NOVEL NEXT Chapter 187: Level 3 Factory! (2)
Once again, Adrian had been left stunned by the System. He had received not just one, but four new features from the Factory's upgrade. Each was special in its own way, addressing strategic concerns he was only just beginning to formulate and others he never knew he had.
They made him feel a rare sense of excitement, a certainty that they would all be game-changers, either now or in the distant future.
Amongst all of them, the one he held in the highest regard was the Deconstruction Matrix. Although he hadn't yet seen any technology truly superior to what he could create himself, he was not so arrogant as to believe his knowledge was absolute.
With an alien civilization looming in the ten-year future, Adrian was certain this feature would prove vital. It was his key to understanding and surpassing any advanced technology he might encounter.
Even better was its capability to analyze magic and enchantments. That synergy; the ability to break down both science and magic, was priceless, and he was eager to try it out.
The upgrade feature that Adrian didn't view as highly was a strange choice, given its potential. It was none other than the Creator's Space.
"It feels... redundant."
Although the idea of turning the Factory's pocket dimension into a sprawling city or a personal fortress might seem nice, for now, Adrian didn't see much practical use in doing so.
His mind was laser-focused and terraforming landscapes felt like a leisure activity. Still, he was grateful for it.
He would never reject a plus, after all, and he was pragmatic enough to know that unforeseen situations could arise where the ability would be invaluable.
It wasn't as if all the other features were immediately useful either. Most of them had long-term potential, which Adrian didn't mind as long as the time for them to shine would eventually come.
To wrap it all up, Adrian was not left disappointed by the Factory Upgrade. It exceeded his expectations and made him look forward to the next one with keen anticipation. Curious, he summoned the upgrade interface once more, his eyes seeking out the cost for Level 4. What he saw made his face pale.
[Upgrade Factory to Level 4: 100,000,000 TP]
Adrian blinked and rubbed his eyes to confirm he wasn't seeing things, but the number stared back at him, stark and unforgiving. One hundred million. That was a hundred times the cost of the last upgrade!
It was an astronomical number, one that made his current fortune seem like pocket change. He dismissed the translucent interface with a heavy sigh.
"That's a goal for the distant future," he murmured.
With no more System-related issues demanding his attention, Adrian pushed the staggering cost from his mind. It was a problem for another day. Right now, he had new tools to test.
He walked into the main Factory building with a clear direction in mind.
He navigated the familiar corridors of the Factory until he reached a new wing that hadn't existed moments before.
A white door stood before him, a simple label glowing softly on its surface: DECONSTRUCTION MATRIX.
He placed his hand on the panel, and the door slid open with a whisper of pressurized air.
A huge wave of pure white light washed over him, so brilliant it almost blinded him. He shielded his eyes for a second before the light stabilized, dissolving to reveal the expansive room within.
Aside from being immensely big, the room was a void of pure white. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of a seamless, opalescent material that emitted a soft, shadowless light.
There were no corners, just smooth, curving surfaces that made the space feel both infinite and clinical.
The only object, the only addition to the stark white emptiness, was a circular platform raised about a meter off the floor in the exact center of the room.
It was about ten meters in diameter, made of a dark, obsidian-like material that seemed to absorb the light around it.
A pattern of silver lines pulsed with a soft, blue energy across its surface. It was the only feature in the vast chamber, and just looking at it, it seemed to be calling out, a silent invitation for something to be placed upon it.
Adrian walked closer to the platform and he didn't think twice about what to do next, or what the Matrix's first subject would be.
With a simple thought, golden key materialized instantly in his hand. He smoothly tossed it onto the middle of the obsidian-like platform, where it landed with a soft, metallic thud.
[Target Identified: Xqvëjn Key. Proceed with Deconstruction?]
[Cost: 100,000 TP]
[Yes] [No]
Adrian winced as if he had been physically struck. One hundred thousand Tech Points. For a single analysis!
His first instinct was to walk forward and snatch the mysterious key right off the platform. That was a tenth of his last major upgrade cost, an exorbitant price for what amounted to a simple scan.
