Chapter 1086-1090
Chapter 1086 – Special Robot Store
Zhao Hai looked at the two things he received. One looked like a card that you use in hotels, it also had a room number on it. The other one was a metal plate that had a small magic circle. It wasn't very heavy and looked much like an ornament. However, Zhao Hai knew that the magic formation was more than just a decoration.
He deposited the two items in the Space before expressing his gratitude to Margaret. Margaret nodded and said, "I hope that you can live up to our expectations, don't waste the camp leader's efforts. I've already taught you everything I can. What you need to do now is to learn the Void Condensing Formation technique. Your further development will depend on your efforts. After you go back, you can look at how others layer their magic formations. However, don't waste your time mimicking their style. You need to pave your own road. Understand?"
Zhao Hai nodded, "Instructor, feel relieved. I know what to do." Margaret nodded, then she left the room.
Seeing Margaret leave, Zhao Hai's brows couldn't help but wrinkle. He didn't expect to be on someone's sights this quickly. Moreover, now that he entered the struggle of the Machine Field, it seems like withdrawing was impossible.
Although it can be seen that Margaret wasn't forcing Zhao Hai to join the Bone Symbol Camp after he graduates, there was a veiled threat in between her words. Margaret told him that this Ascender Academy was under the Bone Symbol Camp's control, and it seems like they can dictate where someone can go after they graduate. Also, since they can take the surveillance device away, this also meant that the Bone Symbol Camp had formidable control in this academy. If he didn't join the Bone Symbol Camp, then he might not have a very good future.
Internal struggles exist everywhere, the Machine Field wasn't exempted. The Wind God Palace wouldn't dare deal with the Ashley Family. However, if Zhao Hai joins the other powers, then the Ashley Family might not mind killing him.
The reason Zhao Hai had this thought was because he had been showing shocking talent in these past couple of days. Studying magical runes would take others months to memorize, but he only did it in two days. Others might start to practice the Void Condensing Formation Technique by the time they graduate, but Zhao Hai was doing it right now. These caused powerful groups to take notice of him, especially the Ashley Family.
Other powers might not be aware of Zhao Hai's talents, but the Ashley family was clearly aware of it because of Margaret. If Zhao Hai doesn't join the Ashley family, then the family definitely wouldn't allow him to join other powers. In the eyes of the Ashley Family, Zhao Hai was someone who has a good chance of being a powerful expert. Letting this person join a group other than them would be impossible.
Because of this, Zhao Hai could only join the Ashley family. However, Zhao Hai doesn't object to joining the family. What he needed to do now was to understand the Bone Symbol Camp's situation.
Moreover, Zhao Hai needed to have the old Mages join the Bone Symbol Camp as well. This was for self preservation. With the old Mages together with him, his future would be more secure.
The Machine Field was a strange new place. Being in a group was definitely much better than being all alone.
With this thought in mind, Zhao Hai stood up. He was preparing to head to the shops in order to see whether there were any anti-surveillance devices. If there were any, he was prepared to buy one.
This didn't mean that he didn't trust Margaret's words. Since Margaret said that they had removed all of the surveillance equipment, then those should have already been removed. This was the Ashley family's way of showing their sincerity.
Zhao Hai wanted to buy anti-surveillance equipment not because of the Ashley family, but because of the other powers. The Ashely family's intent of stopping any surveillance on him wasn't necessarily shared by the other powers. At the very least, Zhao Hai wanted to be assured.
Zhao Hai had always been a careful person. And since he was in a strange new environment, ne needed to be extra careful. Margaret's words weren't enough to make him feel relieved.
When he thought of this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but sigh. He really wished to ascend without any problems so that he could bring his wives to explore new places. But now it seems like this would be impossible. The struggles of the upper realm wasn't any better than the lower realm.
Bringing Tinkle along, Zhao Hai went to the elevator and headed towards the shops. After looking through the shops, he was finally able to spot the place he wanted to find, a special robot store.
Gu Mingyue recommended Zhao Hai to look for this shop in order to remove any surveillance devices installed inside Tinkle. Zhao Hai had always kept this suggestion in mind.
Although Gu Mingyue wasn't an upper level staff in the academy, he still had some information that only people from lower-levels knew. Because of this, he can tell Zhao Hai about these special robot stores.
Zhao Hai inspected the shop. It looked just like any other shop, it didn't have any special qualities. If not for Gu Mingyue, Zhao Hai wouldn't have paid attention to this place.
After seeing nothing special, Zhao Hai brought Tinkle inside. Just as he entered the store, a robot immediately welcomed him. This robot wasn't an advanced one and it had the same appearance as Tinkle. However, Zhao Hai was surprised since this robot didn't have any clanking sounds that Tinkle always had.
When the robot arrived in front of Zhao Hai, it gave a bow and said, "Mister, welcome. Is there something we can help you with?"
Zhao Hai stared, then he smiled faintly and said, "I want to modify my robot butler. Can you do that?"
The robot immediately said, "Of course. Please come with me." Then it gestured towards Zhao Hai. The robot's movements weren't stiff at all. Moreover, it can give answers very quickly. At the same time, it didn't seem to have programmed responses. This caused Zhao Hai to be more curious about this shop.
From outside the shop, you can see ordinary robot parts and electronics. It looked like any other shop of its kind. But as the robot lead Zhao Hai further in, things began to become different. Behind the shop was a repair station with a lot of old robot components piled up. A person was sitting on the pile while manipulating a robot placed in front of him.
As Zhao Hai entered the room with the robot, the robot suddenly said, "Hey, sober up. This gentleman here wants to modify his robot butler."
Upon hearing the robot, Zhao Hai couldn't help but gawk. The robot was actually speaking like a human. It seems like this was the setting the robot was given. Zhao Hai couldn't help but feel interested about this person.
