When the 3D structural diagrams for the final energy conduit, the last weapon interface, and the final computer cloud array module locked into place on the light screen, and all detailed parameters were marked, Artoria let out a long sigh of relief. She slumped backward into her soft work chair, feeling as if her body had been drained of all strength.
Outside the window, the night sky simulated by the Silver Moon Observatory was already dotted with stars, and the artificial moon emitted a soft glow. Unknowingly, she had been busy until late at night.
"Finally... finished drawing..." She rubbed her throbbing temples, feeling that her mental energy had been greatly depleted.
This conceptual design for the hyperion, while still just a preliminary framework and core module layout, already included numerous parts such as the main structure, energy and propulsion systems, multi-layered composite armor, modular production line zones, heavy firepower platform arrays, computer cloud array architecture, ecological life-support zones, and the living quarters for her and Minerva.
Every part required repeated deliberation, compatibility calculations, and resource assessment; the workload was immense.
If not for her strong mental energy support and deep understanding of her own knowledge system, coupled with Minerva helping on the side to handle some basic calculations and graphic rendering, she likely wouldn't have been able to finish even after several days and nights.
"You've worked hard." A cup of warm, soothingly fragrant drink was handed to her side.
Minerva had unknowingly left the light screen she was using to assist with calculations, walked over, gently placed the drink in Artoria's hands, then went behind her, her warm fingers replacing Artoria's own, massaging her temples and forehead with moderate pressure.
"Mmm..." Artoria sighed comfortably, closing her eyes and enjoying her lover's thoughtfulness.
The cold, sweet-and-sour drink went down her throat, slightly alleviating her mental exhaustion, but the taut string in her mind did not completely relax.
The seemingly casual words of reminder from Teacher Hexi before she left surfaced in her ears once again: "The contingency plans for dealing with various extreme situations (such as large-scale information interference, decapitation tactics targeting you personally, etc.) still need further refinement."
Decapitation tactics...
Artoria's brows furrowed involuntarily again. She opened her eyes and looked at the magnificent 3D diagram of the Hyperion on the light screen, but her mood was somewhat heavy.
Her vision was beautiful: "an army of one," combined with the powerful Hyperion heavy firepower platform in the rear, sounded seemingly impregnable.
But the premise for all of this was—she herself had to be able to "stand her ground" on the battlefield.
If the opponent were a common space-faring civilization, or even beast-body invaders like the Taotie, she might still be able to maneuver or even crush them by relying on the personal armor and energy shields she might equip, as well as the mechanical legions she could release at any time to form layers of protection.
But what if the opponent was... Morgana? That Demon Queen who was proficient in space-time wormholes, cunning, and loved to play decapitation games?
Or even that God of Death Karl, hidden in the depths of the Styx Galaxy, mysterious and unpredictable, whom even Queen Keisha and Teacher Hexi were quite wary of?
Facing an opponent of this level, were those mechanical seas she formed through quantity and rapid production really useful?
I'm afraid a single concept rewrite from the opponent, a large-scale space-time blockade, or a dimensional reduction strike or mental erosion directly targeting her personally, could instantly disintegrate her and her legions.
Even if she equipped herself with the most powerful personal weapons, or even miniaturized main ship cannons, she would likely still be outmatched when facing those "Gods" who could manipulate space-time and play with rules at will.
Moreover, heavy weapons often required time to charge, deploy, and aim... In this process, would the enemy just stand there stupidly waiting for her to finish preparing?
"Sigh..." Artoria couldn't help but sigh, scratching her hair in frustration. "So annoying... How can I have enough survival and counterattack capability even in front of that level of opponent? I can't just keep hiding under the protection of Teacher or Queen Keisha... Wouldn't my 'army of one' then become a joke?"
What she needed was not just simple defense, but the capital to "not be instantly killed" in high-end power duels, or even one or two "trump cards" that could threaten the opponent and make them wary.
