Chapter 399
Today, although Little Ashina was still free, she didn’t go to Smuggler’s Woods to pet little gnolls like usual, nor did she take new players to farm dungeons. She sneakily and eagerly retrieved the items she had ordered from Tris’s alchemy cottage a few days ago, then slipped away like a thief to the outskirts of the “rapidly developing” Crimson Citadel.
She didn’t even stay long at Silver Moon Pride’s camp outpost outside the city, but continued flapping her wings flying in the afternoon sunlight. She flew far away to that forest outside what used to be the survivor camp and is now the Kadman People’s Army camp.
Khaki Tony Tai and Path of Mud and Oil were attacked by witch hunters here, Meow King completed his class change ceremony here, and Murphy and old Finoch reached their agreement here as well.
Although this small forest was unremarkable, it could be said that it occupied quite an important position in Transia’s “new history” with the players. However, after the witch hunters also became part of Transia, this forest had completely quieted down.
Now deep in the woods, when MoeHaha, a new member of the Silver Moon team who had been waiting here, finally smiled when she saw Little Ashina flapping her wings and flying over.
She waved to Little Ashina like an underground party member making contact, and the latter approached and handed her the tools she was carrying.
Watching MoeHaha stretch out her body and take out her own Computation Bead, even the usually fearless Little Ashina showed rare signs of hesitation and nervousness.
She said quietly:
“Are you really going to take it apart? Aren’t you afraid this thing will explode? I heard that even among halflings, the method of making Computation Beads is considered confidential. Those clever little ones might have put some strange things inside.”
“Can’t you just stay far away?” MoeHaha put on a pair of alchemist gloves and said dismissively:
“I’ve studied this little thing. Although the part about bombs being placed inside is probably true, with such a small volume that still needs to accommodate those complex spirit energy devices, the space left for bombs is too small.
At most it would only destroy the device itself, without affecting the person disassembling it.
And even if it does explode, it would only hurt me, but the best part is I only need 3 days to resurrect! This mechanism is really great! I can finally try many things here that I wouldn’t dare to do normally.
Honestly, I’m curious, you guys have been using this thing for almost 3 months, hasn’t anyone thought about taking it apart to look at its structure?”
She tied up her hair, showing a capable side completely different from her usual slow demeanor, and asked puzzledly:
“By logic, players’ curiosity and initiative shouldn’t be lacking to this degree.”
“Some people did think about taking it apart. The students Ah Yuen and Cheche almost did it, but just as they found the tools they were warned by the Computation Bead.”
Little Ashina hovered nearby, watching MoeHaha fix the bead on a tree stump and pick up what looked like spirit energy probe tweezers. She answered honestly:
“This thing has protection mechanisms. It won’t allow others to casually take it apart.”
“It’s just a warning, it can’t jump up and hit me, much less smash my head.”
MoeHaha sneered at this.
The young physicist touched her nose bridge and said:
“If humans stopped pursuing something just because of verbal warnings, our species would have gone extinct long ago. Curiosity and the desire to explore are necessary conditions for us to establish civilization.”
“Uh, I feel like you’re driving at something but I have no proof.”
Little Ashina commented:
“Let me say this up front, I’m only helping you get the tools. I’m not responsible for anything that happens after, and if you break your Computation Bead, you’ll have to pay for a new one yourself.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine, I know the risks. Now be quiet, little cutie, and stay back further. Just watch me work.”
MoeHaha waved her hand, gesturing Little Ashina to move back even further.
She wasn’t afraid of any accidents killing her.
As she said, necessary exploratory desire (death-seeking heart) is a basic quality for becoming a researcher, but when doing experiments herself there was no need to drag others into it.
She took a deep breath and brought the tweezers-like spirit energy probe close to the Computation Bead before her.
Watching the spirit energy conflict creating sparking arcs as the two objects approached each other, the exploratory desire in MoeHaha’s eyes grew even stronger.
Ever since entering the game, she had been extremely curious about this Computation Bead. She desperately wanted to know its working principles. As a practitioner, she couldn’t tolerate having to follow along step by step with the player interface and quest system set up by the “development team”.