The man turned his head towards Zhao Hai. Seeing the person's face, Zhao Hai stared for a moment. His age didn't seem to be high, maybe around 30 years old. His face was a bit pale and he had ordinary work clothes on. He looked very ordinary aside from his fiery eyes.
The man looked at Zhao Hai and quickly gave his greetings as he said, "Mister, you want to modify your robot butler?"
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "I just ascended from the lower realms and the academy gave me this robot butler. So I'm here to modify it."
When he heard Zhao Hai, the man's eyes turned bright before he said, "Since the robot is given by the academy, then it should be fine. Why do you want to modify it?"
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "I just want a robot butler that is completely loyal to me. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The man's eyes turned brighter, he nodded and said, "It seems like you've been introduced by a friend. I know what you want. What else do you require?"
Zhao Hai said, "I want it to help me scan my room for any surveillance device. I'm someone who doesn't want to be monitored."
The man nodded, then he held his wrist computer out and typed some things out as he said, "Go on, say all of your requests in one go."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Make him more advanced, not easily damaged, and store more energy so that it wouldn't need to charge every day. It would be best for it to last a long time. I also want it to know some knowledge about the Machine Field's machinery. And that doesn't mean just robot repair, I want it to know how to tinker with other things. Naturally, since it is a robot butler, I don't need it to fight. Instead, make sure that it can attend to my everyday needs."
After the man recorded everything, he looked at the list and couldn't help but knit his brows. Then he said, "Let me tell you the truth. I can certainly do all of this, but I think that it would be a waste. If you want all of these functions, then you could just buy a more advanced robot. Not only can advanced robots meet your requirements, they can do it much better than this one. Do you want to change your request?"
Zhao Hai stared for a moment before he nodded as he said, "Since that is the case, then I'll do what you say." Then he gestured to Tinkle and said, "Just make sure that it doesn't have any sounds whenever it moves. Also, make its battery last longer. As for the advanced robot, I'll take whatever Mister recommends me. As long as it meets my requirements, then its fine. But it needs to be able to connect to the network at any time."
The man smiled and said, "No problem. Being connected to the network is the most basic function that everyone wants, so there's no need to worry about that. Making your robot butler silent and last longer is very simple. You can leave him to me right now and come back after an hour or so. You can take a stroll around the shop to kill time. As for your new robot, It would take me three days to make it match your requests."
Zhao Hai thought for a moment and then said, "Alright, I'll leave Tinkle to you first. Do I go outside to choose my advanced robot?"
The man replied, "What's outside are ordinary goods, they're no good. If you trust me, I can choose for you. I have some robots I assembled myself. Although their functions are inferior to those bought outside, I can guarantee that they are more easy to use. Moreover, they are made out of better materials."
Zhao Hai faintly smiled and said, "Since you're recommended by a friend, I'll trust Mister's choice."
The man gave Zhao Hai a look before he laughed and said, "You're an interesting fellow, I like you. And don't call me Mister. My name is Qi Yi. You can call me Ah Yi."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "So it is Manager Qi Yi. You have an interesting name. Then I'll be calling you Ah Yi from now on. Ah Yi, let's go see the robots you recommend."
Qi Yi smiled and said, "Okay. Right, what's your name. You still haven't told me."
Zhao Hai quickly replied, "Right, right. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm called Zhao Hai. You can also call me Ah Hai."
Qi Yi smiles and said, "Good, let's go see my robots. Also, who told you to come see me?"
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "It's Mister Gu Mingyue. He's a reception staff. We got along well, so he told me about your shop and to make sure to come visit in order to modify Tinkle. Since someone from the academy told me that the surveillance on my robot was removed, I decided to come here since I'm not an expert in robots."
Upon hearing Zhao Hai, Qi Yi stared for a moment before his eyes shone. Then he replied, "Oh, if that's the case, then there's no problem. If that's what they said, then it means that you're a genius, you can rest assured. If they said that the surveillance has been removed, then nobody in the academy will be monitoring you. If they removed their surveillance on you and other parties still dared to look into your actions, then this only means that the other party is being hostile. This will most likely cause a conflict. I reckon that only a few people would dare take such a risk."
Zhao Hai replied, "Is that so? I really didn't know. It seems like coming over to you was the correct decision. Right, how about having dinner with me? I also have some friends from the academy, I hope we can share a few cups together."
Qi Yi looked at Zhao Hai and said, "How long have you been in the academy? You already made a few friends? Alright, that's not an issue. Come over at night, I'll be waiting." As he said that, the two arrived at a door. Qi Yi put his hand on the door before it opened. Then the two proceeded to enter a room.
This room was about a hundred square meters, it wasn't small at all. Inside the room was a huge display of robots. These robots were all humanoid. They don't look beautiful, but all of them were very clean and well polished.
Chapter 1087 – You're From the Bone Symbol Camp?
Zhao Hai inspected the robots. They were evidently much better than Tinkle. At the very least, the facial features of these robots were closer to being human. Their joints looked more flexible as well.
Qi Yi looked at these robots with the looks that one might give a lover. Then he said, "All robots in this room are assembled by me. The parts used to make them are also slowly being processed by me, they're not made by some huge company. These robots are my unique products."
Looking at Qi Yi's expression, Zhao Hai couldn't help but sigh. Qi Yi truly had an unparalleled attraction to robots. All of these robots were actually made entirely by him. It was an amazing feat if you think about it.
After some time, Qi Yi let out a long breath, then he turned to Zhao Hai and said, "You and me are destined to be friends. You can choose any one of these robots."
Zhao Hai looked at Qi Yi and smiled, "Alright, then I'll have to thank you in advance. But since you made these robots, I'll have to ask you to choose one that can match me the most. In any case, you'll also be the one to modify them."
When he heard Zhao Hai, Qi Yi couldn't help but ask, "You trust me that much?"
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Just like you said, we're destined to be friends. And from what I can see, you're a guy I can trust."
