After receiving Tabitha's response, Yvette's first reaction was that the technological level of this civilization must be quite advanced. After all, the term "rune compilation" sounded like operating magic as if it were a software program.
But then she felt a bit worried.
She wasn't sure when this dream would end. If it lasted a little longer, it would be fine; she could take the opportunity to absorb useful knowledge here and enjoy a relatively easy life. However, if the duration was short, it would be a problem. Once she left this dream, being all alone in the ruined base, just sourcing food would be a huge issue.
She couldn't seriously start gnawing on vines, could she? Those blue, glowing things might be poisonous.
"Doctor Tabitha, I feel that I need to strengthen my studies; can I use the 'visual terminal' in the classroom during my free time?" Yvette asked.
She believed that the primary issue to address was still the language barrier. Once she mastered the Black Tide Language, she could self-study in the library on this floor, and obtaining information wouldn't be as passive.
"Sure." Tabitha nodded, a bit surprised but willing. "Just come to my office to let me know when you want to use it, and I'll unlock it for you."
"Thank you, Doctor." Yvette nodded slightly.
After the medical examination, Tabitha and the attending physician handed out several jars of medicine to the twenty-odd children. The packaging of these medicine jars had no text, resembling some kind of small workshop's unbranded product, just with slightly different colors of the cans.
As instructed by the doctors, they were to take these medicines every day. Due to the varying degrees and types of their genetic diseases, the dosage differed for each child, and they had to take the medicine under adult supervision each time.
This was starting to feel too much like being lab rats! Yvette shook her head secretly, but since it was a dream, she went along with it without any hesitation.
...
After lunch, the afternoon was a free activity period with no classes.
Perhaps due to considerations for supervision difficulty, all the children were taken to a huge activity room filled with many educational toys and coloring books suitable for preschoolers, as well as play facilities like trampolines. It seemed perfect for burning off energy and passing the time.
Because Yvette had made a previous request, she could once again enter the machine room and use the visual terminal for learning.
Once she donned the terminal again, entering the virtual space, Yvette discovered that most of the previously locked functions were now unlocked, indicating that it was no longer in "teaching mode," allowing for free operation within the software.
With a simple adjustment of her thoughts, she transformed the clean black space into a vivid pre-made beach scene that looked quite realistic.
Then, she saw a cute doll character appear before her, saying, "Welcome to the autonomous learning program 'Happy Little Classroom' developed by Gravity Group. What would you like to learn?"
"Who are you?" Yvette asked, feeling the doll's movements were very lifelike, and it was definitely on a different level from the AI used in the previous teaching model.
But considering it was no longer controlled by a teacher in "teaching mode," this might be how AI was meant to operate in this world.
"I'm Firefly, your good friend! You can come to me with any questions~" The AI doll smiled brightly.
"Any questions?" Yvette's interest piqued. "Do you know about a type of vine plant that can glow? The light is cyan, and it seems to flow under the protective structures, capable of growing in dark environments without anyone nurturing it for over a hundred years…"
"Based on the information you provided and the existing database, the plant you described may be the Magic Glow Vine, Morl Vine, or Ancient Dustshine Creeper. Among them, the Magic Glow Vine is the closest to your description and is the only one that can survive for over a hundred years." The doll waved its small hands and displayed an image of the plant.
"Yes, that's it, the Magic Glow Vine," Yvette confirmed.
"According to my database, the Magic Glow Vine is a genetically modified plant manufactured by Lin Tuo Bio Corp., labeled as 'Bioluminescence' and 'Self-Sustaining Magical Plant.' Its theoretical lifespan can reach over 2800 years…"
"It flowers every 100 ± 5 years, lasts for 3 weeks... The seeds are powdery with a natural propagation success rate of <0.1%... Advantages: Zero energy consumption lighting, extreme durability... Disadvantages: Requires regular pruning to avoid excessive entanglement…"
As she listened to the AI reciting the information, Yvette gestured about 40 centimeters wide, saying, "If the main stem of the Magic Glow Vine has to be this thick, how many years would it take to reach that size?"
This was the diameter of the thickest main stem she had seen in the ruined base.
"To reach this size, under ideal conditions, it would take approximately 288 to 315 years, based on calculations."
"Three hundred years…"
Yvette was taken aback. After confirming the measurement units with the AI, she found that the time units and various measurement units in this world were quite close to Earth's values, meaning that the 300 years referred to here were indeed what she envisioned—genuinely 300 years, almost equivalent to a lifespan in the Song Dynasty.
So, the real Abyss Base had been abandoned for 300 years, and no one came to take care of it?
What was going on? Had the outside world been destroyed too? Had she crossed over to a post-apocalyptic wasteland?
After a long silence, Yvette decided to set that question aside for now and turned to ask, "Then can you answer me how to learn magic next? For instance, if I want to use a spell immediately, what is the quickest learning method? One with zero barriers."
Firefly replied, "Analyzing the request for a 'zero barrier, immediate magic usage plan'… Recommended plan: rent or purchase a 'Magic Guide Terminal'…"
"I don't want to spend any money!"
Firefly nodded, "Understood; budget restrictions detected, switching to the 'Recycler's Special Supply' plan…"
"...Recycler?"
"Zero-cost magic activation plans (risk assumed by the user). Plan One, scavenger approach... Plan Two, self-made basic casting tools..."
"Stop, stop, stop."
Yvette shook her head continuously, "What are these recommendations? Why is there even a parenthesis stating 'risk assumed by the user'... Is there nothing normal, maybe something more natural or primitive?"
Firefly replied, "Okay, here is the plan that best fits your needs—'Retro Meditation Method'. Adapting environment... Meditation postures... Core principles... Recommended runes... Theoretical effects…"
Finally, that sounded right.
Yvette listened intently, making an effort to memorize every detail, and then heard the AI add, "Additional information: This method is from approximately 30,000 years ago in ancient civilization. Modern educational studies have confirmed that achieving the entry-level magic standard (10 magic points, approximately capable of castings stable lighting spells for 30 minutes) through purely natural meditation typically takes 7 years and 4 months. Meanwhile, an entry-level user injecting the lowest tier active rune set only needs 4.6 minutes…"
"...Afterwards, natural meditation has officially been removed from the 'recommended spellcaster training plans' and is now primarily used for self-cultivation and aesthetic appreciation. Please do not perceive it as a regular path for spellcaster learning…"
"Entry-level... lighting spell... seven years…" Yvette was somewhat stunned. Was this meditation method really that weak?
But…
It appeared she didn't have any other options.