Chapter 600: Mapper
Zac looked down at the rough tablet in his hands like it was a priceless treasure, and he immediately infused it with some Base Energy as he kept Leandras token hidden in his palm. It hummed a secondter as the screen lit up, making Zac feel a surge of sess. No matter what the true intentions of his mother were, it was undeniable that she had provided him with a huge advantage by leaving behind the token.
It was starting to look like it was some sort of ghost key in this ce, working on almost everything. Of course, the thing was clearly not infallible as the walls held nopunctions about attacking him, and neither did it remove the barriers in the corridors.
It''s unlocked! Levi said with wide eyes, and it almost looked she would drag the tablet out of his hands. How could this intelligence be unsecured?! This is top-secret information for a faction. Look, this! Its their route through the Wastnds. And these paths, theyrepletely new! Theyre taking advantage of the spatial expansion to find new routes through vents and even some pipes.
Zac let her keep talking as it helped him a lot as well. The maps Levi browsed through almost looked like schematics for circuitry to him, and he had a hard time understanding all of them. His sister or the scientists would probably be able to figure the thing out, but learning from a native would save a lot of time and effort.N?v(el)B\\jnn
Look at these ones! Theyre circumventing so many natural blockades. A few of them even might even be able to reach the Inner Labs! Just what is the Lunar Tribe nning? Levi added with grudging respect mixed with a hint of confusion. And why are they going in that direction? All the pathways out of here seem to be at the edges of the realm. Arent they trying to escape?
Zac was about to ask a few questions, but he froze as the dreaded prompt had appeared once again. He threw Levi an exasperated look even though he knew it wasnt really her fault before he focused on the blue screens that had appeared this time.
<strong>[Man Versus Nature (Training (4/10)): Reach the core of the Wastnd before Dimensional Seed matures. Reward: Reward based on performance at the end of training regimen. (0/1)]</strong>
<strong>[Man Versus Machine (Training (4/9)): Enter ''Inner Lab 16'' before Dimensional Seed matures. Reward: Reward based on performance at the end of training regimen. (0/1)]</strong>
<strong>[NOTE: Failure toply with training regimen will result in loss of one random skill and 4 levels. Choosing second option will disqualify trainee from highest reward tier.]</strong>
It turned out that Zac had been given a branching quest this time, likely based on therge number of maps in his new mapper. Zac was about to immediately discard the one that would lead him into the Wastnd, but he stopped himself. At first nce it felt like the first option was suicidal, but perhaps that wasn''t the case.
As long as the Collector had been pushed back from the direct vicinity of the base, then he had everything he needed to seed. He had the map and a lot of Base power, and the ability to discern Spatial Tears before they appeared. Meanwhile, the second quest indicated that he mighte in direct conflict with the base itself, which couldplicate things when trying to deal with the Dominators.
It wasn''t that Zac wanted to enter a ce like the Wastnd, but the note at the end gave him pause. Judging by the difficulty of the training session so far, the reward would probably be at the level of the 8th floor of the Tower of Eternity or even higher. Getting a customized top-tier reward at this stage would be huge, considering that all Zac''s greatest assets, from <strong>[Love''s Bond]</strong> to the Creator Shipyard and the Dao Repository, came from these kinds of rewards.
This difference was further exemplified by the fact that the Man Versus Machine-quest decreased the quest chain to 9 total quests. The punishment had decreased as well, and it looked likepleting 6 quests essentially was a ''passing grade'', with every subsequent quest improving the reward.
Stopping at the 9th quest instead of the 10th might be a massive blow, like how huge Zac''s loss would have been if he had stopped at the 7th floor instead of the 8th in the Tower of Eternity.
But Zac also had to think of the big picture. He wasn''t here to gain rewards, but toplete a specific task. He wasn''t sure whether passing through the Wastnd or heading to these Laboratories was the best course of action to deal with the Dominators.
Whats the innerbs? Zac asked, turning to the Cartava descendant for guidance.
What? Well, thats Levi said, hesitation clearly written all over her face.
I should tell you that Port Atwood controls more than half of the world outside, including almost all top-quality cultivation sites and high-value resources. If n Cartava wants a good domain to rebuild your n on the outside you need to give something in return, Zac said.
Jonas and the other scout that weren''t from Port Atwood looked a bit miffed at the domineering promation, but they held their tongues. Zac''s words were a bit boastful, but they were essentially true if you counted the whole second continent as his own. There were certainly a lot of Nexus Crystal Mines and other resources strewn across the, but most of the really valuable deposits received an Incursion next to it, meaning they now belonged to him.
Well, its not really secret knowledge among the people in here, Levi said after some hesitation. Each faction in here has managed to take control of someboratories or unique technology in their area, and each of them provides something valuable. For example, n Cartava owns a series of unique greenhouses with various valuable fruits for Race Upgrades and even upgrading your constitution."
Zac''s eyes lit up when he heard about race upgrades. Perhaps they even had some herb that worked on his undead constitution, allowing him to keep working on his Draugr Race now that he had almost run out of <strong>[Bone-Forging Dust]</strong>.