Qi Yi suddenly laughed, "Alright, then it's settled. You can come back three days later. I can assure you that you won't be disappointed by your robot. Let's head out." Zhao Hai didn't say anything else and just followed Qi Yi out of the room.
Outside the workshop, Zhao Hai looked at Qi Yi and said, "Qi Yi, with your ability, you should be capable enough to make your own company. Why do you only have a small shop in the academy?"
Qi Yi forced a smile as he replied, "Supporting this academy is the Ashley Family's Bone Symbol Camp. I'm from the camp myself. However, I don't like magic and would prefer studying robots. People like me won't get accepted anywhere except the Bone Symbol Camp. This shop isn't even mine. I don't operate this shop to make money, I'm just handling it on behalf of the camp."
Zhao Hai stared, he didn't expect Qi Yi to also be part of the Bone Symbol Camp. He looked at Qi Yi and said, "I've just recently heard about the Bone Symbol Camp. I heard that this ascending point is controlled by them. Are you an ascender as well?"
Qi Yi just gave a bitter smile as he answered, "How is that possible. With my skill, I won't even be able to ascend. As you can see, my talent is just ordinary. However, I like to research robots. And the ones I make aren't inferior to the ones made by huge companies. Because of this ability, I was able to be recruited by the Bone Symbol Camp. In my opinion, the Machine Realm is just like the lower realms. There are powerful beings and then there are the commoners. I'm just a commoner in this realm, not any different from commoners from the lower realms. If not for my talent in robotics, it would be impossible for me to be invited by the Bone Symbol Camp's leader."
Zhao Hai looked at Qi Yi in confusion, then he asked, "Why did you join the Bone Symbol Camp?"
Qi Yi smiled and said, "Doesn't your lower realm have a division between nobles and commoners? If you are a commoner and then suddenly you've been invited by a noble to join their clan, wouldn't you accept?"
Zhao Hai began to understand Qi Yi's decision, he nodded and said, "I understand. But is the Bone Symbol camp good? I heard that they're somewhat declining."
Qi Yi coldly snorted and said, "Bone Symbol Camp hasn't declined. However, it's just different from the other camps who employ brutal training methods. In the Bone Symbol Camp, everyone is a friend, a brother. The camp leader never eliminates anybody and had everyone play to their strengths. In the other camps, everyone is an enemy and competitor. Every camp would add people to their numbers every year, some even reaching 100 people annually. Those who survive will be recruited. The Bone Symbol Camp doesn't follow this path. Aside from deaths during battle, nobody dies when training. Because of this, the Bone Symbol Camp is somewhat weaker than the other camps, making it seem like we're declining."
Zhao Hai nodded. Looking at Zhao Hai's response, Qi Yi's eyes couldn't help but shine as he said, "Why don't you join the Bone Symbol Camp? That would be fantastic. If that is the case, then I will give the robot to you for free."
When he heard Qi Yi, Zhao Hai couldn't help but laugh. Qi Yi was truly a straightforward person. Although he understood some worldly wisdom, he still falls short compared to those old foxes.
If other powers wanted to recruit Zhao Hai, the conditions they would provide would certainly be very good. Compared to those offers, a little robot would be nothing. However, Zhao Hai can see the Bone Symbol Camp's attitude by looking at Qi Yi.
If nobody protected people like Qi Yi when they entered other camps, then they would certainly be long dead. Qi Yi living up to this point was actually an abnormality.
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Then give me a good one. I have already promised Instructor Margaret to join the Bone Symbol Camp. The people we're going to dine with will also be joining the camp. If there's a chance, I'll have them visit so that they can have their robot butlers be modified too."
Qi Yi patted his chest and said, "Just hand them over to me. I might not be good at anything else. But when it comes to robots, there's nothing I can't accept. Have all of them send their robots over."
Zhao Hai gave a nod. Then after leaving Tinkle behind, he left the shop to explore the other shops. It can be said that this area had too many stores. But this time, Zhao Hai didn't buy anything. He was a lower realm ascender with no backers. If he showed-off by wantonly buying a lot of things, then people might begin to get suspicious.
Moreover, things sold in these stores would certainly be available anywhere else in the Machine Field. As long as he graduated from the academy, he could just buy what he wants outside. Therefore, there's no need to be anxious at this time.
One hour passed and lunch time was approaching, so Zhao Hai returned to Qi Yi's shop. Seeing Zhao Hai return, Qi Yi immediately invited him in and said, "Come, take a look at your robot." Then he took Zhao Hai to the workshop.
Upon entering, Zhao Hai couldn't help but stare. In the middle of the room was a robot. He could see from its head that it was Tinkle, but the body seems to be new, making Tinkle more pleasing to look at.
Looking at Zhao Hai's reaction, Qi Yi proudly smiled and said, "What do you think? The robot now has an automatic solar charging system as well as a noise suppression upgrade. Most importantly, I've installed an anti-surveillance device inside to make sure that nobody will monitor you. Take it, return for your other robot in three days."
Zhao Hai laughed and said, "Alright. Thank you, Ah Yi. Don't forget our evening meal."
Qi Yi waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I won't forget."
After that, Zhao Hai brought Tinkle to the academy's cafeteria. Dins and the others were already waiting for him inside. Currently, Dins and the others also have their own instructors. However, since their instructors were part-time, they weren't as approachable as Margaret. Nevertheless, the old Mages still take their regular classes.
Seeing Zhao Hai arrive, Dins immediately called him over. Dins and the others were also quick to discover Tinkle's changes. Dins looked at Tinkle and said, "Little Hai, did you have Tinkle modified? It looks very good."
Zhao Hai faintly smiled and said, "It really does. There's a special robot shop in the market that can modify your robots. I've reached an agreement with the shop's manager to have your robots be modified as well."
Dins and the others had already regarded Zhao Hai as one of them. They also knew that Zhao Hai didn't lack money. Because of this, they didn't decline his goodwill. Dins nodded and said, "Alright, when do we send the robots?"
