Mechanical Reincarnation, as the name implies, was a special technology that transformed humans into machines.
This technology was not only a crucial part of Dorothy's Creation of the World project but also a prerequisite technology that had to be developed before the final battle with the Calamity Beast Leviathan.
After all, the Witches needed to fight Leviathan after it had completely destroyed the world, which meant that by the time of the battle, the old world had already perished.
And feeble humans had no way to survive in such a thoroughly devastated world, let alone fight.
Flesh is weak; Mechanical Ascension.
In comparison to a mechanical body, the human body really had no advantages; humans needed to eat, breathe, and attend to their natural urgencies, and they were susceptible to cold and heat—essentially, the body was full of weaknesses.
A mechanical body was much more convenient, even in an environment where humans could not survive, a mechanical body could still stand tall and fight stubbornly until the last moment.
They did not feel suffering or fatigue; as long as there was enough energy, they did not need to eat or sleep. Since they did not feel pain, they did not fear injury, and even if they were severely damaged in battle, they could simply return to the factory, replace the spare parts, and be as good as new.
Isn't their combat capability much stronger than the fragile human body?
Of course, even now, in the Magic Republic, there were already similar technologies for the cyberization of the human body, such as Cyberization, Magic Equipment, or the Heroic Spirit Armament used by the Heroic Spirits, and so on.
But each of these technologies could only be considered modifications and not true reincarnations; they were completely different concepts.
To understand the difference, it was necessary to discuss the connection between the body and the soul.
All intelligent creatures, whether humans or Elves and Dwarves, were composed similarly, each possessing both a body and a soul. Speaking of souls, the construction of souls was quite similar among the Races; there wasn't much difference.
The reason for distinctions such as humans, Elves, and Dwarves was due to the different physical structures. Humans were humans because their physical bodies provided them with a clear self-awareness.
So, here's the question: if you were to place a human soul into an Elf's body, what would this new being be considered: a human or an Elf?
On this matter, the Witches had once conducted an experiment where they put the soul of a fanatic human supremacist into an Elf body and observed his reactions.
Initially, when this person woke up and realized they had changed Races, they were infuriated, firmly believing they were still human. They proclaimed that Race, like gender, wasn't just about physiological traits—it was also about the heart. As long as he believed he was still human, then he was human.
However, when this person returned to his homeland, the Human Empire, and was treated with suspicion and ostracism by his fellow humans, he went to the Elf World, where he easily integrated into the Elf community. Over time, this person's perception began to change.
He was no longer the fervent human supremacist; he was no longer so resistant to Elves, especially when he met a gentle and beautiful Elf woman in the Elf Race, and they started a family, his stance began to noticeably shift.
Eventually, when the Elf Tribe went to war with the Human Empire, this man chose to stand with the Elves, openly brandishing weapons against his former homeland.
From that moment, the outcome of the experiment became quite apparent—he was no longer a human; he had become a true Elf.
As long as I still firmly believe I am human, then am I human?
This statement had some truth, but the issue is that a person's perception is never static; the convictions held by you one moment might be overturned by yourself the next.
This was akin to what Dorothy and Adam had once discussed about the "Wear and Tear" of growth; the "Wear and Tear" brought by a change of identity and Race could be much more intense than that of growth.
Perhaps there were indeed people who could endure such experiments, steadfast in their belief that they were still human, like Dorothy believed her father Adam could easily withstand the experiment. Adam had a mystifying attachment to his identity as a "human", and he truly could face death and a hundred cycles of Reincarnation rather than choose not to be human.
But such people were destined to be rare; the vast majority could only follow the current, and eventually in the subtle Wear and Tear, they would forget their original intentions and become completely assimilated.
A person's heart, or consciousness, or intelligence, or self, although hidden within the soul, did not mean that it was influenced only by the soul; the body also had a significant impact on it.
After all, the body could influence the shape of the soul, and the soul in turn conveyed this transformation to the intelligence.
Thus, the difference between modification and reincarnation was clarified.
No matter how much you modify, you are still essentially human, but once reincarnated, you truly are not human anymore.
But modification has its limits.
In recent years, in the Magic Republic, cybernetic bodies had become very common, they were not even considered a trend anymore but had become a necessity of life.