The most valuable of the outerboratories are arguably controlled by the gemlings on the opposite side of the base, Levi continued after some thought. They contain something called bloodline vats. I hear that bathing in that stuff can help forcibly awaken a bloodline. The bloodlines of the gemlings are apparently notoriously hard to awaken naturally, but thanks to these vats they are able to have as many bloodline warriors as the rest of us.
Then what about the innerboratories? Zac asked curiously.
The outerboratories contain great things, but they were ultimately used forrge-scale experiments. The materials are helpful, but not without limits or side-effects. However, the innerboratories were made for more valuable experiments. The number of resources that can be found there is much scarcer, but their quality is conversely higher. Quite a few skirmishes have erupted for the things that can be found there over the past millennia, Levi sighed.
Who controls the innerboratories now then? Zac asked.
No one. Or perhaps the Administrator, Levi said. The innerboratories are normally not essible, but every few decades a lot of the barriers in this ce disappears. We believe its the base that shuts down some functions for routine maintenance or energy conservation. That always gave us a brief window to rush to the inner areas and loot the valuables.
However, no one who has chosen to stay behind when the barriers reappeared has ever been found alive again. We think the Administrator kills them when it wakes up, she continued. But it usually gave us a month of searching for opportunities and trading or fighting with the other factions.
So the lunar tribe wants to snatch the good things in this base before escaping, Zac muttered. What can be found in the innerbs that the werewolves have targeted here?
I dont know, Levi said. Its actually random. The core of the base is running as though it was never abandoned by the Builders. The Administrator prepares all kinds of experiments and scenarios,pletely changing theyouts of the innerbs between gatherings. I managed to enhance my Bloodline at an innerb fifteen years ago.
Zacs eyes lit up at the piece of news. His mouth was almost frothing at the mention of bloodline vats and race upgrades, but it sounded like there were even more valuable things waiting in the innerbs. He was first a bit hesitant when the System mentioned better rewards by heading to the Wastnd, but it sounded like thesebs provided a different set of opportunities instead.
Of course, he understood that the quest wasnt aplete freebie, and he had just been given a glimpse of the Administrator''s powers just a few hours ago. Still, the second quest seemed to take him in the direction he needed to go, whereas going through the Wastnd was a gamble.
When is the next time the base will enter maintenance mode or whatever? Zac asked after some thought.
Not for a few years at least, unless something changes due to the dimensional treasure, Levi said. I guess thats why the Lunar n has been working so hard to find an alternative route.
Zac nodded and made his decision, causing the prompt about the Wastnd to disappear. He didnt immediately set out though, but rather stayed and rested with the others. There was no timer for this quest, and he nned on taking his people back to the sshouse before setting out again. Judging by the maps he would have a few days to spare even if he returned, and he wanted to use that time to recuperate and deal with any matters waiting back at the base.
The group rested for another two hours, and even Levi could walk by herself by that point. They didnt enter the forest though out of fear of running into the wolf pack. However, they didnt walk along the wall either, as the walls sometimes malfunctioned ording to the Levi. They could suddenlyunch an attack out of nowhere.
Thats why they traveled just at the edge of the forest just like the werewolves did, taking the long route back.
We crossed parts of the forest to save some time, Jonas Marshall ventured, clearly anxious to get back. The werewolves burned some sort of herb with an acrid smell as we moved. I think it was a beast deterrent.
This stuff? Zac asked after rummaging about in one of the backpacks he had looted.
Exactly, Jonas nodded.
Well still go around, Zac muttered. I dont want to risk running into the wolf pack inside again. Im not sure I can protect you all if these things don''t work.
Again? Levi asked with surprise, turning toward Zac. You fought the lunar wolves?
Yeah, Zac nodded as he stowed away the herbs. Theyre pretty tough, they only relented after I killed their alphas.
Levi looked at Zac for a few seconds, her mouth forming words but no soundsing out. She eventually just released a resigned sigh and turned away, not prying into the subject any longer. Zac smiled a bit before he turned toward the scouts. It wasn''t just a randomment of his, but rather a conscious decision to tell Levi.
He needed to build up an image of Strength in her mind, which would hopefully result in easier negotiations with the elders of the Cartava n down the road. Meanwhile, there were some other things Zac wanted to know.
"Do you know why the werewolves kidnapped you?" Zac asked.
They took us because they wanted intelligence on how to get out of this ce. Apparently, they had visited our biospheres multiple times before, but there were no spatial anomalies back then. They thought we had some sort of tool or technology to open a passage, Jonas added. "I think their n was to steal that machine and then take it to their town. They didn''t believe us when we said that was impossible."
Zac frowned a bit, but he didn''tment on it. Their theory was wrong, but not overly so. Zac guessed that it was the System that cracked open the pathways during the Integration. Before the pathways had been blocked or hidden, either because of the Tsarun n or the Dimensional Seed wanting to protect itself.
It was a problem if the werewolves thought that he or the other leaders of his coalition carried a teleporter on their person though. That meant they might get in the way during the battle for the Dimensional Seed.