Artoria had sunk into a sweet slumber, but in that bizarre "System Forum" connecting countless Worlds, the help-seeking post she had made was like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand ripples.
The post passed review and appeared on the homepage of the [Help and Consultation Zone].
At first, only a few scattered, well-meaning "seniors" passing by glanced at it, leaving words of encouragement or reflection like "Good luck, newbie" or "The 'army-building' style is fun in the early stages, but it's easy to collapse when facing high-dimensional attacks later on; I suggest you plan ahead."
But soon, as keywords in the title like "One-Man Army," "High-End Combat Power," and "Survival Counterattack" were picked up by "big shots" or "enthusiastic folks" in certain fields, the post heated up rapidly.
First, a user with the ID [Infinite Mechanical Tide] replied with the certainty of someone who had been there before: "The newbie's idea is good, but the direction is wrong. Facing those cheaters who can play with space-time and manipulate rules, no matter how many minions you stack, they are just cannon fodder. The core lies in strengthening yourself! My Host follows the mechanical ascension path, but focused on self-modification early and mid-game: nano-colonization, neural-mechanical interfaces, built-in energy furnaces, phase-shifting organs... Now, tanking interstellar main guns is nothing, short-range space jumps are like eating, and rule-based attacks? Break through my thirteen layers of energy-matter conversion shields first! Remember, all power gathered in one body is the true path! No matter how good external objects are, they are still just external objects!"
This reply immediately sparked a debate.
Another user with the ID [Dimension Watcher] retorted: "Brother [Infinite Mechanical Tide], that is incorrect! Strengthening yourself is certainly important, but it takes a long time and is limited by the Host's own race and potential. My Host is of carbon-based human origin, so the upper limit for the self-strengthening path is obvious. Our choice is extreme external objects! Deployable portable micro-black hole generators, conceptual phase-folding armor that transfers damage to parallel space when attacked, strong AI defense systems with logic locks specifically for preventing spiritual erosion and rule distortion... As long as the equipment is hard enough and the theory is high enough, mortals can even slay Gods! The self? Just keep your soul clear and be a good operator and energy provider for the equipment!"
Soon, a third perspective joined the fray.
A user with a uniquely styled ID called [Starry Sky Rice Eater] shouted: "What are you all arguing about? Modification this, equipment that, isn't it troublesome? If you ask me, the little girl should just find a suitable Starry Sky Behemoth template and transform! On our side, the [Behemoth Alliance], my Host transformed into a Star Core Devourer; now, one bite per asteroid, with an ecosystem formed within the body. Defense relies on the 'thickness' at the physical law level, and attack relies on volume and mass—mass is power! I can even bathe in stars! What space-time attacks? Break through our innate space-stabilizing force fields first! Innate bloodline, simple and brutal!"
Once these three viewpoints appeared, the post immediately exploded.
The "Self-Strengthening Faction" supporting [Infinite Mechanical Tide] and the "External Equipment Faction" supporting [Dimension Watcher] first argued incessantly.
Both sides cited classics, chatting from the "magic God Body" of the magic system to the "Perfect Genetic Evolution" of the sci-fi side, and from the "Indestructible Golden Body" of the immortal cultivation side to the "Godhead Armament" of the fantasy system.
The core of the debate lay in the "source" and "controllability" of power.
One side believed that only one's own strength was fundamental, as external objects carried the risk of being stripped or suppressed; the other side believed that the advantage of intelligent life lay in using tools, outsourcing defense and attack to more professional "equipment" for higher efficiency and more dispersed risks.
Meanwhile, the "Innate Transformation Faction," or the "Non-Human Faction," represented by [Starry Sky Rice Eater], cheered from the sidelines, occasionally interjecting with "Look how simple we are!" or "Just eat and be done with it!", drawing collective eye-rolls from the two factions.
Soon, a user who couldn't stand it anymore—suspected to be an administrator or a senior big shot—stepped in and commented directly: "[Starry Sky Rice Eater], don't mislead the newbie. The Behemoth route has a high threshold, high transformation risks, and relies heavily on specific World environments and resources. Its compatibility is extremely poor, making it unsuitable as general advice. The premise of this post's discussion is based on the requester's existing conditions as a human, with a focus on the technology side. Any further off-topic posts will result in point deductions."
[Starry Sky Rice Eater] instantly quieted down, muttering "You don't understand the joy of being a Behemoth" as they slipped away, and their viewpoint was directly excluded by most rational discussants.
The remaining "Self Faction" and "External Faction" debate intensified, and the post's heat soared at a visible speed, pushing it to the forefront of the popular help zone.
Countless lurkers were flushed out, joining in to take sides, debate, and analyze cases.
Some gave examples of their Hosts going through great hardships to modify themselves, eventually crossing the void with their physical bodies and tearing apart warships with their hands; others posted combat records of their Hosts using a set of heaven-defying divine equipment to kill higher-level cultivators across ranks—of course, key information was censored.
Both sides held their own, each feeling they were more reasonable, and neither could convince the other.
The discussion gradually began to change, shifting from helping the newbie to a tendency towards a conceptual clash between the two major "factions."
The post's thread grew higher and higher, and the smell of gunpowder became increasingly stronger.
Just as some rational discussants began to frown, feeling that continuing this way would be of no help to the thread starter and might even provoke conflict and lead to the post being locked, a new reply appeared.
The ID was concise, just two characters: [Traveler].
There were no flashy titles or exaggerated badges, but as soon as this reply appeared, it was like cold water poured into boiling oil, instantly bringing the intensely scrolling debate to a halt.
[Traveler]: "Are you done arguing? Watching you argue until you're red in the face, from multiverse philosophy to the essence of power, it's quite lively. But have you forgotten that this post is a help request from a newbie who has only just stepped into the interstellar era?"
