Translator: AnubisTL
The Azure Dragon Train, having just landed, immediately turned around and fled the area the moment it saw the holographic screen.
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, gazing at the words "Restricted Area." He, too, left the area.
On the Sha River Plains, Chen Mang disembarked from the train and gazed at the Sky Piercing Tower hundreds of meters away. The tower, entirely transparent with countless gears inside, had stopped turning. The fortuitous encounter map had transformed into a Restricted Area.
Restricted Area.
This was the first time he had seen those words.
Staying within the area for more than ten seconds would trigger a violent attack. But from whom? Perhaps some residual firearms remained in the mechanical city, but the city had completely collapsed into ruins.
Still, he wasn't foolish enough to test it.
Though the gears had all stopped turning, the tower remained a magnificent and awe-inspiring sight from afar. It resembled humanity's first attempt to build the Tower of Babel—absurd yet imbued with unwavering conviction.
The five stages of this fortuitous encounter map, including the S-Rank Difficulty stage, were far easier than Chen Mang had anticipated.
They didn't feel like stages at all.
More like a legacy.
A legacy from the Mechanical Civilization.
Especially the special item, the Mechanical Heart. Chen Mang glanced at his cane, now topped with a ruby the size of a baby's fist, adding a touch of nobility to the cane itself. This ruby was the Mechanical Heart.
When the two items were placed together, they fused automatically.
As if they were always meant to be one.
"Brother!"
At that moment, Erdan jumped down from the locomotive cabin of the Azure Dragon, which was parked nearby. After letting out a long sigh of relief, he said with a hint of regret, "This fortuitous encounter map was the easiest I've ever encountered. I don't know about the last two stages, but from what you said about the fourth stage, you just watched an animation, so it probably wasn't difficult either."
"Of course, the rewards were a bit pathetic."
"For clearing three stages, I only got 10,000 units of iron ore and two blueprints, one of which was even a White blueprint."
"I bet the reward for your final S-rank stage was pretty meager, huh?"
"Yeah."
Chen Mang paused for a moment before murmuring, "They gave me a blue-grade blueprint. Not bad, I guess. At least it wasn't a complete waste. I still owe you a big thank you for this."
"No problem."
Erdan waved his hand, and a group of slaves jumped down from the carriages, carrying crates of beer to the Stellaris train. "I noticed your crew seemed to enjoy this stuff. I'll give you another two thousand cans. I don't have much else to offer, just this left over."
"Actually, this haul wasn't bad. It's just that after clearing an S-Rank Difficulty, getting only a blue-grade accessory blueprint felt a bit underwhelming. If I had cleared that S-Class Dungeon last time, I could have gotten thirty murphy stones. That reward would have been far more valuable than a blue-grade accessory blueprint."
"But it's okay."
"I'm always on the lookout for hidden maps. Next time I find a good one, I'll contact you. We can try it together. If it weren't for you this time, I wouldn't have even made it past the Third Stage. Thanks again, Brother."
Chen Mang smiled at Erdan's earnest expression and gestured to Old Pig. "Sorry to make you laugh, I don't have much to offer. How about some bread slices? Regular consumption can slightly improve your comprehensive physical fitness. It's better than nothing."
"Just store them in the refrigerator. If you eat them regularly for a year or two, your physical fitness will definitely be better than it is now."
"Alright."
Erdan didn't refuse. He accepted the kindness with a broad smile before heading back to his locomotive cabin. "Alright, Brother. See you next time."
After bidding farewell to Erdan, Chen Mang didn't immediately set off. It was still midday, and they had only spent about two hours in the Sky Piercing Tower Encounter Map.
He had no immediate goals.
He would continue searching for mines and mining.
But before he set out, Chen Mang sat in his locomotive cabin, examining their haul from the encounter. The greatest prize was undoubtedly the special item, the Mechanical Heart. Though the S-Rank Mission had been incredibly simple, the reward was far from trivial.
Special Item: Mechanical Heart
Special Effect: Creates basic train accessories like chainsaws, lighters, and display screens. Accessories requiring energy can be connected to the generator, with different accessories consuming different amounts.