But on second thought, he hesitated. The System, for all its quirks, was ruthlessly logical. Its pricing was never arbitrary.
"For it to demand this much, it must be capable of providing me with a significant amount of new information."
He thought for a long while over the matter. He despised wasteful spending. It was even worse when he wasn't assured of profiting from the investment, and the situation before him felt more like a high-stakes gamble than a sound transaction.
He mentally reviewed his remaining balance. After considering the potential gain versus the definite loss, Adrian let out a long, frustrated sigh and complied with the System's demands.
"This better be worth it," he muttered under his breath, before focusing his intent on the [Yes] option.
In the next instant, the platform came to life. From the circular edges, a dozen sleek, metallic arms extended, their multi-jointed forms moving with grace.
They were all pointing at the key, their tips glowing ominously. They seemed to pause for a moment, calibrating and focusing. Then, in the next instant, they each emitted a pulsing wave of white light, converging on the key in a beam so bright it bleached all color from the room and forced Adrian to shut his eyes against the glare.
After a full second that felt like an eternity, the light receded, and Adrian was able to see once more. The key was gone. Just as he registered its appearance in his [Inventory], the System pinged.
[Deconstruction Process Complete.]
[Loading Analysis...]
[Item: Xqvëjn Key]
[Dimensions: 12.7 cm (L) x 4.5 cm (W)]
[Weight: 20.0 kg]
[Composition: Unknown Alloy - Nyxium (60%), Chronite (30%), Solerium (10%).]
[Properties: The unique alloy composition grants the object extreme durability, rendering it near-indestructible by conventional and magical means below a certain energy threshold. It possesses properties that actively repel and nullify external energy signatures, making it difficult to scan or affect.]
[Enchantment Analysis: Item contains a magical formation. The formation is not functional in an active sense. Rather, its enchantment serves as a unique existential identifier, marking it as singular among other similar items. The formation is self-contained and unbreakable with current analytical methods.]
[Chronological Analysis: Based on trace elemental decay and residual magical resonance, the object has existed for thousands of years.]
[Functional Analysis: Information on the key's primary function is currently unknown. Due to the nature of the identity enchantment and its non-functional design, there is a high probability that the Key's purpose is symbolic rather than practical]
After Adrian finished reading the walls of text the System had slabbed against him, he couldn't help but let out another, heavier sigh.
The System had also generated a blueprint for the key, but it was barely anything of value. The magic enchantment was, as the report stated, a simple but special containment formation that housed an identity, a concept he didn't fully understand how to replicate.
The unique signature within the key seemed unbreakable. On the bright side, he had managed to register 'Nyxium,' 'Chronite,' and 'Solerium' as unique materials in his database since he had no information on them yet.
Adrian wasn't surprised by that information, but unfortunately, he couldn't get any more data about the properties of the metals themselves.
In conclusion, Adrian didn't believe the analysis was worth 100,000 TP.
All the information he received didn't help him in any practical way. He was still clueless about what he was meant to use the key for. Y
es, the System might have recommended it to be symbolic, but he didn't know what it represented.
Before leaving the stark white room, he decided to experiment further with the matrix. He materialized a standard Mark 2 Communicator from his inventory and tossed it onto the platform.
[Target Identified: Mark 2 Communicator. Proceed with Deconstruction?]
[Cost: 1,000 TP]
Adrian furrowed his brows in thought. 'Is it cheap because I already possess a complete blueprint and all knowledge related to it, or is it simply because the item itself is not complex?'
To test his theory, Adrian cancelled the communicator scan and materialized a full-sized Rover vehicle on the platform instead.
When the prompt flashed again with the same 1,000 TP cost, he had his confirmation. The price was primarily based on the amount of unknown information the System could extract, before raw complexity was considered.
Since he had designed the Rover from scratch, there was nothing new for the Matrix to learn.
Satisfied, Adrian initiated the deconstruction of the Rover. As expected, he didn't get any useful information other than what he already knew. But now, he understood the rules of his new tool. He was done with his experimentation. His mind was already moving on to the next task, a promise he had to keep.
"Time to hit the workshop."