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "This afternoon. I've invited the manager to have dinner with us. You can use this chance to have your robots modified. By tomorrow, you should be able to get them back."
Dins stared, he looked confused as he asked, "Do you know the manager? You even asked him to have dinner?"
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "It's nothing special. I just talked to him and judging by his character, I decided to invite him to dinner. He's also a Machine Field native. Talking to him will give us more understanding about the Machine Field."
Dins nodded, "Alright, we'll go meet him. Having friends here will give us advantages in the future. After all, the academy doesn't teach us everything."
Zhao Hai nodded, then he looked at the others and said, "How about we meet here at 5 o'clock. Then we'll set off to the store to look for Qi Yi. Don't forget to bring your robots. You're going to leave them behind so that Qi YI can modify them."
Dins and the others nodded. However, the faces of several people don't seem quite right. Zhao Hai mentioned modifying their robots multiple times now. These old men were also old foxes, so they knew that Zhao Hai might be hinting at something. However, none of them said anything as though they didn't get anything from what Zhao Hai said.
After lunch, Zhao Hai returned to his room. Upon entering, Zhao Hai turned to Tinkle and said, "Tinkle, inspect the room. See whether there are any surveillance devices hidden inside." Tinkle responded, "Yes, Young Master."
Then Tinkle's eyes emitted flashing red lights as they scanned the entire room. After some time, Tinkle stopped and said, "Young Master, there are no monitoring devices inside the room. You can rest assured."
Zhao Hai nodded, then he began to relax. However, he didn't immediately let Laura and the others out. Instead, he sat down and practiced his magic formations. At the same time, he had Cai'er monitor Qi Yi's actions to see if he was really sincere in helping him modify his robot. If Qi Yi changed anything, then Zhao Hai will not take Laura and the others out.
Chapter 1088 – Unusual Level Division
Zhao Hai's condensation of magic formations was getting faster and faster. At this point, he could already condense ten formations at once. But compared to the total amount of known magic formations in the Machine Field, his speed was still far from enough.
However, Zhao Hai wasn't worried as he continued to condense ten magic formations at the same time. Each batch needed ten minutes to be finished. He could now condense at least 50 formations every hour. Such speed has never been seen before and might never be seen again.
Moreover, Zhao Hai's condensed magic formations weren't as simple as that. Every magic formation that Zhao Hai condensed has been recorded by the Space. Then Cai'er would take these formations and run them under the scanner. This way, the Space could come up with the most appropriate combinations.
In the Machine Field, the level of a Mage depended on the number of magic formations they could layer on top of another. The overall division came in ten levels. The levels were divided as so: 1st level Mages were those who could layer less than 5 formations. 2nd level Mages could layer 5 to 10 formations. 3rd level Mages would be 10 to 50 formations. 4th level Mages needed 50 to 100. 5th level, 100 to 500. 6th level is 500 to 1000. 7th level is 1000 to 3000. 8th level ranges from 3000 to 5000. 9th level, 5000 to 10,000. And then 10th level was over 10,000 layered formations.
Nobody knew for how long the Machine Field has existed, but Magic Theory had existed for at least tens of thousands of years. But until now, the highest level Mage could only reach the 9th level. There has never been a 10th level Mage.
The most powerful 9th level Mage could only layer 9,999 magic formations. Achieving 10,000 layered formations seem to be impossible.
It can be said that layered formations were the symbol of strength in the Machine Field. Moreover, with the number of magic formations present in the Machine Field, layering them together was an almost impossible feat.
In fact, in the current Machine Field, it was speculated that even the most senior mage couldn't layer 3000 magic formations together. This meant that currently, nobody had reached 8th level. The most powerful mage of this generation was at the 7th level.
Layering 3000 magic formations together needed a massive amount of time to accomplish. Also, in the middle of battle, where would one find time to spend in order to arrange such a huge formation? It was practically impossible. But if you only use a few layers of formations, they would be too weak to fight against other experts.
In the World of Cultivation, the cultivation speed of every realm was almost the same at the early stages. In the Machine Field, Mages that can layer five formations could resist against a forged body expert. If you follow the Divine Realm's metric, then forged body experts were equivalent to 9th rank or Demigod-rank experts.
As for Mages that can layer 10 formations together, they would be equal to qi condensation experts, God-ranks to Peak God-ranks. Cultivating to this stage generally wouldn't take a long time.
Wanting to layer 10 to 50 formations wasn't that difficult either. As long as one can layer 30 magic formations, then this meant that they had already reached foundation establishment. Most Mages would be stuck at this level.
There were a lot of Mages that would never go beyond 3rd level. But for the Cultivators, foundation establishment was just the beginning of their path of Cultivation.
It can be said that only one in a hundred Cultivators could reach foundation establishment, for Mages, this ratio drops down to one in ten thousand. In this case, Mages would find it hard to go against Cultivators.
The power divide between Warriors in the Machine Field was also the same as the Mages. However, the Warriors didn't base their levels on how much magic formations they can layer on top of another. Instead, they base their strength on how far their sword qi could reach.
Their division of level was also very simple, it was just like the Mages but the numerical values were multiplied by 100. For example. 1st level Warriors could release their sword qi for less than 500 meters. 2nd level Warriors is 500 meters to 1 kilometer, and so on. The highest level Warrior could release his sword qi as far as 1 million meters. Naturally, this level only existed in legends.
One needed to note that the term 'sword qi' was only a generalization. This didn't mean that it was energy released using a sword. There were Warriors in the Machine Field that use weapons that were not swords. As long as they can launch their energy to a certain extent, they would be similarly ranked.
Because of this system, Mages and Warriors of the Machine Field found it hard to go against experts from other realms. In the end, they could only rely on the might of battleships and magic mechs.
As for Zhao Hai, he was just concentrating on condensing magic formations in the meantime. He wasn't planning to layer magic formations yet. He was planning to try it inside the Space and not in the academy.
