In terms of observational skills, Julian was no match for Metagross. Finding the library in a densely labeled map would have been a challenge for him, but Metagross spotted it instantly with a single glance.
"Meta~"
Metagross: "Here."
Its claw pointed to the upper-left corner of the map, where the words "City Library" were printed.
Their current location wasn't too far from the library.
After a roughly ten-minute flight on Dragonite, Julian arrived at the city's library. The sign above the entrance read: "Larousse Municipal Library."
So, this city was called Larousse City.
In front of the library stood a stone monument, inscribed with the library's founding date and collection details.
Established in 1236—though, of course, that date followed this Ruin's internal timeline, not the outside world's.
Total collection: 330 million volumes.
An absolutely staggering number. For comparison, Drakoria's National Library only held around 200 million books. Yet here, there were over 300 million.
The library itself was 30 stories tall, with each floor covering an enormous area.
"Metagross, copy everything here," Julian ordered.
Books represented knowledge, and 330 million volumes contained an ocean of information.
The library's classification system alone had hundreds of categories: transportation, aerospace, electrical engineering, medicine, nursing, performing arts, Fire-type Pokémon research, and more—covering every conceivable subject.
Julian casually picked up a book on Water-type Pokémon research and skimmed through it. The text was written in modern Pokémon language, making it relatively easy to read.
Given the sheer volume of books, it took Metagross over half an hour to fully copy the entire collection into its supercomputer-like brain.
And Julian chose not to store the physical books in his system space.
First, Metagross had already backed everything up.
Second, once he left this Ruin, he planned to report it to the Drakorian authorities. If they explored later and found the library completely emptied, they'd definitely come after him. So, better to leave it untouched.
"Any particularly important data?" Julian asked.
Metagross's supercomputer had already cataloged every book. With a single thought, it could retrieve any piece of knowledge.
In terms of sheer academic knowledge, any Metagross surpassed even the most renowned scholars.
But compared to knowledge, they preferred battle. Did knowledge increase strength? Some did, but most didn't.
"Meta~"
Metagross: "There's information on spatial backpack manufacturing technology."
"What? They even have that?!" Julian was stunned.
Metagross nodded.
"Go find all the books related to spatial backpack manufacturing tech," Julian ordered.
Metagross immediately flew off.
This kind of technology had to be controlled by his own family's corporation. They could always collaborate with the government later.
Once developed, spatial backpack tech would become another exclusive innovation for Drakoria—and a critically important one at that.
Currently, whether in the wild or during secret realm exploration, the lack of spatial technology meant that both supplies and loot were severely limited by carrying capacity.
And while Gengar could store items, they were dangerous Pokémon—many trainers risked having their life force unconsciously drained just by keeping one around.
As a result, most trainers could only bring one large backpack into a secret realm or the wilderness, and even then, they had to pack as lightly and simply as possible.
Someone like Julian—with both a Gengar and a system space—couldn't even fathom the struggle of running out of space.
Spatial backpack technology, at its core, was the creation of a sub-space.
In fact, this was the same principle as Poké Balls, which were also based on spatial technology.
Yet, despite decades of research, scientists worldwide hadn't cracked the code to adapt it for other uses.
Otherwise, spatial backpacks would've been mass-produced long ago.
Even the Walker Corporation had its own R&D team working on it.
Businessmen knew one thing for sure: Any company that mastered this tech would instantly rank among the world's top 500—solely from the profits.
And it would be a monopoly.
What's the most profitable business model? Exclusive control.
Plus, spatial backpacks had cross-industry applications, far beyond just trainers.
That's why Julian absolutely wanted this technology to be controlled by his own family.
However, if data on spatial backpack technology could be found in this library, it likely existed in other parts of the Ruin too.
If he wanted exclusive rights to this tech, he'd have to find and gather every last piece of spatial tech data in this entire tech Ruin—a massive undertaking.
And this Ruin didn't just hold spatial backpack tech. Those wheel-less cars outside? Likely magnetic levitation systems. Not to mention their advanced alloy craftsmanship.
Magnetic levitation tech was just as valuable as spatial backpacks—if not more so for national defense. It could be weaponized or even used to build floating sky cities, turning sci-fi fantasies into reality.
Just imagine an entire metropolis hovering in the clouds—the sheer spectacle would be awe-inspiring.
All in all, the scientific level of this Ruin was likely 50 to 60 years ahead of the outside world.
If they could fully absorb everything here, then Drakoria's technological prowess would undoubtedly surpass that of Celestria. Combined with having more Champions than them, Drakoria could become the undisputed top nation.
Before long, Metagross returned, confirming that all books related to spatial backpack technology had been destroyed.
"What about magnetic levitation tech? Nothing here?" Julian asked.
Metagross shook its head.
Alright then, looks like he would have to look elsewhere.
"Where are the tech companies? They'll be our next stop."
Metagross's supercomputer had already archived the entire library's collection—which undoubtedly included records of local tech corporations.
Tech companies would hold the most advanced scientific data, making them the prime targets for extraction.
With Metagross using Teleport, the next second, Julian appeared in front of a towering skyscraper.
Just the building's design alone exuded a strong sense of cutting-edge technological sophistication.
"Go inside, copy everything, and destroy the most valuable data," Julian said.
The best resources would be kept for his own family, while the less critical ones could be left for future Ruin explorers. If he took everything, then Drakoria's higher-ups would inevitably resent the Walker family for being too greedy.
So it was better not push it too much.
Fortunately, he had Metagross, who could copy all the data without limit—especially from mainframes and servers, which Metagross could interface with effortlessly.
Most other trainers would be helpless, forced to leave empty-handed despite staring at all this priceless treasure.
*****
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