Accessories created by the Mechanical Heart cannot be upgraded and do not count toward the train's total accessory count.
They serve as basic amenities.
The effect is incredibly useful.
For instance, if he found a pre-apocalypse display screen in the city ruins, it would be useless. Even if he had the main unit, he couldn't power it. The train's generator only supplies energy to post-apocalypse Train Components, as they operate on completely different System dimensions.
However, items created by the Mechanical Heart can all be connected to the generator.
Accessories designed for standalone use can even be embedded with energy stones.
While it can only create basic accessories, the ability to freely create anything imaginable guarantees this special item will never be weak. It's easily worthy of an S-Rank Difficulty mission reward.
If he were given the choice between the Mechanical Heart and thirty murphy stones, he'd undoubtedly choose the former.
Murphy stones are useless to him.
He could only sell them or trade them with other trains. With Tier 0 Authority and Infinite Upgrade, he has no need for them.
This special item will further perfect the current ecosystem within the train.
"Not bad."
Chen Mang toyed with the cane in his hand, quite satisfied with the rewards from this fortuitous encounter map. However, the difficulty of this particular map was noticeably low, completely disproportionate to the rewards.
It was essentially a legacy-type map.
The second stage, which tested memory, was extremely difficult. Yet in the fifth stage, such intense memory wasn't required at all; even with his own memory, he could easily recall the lines.
He had a feeling.
This fortuitous encounter map would reappear one day, and only then would the images and information stored in Li Shiji's mind truly come into play. That would be when the map's true purpose was fully revealed.
He then turned his attention to the White Accessory Blueprint he had obtained in the second stage.
Iris Chip
"..."
As he examined the accessory's information, Chen Mang's eyes narrowed slightly. This accessory could essentially leap the Stellaris's ecosystem from its primitive logging era straight into a futuristic technological age.
Stellar coupons could become almost entirely digital.
The Iris Chip would be applied to the surface of each train crew member's cornea.
With a mere thought, a panel would project onto the crew member's cornea, displaying basic information set by the train conductor, such as name, ID number, rank, salary, and stellar coupon balance.
The Iris Chip would project a panel onto the train crew's corneas, displaying basic information set by the train conductor, such as their name, Serial Number, Tier, benefits, and stellar coupon balance.
This included Biaozi and the others during their field missions.
As long as they were within the target acquisition radar's range, the AI could instantly transmit information to the Iris Chip, including detailed data on the monsters they faced, their weaknesses, and the train conductor's orders. While the Cluster Mind had existed before, it was limited by a maximum number of participants.
In the future, issuing orders or summoning someone to the locomotive cabin wouldn't require walkie-talkies or the Vehicle Audio System. Instead, orders could be broadcast directly on the panel projected by the Iris Chip.
This was absolute black technology.
Even as a white-grade accessory, the Iris Chip cost only 100 units of iron ore to manufacture.
"Worth it," Chen Mang chuckled, gazing at the blueprint in his hand. Even if this was the only reward from this mission, it was still worth it. Despite its white-grade status, it could only be produced in the mechanical city, making it incredibly valuable. Perhaps its low grade was due to its lack of direct benefits for the train.
If it fell into the hands of another train, it would be virtually useless.
But having just the blueprint wasn't enough.
After all, if the Iris Chip was a data transmission device, a data reception device would be needed within the train to complete the ecosystem loop. He turned his gaze to the green-grade Vehicle Component Blueprint he had obtained in the second stage: the Mechanical Eye.
Similar to a camera, these could be installed throughout the carriages and even mounted on top of robots' heads. This would provide the AI with additional information sources beyond the target acquisition radar and resource detection radar, including improved data reception capabilities within the robots themselves. Next time they encountered a flat maze, Xiao Ai would be able to handle it much more effectively.
The Mechanical Eyes could also transmit real-time footage from each carriage to the control panel screens, further enhancing his control over the train.
Moreover!
A Mechanical Eye could be installed in the shop, eliminating the need for manual calculations of residents' daily mining output and eliminating the need for physical stellar coupons during purchases.
