I have a sovereign soul

After six hours, night had fallen.

The Strik District was located next to Private Waste Processing Plant No. 115.

Despite its pleasant-sounding name, Strik District was actually the most run-down and cheapest residential area in Vast Sea City.

Being adjacent to the Artifact Graveyard meant the climate was terrible. The stench lingered in the air all year round. Even when the main city had blue skies and white clouds, a layer of gray haze hung over Strik. Among the twenty residential rental zones in Vast Sea City, this district had the worst living conditions. Naturally, it also had the lowest rent.

But no matter how cheap the rent was, few people wanted to live next to a waste processing plant. Many apartment buildings were completely abandoned. Years of wear and tear without maintenance had left cracks covering both the interiors and exteriors. Hallways were draped in cobwebs. The place was practically a ghost town.

Scott had been living in this "ghost town" for a long time.

He liked the quiet here. No one bothered him when he repaired and modified artifacts in his home. He was close to the Artifact Graveyard. The rent was cheap. It had plenty of advantages.

His home was about forty square meters, consisting of two rooms: an outer living space and an inner bedroom. The outer room was for eating, drinking, and entertainment, while the bedroom had been converted into an artifact workshop.

Upon entering, the first thing that stood out was the sight of hundreds of crystal processors hanging from strings.

These crystal processors were relics from centuries past, long since stripped of their computing capabilities. Scott had collected them, turning them into a personal exhibit. He was a die-hard fan of crystal processors, fascinated by these artifacts capable of processing countless telepathic thoughts like the brains of genius sorcerers.

The small living room was also cluttered with stacks of paper books—something rarely seen in this era. Their covers displayed titles like A General Guide to Artifact Repair, along with other books of similar nature.

A worn-out straw mat lay surrounded by books and crystal processors. That was Scott's table, chair, and bed all in one.

In the inner workshop, heaps of valuable treasures that Scott had salvaged from the waste plant were scattered about. There were talismans inscribed with mysterious handwriting, elixirs with refreshing fragrances...

Other artifacts had been dismantled into their core components and thoughtlessly tossed into a corner, forming miniature mountains of junk.

At that moment, Scott picked up a white-silver cube-shaped artifact. His eyes sparkled like a cunning wolf eyeing a helpless rabbit.

"This is the latest-generation 3D Holographic Projector! It has a market price of over $30,000! If I can repair it, I might be able to sell it for up to $15,000! I really hit the jackpot this time!" Scott couldn't help but whistle in excitement.

His hands spread open, revealing seven or eight oddly shaped maintenance tools between his fingers. Some resembled screwdrivers, others looked like tiny pliers. There were also long, thin silver needles and curved, hooked tools that defied description.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself for three seconds. When he reopened them, the greed and excitement had vanished entirely. Like an ancient well with no ripples, only a cold, clear confidence remained.

Suddenly, Scott's hands moved. His ten fingers transformed into streams of flowing light, completely enveloping the white-silver artifact. At first, if one looked closely, they could faintly make out the trails of his fingertips. But soon, all that was visible was a dazzling fluorescent glow, accompanied by a faint rustling sound.

After half a minute, the fluorescence faded, and the rustling stopped. His hands withdrew, returning to their original positions.

As for the white-silver artifact, the 3D Holographic Projector had already been disassembled into 543 individual components.

"25 seconds, done!"

Scott let out a triumphant cry and focused his attention.

"Tsk tsk, this latest-generation holographic projector is truly something else. Its structure is exquisite, and its magical energy balance is like a work of nature. But the most astonishing part is this main crystal chip—it's barely the size of a fingernail, yet somehow, over 300 symbols have been inscribed on it. These symbols interlock perfectly, forming just under 30 sets of runes—it's simply a masterpiece!"

Holding a magnifying glass, Scott carefully examined the extracted main crystal chip. The more he observed, the deeper his expression grew.

The more he studied, the more he was awed. He entered a state of complete immersion, forgetting the passage of time as he meticulously analyzed the artifact for a full four hours.

Yet, he failed to decipher even a single rune set. Instead, the intricate inscriptions left him dizzy and lightheaded, his vision going black.

At best, he was at the level of a "beginner engineer." The gap between his skills and those of the Artifact Manufacturing Guilds was immense.

If the "main crystal chip" was damaged, he'd have no choice but to sell the holographic projector as defective.

Luckily, after using his "Mana Reserve Tool," Scott confirmed that magical energy was flowing smoothly through the main crystal chip. The essence circuits were clear, the rune formations stable—there were no functional issues.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the problem lay in a crystalline channel. Fluctuations in magical energy had caused the channel to burn out.

Fortunately for Scott, this crystalline tube was a standard component, making it easy to replace. He quickly found a spare from his stockpile.

Closing his eyes, he silently recalled the last disassembly process. In his mind, a complete structural diagram took shape. His hands moved instinctively, a gust of wind blowing past as he swiftly reassembled the 3D Holographic Projector.

Using the Mana Reserve Tool, he injected a steady stream of magical energy. The projector's pure white surface emitted a faint blue glow, resembling a radiant sapphire, as if a living fairy resided within.

As the blue light washed over his forehead, dozens of control runes surfaced in Scott's mind.

Holographic Projector, activate! he commanded mentally. A rune in his mind lit up.

The projector's fluorescence coalesced into a cubic shape with two interlocking rings at its center. The rings spun rapidly, forming a vortex. From the heart of the vortex, a blue beam shot into the air, solidifying into a massive holographic image.

It was the image of a middle-aged man, so finely detailed that even the smallest strands of hair were vividly rendered. He looked completely lifelike.

Behind the man's back was a larger holographic image. The hologram displayed interwoven red and blue texts, numbers, and arrows, all pulsating and shifting constantly.