"The thread starter clearly stated that the current World's technological level is relatively high, and she can obtain advanced materials and technical support, but no matter how sufficient the budget is, there are limits. She follows the mechanical manufacturing and rapid army-building route, has strong spiritual power, but an ordinary physical body. You are all here talking big about 'Factor Fields,' 'Dimensional Folding,' 'Indestructible Primordial Spirit,' 'Rule Entanglement'... Can she understand these concepts? Does she have the resources to implement them? Does she have the time to research them?"
"Giving advice should be based on the requester's actual abilities and current stage. What she needs now is not your high-minded factional disputes, but concrete solutions that are feasible and can provide ideas and point out directions at her current level."
"Keep it simple, don't mess with those empty things. Based on her situation—'One-Man Army' style, the main body needs to prevent decapitation. It's nothing more than a few major directions: either make the enemy 'unable to find' (stealth, phasing, information camouflage), or make the enemy 'unable to hit' (high mobility, space interference, predictive avoidance), or make the enemy 'unable to break' (stacking armor, shields, damage transfer), or make the enemy 'dare not hit' or 'cannot afford to hit' (deterrent counterattack, mutual destruction means, high-value target binding). Or, improve her own recovery/survival ability, tank a hit without dying, and wait for reinforcements or trigger a contingency plan."
"Under each major direction, countless specific technical paths can be subdivided. Some focus on self-modification, some on external equipment, and some can be combined. According to her existing technology tree (mechanics, energy, possibly involving space or information), filter out those options that have a theoretical basis, feasibility, and relatively controllable resource requirements in the interstellar era background, list a tree diagram for her to see, and let her choose, combine, and develop according to her preferences, resources, and risk tolerance. Isn't this better than you arguing in the air here?"
"Oh, right," [Traveler] seemed to pause, then added another sentence, their tone carrying a hint of imperceptible amusement and reflection, "Speaking of which, this little girl's growth speed is indeed impressive. I remember not long ago, her little system was still running around in a panic to save its partner, posting to ask for medical advice. Now it has already developed to the point of considering survival strategies against God-level opponents? Tsk, the younger generation is formidable. Unlike mine, who has been holed up in some medieval magic World for hundreds of years, only just tinkering with a steam engine, barely touching the edge of the industrial age, and thinking every day about using magic to pressurize the boiler—it's driving me crazy."
This last slightly teasing "humblebrag" instantly diluted the tense atmosphere of the previous debate and made many onlookers smile knowingly, remembering that help-seeking post about a "shattered soul core" that had once attracted attention here.
So the thread starter was that lucky little one; no wonder the progress was so rapid.
[Traveler]'s reply was like a basin of sobering cold water, extinguishing the meaningless fire of factionalism and bringing the discussion back on track.
Those arguing big shots also calmed down, realizing they seemed to have gone a bit off-track.
"[Traveler] senior is right, we went off-topic."
"Sorry, thread starter, I got carried away. Come, come, let's return to the problem itself."
"Whether it's self-strengthening or external equipment, they are all just means. The key is to give the thread starter advice that is actionable at her current stage."
The subsequent discussion atmosphere became much more harmonious and efficient.
Under the leadership of several big shots who were clearly technically inclined and knowledgeable, everyone began to filter, integrate, and refine feasible technical paths around the several major directions proposed by [Traveler], combined with Artoria's characteristics such as "mechanical army-building," "strong spiritual power," and "obtainable advanced technical support."
They discussed the possibility of combining energy deflection shields with space phase technology, analyzed the compatibility of high-mobility exoskeletons with short-range space jump devices, explored how to use spiritual power to set up early warning and anti-trigger traps, and some even proposed a "swarm intelligence" survival strategy based on the "mechanical sea" characteristic, where one's own consciousness is temporarily dispersed and backed up into multiple combat units...
All kinds of wild ideas, rigorous analyses, lessons from failed cases, and sharing of successful experiences rolled rapidly in the post thread.
Although there were still occasional disagreements, they all revolved around "feasibility" and "adaptability," no longer meaningless quarrels.
A few hours later, while Artoria was still sleeping soundly in Minerva's arms, under her help-seeking post, several enthusiastic and organized big shots had jointly organized and drawn up a "spectacular" tree diagram.
The tree diagram used "Dealing with High-End Combat Power Decapitation Strategies" as the root, branching out into several main trunks: [Stealth and Evasion], [Defense and Resistance], [Mobility and Dodge], [Deterrence and Counterattack], [Survival and Recovery].
Under each main trunk, countless branches derived, representing different technical implementation paths.
Some branches were marked with "requires high spatial understanding," "suggests cooperation with high-computing power early warning systems," some wrote "can be combined with the Host's existing mechanical manufacturing technology to develop automated shield generation units," and some noted "this plan has XX risks, requires careful evaluation"...
Each path was written as concisely and clearly as possible, pointing out the core principles, required key technologies, approximate resource consumption levels, and potential advantages and disadvantages.
Although many terms were still deep for Artoria at present, at least they pointed out the direction, letting her know where to strive, what knowledge to learn, and what abilities to try to combine.
This tree diagram, which condensed the wisdom and experience of many "seniors," was pinned at the very front of the post in a striking format by a big shot with the ID [Logic Weaver], with a postscript: "Newbie, this is a summary of feasible directions relatively suitable for your situation discussed so far. You have to choose the path yourself and walk it yourself. For reference only, good luck, and may you achieve your 'One-Man Army' soon."
The post finally gradually quieted down, but that heavy kindness and experience from the multiverse had already remained.
It only awaited its Master to wake from her sleep, open her eyes, and discover this special "gift" that might change her future path.
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