"Thank you."
Seeing Nightingale finally able to walk freely, Shining and Nearl were visibly moved. For so many years, they had been searching for a way to cure Nightingale, only to be met with disappointment. Even after joining Rhodes Island, they could only stabilize her condition, preventing it from worsening. A complete cure had always been out of reach—until now.
"No need to be so polite. I just happened to have the ability to help."
Seeing Shining and Nearl's gratitude, Daniel smiled and shook his head. Although he had never managed to obtain either of them in the game, he was well aware of their stories. Kazimierz, the world-famous painting—but this time, he was determined to get involved in Kazimierz's affairs.
Perhaps from the Doctor's and Rhodes Island's perspective, Nearl the Radiant Knight had a good start, but in Daniel's eyes, the outcome was far from satisfactory.
The Kazimierz Knight Tournament was something Daniel had heard about even in Lungmen. The internet was flooded with information about it, especially since this year marked the 24th Knight Tournament.
The Kazimierz Knight Tournament was a major knight competition held every three years, and the hype was already building. Many people were already making their way there, not just to witness the intense knightly competitions but also to see the rare sight of four mobile cities coming together.
Beyond that, underground betting sites had already opened their odds. Every Knight Tournament was a gambling extravaganza, though "gambling" was putting it mildly.
For some, the Knight Tournament was a golden opportunity to strike it rich. Unfortunately, this time, many would likely end up on rooftops, contemplating their life choices.
Even in Lungmen, the Knight Tournament was a big deal, which gave Daniel an idea of how significant it was in Kazimierz. No wonder Nearl the Radiant Knight wanted to change things.
Daniel's knowledge of the Knight Tournament came mostly from Nearl and the operator records of Meteorite. Once close friends, their relationship had deteriorated under the influence of capital, leading Meteorite to leave in anger.
"Should I create a fake identity and participate?" The thought crossed Daniel's mind, but he quickly pushed it aside. Now wasn't the time for that.
"While my abilities are very effective in treating Oripathy, as you know, they can't be widely applied. However, I have another method that, while still not universally applicable, can be used on a smaller scale."
After treating Nightingale, Daniel, along with Kal'tsit and other medical operators from Rhodes Island, including Closure, began discussing Oripathy. The participants included the Doctor, Amiya, Kal'tsit, Warfarin, Shining, and Folinic—essentially the core members of Rhodes Island.
While other operators on Rhodes Island had complex backgrounds and varying levels of loyalty to the organization, the medical operators were all deeply committed to Rhodes Island. Kal'tsit's medical department wasn't a place where those with ulterior motives could easily infiltrate.
"This is nanomedical technology. Using this, we can completely remove Originium crystals from the body." Through the medical room's screen, Daniel demonstrated what nanotechnology was.
"Of course, this is just my current idea. Whether it can be implemented still requires practical experimentation. After the Chernobog situation is resolved, we can collaborate on this."
While Daniel had access to nanomedical technology, he didn't carry any related equipment with him. After all, he had several healing methods at his disposal and didn't need such devices. He hadn't expected to end up in Terra, facing Oripathy.
"No problem."
Kal'tsit naturally wouldn't refuse a method that could treat Oripathy. It was a win-win situation. For Daniel, he could gain access to Rhodes Island's years of research on Oripathy, which would be far more efficient than starting from scratch.
Kal'tsit's reputation as "omniscient" wasn't an exaggeration. She wasn't just skilled in medicine but also excelled in mechanics, electronics, and more. In fact, even Closure might not match her in some areas.
"According to what you're saying, doesn't that mean Rhodes Island could also be nanomized if we had enough materials?" Closure asked excitedly.
"Theoretically, yes. But have you considered the cost?"
Daniel was somewhat speechless at Closure's idea. In this regard, she was quite similar to Dr. Tesla. Tesla had always wanted to replace all the materials on the Anti-Entropy mechs with Honkai-impacted steel.
Although Einstein had always opposed this, Tesla had been secretly working on it. While it was still in its early stages, Tesla claimed that, given enough time, she could eventually replace the entire mech's body with Honkai-impacted steel. This was one of the reasons Anti-Entropy was always short on funds.
As for Closure, the so-called 42-star operator, Daniel was very curious about her strength. Just because Closure was responsible for maintaining Rhodes Island, procurement, and infrastructure didn't mean she wasn't powerful. After all, she was a Sarkaz, and a rare Blood Demon at that.
Just being a Sarkaz was enough to prove that Closure wasn't as harmless as she appeared. Racial traits in this world were incredibly powerful.
For example, Bagpipe's strength and physical prowess were impressive, but according to her, there was still a significant gap between her and her mother—a homemaker who worked on the farm.
"Closure." Kal'tsit's gaze immediately turned to her.
"I know, I won't mess around." Seeing Kal'tsit's stern look, Closure quickly responded.
"Alright, now we can have a proper discussion."
After concluding the discussion with the group, Daniel and Kal'tsit finally had a one-on-one conversation. This time, the Doctor and Amiya were excluded.
"Laterano, Aegir? I understand. Don't worry, I won't cause trouble."
The conversation gave Daniel a deeper understanding of Terra. They touched on topics that hadn't been discussed before, such as demons, the Seaborn, the sky, and the underground.
The sky and the ocean were both taboos. Over the years, many scientists in Terra had attempted to explore the sky, but now no one talked about it. What had happened remained a mystery. Whether Kal'tsit knew, Daniel wasn't sure, as she didn't elaborate. However, she did mention that if one wanted to understand the sky, it was best to go to Laterano.
As for the underground, Kal'tsit didn't say much, but even so, Daniel learned some secrets he hadn't known before.
