Research Lab

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***

The sea serpent cordially greeted all the monarchs and inquired about Alex, surprising everyone with the revelation that all heavenly beasts had surrendered to Alex.

Upon learning that Alex was the master of all five monarchs, the sea serpent was initially shocked but quickly regained composure. With utmost respect, he guided Alex to the ruins he sought.

Meanwhile, Alex entrusted his summons to the sea serpent as he embarked on discovering the final ruins of Babylon.

After traversing through the cave, he finally reached the ruins and found the object he was seeking—a genuine sphere. At first glance, it appeared to be a pure black globe with a diameter of approximately five meters. Upon closer inspection, intricate spellstones were visible, embedded into its side.

Alex poured fire magic into the red spellstone, causing a red glow to emanate and spread across the surface of the globe, illuminating peculiar geometric patterns. The light gradually circled the sphere, completing a full rotation before returning to the spellstone. The blue, green, yellow, purple, and brown stones reacted similarly. The null stone, represented by white, joined the rest at the end, causing the patterns to shift and revealing a small entrance.

Stepping inside, Alex immediately noticed a radiant pattern etched on the ground—a series of square tiles that were independent of each other and could be freely moved.

It resembled a sliding puzzle, clearly designed to be arranged in a specific order. The puzzle comprised the following layout:

[01][02][03][04]

[05][06][07][08]

[09][10][11][12]

[13][14][15][16]

However, the sixteenth tile space was blank, necessitating the sliding of all the pieces of the teleportation circle to align them correctly. The puzzle would likely be complete when the teleportation sigil matched its original form, presumably triggering its activation.

The challenge lay in the number of panels. Upon counting, Alex discovered a ten by ten space, totaling a hundred pieces. However, there were only ninety-nine since one piece was missing to facilitate sliding.

Emulating Touya's feat in the novel, Alex solved the puzzle, and a familiar swirling motion of light enveloped him as he regained consciousness, finding himself in the midst of Babylon. He stood before a pristine white building nestled amidst the trees—the research laboratory.

Approaching the building, a person emerged, heading directly toward Alex. It was the terminal gynoid of the research laboratory, characterized by brown, triple-braided hair and a brisk walking pace. She appeared to be approximately two years younger than Alex.

"Mmh... Welcome to the research laboratory," Tica, the Terminal Gynoid and central manager, greeted Alex. Her demeanor was peculiar, exhibiting exceptional politeness and efficiency reminiscent of a business secretary.

"Tica, is it? Nice to meet you. I'm..."

"Alexander Crown, mmh... Doctor Babylon has told me much."

"You heard about me from her?"

"Aah... Yes, I did. She saw you visiting the garden and the research laboratory thanks to her foresight artifact."

"How many pieces of Babylon have you acquired so far, Alex?"

"This is the last, actually. All the rest are docked together."

"Mmh... I-I see. Ah, that's more than enough to qualify then. The research laboratory is all yours. As am I." Tica produced a slightly large cotton bud from her pocket and handed it to Alex.

"Mmh... Please put this in your mouth." Alex followed the instructions and held the swab in his mouth for a while.

After removing it, Tica placed it in her own mouth.

"Mmh... Registration complete. Your genes have been stored, master. The ownership of I, Babylon Airframe Number Twenty-two, Atlantica... And the research laboratory, have now been transferred to you." Tica concluded the registration, bowing formally.

Alex observed the completion of the registration process and felt a slight disappointment at not receiving the ninth kiss. However, he knew there was nothing he could do as he was aware of this perverted gynoid's interests, which were limited to little girls.

"Well then, this way. Before I explain the facility to you, you have a mission."

"A mission?"

Tica guided Alex into the building, leading him through the various buildings and facilities within the complex, each serving a different purpose. They entered the Primary Lab, the birthplace of Cesca and her sisters. The walls were adorned with numerous objects similar to those in the Alchemy Lab. Sleeping pods and capsules lined the walls, some of which contained mysterious liquids and strange flesh-like specimens floating in formaldehyde. The atmosphere was eerie and suspicious, reminiscent of a lab focused on human experimentation.

The place exuded a peculiar vibe, akin to a human experiment freak show. It perfectly matched the aesthetic, suggesting their capability to manipulate the human body, although, in a sense, they had already achieved that. The gynoids, despite resembling humans, were distinct entities.

Tica directed Alex's attention to a cylindrical pod in the center of the room. She pointed to a small window on a chamber that resembled a coffin.

A faint green light emitted from the glass, revealing a girl's face. She floated inside the tube with her eyes closed, her long, beautiful blonde hair flowing. Alex couldn't see her entire face, but there was a vague resemblance to Tica. Additionally, something about her reminded him of all the Babylon gynoids.

"This is..."

"The final Babylon, NumberTwenty-nine. Our littlest sister and also our mother Doctor Regina Babylon, I'd like for you to wake her up, aah.."

Tica introduced Alex to the tenth gynoid which is Doctor Babylon herself who had her brain transplanted to a new body waiting to be wake up.

Alex peered through the transparent glass, captivated by the sight of a serene young girl peacefully slumbering inside the chamber. She appeared to be slightly older than him, emanating an aura of delicate beauty. Placing his hands upon the spell stone embedded in the capsule's shell, he channeled his magical energy into the vessel.

Soon, the machine came alive with a symphony of clanks and whirs, causing the capsule to gradually unfold like a majestic clamshell. However, it remained shielded from the outside world, still awaiting its moment of exposure to the air.

A peculiar liquid emerged from within the capsule, cascading forth in a mesmerizing display of sparkling radiance before ultimately receding into oblivion. Tica, engrossed in her task, meticulously manipulated a control panel adorned with levers and buttons. Her diligent efforts culminated in a resolute push of a massive button, resulting in the capsule finally relinquishing its grip, allowing the top to slide away effortlessly.

Emerging from the capsule, a young woman unveiled herself, her body adorned in naught but her natural form. At approximately eighteen years of age, she possessed a striking visage, accentuated by cascading locks of golden hair that gently cascaded down to her waist. Her figure, exquisitely curvaceous, harmoniously complemented her flawless, alabaster skin.

"Nice to meet you, Alex... I used my foresight artifact to see you a lot in future so it doesn't feel like meeting you for the first time.. Even so, how do you do" Regina said while placing one of her hands on her naked hips while looking at Alex with a grin.