Even if he was alone in a secluded part of the academy, Zhao Hai still thought that it wouldn't be safe. Therefore, he could only do it inside the Space.
By afternoon, Zhao Hai managed to condense several hundred magic formations. After looking at the time, he stopped and went out of his room to head towards the cafeteria.
Seeing that Dins and the others were already in the cafeteria, Zhao Hai quickly called them over so that they could head to the shops. There was a small advantage to being in the academy. It didn't matter if it was the shops or the cafeteria, all of them were open all the time. You can buy items and eat food whenever you want.
It didn't take long before Zhao Hai and the others arrived outside the strange robot shop. Qi Yi was still busy inside the workshop and would be for a long time. When Zhao Hai arrived, he stopped working as he laughed and said, "A Hai, you're here. As you can see, I've been busy with work.."
Zhao Hai smiles and said, "It's alright. Let me introduce you. They are recent ascenders to the Machine Field. They're just a little bit older than me. I'll have to trouble you to modify their robots as well. We'll be leaving their robots here for now. Just tell them when they can get them back."
Qi Yi laughed and said, "You guys really want me to work huh. Alright, rest assured, I will complete everything in time." Then after greeting Zhao Hai, he proceeded to greet the old men.
After the two sides exchanged their greetings, Zhao Hai brought everyone to the first floor restaurant. This time, the restaurant was chosen by Qi Yi. This restaurant was simply called Academy Restaurant. It wasn't a large one nor did it look anything special.
Once they arrived at the restaurant, Zhao Hai turned his head towards Dins and the others as he said, "Everyone, there's something I need to tell you. The Ascender Academy that we're in is controlled by the Ashley Family's Bone Symbol Camp. The people from the camp has already contacted me and hoped that I could join them after I graduate. I also told them that it would be great if everyone here can join."
Dins and the others stared. To be honest, they were completely unaware about this matter. Zhao Hai scanned them and then continued, "From what I understand, besides the Bone Symbol Camp, the other powers that recruit ascenders employ the survival of the fittest mindset. They would carry on brutal training in order to eliminate the weak. Those who stay behind are recruited while the others would be dead. The Bone Symbol Camp doesn't do the same program. As long as you join the camp, they will make sure that you play to your own strength. At the same time, they would arrange jobs that is appropriate to your abilities. Qi Yi is someone from the Bone Symbol Camp. Since he is only interested in robots, the camp leader had him manage a robot shop in the academy. Everyone should be able to understand what I want to say. You aren't like the young ascenders, so people from the Machine Field wouldn't place great importance on your existence. If you join other camps, then you will certainly be treated as cannon fodder. Because of this, I'd like all of us to join the Bone Symbol Camp. Then later on, we can take care of each other. What do you think?"
Hearing Zhao Hai's words, Dins and the others turned silent. They weren't fools. Conversely, they had gained rich experience from the lower realms, so they knew how people acted. There were a lot of stronger people among the young ascenders, therefore they couldn't help but believe Zhao Hai.
Additionally, they were aware that joining a camp together meant that they can protect each other more effectively. The old men looked at each other before they nodded. After that Barlett said, "Rest assured little Hai, we understand what you're saying. Since you want us to join the Bone Symbol Camp, then everyone will follow you."
The others nodded, showing their agreement. Zhao Hai smiled and said, "It's good that everyone agrees. Since Qi Yi is also from the Bone Symbol Camp, we will have to trouble him to modify your robot butlers. This is because there are monitoring devices inside each of your robots. Your every action and movement have fallen to the other people's attention. We'll have Qi Yi help use to remove these devices. After all, all of us are now part of the same family."
As soon as they heard Zhao Hai, the faces of Dins and the others changed. They turned to look at Qi Yi for affirmation. Qi Yi couldn't hide his excitement. In the past, old Mages like them would join other camps to be cannon fodder instead of the Bone Symbol Camp. Because of this, the Bone Symbol Camp was lacking in numbers. Having this much people join at the same time naturally made him happy.
Looking at the old Mages' expressions, Qi Yi immediately nodded and said, "Right, each of your robot butlers has monitoring devices inside them. And these devices don't only send information to one or two people, but to multiple groups at once. These people would gauge you depending on your performance. If you can meet their standards, then they will contact you to invite you over to their camp."
Dins and the others' faces were somewhat ugly. They didn't expect their day-to-day life to be monitored. This was basically like throwing their undergarments out into the streets, nobody would be able to endure it.
Zhao Hai looked at their expressions and said, "I know that a lot of people will contact you when the time comes. And they might give you a lot of good benefits, but you should also know that your lives are your most important possession. Under such brutal training, you cannot guarantee your survival. Also, we are a minority group, even if you get promised good conditions, nobody can guarantee that they will follow through with their promise. Therefore, I hope that all of us can enter the same camp so that we can help each other."
Chapter 1089 – Connecting to the Network
Dins and the others nodded. They're already late into their ages, past the times when one would want glory and power. To the current them, survival was more important than anything. Therefore, as soon as they heard Zhao Hai, all of them thought that his words were reasonable.
Zhao Hai looked at everyone and said, "Earlier, I looked up the situation with the Ashley Family's Bone Symbol Camp online. Although they don't seem to differ compared to the other camps, they were even seen as declining, but after going through the Bone Symbol Camp's casualties in the past ten years, their ratio only came up to 1:1000. And when carrying out special tasks, they would have a casualty rate of 1 to 5. In other words, in five people, only one would die. Meanwhile, the other camps would have a casualty rate of 1 to 1. This means that there are times that all of their recruits die during missions. It's a very brutal statistic. If everyone is interested, you can look it up yourselves."
Dins and the others nodded. They will look it up, but this didn't mean that they didn't believe Zhao Hai. They just wanted to see this casualty rate with their own eyes. They believed that Zhao Hai wouldn't deceive them with this matter, there simply was no need to do so. As long as they go back, they can prove it themselves.