"In this world, even a god would have to lie low. Is the sky related to the stars aligning? And is there a R'lyeh beneath the sea? Well, I'll take it one step at a time."
Daniel was very curious about the lost underwater city of Aegir. From Skadi's conversations, he knew that its technology was highly advanced. They had even complained that Rhodes Island didn't have automatic flush toilets. Initially, Daniel had wanted to visit.
However, after hearing some of Kal'tsit's warnings, he decided to be more cautious. He really didn't want to run into a certain octopus-headed entity there.
While the Seaborn's strength wasn't a threat to him, their passive evolution was a significant concern. This meant people had to fight them with cold weapons, as using firearms or other heavy weaponry could lead to the Seaborn evolving to counter such attacks. Who knew how many Seaborn lurked in the ocean? Even if Skadi had killed a Seaborn god, who could guarantee there wasn't another?
"By the way, does Rhodes Island have someone named Anthon?" Before leaving, Daniel suddenly asked Kal'tsit.
"Anthon? You're looking for her? She's not on Rhodes Island right now." Kal'tsit replied calmly.
"I'm not looking for her, but I've received some information about her. She will die, and someone will use her death to trigger a contingency contract. That's the gist of it."
With that, Daniel left the office. He remembered Anthon's story thanks to the Feather of Xuanyuan, which allowed him to recall all the information he had seen or encountered related to Arknights.
He felt deeply sorry for her sacrifice—betrayed by the very people she had helped, all to serve a greater purpose. Her death was meant to draw Rhodes Island into a larger scheme.
The contingency contract, formed by numerous Catastrophe Messengers, had the motto "All for more lives." Unfortunately, over the years, this motto had become somewhat distorted, with people resorting to any means necessary to achieve their goals.
"Now it's time to explore Rhodes Island properly."
With Anthon's matter in Kal'tsit's hands, Daniel didn't need to worry about it anymore. With some free time, he immediately sought out Amiya to show him around Rhodes Island.
"Five floors, but only three are developed?"
From Amiya's introduction, Daniel got a rough idea of Rhodes Island's layout. Whether due to technological limitations or simply because they didn't need the space, the bottom two floors of Rhodes Island were completely unused. Even so, the existing space was more than enough—far from the mere four dorm rooms depicted in the game.
For one thing, Rhodes Island had multiple training grounds, each specialized for different roles: Vanguard, Defender, Sniper, and so on.
In addition, there was a farm on Rhodes Island, growing various crops. Farming technology on mobile cities was already well-established in this world.
"I remember Perfumer has a special garden for growing various plants." Thanks to the Feather of Xuanyuan, Daniel recalled many operator records.
"Amiya, Amiya, what are you doing?"
In the hallway, a girl with braided hair and a strange backpack suddenly appeared. Upon seeing Amiya, she immediately ran over.
"This is Cuora." Amiya introduced the newcomer.
"Don't run in the hallway. Dr. Kal'tsit has warned you many times." After the introduction, Amiya immediately reminded her to be careful.
"Cuora, is that the backpack speculated to be from the previous civilization?" Daniel's gaze fell on the backpack behind Cuora.
Despite looking like an ordinary backpack, it was incredibly sturdy and could even release a shield-like barrier, creating an almost impenetrable defense.
It was thanks to this backpack that Cuora became one of the top Defenders.
"Hello, here's something for you." Daniel took out a box of snacks and handed it to Cuora.
"Thank you, big brother." After glancing at Amiya, Cuora happily accepted the gift.
"Melantha, the Sword Saint. Seeing her in person, she really is a beauty."
The two arrived at the Guard Operator training ground, where they saw a purple-haired beauty practicing her swordsmanship. Beside her was a familiar face—Franka from Blacksteel International, the "chubby fox." Though why she was called "chubby," Daniel had no idea, as she didn't look overweight at all.
As for Melantha, the Sword Saint, Daniel hadn't initially trained her. When he first started playing, he focused on operators based on their star ratings, especially when there were higher-starred alternatives. For example, he had trained Swire, a 5-star Guard.
Later, when he discovered he could follow guides, he realized he had made a mistake.
The two didn't disturb Melantha's training and left after watching for a while.
"She's actually here."
In a forge within Rhodes Island, Daniel was surprised to find Nian there. She was standing by a furnace with a blacksmith, discussing something. The blacksmith then began hammering an iron ingot.
"Vulcan." Amiya introduced the blacksmith.
"Kid, you're here. Look what I found. I never expected to find someone skilled in ancient forging techniques in this era." Nian seemed to be in high spirits.
With the advancement of technology, forging and smelting had gradually shifted to industrial machinery. The forge was filled with modern industrial equipment, but the furnace and anvil looked out of place.
This was likely why Nian was so excited. As the goddess of forging and smelting, both modern and ancient techniques fell within her domain. However, having come from an earlier era, she naturally felt a connection to ancient forging methods.
"Glad you like it, but don't forget the main task."
"Don't worry. It's just analyzing and fusing materials."
As a goddess of forging and smelting, analyzing materials was second nature to Nian. Daniel had brought out some materials for her to analyze, including Vibranium, Honkai-impacted steel, memory metal, and D32 steel, one of the best materials in this world. He wanted to see if she could combine the properties of these materials.
Nian's abilities made her an excellent candidate for a craftsman. Daniel had access to various crafting techniques, including the Divine Machine Hundred Refinements. Even if Nian couldn't master them, she could certainly draw inspiration from them.
Combined with the crafting knowledge from *Xianjian Qixia Zhuan*, Daniel would no longer lack magical tools or even artifacts. He was sorely lacking in such expertise, and this collaboration would be mutually beneficial—Nian would undoubtedly gain a lot from it as well.
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