'A total of approximately one hundred kilograms of high-tier material across all categories are available,' Keon calculated. 'These materials may allow me to synthesis a more resourceful metal then UACA.'
He initiated the purchase sequence with a silent mental command, setting a uniform acquisition volume for the most exotic materials.
"Acquire 5 kilograms of Common Element 01 (CE-01)."
"Acquire 5 kilograms of Common Element 02 (CE-02)."
"Acquire 5 kilograms of Common Element 03 (CE-03)."
"Acquire 5 kilograms of Dark Metal 7 (DM-7)."
"Acquire 5 kilograms of Luminite Crystal (LC)."
"Acquire 5 kilograms of Bio-Magnetic Fluid (BMF)."
"Acquire 5 kilograms of Red Fluid (RF)."
The system processed the request instantly. A small notification window flashed on the trading platform interface, confirming the transaction and the immediate transfer. The system automatically deducted the 75003 MWh energy from his total stored capacity.
[Notification: Purchase Complete.]
[Acquired materials (35kg) stored securely in universal storage space.]
Keon registered the depletion of his total energy reserve… five percent compared to his overall capacity, yet a necessary investment in material science. He mentally backed away from the Material categories. His gaze shifted, following the logical flow of the interface to the next point of interest.
He opened the Tools category.
Keon mentally selected the Basic Tools entry. The screen displayed a list of simple, unpowered implements… shovels, axes, hammers, and saws… all categorized by the raw materials they were constructed from, confirming his expectation: simple tools manufactured from the Basic Materials he had already surveyed. He dismissed the list immediately; his fabrication hubs could produce these on demand.
His optical lenses then focused on the Tier 1 Tools category.
[Tier 1 Tools]
Copper Shield/Armor: 25 MWh/unit
Light Storage Tube: 50 MWh/unit
Standard Pistol: 75 MWh/unit
Standard Rifle: 100 MWh/unit
'The pricing structure is linear but aggressively inflated relative to the raw materials,' Keon calculated. 'It's hundred times more than the raw material from which it is produced. Also, the presence of conventional firearms… suggests a significant portion of the candidates are applying their previous life knowledge in their new life.'
He moved to Tier 2 Tools, expecting a jump in complexity and quality of tools.
[Tier 2 Tools]
Language Translation Charm: 2500 MWh/unit
Protection Array: 7500 MWh/unit
Basic Spirit Gathering Array: 10000 MWh/unit (1000 MWh = 1GWh)
'What is Array? Protection and Gathering… Is it related to security or collection?' Keon noted in surprise looking at three products in Tier 2 category and two products are some kind of Arrays. After thinking for a while, he selected the Tier 3 Tools.
[Tier 3 Tools]
Psionic Detection Sensors: 25 GWh/unit
Spirit Protection Charm: 100 GWh/unit
Keon registered the list with cold, clinical surprise. 'Psionic sensors and protection charms, are these things really tools? Probably the candidates providing these items can mass produce them. Tier 3 rating.. They must possess special properties.'
He moved to Tier 4 Tools, completing his survey.
[Tier 4 Tools]
Suppressing Ring: 1000 GWh/unit (1000GWh = 1 Terrawatt hour TWh)
'Only one entry in Tier 4… What is this suppressing ring? Is it used for suppressing something?' Keon thoughtfully glanced at the Tier 4 suppressing ring… he then selected all the entries and bought one unit of each tool.
The system processed the request instantly. A small notification window flashed on the trading platform interface, confirming the transaction and the immediate transfer. The system automatically deducted the 1145250 MWh energy from his total stored capacity.
[Notification: Purchase Complete.]
[Acquired tools (10 units) stored securely in universal storage space.]
Keon registered the depletion of his total energy reserve… the transactions for materials and tools had cost him almost 1.15 million MWh, approximately seventy five percent of his overall capacity, a significant but necessary expenditure for intelligence acquisition and research material. The acquired items, once stored, were instantly available for analysis.
'Such consumption has halted the operation of almost eighty percent of my machines around the globe for an hour. Anyway, it's just an hour.'
He thought to himself and then mentally backed away from the Tools category, his focus zeroing in on the final, most intriguing section of the platform.