Otherwise, her tactical system would have a fatal weakness that could be easily pierced by high-end combatants.
Minerva listened to her unconscious muttering, her fingers massaging Artoria's forehead pausing slightly, a flash of heartache and helplessness appearing in her eyes.
She could feel Artoria's anxiety and pressure, but she was... powerless against it. Her fighting style was more inclined toward close-quarters combat and energy utilization; she couldn't offer professional advice on how to deal with the Universe's top Gods or how to build a personal defense system. In the YoRHa unit's database, there was no solution that could directly resolve this dilemma either.
But at least she could accompany her, she could support her.
She stopped the massage, walked in front of Artoria, crouched down, and gently took Artoria's hands, which were slightly cold from frustration, placing them in her own warm palms.
She didn't speak, just quietly looked at Artoria with those clear, starry eyes, conveying silent comfort and support—Don't be afraid, no matter what lies ahead, I will be by your side. Anyone who wants to hurt you must first step over my dead body.
Feeling the warmth from the palms and the unreserved trust and protection in Minerva's eyes, the irritation in Artoria's heart calmed down a little.
She held Minerva's hand in return and smiled bitterly: "Am I too anxious? Meals have to be eaten one bite at a time, and the road has to be walked one step at a time. Teacher also said this isn't something that can be accomplished overnight..."
"Mmm, no need to rush, let's think about it slowly." Minerva's voice was gentle and firm. She stood up, gently hugged Artoria from behind again, and rested her chin on her shoulder. "There will always be a way. Don't you often say that technological breakthroughs often require inspiration and accumulation? Perhaps... change your perspective, or ask others?"
"Ask others?" Artoria was stunned, then her eyes suddenly brightened, like two small flames lit up in the night. "That's right! How could I have forgotten this! We can... go online and see!"
"Go online?" Minerva was a bit confused. Seeking methods to deal with Morgana and Karl on the Angel network? That didn't seem very realistic; those were top-secret.
"Not the Angel network!" Artoria excitedly broke free from Minerva's embrace, turned around, and tapped rapidly on the console, pulling up a terminal interface that looked ordinary but had a style completely different from Angel technology.
"It's the 'terminal' left behind by Xiao Qi! Before it returned to'school,' it left this carrier with me, saying it contained some basic functions it had organized and... um, some public resource interfaces in the'System Circle'!"
She explained while operating: "Look, there's a function similar to a 'browser' here, which can search some public, non-sensitive databases; there's a 'warehouse,' which still stores some... uh, let's call it'startup capital' of rare materials and general currency left by Xiao Qi; most importantly, there's a 'Forum'!"
"For...um?" Minerva was even more confused; the word sounded a bit strange.
"Yes! A Forum! It's... like a place with many different topic sections where many people can post, discuss, and share information!"
Artoria clicked on the icon, and an interface with a simple design, but full of various strange sections and flashing titles, popped up.
"Xiao Qi said this is a place that connects many, many'systems' like it, or their Hosts, for communication! Although everyone comes from different Worlds, with different rules and different power systems, some ideas and some creativity can be borrowed! Moreover, some senior Hosts inside may have experienced similar problems!"
The more she talked, the more excited she became: "I was just burying myself in research before, I completely forgot about this 'cheat'! Working behind closed doors won't work; it's time to see if the'seniors' have any brilliant ideas!"
She quickly browsed the Forum interface. As Xiao Qi said, it was bizarre and varied, with everything.
[magic and Technology Fusion Discussion Area], [Cultivation Resource Trading Section], [Infinite Flow Mission Mutual Aid Post], [On How to Elegantly Fleece the Main God]... various titles were dazzling.
The IDs of posts and replies were also strange and varied, such as "Traveler Merchant Crossing Ten Thousand Worlds," "Cultivator Who Only Wants to Farm," "My System is a Contrarian," and so on.