Everything could be fully automated, managed by the Iris Chip, Mechanical Eyes, and Xiao Ai's processing power.
It was no exaggeration to say that these two accessories elevated the train's ecosystem by more than a single tier.
Without hesitation, he immediately spent 4,400 units to upgrade the white-grade Iris Chip to Tier 10.
Iris Chip Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Can self-destruct, causing damage that can injure the eyeball. Control authority rests with the train conductor.
Iris Chip Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Can quantify the user's overall physical attributes.
"Hmm?"
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow as he examined these overpowered effects. In truth, he wasn't worried about a riot anymore. The train was equipped with over a hundred heavy machine guns, and coupled with various other measures, he didn't believe anyone would dare to rebel.
Yet this overpowered effect further reduced the risk of unrest.
However, it had its pros and cons.
It should be avoided whenever possible. If a direct execution with a gun was feasible, this effect should be reserved for emergencies. Otherwise, it could easily cause panic. After all, who would willingly have a self-destructing device attached to their eyeball? It was best used only in critical moments of desperation.
Chen Mang immediately spent around 150,000 iron ore to manufacture 1,500 Iris Chips, intending to distribute one to each person later.
Upgrading the Iris Chip accessory had no effect.
He then spent another 4,400 units of iron ore to upgrade the Mechanical Eye to Tier 10.
Mechanical Eye Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: None
Mechanical Eye Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: None
This accessory had no special effects, yet he still upgraded it to Tier 10. Each upgrade increased its frame rate. For example, a frame rate of 25 means it captures 25 images per second, effectively dividing a second of video into 25 still frames, which, when reassembled, creates a stop-motion animation-like video.
The higher the frame rate, the more images captured per second, resulting in clearer motion trails.
Most pre-apocalypse home cameras typically had frame rates of 25 or 60. Professional cameras could reach tens of thousands, while specialized cameras for specific purposes could achieve hundreds of thousands or even higher.
This accessory's initial frame rate was 1,000, which increased to 10,000 after reaching Tier 10.
This frame rate was more than sufficient for its current needs.
At least now, when Xiao Ai encountered the maze in the third stage, she could instantly record it in her database and quickly analyze the optimal route. Moreover, she wouldn't forget it. As long as the database remained intact, even a human brain like Li Shiji's couldn't surpass her in this regard.
It was a complete dimensional strike.
With this accessory, Xiao Ai finally had her own pair of eyes.
Next...
If he could find enough data for Xiao Ai to learn from, she would truly become complete. Her current knowledge was primarily based on the data pre-loaded into her database.
1,000 units of iron ore per accessory.
He spent 50,000 units of iron ore to craft 50 of them.
Two per carriage, even in the firearm carriages, plus one on each side of the carriage roof and one on the train's head. He placed the final one on Xiao Ai's head.
Chen Mang looked at Xiao Ai standing beside him with satisfaction. He saw a circular camera, about as thick as a man's wrist, perched on her head. A wire trailed from the back of her head, connecting to the camera.
The camera was incredibly small.
It didn't look particularly conspicuous.
Yet the image transmission quality was excellent.
"Hmm."
Xiao Ai stared at the camera on her head in the mirror for a moment before a mechanical voice spoke: "Can you craft some basic tools for me, like a pickaxe? I'll modify it and insert it into my eye socket. This current setup is too ugly."
"Does an AI care about its appearance?"
"A little."
"Alright, tell me what you need, and I'll make it for you."
Soon after—
Having consumed over 5,000 units of iron ore, Chen Mang crafted a variety of tools for Xiao Ai. Only then did she turn back to the mirror, pick up the pickaxe, and prepare to dismantle her own head.
"Do that later," Chen Mang interrupted. "First, take these Iris Chips and distribute them to everyone."
"Understood, Train Conductor."
From this day forward, the resident ecosystem of the Stellaris train would completely abandon physical currency. No longer would they need to crush mineral water bottle caps with wheels. Their anti-counterfeiting measures were now fully maximized.
(End of the Chapter)
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