She wouldn’t allow herself to blindly wander around a world she was interested in. She preferred exploring those areas that no one had been to or even paid attention to.
For example,
Uncovering the “truth” of this world that had always been there but was hidden.
“Pop”
When the spirit energy probe touched the main crystal of the Computation Bead, a strong vibration made MoeHaha’s wrist ache. A glaring prompt also popped up on the bead interface before her:
【Warning! User is performing high-risk disassembly operation! Please cease all actions immediately and wait for Computation Bead self-inspection! Warning! Users without adequate steam engineering knowledge should not attempt to disassemble Computation Bead!
Warning!
Self-destruct sequence initiated!】
Faced with the warning, MoeHaha continued expressionlessly.
Her hands were very steady.
Operating two spirit energy tweezers with both hands, she very precisely inserted them into the tiny gap between the gray bead panel and the hemispherical crystal connection point. There was almost no space there that could be manipulated, but it did have tiny holes reserved for operation.
The self-destruct countdown on the player interface had already reached 20, and Little Ashina beside her covered her eyes, not daring to look anymore.
But MoeHaha’s eyes narrowed.
Her fingers moved quickly, making the two probes travel along the crystal connection point. Soon, she found the latches connecting the crystal and panel.
“Classic mechanical wedge structure, truly the most uncreative but also most reliable combination method.”
She muttered a complaint, then gritted her teeth and used both hands to forcefully insert the tweezers into different directions of the latch then pulled outward hard. With a click, the entire crystal popped out of the gray panel and was quickly caught by MoeHaha’s swift hands.
The self-destruct countdown that had reached 7 was terminated due to strong spirit energy interference appearing on the interface. Not only that, but the entire bead entered shutdown state due to this precise “forceful disassembly”.
Without the Computation Bead’s assistance, MoeHaha’s character interface immediately disappeared, putting her back into the “primitive” state that only the first 16 players had experienced.
She now had to rely on her own senses to confirm her level, skills and map position, just like a game returning to its cleanest state with all plugins removed.
“So this is what it feels like? Indeed no different from reality,”
MoeHaha touched her nose bridge and looked at the dimmed crystal in her hand, saying:
“This thing nominally exists as an aid, but in reality it’s just a cunning camouflaged design meant to increase ‘game feel’ and ‘immersion’. They arbitrarily set up a ‘boundary’ for players, but those fierce yet cowardly destruction warnings themselves are the biggest flaw.
Without it, I’m closer to the true state of ‘crossing over’.
My judgment was absolutely correct!
Someone used a real world as a foundation and fabricated the entire game!
Ah, what a cunning strategy.”
“What are you talking about?”
Little Ashina had been hiding far away, and only after realizing MoeHaha had successfully taken apart the Computation Bead without it exploding did she feel relieved enough to fly over and circle around MoeHaha, asking:
“So, can you research anything from taking this apart?”
“Of course I can’t research anything, this disassembly is the entirety of today’s experiment.”
MoeHaha seriously tossed the irregularly shaped crystal in her hand, then carefully examined the gray panel with its surprisingly uncomplicated internal structure that gave off a sense of simplicity, saying:
“I’ve only been here for less than a week, and I’m still in the early stages of testing and observing the physical rules, how would I have time and energy to learn spirit energy and steam engineering knowledge? I took it apart just to confirm certain things, and to confirm this thing’s working principles.
However from what I can see now, it doesn’t operate purely mechanically.
All the mysteries are encapsulated within this unique crystal. If one cannot master spirit energy, then they’ll never be able to crack its secrets.”
MoeHaha wasn’t disappointed, but held up the dimmed crystal to carefully examine it. Through the dusk light entering the dark crystal, she could barely make out some indescribable black spots within.
Like “impurities” in jade.
But she could be certain that what made this crystal transform from mundane to miraculous were precisely these “spots” existing within the stone.
Unfortunately, this was a secret only spirit mages would know.
“Let’s go!”