wasn't yet even certain what he was going to do. He would have to direct Nervin very closely and look for chances to act. At any rate, he was planning on making use of Northwinds for his own purposes. Such as enslaving a few of them. Possibly more than few. In fact, as many as possible.

Kaden didn't know the nobles too well. Last time he had any dealings with them was when they attempted to supress him after he stepped on one of their plots. Whether this family was one of the ones involved, Kaden didn't know or care about. It was entirely possible since there wasn't that many nobles around. It was usually church and those with enough personal power such as True Magi and Archmagi that owned land. The parts that those didn't care usually was handed for some family to control, who in turn were under the emperor's rule.

In other words, while they had some wealth and were very much intending to not only keep it, but also spread it, their power was limited to things they could control with Condensation stage magic cultivators or things they could buy with money.

Basically ordinary people were under their power. This allowed those in real power to ignore the everyday things and let someone else handle it and only interfere when needed.

Kaden decided to agree to the robot's offer. He would learn what he needed soon enough.

"I will agree", Kaden replied. A bit of annoyance for potential path to power. "Yet, should the Northwind family reject Nervin, what then?"

"Many of the noble families are my customers", 7RU-MC announced happily. "If one doesn't want extra warrior, then perhaps another. Perhaps one that opposes Northwinds? Perhaps less optimal choices, but still useful."

"Fine, then we are in agreement", Kaden confirmed the matter. "You will help Nervin become part of one of these noble family forces and in turn I let you ... observe me."

"Wonderful!" 7RU-MC exclaimed.

Kaden didn't care what value the robot saw in it, but that was yet one more thing he didn't care about. Perhaps there was more to it than some idea of beauty. Perhaps it was seeing some source of power. Phoenixes were one of the more powerful Cari and were special. Kaden doubted the robot would be able to take advantage of it, if there was anything to find. Phoenixes would know of it and he would already be using it himself. If there was something, it was likely tied to life type mana and the robot was not technically a living being.

What would it do with life? Become living? Perhaps.

Such a thing wouldn't be impossible once it reached level matching a True Magus or True Cari. It too would have a mana body and it would be able to adjust itself far beyond those with a physical body. Be it made of meat or metal, mana body was far beyond them. Body made of mana, that is concepts. It wouldn't be difficult for non living thing become a living thing at all. Would the robot want that? Perhaps it wanted something else. Perhaps its true reasons were exactly the ridiculous reasons it went on about. Just to create gaudy clothes.

Whatever it had been doing so far, it had been very succesful.

"Also, since crazy machine must go to northern Saint Empire with Nervin, it will not be here to annoy me for a while", Kaden thought to himself smugly. "Depending how long it takes to ensure Nervin can stay with the nobles, I might be able to set up many things before it gets back here. I can also observe it in turn and learn from it."

Then right after as Kaden sat down to plan his next move, 7RU-MC walked outside and did something. Kaden wasn't certain what, but not long after something walked out of the woods again without any alarms triggering.

It was like another 7RU-MC. It looked exactly like the 'original' one and even behaved similar manner.

"What is this?" Kaden questioned.

"Oh, its just an another chassis", 7RU-MC replied. "Its useful to be at different locations at the same time. It will be taking your servant to the nobles."

So much for getting rid of the robot. It could stay while the fake can act. It seemed the robot was following similar thought process as he was. Kaden was using slaves now, but one of his original direction had been clones. It seems 7RU-MC, who was also hiding its true nature, was using the clone solution.

"Bah, it doesnt matter!" Kaden cursed in his mind. "At the very least these copies of itself it has built aren't quite as strong."

Still, Kaden was feeling even more wary of 7RU-MC.