The middle-aged man's face was expressionless. In a voice as calm as an unmoving ancient well, he said,

"Next, news from the financial world. Undoubtedly, today's biggest story is the announcement by the Mature Magic Guild regarding the release of the latest set of broomstick payment runes, 'Lightning Launch.' Reports indicate that after implementing 'Lightning Launch,' maximum speed can increase by 10 percent, instantaneous destructive power can increase by 20 percent, and mana consumption can be reduced by 15 percent."

"Following positive reviews, the stock price of the Mature Magic Guild surged. From 9 AM onward, the stock approached the market limit and remained at that level until the market closed."

"The rest of the magic broomstick industry is experiencing a ripple effect from the announcement, with stocks heating up and rising until the market's close. The flying broomstick industry as a whole saw a 3.56 percentage point increase."

"On the other hand, the stock price of the True Brooms Guild has dropped. Experts believe that with the introduction of the 'Lightning Launch' rune set, the Mature Magic Guild's broomsticks have achieved a revolutionary leap in technology. The broomsticks of the True Brooms Guild are essentially unable to compete with the latest magic broom models. By market close, the True Brooms Guild's stock had fallen by 8%."

"After the market closed, the True Brooms Guild held an impromptu press conference. Their spokesperson, Diamond Ace, announced the development of the next-generation 'Absolute Attack Brooms.' Thanks to an imminent breakthrough in combat broomstick research and development, a prototype will be available within the year, fully capable of attacking with unprecedented speed and power."

"As for the Eastern Republic's grassland region, the disaster known as the Black Roundworm Epidemic continues to spread, already affecting the training bases of multiple magical beast guilds. The number of infected spirit beasts has exceeded one million. This rare catastrophe has led to a continuous decline in magical beast industry stock prices. The stock prices of several beast-taming guilds have dropped to their lowest level in a year."

"Now, let's turn to renowned market analyst Gerald Fisby, here to provide insight on today's developments."

"…"

Scott watched for a while. He confirmed that the image was stable, the sound was clear, and there were no distortions or lines. The holographic projection was exceptional, vivid to the point of total immersion. The artifact was completely repaired.

Scott lay on his bed with a long, slow sigh, staring at the ceiling with sad eyes as thoughts swirled in his mind. "Fixing artifacts is always fun… but it hasn't been the same since he left."

Scott was born in Private Waste Processing Plant No. 23. As far back as he could remember, the sky had always been gray and red.

He ate rotting meat from garbage piles. He drank polluted, foul water. He relied on pure survival instincts, struggling every day to stay alive. From the very beginning, he endured years of suffering alone.

But one day, several years ago, a garbage ship dumped a middle-aged man with a few strands of beard and short hair tied into a ponytail along with dozens of tons of trash. Feeling pity, Scott dragged the unconscious man into his home.

From that moment on, his life changed completely.

The man's name was Horyang Walton. He was an annoying person, yet kind at the same time. Seeing Scott's condition, he decided to stay and take care of him. He didn't seem to have anywhere else to go anyway, and he called himself Horyang.

Horyang never spoke about his past, but Scott was absolutely certain that he was an incredibly skilled artifact modifier. His expertise in repairing and crafting artifacts was beyond imagination.

Within just a few short years, Horyang had taught Scott all kinds of strange and extraordinary artifact modification techniques. He always helped him with work, taught him a vast range of academic knowledge, and even spent money to send Scott to a private high school in the city, allowing him to integrate into normal society.

Had Horyang never appeared, Scott would have likely ended up as just another part of the waste plant, turning into the same kind of savage scavenger as Ben and the other cleaners.

Horyang gave him the name Scott Walton and taught him everything—how to read complex words, table manners, the differences between men and women, between humans and beasts, how to behave like a real man, and how to speak to others, whether kindly or harshly.

To Scott, he was truly like a father, and Scott had inherited both Horyang's admirable traits and his flaws.

Horyang had always longed for a home by the beach, where he could spend his days gazing at the sea. That dream had taken root in Scott's heart as well.

Three years ago, Horyang left the waste station while Scott was sleeping. When he woke up, Scott found a note lying beside him, written by Horyang:

"Scott, I'm embarrassed to say this, but I have work elsewhere. I had to leave quickly and couldn't wait for you to wake up. I hope you can forgive me, but I'm sure you can live on your own. After all, I raised you to be a man, didn't I? Hahaha!"

"I must seem heartless right now. Honestly, I don't mind if you hate me—I deserve it. But do me one favor: build a home by the beach for me, okay?"

"I have no doubt you'll survive—I've taught you everything you need. And your natural talent is the greatest I've ever seen!"

"But natural talent alone isn't enough! If you only rely on talent, you'll need to work hard to live up to it."

"Promise me that you'll study hard, fight, and become a sorcerer. Only by becoming a sorcerer will you have the chance to advance further in artifact repair. That way, one day in the future…"

"You can become the greatest engineer of all time."

As these words replayed in Scott's mind, his eyes widened, glowing with brilliance, filled with boundless energy. That memory was still fresh.

An engineer… A part of the sorcerer's circle, one of the most prestigious, rarest, and greatest professions.

He didn't know if he would end up disappointing the engineer who raised him.

After Horyang left, Scott had been devastated, but his sadness didn't last long. One of the most important things he had learned from Horyang was to never dwell on sorrow and always look forward.

From that day on, Scott made three promises to himself:

To build a home by the beach.

To find Horyang.

And to become a great engineer.

After a while, Scott's expression became clear, and a calm smile formed at the corner of his lips once more.

"Why think so much? No matter the outcome, I just have to bet everything I have!"

Scott recalled a distant time, in a faraway place. He remembered hearing these words:

"A person must always have dreams—so they have a reason to live."