Zhao Hai looked at the others and said, "We didn't ascend here just to die. Therefore, joining the Bone Symbol Camp is our best choice. Even a low allowance wouldn't be a problem. And from what I had looked up, the Bone Symbol Camp's allowance wasn't even that low."
Dins nodded and said, "Just like what Little Hai said, we didn't ascend in order to become cannon fodder. It would be best for everyone if we can enter the Bone Symbol Camp. This way, we can take care of each other." The others also gave their agreement.
Seeing that everyone has agreed, Zhao Hai said, "Good, since everyone agrees, then I don't have anything else to say. Come, let's drink. Let's work hard together and enter the Bone Symbol Camp." The others raised their glasses and cheered.
The reason why Zhao Hai dared to say all of this at this time was because the robot butlers were currently left behind in Qi Yi's shop. Moreover, the restaurant that they were currently in didn't have any monitoring devices. Of course, this was something that Zhao Hai asked Qi for.
The Ascender Academy that Zhao Hai was currently in was closely monitored by the Bone Symbol Camp. There were only a few places that didn't have any surveillance device. Zhao Hai knew about this point so he asked Qi Yi for a restaurant that wasn't monitored. Because of this, they were now inside this specific restaurant.
After eating their meal, Zhao Hai and the others returned to their own rooms. Zhao Hai checked the internet for a while before going back to condensing formations.
For the following days, Zhao Hai's life went normally. Every day, he would go to the cafeteria to have breakfast, then he would go to the classroom in order to get a lecture. After that, he returned to his room and whatever he liked.
Zhao Hai had yet to release Laura and the others. However, he kept monitoring Qi Yi in the past three days. He wanted to see whether Qi Yi really didn't want to monitor him or was he just feigning ignorance.
It didn't take a long time before Zhao Hai knew that Qi Yi was a genuine ally. The man seems to have a heavy obsession with robotics. He always stayed inside his shop. When it was time to eat, he would just have the cafeteria deliver food to him. Most of the time, he was in his workshop tinkering with robots.
Dins and the others' robots were done being modified the day after they were sent in. Qi Yi didn't ask them for money. After all, in Qi Yi's eyes, Dins and the others were already people on his own side.
Besides looking at Qi Yi's actions, Zhao Hai was also monitoring Dins and the others. Zhao Hai wanted to see if they would agree to being recruited by other people.
Three days went by fast. Zhao Hai got up early to eat before going to Qi Yi's shop. Today was the day he would get his new advanced robot.
Zhao Hai didn't know what kind of robot Qi Yi had prepared for him. Although he was monitoring Qi Yi, the moment Zhao Hai knew that he was an ally, he stopped.
When Zhao Hai entered Qi Yi's shop, Qi Yi wasn't there. Zhao Hai didn't need to be polite and just went straight to the workshop.
Qi Yi had already modified the robot in his shop to allow Zhao Hai entry. Because of this, Zhao Hai didn't encounter any troubles as he went to the workshop.
When he arrived at the workshop, Zhao Hai saw Qi Yi being busy tinkering with a robot. This wasn't the robot that Zhao Hai saw back in that room three days ago. Instead, it was a robot with a high degree of human appearance.
The body of this robot was covered with a biochemical skin. Its two eyes looked like genuine eyes. If not for its lack of emotion, one might mistake it as a real person.
Zhao Hai can affirm that this wasn't his robot. This was because Qi Yi's robots never had biochemical skin. To Qi Yi, robots were robots. They were their own lifeforms and they didn't need to cater to humanistic standards regarding appearance.
Although Zhao Hai thought otherwise, he didn't say anything. For people like Qi Yi, this aspect was regarded as very important.
Zhao Hai looked around the room and saw a robot at the side. He had seen this robot in the room back then. Its whole body was made out of shining metal. It wasn't very tall, only at about 1.8 meters. It had a somewhat human face but it was still very far from robots with biochemical skins.
Seeing that Qi Yi was completely focused on his task, Zhao Hai gave out two light coughs. Qi Yi quickly turned his head towards Zhao Hai. After grabbing Qi Yi's attention, Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Ah Yi, I'm here for my robot. How is it? Is it done?"
Qi Yi immediately said, "It's done. Take a look. It has everything you requested. What do you think? Do you want to leave your old robot here? Having this one is already enough."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "It's alright. There's no harm in having two robots. You seem to be busy, I'll take my leave."
Qi Yi nodded and said, "Alright, come over later in the evening. How about we share a cup or two?"
Zhao Hai agreed, "Get two meals delivered and we'll drink here."
Qi Yi nodded. Then Zhao Hai turned around and left the shop along with his two robots.
Since it was still time for classes, there were very few people wandering the shops. Zhao Hai didn't meet anyone as he was returning to his room.
When he arrived at his room, Zhao Hai had Tinkle inspect the new robot. Finding that there were no monitoring devices on the robot, Zhao Hai began to feel relieved. Then he waved his hand and had Laura and the others come out.
As soon as they came out, Laura and the others immediately cheered as they threw themselves towards Zhao Hai. Being hugged by several women, Zhao Hai couldn't help but feel incomparable satisfaction.
After some time, Laura and the others calmed down. Zhao Hai looked at them and smiled as he said, "You're still unable to leave this room. However, you can browse the internet on the computer so that you can understand this world more. After I leave the academy, I'll find a way to provide all of you with Machine Field ID Cards."
Laura waved his hand and said, "It's fine, we like being inside the Space anyway. Brother Hai, I had father study the plate that Margaret gave you. He believed that it wouldn't take long before they can duplicate it. When the time comes, we would also be able to adapt to the Machine Field's spiritual qi."
Zhao Hai nodded, "Good. After you go back, I'll also have Tinkle go along with you so that father and the others could see it. However, I can't have Tinkle enter the Space for long. It wouldn't be good if people see me without my robot butler for a long period of time.."
