Chapter 4574: New Upgrades

[Appraisal - 100 Orb Points] (Permanent)

[Array Translation - 100 Orb Points] (Permanent)

[Array Hacking - 100 Orb Points] (Per use)

They looked at the new system upgrades with interest, especially after seeing how closely several of them seemed connected to the problems they had encountered in Woster.

"Array Translation? Is this what I’m thinking it is, Sister Orb?" Rean asked.

[That’s exactly what you think it is. It will translate any kind of array, regardless of the method or runes used, into something you and I can understand. Well, you can probably guess why this option was added after the conclusion of the Woster Quest.]

The system often added upgrades related to the quests that had given them access to those rewards. That wasn’t anything new, and this time, the reason was particularly obvious. During their time in Woster, Rean had repeatedly tried to understand the Ancient Arrays. Even with Sister Orb’s assistance, however, neither of them had been able to properly determine how the arrays worked, what many of the unfamiliar runes represented, or how all those ancient structures were connected.

At most, they could form a general idea of what certain arrays were supposed to do. The Teleport Arrays were a good example.

Rean smiled and put a hand on Roan’s shoulder. "We have our first winner."

Roan narrowed his eyes at him. "As long as it can actually be used, obviously."

"Hahaha!" Rean laughed out loud. "But of course it can be used! The runes of the Celestial Plane are too different from the ones back in our Great Void. I wasn’t able to make our System Armors again because of that."

"But what about the Ancient Arrays? We already know they are far more advanced than the arrays in Besgol and the other regions. If we can understand those runes and their principles, I genuinely believe they could lead to a new era of System Armors for us!"

Roan nodded. Even though he was usually far less enthusiastic about Rean’s inventions, he couldn’t deny the usefulness of the System Armors. Rean could tailor-make each one to suit the user’s specific needs, turning them into a considerable boost to their overall combat ability. "Since that’s the case, we can buy it."

Rean’s smile widened. "I knew you’d agree."

Roan ignored him and turned his eyes toward the next option, Array Hacking. "What about this one, Sister Orb? Isn’t this the ability of our previous Celestial Soul System and even the Soul Gem System?"

Both of their older systems had possessed the capability to hack into arrays back in the Great Void. Unfortunately, the new Orb System hadn’t originally possessed that power. Now it had finally appeared again, although with a price attached to it.

[There isn’t much to be done there. You can’t forget that the laws and restrictions of the Celestial Plane are far harder to overcome than anything back in Vinx Great Void. It is simply not possible to do it for free anymore. However...]

Sister Orb paused for a moment before continuing, and there was an unmistakable hint of excitement in her voice.

[It does have one advantage that the old systems didn’t. Once the points are paid, the hacking happens instantly!]

Roan’s expression immediately improved. Not only his, but Rean’s, Kentucky’s, and Celis’s expressions changed as well. "Instantly..."

That was certainly a major improvement.

One of the limitations of the old systems was that hacking an array took time based on its level back in the Vinx Great Void. Some arrays were so complicated that the system would literally need hundreds or even thousands of years to hack into them. That wasn’t necessarily a problem when they had no immediate reason to access those arrays, but it could become a massive inconvenience when they needed to bypass one quickly.

Now, that waiting time was completely gone.

[Just one thing,] Sister Orb warned them. [There is a different limitation to it. The time required to hack is nonexistent. However, it can’t just hack into anything. If the array is more than one level higher than the host, the system will not be able to touch it.]

Rean pondered for a moment before asking, "How does the system calculate the difference in level? Is it based on our cultivation or our level as an Array Master?"

Anchor God Realm Experts could build Level One Arrays.

Aura Gods could build Level Two Arrays.

Zone Gods, obviously, could build Level Three Arrays.

That logic applied going forward as well, with each higher cultivation realm corresponding to a higher level of arrays.

However, cultivation and Array Master proficiency weren’t the same thing. A Zone God could totally know almost nothing about arrays and still possess the cultivation necessary to build a Level Three Array. That was precisely why Rean wanted to know what the system would use as the basis for its limitation.

Kentucky, Celis, and Roan knew very little about arrays, while Rean was the one who had spent the most time studying them. Kentucky and Celis probably wouldn’t want to learn arrays seriously either, and Roan had his own priorities.

Roan, in particular, might have some interest in learning them eventually, but he would much rather keep his focus on alchemy.

[It’s based on Rean’s Array Master level. The system always takes Rean and Roan into consideration for its abilities. Well, Celis and Kentucky might also appear as references for some future upgrades. Their connection with the Orb System isn’t as deep, but they are still part of it.]

Rean’s eyebrows rose.

"My level, huh..." He immediately thought of another question. "If I were a Zone God Expert, I wouldn’t have any issues building a Level Three Array immediately. My limitation wouldn’t be understanding the array. It would simply be the cultivation barrier. So, is the system’s hacking limitation based on my understanding, or is it based strictly on my Arrays Master level?"

[Level,] Sister Orb answered, making sure there was no room for misunderstanding. [You must be able to build that level of array yourself, with no outside help. Otherwise, the system will not allow you to hack into anything more than one level above your current Arrays Master level.]

Rean nodded slowly.

Sister Orb continued.

[It makes sense if you think about it. Let’s be honest. With you and me here, as long as we have enough study materials, we could potentially understand how to build higher-level arrays. We do have that capability. But if the system used your theoretical understanding as the measurement, wouldn’t that make Array Hacking far too overpowered? Understanding how an array works isn’t the same as possessing the proficiency and ability to create it. It is never that simple.]

"Well... I guess it makes sense," Rean said, although he would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed. "In any case, it is absolutely worth it. Too bad you need 100 Orb Points every time it is used."

[But it is instantaneous. Depending on the situation, such a price might actually be too low.]

Roan cut in at that moment. "Alright, the hacking won’t cost us any points right now since we don’t need to hack anything. We will take the Array Translation instead. The System Armor Rean makes is a big upgrade for us."

He paused and looked toward the remaining option. "Now, what about that Appraisal, Sister Orb?"

[Nothing much to be said there, really. It is exactly what it looks like. Use 100 Orb Points and gain a permanent system ability to appraise anything you can touch from now on. It will tell you everything regarding an item’s properties, uses, and such. That’s all.]

Roan nodded without hesitation. "We are absolutely buying this one too."

For an alchemist, an ability like that could practically be considered a dream skill. Knowing the properties and uses of materials at a glance could save an enormous amount of time, especially when dealing with unfamiliar resources. Roan knew better than anyone how valuable that kind of information could be.

[That’s 200 Orb Points right there for both skills. With the use of History Echo, it leaves you with 468 Orb Points total. Anything else you wish to acquire?]

Rean, Roan, Celis, and Kentucky already knew the answer.

"Yes," they said together. "We are taking the next level of the Soul Connection Range."