Chapter 28: Playing This Big?

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Playing This Big?

Chen Shang finally realized what this was. Wasn’t this just some sort of doll? And a fully customizable, hyper-realistic biological doll at that...

This chubby youth was a damn genius!

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. The Wizard World truly could not be underestimated. It was teeming with hidden talents!

He had relied on his traits to create Mechanical Armors. With sixty Ben Bo’Erbas standing there, he figured his combat power was decent, yet he still hadn’t saved up enough money to buy Space Equipment. Meanwhile, this Baal relied on selling... some sort of biological dolls, and could actually afford Space Equipment?

Chen Shang didn’t know what to say, so he simply offered a compliment. "You’re... quite capable!"

"You flatter me." The chubby youth waved his hand. "Honestly, these don’t sell at all among Wizards and Apprentices. Everyone’s busy researching Runes, Alchemy, Body Refinement, Potions, and Plane Wars... Who has the mind for this?

"Besides, even if someone wanted to get into this, they could just make their own combat units. Although the functions are different, the underlying principles are the same. My products have practically no market in the Wizard World.

"Therefore, I can only sell them to other races—those with poor creativity or minor races that have just been integrated into the Wizard System. They have money, and their demand is huge."

Baal spoke candidly, "I use knowledge to create products, and then I exchange those products for resources, Contribution Points, and more knowledge. There’s nothing wrong with that, right? Even the Pan-Wizard Alliance can’t claim there’s an issue with my Space Equipment."

Chen Shang fell silent for a moment before extending his hand. "These... Doll Seeds of yours? Sell a few to me."

The chubby youth’s eyes lit up. "Do you want to experience it too, my friend? Do you have someone in mind? I can throw in some templates of great historical beauties for free. Of course, no living ones. I’m afraid people would come looking for trouble."

"Don’t get the wrong idea," Chen Shang immediately interrupted. "I just want to research the relevant technology. My Ben Bo’Erbas have their Runes hand-carved, which is far too slow.

"If I can use seeds to let them grow naturally—even if they can’t inherently form complete Rune Arrays—it would still be good to improve efficiency."

Baal looked at Chen Shang, lowering his head in thought for a moment. Then, he pulled a cloth bag from his pendant. It was filled with seeds, producing a loud RUSTLE as he handled it.

He tied the bag shut and handed it over. "Five hundred seeds. That should be enough for your research."

Chen Shang took it and weighed it in his hand. "How much?"

Baal shook his head. "No charge. I can even share all the knowledge I’ve gained from researching these seeds with you.

"That includes the complete set of data on how to cultivate them, how to inscribe Spiritual Power, how to control growth parameters, and how to resolve compatibility issues between Life Force and Runes. I spent three years on this project and failed thousands of times. All my experience is in there."

"Your conditions?" Wizards believed in equivalent exchange, so Chen Shang knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Baal held up two fingers. "First, give me a copy of your Ben Bo’Erba’s Rune Diagram. Just the diagram is fine. I’ll research it myself and guarantee that I won’t use it commercially, leak it, or trade it with anyone else."

Chen Shang thought it over. The Ben Bo’Erba Rune Diagram was his core technological asset at the moment, but he had already sold the finished products before. Moreover, diagrams were dead, while knowledge was alive. If you exchanged an apple with someone, you both still had one apple each. But if you exchanged knowledge, you both ended up with two sets of knowledge.

Thus, he nodded. "Alright."

Baal continued, "Second, in this assessment world, we cooperate fully."

Chen Shang smiled. There was no need to hesitate over a mutually beneficial arrangement, so he agreed directly. "Deal."

The chubby youth shoved the leather pouch of seeds into Chen Shang’s hands. Then, he pulled out a Crystal Plate from his jacket, swiped on it a few times, and transferred a massive pile of data.

"This is all the research data on the seeds. From the earliest genetic screening to the latest Spiritual Power inscribing techniques, from failure records to successful experiences, from raw material formulas to finished product testing methods—everything is in there. You can take your time going over it when we get back. If you don’t understand something, just ask."

Chen Shang glanced at the directory on the Crystal Plate. There were hundreds of files, clearly categorized and meticulously annotated. Every file name was followed by a version number and date; the earliest version dated back to five years ago.

This was the terrifying aspect of the Wizard System. Any random Apprentice educated within the Wizard System could analyze a seemingly insignificant item according to rigorously scientific standards.

Chen Shang tucked the pouch and the Crystal Plate safely into his inner pocket. "Let’s go. Time to continue searching for that damn Hallucinogenic Mushroom."

"Alright."

Baal hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "I have to remind you, though. The structural strength difference between an entertainment product and a combat unit is massive. It’s no less difficult than inventing an entirely new technology.

"Moreover, with Runes, a hair’s breadth of difference can lead to a disastrous error. Expecting them to naturally grow correctly is incredibly difficult. My one-in-ten-thousand margin of error is a feature for entertainment products, but for Runes... it would be an absolute disaster."

Chen Shang nodded. "That’s fine as long as I have a direction to work towards. As for the difficulties... I’ll solve them step by step. Even if I can’t complete it in the end, I’ll still learn something."

The two continued forward. The Ben Bo’Erbas scattered around them, forming an inner perimeter to protect the duo, while Baal’s mechanical spiders formed the outer perimeter, tasked with scouting and collecting samples.

The forest was very quiet. The only sounds were the wind rustling through the canopy and the occasional cry of some unknown bird. They traveled together for a day without encountering any other Apprentices. This world was by no means small, and with several thousand prospective Apprentices dropped in, their starting locations were entirely random.

Chen Shang also chatted quite a bit with Baal. The latter was highly talented when it came to Mechanical Armor, though it was a pity he hadn’t awakened any traits.

Shortly after the two stepped out of the forest, the world suddenly fell silent.

The birds stopped chirping, and the insects ceased buzzing. Chen Shang halted his steps, and the Ben Bo’Erbas did the same. The sixty combat units crouched down simultaneously, maximizing their Scent Concealment to suppress their presence to the absolute minimum.

The two exchanged a glance, the hairs on their bodies standing on end. Their sharp perception warned them that a great terror was imminent. Chen Shang had felt this kind of fear once before—when he was scrutinized by the Haimer Wizard in front of the High Tower. It was the primal instinct of prey encountering a natural predator.

"Look at the sky!" Chen Shang suddenly looked up.

Baal followed his gaze, his jaw dropping wide open.

The atmosphere was ripped apart as a massive meteorite plummeted from the heavens!

There was nothing particularly strange about meteors, but the problem was that this one was far too big! Its leading edge glowed a blinding white from atmospheric friction, dragging a tail dozens of miles long behind it. Flame and thick smoke merged as it violently tore through the clouds.

Both Chen Shang and Baal rapidly calculated the size of the meteorite—it was over seven kilometers in diameter!

Crashing down at such a speed, they would absolutely be torn to shreds by the shockwave or baked alive by the thermal radiation before it even hit.

Chen Shang felt a profound sense of helplessness. He wondered if they were caught in a mass extinction event. Hadn’t Senior Sister Leia said they would pass the assessment just by drinking tea and chatting?

Trembling, Baal pulled a dark blue object out of his jacket, its surface densely carved with Runes.

"This... this is a protective shield I spent a fortune on, but whether it can withstand that... is hard to say."