His gaze shifted to the other two items on the Tier 5 list: the 'Five Element Classic' and the 'Elemental Tree Seed.' Both were clearly related to the fundamental manipulation and control of elements, suggesting a deep, systematic understanding of elemental chemistry. They were likely foundational texts or living artifacts that could grant him unprecedented insight into the element structure, potentially accelerating his Elemental Rune Synthesis protocol by years.
Desire, akin to human heart craving, flickered momentarily in his core. The potential for knowledge acquisition was immense. However, looking at the unimaginable cost of these elemental items, the price points were even more unimaginable than the Star Core Shard, which would require years to generate.
'Such useful items, I wish i could afford it.'
He mentally withdrew from the Special Items category, the chaotic sprawl of forbidden knowledge and items receding into the background. The core trading rules were clear: in the economy of the universal candidates, power and advanced knowledge were traded at exponential rates.
'Acquisition is impossible at this time,' Keon concluded. 'These items are dangerous, and without significantly higher personal strength, defense capability, and energy reserve, interaction with such high-tier special items is an unacceptable risk.'
He closed the trading platform interface, the barrage of text and numbers vanishing instantly, leaving only the silent, air-conditioned embrace of the control room.
Just as he was about to release the material and tools from his universal storage space in order to analyze them with his Material Recognition talent, a sharp 'Ting' sounded through his internal comms system. The communication panel once again reappeared, a holographic projection snapping into existence before his optical lenses, displaying an urgent message from Trosso.
At the same time, an exchange notification appeared directly beneath the message. Trosso was requesting a new trade: a single 'Storage Pouch' and two 'Damaged RDI Units' in exchange for a few tons of sand, a collection of magic crystals, and two 'New RDI Units.'
A scrolling text message from Trosso followed,
[Universe 5757]
"Thank you for your assistance. The drones performed flawlessly. I have successfully destroyed the Dark Ghoul Tribe. All of their mages are killed, including their leader. The Storage Pouch contains the treasures and materials recovered from the Dark Tribe treasury, as well as the mages' personal belongings. I am sending these items as a thank you and a gesture of my appreciation for your service. I also request that you allow me to keep these drones. In exchange for the two damaged drones, I require two new ones to maintain my battle formation."
Keon's integrated optical lenses remained fixed on the projection. His core registered the sudden shift in Trosso's status, moving from hunted fugitive to successful annihilator of the threat.
'This guy has an uncanny talent for sending messages at the precise moment I intend to initiate a critical process,' Keon internally mused, exasperation flickering in his core. He had just spent an hour and seventy percent of his energy reserves on purchase, and now Trosso was initiating a resource exchange that demanded immediate attention.
His attention settled on the final section of the message: the request to keep the eight drones and receive two new ones. The proposal, though audacious, was expected. He knew Trosso will try to keep them at any cost after witnessing their performance in battle.
Keon calculated the marginal cost of the fabrication of two new RDI Units. It was negligible compared to the potential intelligence yield from the captured materials. Furthermore, maintaining Trosso's operational help was a high-priority for intelligence and resource gathering in his civilization.
He mentally composed a response, while a fraction of his colossal processing power was dedicated to fabricating the new units of drones.
[Universe 8888888888]
"Congratulations on your victory. It's fine, you can keep those drones. If you need any more help… feel free to contact me."
He wrote a succinct congratulatory message acknowledging Trosso's decisive victory, and then executed the exchange command. He sent the two new drones and received the items consigned by Trosso.
The trade was instantaneous.
With a soft thump that barely registered on the control room's floor, a small, intricately carved leather pouch materialized, landing on the floor directly in front of Keon's Bio Exoshell. Simultaneously, two inert, dark-silver drones materialized in the air beside him, settling gently onto the fabrication desk.
Keon glanced at the pouch, then his green optical lenses focused on the damaged RDI Units. A wave of mechanical surprise registered. Their sleek, four-ring spindle structure was not merely dented or scarred by plasma fire; their metallic surfaces were severely wrinkled, as if the units had been seized by an incomprehensible force and violently grabbed and twisted into impossible geometries. The deformation was catastrophic, suggesting a force far exceeding the capabilities of a Tier 2.
He raised his synthetic hand, activating his Nano Fabrication talent, intending to initiate the self-repair and structural analysis of the damaged units. Just as he issued the repair command through the neural network, his expression froze.
A torrent of unexpected information surged through his Neural Nexus… a complete, unfiltered backuped data dump from the sensors and internal logs of the Units. It was a perfect, real-time chronicle of all events and activities that unfolded in Trosso's universe from the moment of their deployment to the moment of their catastrophic deformation. The data included every thermal signature, every movement of Trosso, the tactical decisions, the plasma strikes, the logistics, and the subsequent recovery of the ghoul corpses and the items from the treasury.
Keon's core processed the entire event stream with chilling speed. Every data point was cross-referenced, every sensor feed mapped to the action. In less than a millisecond, the complete narrative of the engagement was synthesized.
Click!
While he was processing the data, an almost inaudible click registered in his sensors.
Keon's pupils literally shrank, the green lenses rotated focusing with impossible intensity. He glanced sharply in the direction of the leather pouch resting innocently on the floor. It had taken him only a few milliseconds to process the unexpected sound direction.
'Is it coming from this pouch?' His thought flickered doubtfully looking at the storage pouch, a strange premonition spread through his heart.
Click! Click!
Suddenly as if confirming his suspicion, the clicking noises increased… Keon's expression changed.
'This pouch is cracking. Probably, the fundamental changes in universal rules are destabilising its structure.'
A thought surged through his core, filled with an unimaginable sense of systemic crises. He immediately activated his Neural Nexus, transferring his core consciousness away from the Bio Exoshell, initiating a full, high-priority system shutdown and data backup protocol.
Boom!
A massive, compressed burst of sound… the shockwave of a catastrophic failure… spread through the control room. The first structure to bear the brunt was the Bio Exoshell. Its rigid, dark-silver frame visibly shrank and twisted, mimicking the catastrophic, unnatural shape of destruction. The billion Nano Main Frames that formed its skeletal structure, now decoupled from the centralized command, violently burst away, streaming toward the surrounding control room walls.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Releasing loud cracking and metallic creeks noises, reinforced walls twisted inward, suffering unimaginable geometrical compression. The disturbance, the uncontrolled, implosive failure of the space, spread outward like a wave, encompassing the entire Southern Exoshell Base.
Even the whole exoshell five, a three-hundred-meter span of reinforced structure, began to shrink and contort into a mangled, unrecognizable mess. As if the compression was too immense for the structure to hold.
The disturbance reached the edge of the island. The ground shook violently, the entire island structure groaning as if compressed to its absolute limit.
Boom!
With another deafening burst, as if the pressure was finally released. The air itself seemed to push away the massive, compressed remnants of the Exoshell Base. Countless shattered parts flew away, scattering across the surrounding ocean and the surface of the island, leaving behind only a scorched, cratered ruin where the Southern Exoshell had once stood.
The immediate, echoing silence that followed the catastrophic Boom was dense, heavy, and absolute. The atmosphere over the island, thick with the metallic scent of pulverized alloy and scorched earth, slowly settled.
Then, from the azure heights, a new sound began: a low, purposeful hum.
Dozens of drones, previously tasked with external patrols and surveillance, descended in a swift, silent wave. Their collective movement was a precise, defensive maneuver, forming a tight, rotating cordon around the perimeter of the Southern Island.
…