He opened the Special Items category.
The screen exploded into a blinding deluge of information. The previous lists had been structured and limited, suggesting a common catalog of basic necessity items. This list was chaotic, vast, and completely untamed, a sprawling record of unique, singular items offered by countless candidates from endless civilizations.
[Special Items]
The list scrolled continuously, a relentless feed of exotic, unclassified artifacts.
Keon's core, now utilizing the full, integrated processing power of his Nano Swarm, filtered the noise. He immediately noticed the sheer diversity.
He saw seeds of plant species from toxic, high and low-gravity worlds; eggs of impossible creatures; solidified atmospheric gases; and even small, intact sections of planetary crusts labeled with bizarre, unpronounceable names.
His processing speed allowed him to identify specific patterns:
Organic Life for Sale: Numerous entries were clearly living beings. Small, intricate automatons, glowing insects, and even larger, bipedal creatures were listed, described as "labor units" or "combat pets."
Slaves: A specific, horrifying classification of life, designated by several candidates as "subjugated workers" or "biological assets," indicated a market for sentient life forms.
Keon's processors registered the sheer lack of moral constraint with detached objectivity. The system, designed by the high-dimensional being, was truly unbound. It allowed candidates to monetize anything unique to their universe, transcending all previous ethical or societal limits.
'The system has no boundaries,' Keon confirmed, a cold, systemic realization settling in his core. 'If it can be acquired and is unique in the world and universe, it can be traded, this market is a reflection of the combined struggle and desperation of countless candidates.'
He quickly skimmed the Tier 1 Items and Tier 2 Items, noting simple magical artifacts, low-grade enhancement serums, and minor genetic modifiers. They were common enough to be classified but unique enough not to be considered "Basic."
'Although no other candidate is reincarnated as mechanical species like me, many of them are definetely reincarnated as aliens with advanced intelligence.'
Keon thought flickered as he noticed the serums and modifiers, also some other technological items. He then moved his focus to the pinnacle of the list, Tier 5 Items. The scarcity was absolute; the list contained only a handful of entries, each priced in the realm of unimaginable wealth.
[Tier 5 Items]
Stabilized Star Core Shard: 1 Million TWh/unit (1TWh = 1000 GWh = 1 Million MWh)
FIve Element Classic: 5 Million TWh/unit
Elemental Tree Seed: 10 Million TWh/unit
…
Keon's integrated optical lenses, focused on the Tier 5 price tags, momentarily flared with an internal surge of data processing. 'Really? A Million, five million and ten million TWh.'
The 'Star Core Shard.' The name itself, a fragment of a dying or captured star, was a terrifying and magnificent concept. Keon calculated the raw energy potential instantly: a true, stable star core could generate energy in the billions of Terawatt-hours. Even a shard, stabilized for transport and trade, held power beyond comprehension. It was a beacon of continuous, self-sustaining energy… an engine that could power not just a base, but an entire planet for centuries.
'A continuous supply of energy for ages, this is truly an energy blast.' Keon calculated. 'Even if this shard contains only a fraction of its true potential, it is still capable of generating millions of Terawatt-hours. Only the most advanced technological civilizations could fabricate the containment field and the conversion systems necessary to harness such output.'
He momentarily entertained the fantasy of acquiring it, thinking of dedicating the entire UHS1 base to its containment. The thought was instantly dismissed, he did not possess the energy necessary for the purchase. More critically, he lacked the means to safely convert the stellar energy into a usable format, a conversion process that would require entirely new, complex fabrication hubs. Without such a facility, the shard would be nothing more than an exquisitely priced, self-heating oven.
'And the risk…' Keon's core tightened with an analytic shudder. 'If the stabilization field were to fail after transfer, even momentarily, the localized thermal and radiation output would be catastrophic. The entire Southern Exoshell base, and perhaps a significant portion of UHS1's surface, would be vaporized, transformed into a momentary lava field. The potential for self-destruction is too high for a material whose stability is governed by an unknown candidate'.'
He shook his head, the decision was cold and absolute, the Star Core Shard was a luxury he could not afford, both financially and strategically.
…