Laura nodded. Zhao Hai took out several wrist computers and then handed them over to Laura and the others. This way, they could access the internet on their own.
Computers in the Machine Field were much better than the ones in the Space. Computers in the Space didn't have any network connection. Because of this, computers can only perform basic functions. But in the Machine Field, computers were connected to each other, and in a degree one hundred times more advanced than Earth. Therefore, it didn't take long for Laura and the others to be immersed on the internet.
Zhao Hai just discovered that connecting to the Machine Field's internet didn't require any payment. Whether they were robots or computers, connecting to the network was free.
While Laura and the others were accessing the net, Zhao Hai was on the side condensing magic formations. When dinner time arrived, Zhao Hai stopped what he was doing. Then he turned to Laura and the others and said, "Alright, it's already late. You should go back. You can come over to play tomorrow."
Laura and the others looked at the time, and it was indeed already late. However, some of them were still reluctant to leave. Zhao Hai just smiled and had them download some content to their computer so that they could do something when they return to the Space.
After waiting for Laura and the others to be done, Zhao Hai sent them over to the Space along with Tinkle. But just as Tinkle entered the Space, a prompt was suddenly heard, "Robot from a high-rank Science and Technology civilization detected. Space upgraded to level 130. Host can now buy ten high-ranking science and technology backgrounds and 50 ordinary backgrounds. Since the robot has advanced wireless connection to its source civilization, the Space has now obtained the civilization's advanced wireless network function."
Zhao Hai stared for a moment before a wave of happiness washed over him. He had always wanted to make a network inside the Space. However, the computers had yet to become popular inside the Space. Moreover, he didn't have any experience in making networks. He didn't expect the Space to solve the problem for him.
However, Zhao Hai suddenly thought that the Space was now connected to the Machine Realm's network. Did this mean that the Space was now exposed? When he thought about this, he immediately called Cai'er, "Cai'er, what does this mean? If the Space can connect to the outside world, then does this mean that the Space's secret will soon be discovered?"
Cai'er smiled and said, "Young Master, there's no need to worry. Although it can connect to the outside world's network, the Space will not emit any signals. The Space can only receive information, it cannot send."
Upon hearing Cai'er, Zhao Hai relaxed. Then his two eyes shone as he said, "Cai'er, can you connect to secret bases of the Machine Field and steal their secrets?"
Cai'er shook her head and said, "I'm afraid we can't, Young Master. I just tried it. It seems like the Machine Field's public network is just a place to play around. Real secrets aren't connected to the public network and exist on isolated networks."
Zhao Hao nodded. Although he felt helpless, he could also accept this fact. Nevertheless, this network would be extremely useful for the Space.
Turning his head to Cai'er, Zhao Hai said, "Cai'er, popularize the use of computers in the Space's academies. Let everyone know about the Machine Field and let them see what kind of place it is."
Cai'er nodded. Looking at the time, Zhao Hai said, "Alright, I need to head out. It wouldn't be good if I stay here for longer." Cai'er nodded. Then Zhao Hai returned to his room. After reorganizing his thoughts, he proceeded towards the cafeteria.
The Space's connection to the internet was a crucial development for the people inside the Space. This connection became a bridge that allowed the people to be aware about the massive World of Cultivation outside.
Zhao Hai wasn't afraid that these people would want to leave. Because of the Space's benefits, it was already common sense for them to stay inside.
Compared to the intense competition in the Machine Field, the Space was incomparably peaceful and rich. How could someone from the Space think of leaving? At most, they would look at the situation outside as entertainment.
Even the people inside the Space couldn't help but pity the people in the Machine Field. These people were going all out in order to become stronger. Average people were also working extremely hard.
The new technology was very helpful to Karen and the others. They can now get direct access to magic formations. This caused their research to be more relaxed than before. Being able to gain the Machine Field's foundation had saved them a lot of trouble.
The only regrettable thing to all of this was the fact that the network was only limited to the Machine Field. Because of this, Zhao Hai was still blind about the situation of the other realms.
Chapter 1090 – Monthly Examination
Time quickly passed by, and unknowingly, Zhao Hai was already in the Machine Field for one month. In this month, Dins and the others already passed the requirements and rose to the second floor classroom. Besides Zhao Hai, only two other ascenders were left on the first floor.
Ascending didn't have a set time interval. Sometimes, there would be dozens of newcomers in one year, some years might even reach hundreds. But at the same time, there would also be times when only one person ascended. This situation was very normal.
The two other ascenders on the first floor were young men. Zhao Hai tried to talk to them but the two were full of vigilance towards him. Moreover, their arrogance was something that even Zhao Hai couldn’t bear. In the end, Zhao Hai can only give up on them and focused on condensing magic formations instead. At this point, the number of magic formations that Zhao Hai had managed to condense had reached 100 thousand. Moreover, this wasn't the only improvement he had in this month. At this point, Zhao Hai can now condense 100 magic formations at the same time. And these 100 magic formations would be condensed in 5 minutes or so.
Although Dins and the others had moved to the second floor, they didn't stop contacting Zhao Hai. The group ate their meals together almost every day. Naturally, Qi Yi would be part of this from time to time. Margaret also got in touch with Dins and the others to invite them to the Bone Symbol Camp. This caused the old men to feel relieved.
On the other hand, the time for Zhao Hai's monthly examination came. As long as he passed this examination, he would then be able to rise to the second floor. Additionally, the metal plate would begin to function.
The magic formation on the metal plate would adjust the density of spiritual qi inside Zhao Hai's body. This would enable him to slowly adjust to the Machine Field's spiritual qi. When one year passes, he would then be able to fully adjust to the realm's environment.
Zhao Hai was able to see the exam that Dins and the others underwent. However, upon seeing their exam, Zhao Hai was no longer sure what kind of exam he would face.
