---o---
[As you set to work on the upgraded automaton blueprints, you discover a very peculiar situation.]
[You find that while these old blueprints are varied, they all seem to be derived from a single prototype design. Portions of the prototype's schematics were cut out, subdivided, and ultimately simplified into the current mass-produced automatons.]
[However, although they were simplified by their past developers, you find one common element that has remained unchanged, no matter the design—the core logic module.]
[This module grants the automatons a certain degree of reasoning ability, endowing them with the intelligence of a human child. The energy of the Geomarrow flows through the cold mechanical circuits, ultimately transforming into an unnatural intelligence within a complex chip.]
[This technology is not something that could have been created on Jarilo-VI. It is a technological singularity, the tiny seed of a vast tech tree...]
[Looking at the blueprints before you, a faint spark of inspiration flashes through your mind.]
[This inspiration will eventually become the lines that connect a puzzle, but before that, you must set a small goal—]
[What shape have you decided to assemble this puzzle into?]
[1. Unearth the Technological Singularity.
This is on the verge of becoming a fully personified mechanical intelligence; the logic modules in these old designs are just one step away. You don't know why they were equipped with such an unimaginably advanced intelligence module, but digging into their origins is no longer important.
Since this technology has fallen into your hands, you must make full use of it. You decide to revolutionize this technology, to contemplate a new direction for the logic module, and to create the most brilliant star of technology with your own hands.
Perhaps... this will be another Miracle.
Choosing this option, you will trigger the event: "Mechanical Intelligence Exploration."
You will unlock the research progress bar for the technology: "Synthetic Human Personality Matrix." Completing research tasks and events will increase the progress. When the bar is full, you will obtain the technology: "Synthetic Human Personality Matrix." ]
[2. Reconstruct Past Data.
The crude appearance of the automatons is not their original form. They were not meant to be so simple, designed as low-quality consumables from the very beginning.
They were meant to be faster, higher, bigger, stronger—giant mechanical constructs are their true form. Your predecessors disassembled and simplified them. What you must do is reassemble them like a puzzle and, with your wisdom, modify them to better suit the current situation.
Choosing this option, you will trigger the event: "Historical Construct Exploration."
You will unlock the research progress bar for the technology: "Giant Mechanical Body Construction." Completing research tasks and events will increase the progress. When the bar is full, you will obtain the technology: "Giant Mechanical Body Construction." ]
[3. Why not both?
Research is like rowing a boat in a bitter sea. The researcher exhausts themselves plying the oars, just to see the distant, finished product... Simply choosing to research one of these two technologies is an unimaginable workload. It is hard to imagine someone researching both at the same time.
But you are not just anyone... You are an undeniable genius. You have completely shed the label of "mortal."
Even researching both technologies simultaneously might not be a difficult task for you.
Choosing this option will trigger all events from the first two options and unlock both research progress bars simultaneously.]
Looking at the options on the screen, a strange expression appeared on Ron's face.
"Synthetic Human Personality Matrix? Giant Mechanical Body Construction? Jarilo-VI actually has stuff like this?"
Ron thought for a moment, and his doubt was quickly cast aside.
It was actually quite normal to think they'd have these technologies. Jarilo-VI was once planned as a tourist planet by the Interastral Peace Corporation, and it also had a massive reserve of "Geomarrow," a resource valuable enough to attract interstellar civilizations.
Mechanical intelligence was clearly a gift left behind by the IPC. Back when Jarilo-VI was free of the Stellaron and the Antimatter Legion, tourists from across the stars visited year-round. Without mechanical laborers to act as guides and service staff, it would have been impossible for Jarilo-VI to meet the demands of those tourists.
As for the giant mechanical body construction, that was even simpler. It was obviously a technological remnant from the City-Builders. Jarilo-VI once had hundreds of Creation Engines operating simultaneously to transform the planet into the beautiful tourist destination it became—leveling mountains, clearing silt, and later, building the city walls. Everything relied on these massive mechanical constructs.
Even the mining of Geomarrow back then must have been heavily reliant on these giant machines. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to establish such a massive logistics chain. The mortal laborers of Jarilo-VI could never have excavated so much Geomarrow on their own.
"So, all this technology is just a legacy of the past... What's this, technological progress through archaeology? Belobog isn't a Fallen Empire, you know..."
Ron quipped, the answer already clear in his mind.
After figuring out the origin of these technologies, there was no way Ron would choose only one. Although researching both at once seemed arrogant and could easily lead to both being abandoned halfway, Ron knew this would not happen.
After all, these technologies were just remnants of the past, true legacies from before the civilization's decline. His predecessors had already laid the foundation for him. All he had to do was stand on their shoulders and peek over the top, excavating their legacy along the way. He wasn't conducting groundbreaking research from scratch...
"Only children make choices. Adults, of course, want it all!"
Ron said with full confidence, then unhesitatingly chose the third option.
The option box on the screen faded, and new text appeared:
[After careful consideration, you decide to include both technologies in the scope of your research.]
[You know that these technologies are merely the wisdom left behind by your predecessors, and that finding one will inevitably lead to clues about the other—]
[A giant mechanical construct must be equipped with a logic module, and a logic module must be installed in an advanced mechanical construct... They are a matched pair. No matter which technology you research, as long as you seek out the legacy of the past, you will inevitably find both.]