Artoria took a deep breath and clicked into the [Help and Consultation Area]. She first carefully read the pinned Forum rules to avoid accidentally violating them.
Then, she saw a post title in the help area that, although it had sunk, still existed:
"Emergency Help! Host companion's soul core shattered, seeking methods to stabilize the soul and reshape the body! Will reward heavily!"
Poster: Trainee System TX-707. The posting time was exactly when they had just arrived in this Universe, when Minerva's situation was most critical.
There were quite a few replies under the post; some provided ideas, some expressed comfort, and one highly-voted reply was: "Coordinates confirmed, resources are being gathered, hold on."
Artoria remembered that later, Xiao Qi did indeed receive an anonymously sent "crowdfunded" resource containing various rare soul materials, which played a key role in stabilizing Minerva's soul. So that's where it came from!
Seeing this post, Artoria felt a warmth in her heart, making her even more determined to seek help here. If even something almost impossible like saving Minerva could get help here, then perhaps she could also find some inspiration for her own problem.
She clicked the button to post a new thread and began to edit it seriously.
Title: "Newbie seeking help! Regarding survival and counterattack strategies for the main body in an 'army of one' style tactic when facing high-end combatants (such as those mastering space-time, rule-based abilities)"
Content: "Hello, seniors, fellow daoists, and peers! A newbie has just arrived; greetings! I am following a mechanical manufacturing and rapid troop-building route. My core tactic relies on the support of a powerful logistics Base (similar to a mobile fortress), with myself acting as a high-mobility, highly-armed node, coordinating with massive mechanical combat units that can be deployed at any time. I am currently facing a bottleneck: How can I improve my survival capability when facing 'God-level' opponents with abilities like teleportation, large-scale control, rule-based attacks, and conceptual strikes? Also, how can I have effective counterattack or stalling means when such opponents get close or target me? (Note: I have strong mental energy and can precisely control mechanical units, but my physical strength is relatively average. The current World I am in has a high level of technology, and I can obtain high-level materials and technical support, with a relatively sufficient budget.) Please, masters, guide me! Any ideas, technical directions, equipment concepts, or even sharing of failed cases are very welcome! Grateful!"
She checked it carefully again to ensure she hadn't leaked the specific coordinates of her Universe or sensitive information (which was strictly prohibited by the Forum rules), and then solemnly clicked "Send."
The post was successfully sent, and the status showed "Under Review." It was said that there was an automatic review mechanism to prevent information leakage and cross-Universe interference.
"Alright, it's sent!" Artoria breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if the pressure on her shoulders had lifted a little. Regardless of whether it was useful or not, at least she had an additional channel to obtain information.
She closed the terminal interface and stretched, immediately feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her like a tide. After a full day of high-intensity work, racking her brains to think about tactical shortcomings, and just now emotionally posting a help request... now that she relaxed, sleepiness immediately swept over her.
"Haa—" She couldn't help but yawned big, tears even coming out.
"Tired?" Minerva touched her face with heartache. "Don't think about it, rest first. Maybe when you wake up tomorrow, there will be a reply from a senior?"
"Mmm..." Artoria rubbed her sleepy eyes, like a very sleepy kitten, softly leaning into Minerva's arms, letting her pick her up horizontally. "Sleep... hope... there's good news..."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, and before they even reached the bedroom door, she had already fallen into a deep sleep in Minerva's warm and stable embrace.
Minerva carefully placed her on the bed, covered her with the quilt, and lay down beside her, gently pulling her into her arms. Looking at Artoria's slightly furrowed brows even in her sleep, Minerva secretly vowed in her heart that she must familiarize herself with and master the power of this new body faster, becoming stronger, strong enough to become her most solid shield.
The "starlight" outside the window gently sprinkled into the room, illuminating the two sleeping in each other's arms. And in that "Forum" connecting countless possibilities, a help post from a new "troop-building" newbie was silently waiting for a response from the multiverse that might change everything.
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