[However, where on Jarilo-VI can you find an advanced mechanical construct and an advanced logic module for you to observe and study?]
[You fall into thought. You make a choice—]
[1. Go to the currently closed Belobog History Museum.
The Belobog History Museum contains almost all of Belobog's seven-hundred-year history. At the beginning of the Fortification Era, Belobog had not lost too many of its memories. The scientists of that time were great scholars connected to the interstellar community during an age of peace. Many were held in high regard by the Interastral Peace Corporation and invited to be listed in the Genius Society, sharing the most common and practical advanced technologies from across the sea of stars.
Perhaps, in the Belobog History Museum, you will find some clues...]
[2. Go to the Robot Settlement in the Underworld.
You know that the chief researcher for the second Supreme Guardian, Svetlana "the Iron Fist," was the last ember of the old era of peace. With wisdom and knowledge connected to the stars, he discovered the problem with the Stellaron and devoted all his efforts to creating the prototype for all of Jarilo-VI's current automatons.
One of these prototypes was sent by the third Supreme Guardian, Alexandra "the Wise," to the Underworld to manage the automaton defense line. Its name is [Svarog]—perhaps you can find a trace of it in the Robot Settlement.
On it, you will surely find what you need.]
[3. Go to the Qlipoth Fort Collection Room.
The City-Builders are the masters of Belobog. Perhaps they never thought of themselves that way, but no one would mistake these fervent believers, who only think of building walls, for mere bricklayers. All the precious items in this city are clearly in the City-Builders' collection, and technology is no exception.
Perhaps, in the City-Builders' collection, you will find some clues...]
Looking at the options, Ron felt a bit of a headache.
Although there were three options, there was really only one—option two.
The reason was simple: only option two guaranteed he would find the clues needed to complete his research.
Options one and three only offered a "perhaps"... and Ron knew that "perhaps" basically meant "no."
According to his memory from playing the game, the Belobog History Museum was completely empty. The Trailblazer had to find all the exhibits themselves. The automatons on display were all ones he had to go to the Robot Settlement to get. Finding any clues there was a fool's errand.
And the City-Builders' collection was also meaningless. If there were any real clues in there, Cocolia would have already given them to him.
After all, this was the technological upgrade Cocolia herself had requested. There was no way she wouldn't be invested, deliberately holding back information from him...
But if he really went to the Robot Settlement, Ron hesitated.
Svarog and Klara were clearly important characters in Sampo's script. Ron had been lying low for over a month. He couldn't expose his special nature in the final stretch.
According to his own calculations, without Sampo's script modifications, the Astral Express should arrive at Jarilo-VI within a week.
The current time was late July of the seven-hundredth year of the Fortification Era, and the Astral Express in the original story arrived at Jarilo-VI in that exact year. At that time, Cocolia was just before her final outburst, not yet ready to destroy all of Belobog...
But based on the previous simulations, if it were the old, Stellaron-bewitched Cocolia, in another month she would be dispatching a large number of Silvermane Guards to the front lines, beginning the final act of martyrdom and the destruction of Belobog. This meant that the window of time for the Express Crew to arrive was already very short...
Thinking of this, he found it strange again. Why did Cocolia seem so normal in this simulation, not bewitched by the Stellaron at all?
What exactly had happened in this simulation?
Ron vaguely felt that something was wrong, but looking at the imminent choice on the screen, he decided to put the question aside for now and deal with the immediate problem first...
"I guess I really can't give up on these two technologies."
Ron thought for a moment and sighed.
The arrival of the Express Crew was bound to be within a week. Ron didn't want to waste time and was prepared to quickly finish researching these two technologies.
Perhaps he didn't need to directly contact Klara and Svarog... As long as he adopted a perfect disguise, hid in the Robot Settlement to observe Svarog, and then found an opportunity to study the data of the other automatons, that might be enough to advance his research...
That way, it would be harder for Sampo to notice him...
As Ron thought this, a flicker of annoyance surfaced within him.
Why does it feel like everything I do gets obstructed by this damned jester? One day, I'm going to get back at this bastard and vent all the frustration he's caused me...
With this vicious thought, Ron tapped the screen and chose the second option.
The options on the screen faded, and new text appeared:
[After much thought, you decide to return to the Underworld of Belobog to find what you are looking for in the Robot Settlement.]
[But to avoid Sampo's hidden gaze, you decide to create a flawless disguise...]
[You take out the simple clothes you casually pilfered from the wardrobe at the Goethe Grand Hotel when you were in the Underworld. The clothes were originally pajamas left by Gothe for guests, but you used them as a disguise to escape the Underworld overnight.]
[And now, it will continue to serve you faithfully. You tear it, cut it, and make it look tattered in the most natural way possible, not forgetting to smear it with some dirt and grime.]
[You carefully make yourself look disheveled and dirty, until you are indistinguishable from a real vagrant.]
[Late at night, you leave the luxurious dormitory of the Belobog Academy of Sciences and head to the Underworld overnight, making your way to the Robot Settlement, a place overrun with vagrants...]