The exam that Dins and the others took was the same test that Margaret had given Zhao Hai on his second day. In other words, Zhao Hai had already passed the monthly exam in his second day. This made the monthly examination redundant. Zhao Hai believed that Margaret wouldn't give him the same test.
Although he was wondering about what his test would be, Zhao Hai didn't actually ask Margaret about it. He just continued to live his days on the first floor, either attending classes or staying inside his room condensing magic formations.
The day of the test quickly arrived. Zhao Hai punctually arrived in his classroom before 9 o'clock. This time, he didn't bring his robots. The two were left behind his room accompanying Laura and the others.
Zhao Hai believed that Margaret would also arrive in time. And sure enough, Margaret entered the room at 9. When she saw Zhao Hai, Margaret just said, "Follow me." Zhao Hai nodded and didn't say anything.
Margaret was a quiet person and never said anything useless. Apart from giving lectures and answering questions, she generally kept quiet during classes. Zhao Hai was already used to her cold and quiet demeanor.
Although it can be said that Margaret only instructed him for three days, these three days were the most important days for Zhao Hai. This was because it was in these three days that Margaret opened up Zhao Hai's path to being an Expert.
Magic Theory was very suitable to Zhao Hai's cultivation method. As long as he had condensed a specific formation, he would no longer spend time in arranging it in the future since it would appear almost instantaneously. This also applies to layered formations.
Although Zhao Hai was condensing magic formations in these past several days, he didn't relax when it comes to layering formations. Layering magic formations wasn't as simple as putting one formation on top of another. Layered formation came in many types. The simplest one of them was layering two of the same formations. For example, if Zhao Hai layers his summoning magic formation, he wouldn't need to spend a lot of time on it since there would be no conflicts between parts of the formation. Because of that, this type was said to be the simplest.
However, this arrangement also meant that this type of layered formation was the weakest. If it was in numerical terms, it was just adding one to one. The effect wasn't amplified that much.
The most difficult layered formations were those who incorporated formations from multiple elements. Even layering two formations would prove difficult. But since this increased the resulting formation's geometric structure, the magic formation would be very powerful.
In the Machine Field, there were people who tried to make the strongest layered formation using computers. However, there had yet to be any success.
Computers weren't omnipotent. And even if it managed to calculate the strongest combination, the requirements to condense such formation would be extremely strict; to the point where no errors should happen during the entire process.
In the end, Mages were still people, they weren't machines. Even machines had flaws, much less Mages. For a Mage to layer formations without a single error was borderline impossible.
Layered formations simulated by computers required perfection. As long as a single error appears, the formation would be rendered useless, it might even injure the Mage casting it. Because of this, the best layered formations in the Machine Field were those made by Mages who had battled for a long time. Moreover, starting from five to ten layered formations, these were deemed as a secret by Mages. They would only pass their formations down to their disciples or younger generations. It was impossible for these formations to be revealed to the public.
However, these things weren't an issue for Zhao Hai. Inside the Space was the Universal Scanner. Although the scanner was still level 1, it was something that most computers couldn't compare to. The biggest characteristic of the scanner was that it was made to cater to Zhao Hai's needs. It can be said that everything inside the Space revolves around Zhao Hai, the scanner was not different. Because of this, Cai'er had the scanner analyze the formations that Zhao Hai condensed so far. At the same time, the scanner would create combinations that would suit Zhao Hai the most.
In addition to practicing Magic Theory, Zhao Hai was also trying to layer magic formations. At this point, he can now layer 100 magic formations together.
Zhao Hai and Margaret took the elevator and went up the building. There were some floors in the academy that weren't open to the students. These floors were some of the most important facilities of the academy. Teachers usually lived on these floors.
They went through the uppermost floor of the academy and then to the platform on the roof. Parked on the platform was a small battleship that was shaped like a small bean. It had a rounded head and tail.
The entire battleship was 50 meters long and 20 meters wide. Painted on its side were four characters that spelled 'Ascender Academy'
Seeing this battleship, Zhao Hai couldn't help but gawk. He turned his head to Margaret and said, "Instructor, are we going outside?"
Margaret nodded and said, "There's no point in testing you using the standards we use om the others. In the Ascender Academy, there would be ten tests per year. This first exam tests your knowledge of magic runes. The second tests if you can condense a formation. And then the third exam is a smelting trial outside the Academy."
Zhao Hai frowned for a moment before he said, "I still haven't adjusted to the concentration of spiritual qi. Is it alright for me to go outside?"
Margaret answered, "There's no need to worry about that. The academy's battleships are all modified to automatically adjust the concentration of energy. Also, the place that you'll be going to will have less concentration of spiritual qi compared to normal. These tests are specially arranged for ascenders to undergo, the academy had prepared everything in advance. Your test this time is to go outside and eradicate a malicious ghost."
Zhao Hai replied, "Malicious ghosts? Are they like the Lich?"
Margaret gave a nod and said, "There are similarities, but malicious ghosts aren't the same as Lich. These malicious ghosts are stronger than the Lich from the lower realms. They not only use magic, they can also do physical attacks. For you who just learned Magic Theory, dealing with these things would be tough."
Zhao Hai gave a nod. Margaret continued, "The place we're going to is an area on the edge of the Machine Field. Its concentration of spiritual qi isn't high, but there are still people living there. Moreover, it is an important sector for mithril mining. But because of the constant mining, it had become a place with rich yin energy. This caused the place to produce dark creatures. This place is also one of the smelting trials of the Machine Field's academies. Besides you, there are also other ascenders undergoing their smelting trial in that place. Therefore, not only do you need to be wary of malicious ghosts, you also need to be vigilant against other ascenders."
Zhao Hai gave another nod. At this time, they had arrived in front of the battleship's door. Then door automatically opened and then closed when they entered. In front of Zhao Hai was a corridor. Margaret led Zhao Hai towards a door, then she said, "This will be your room. Don't wander around aimlessly. The battleship has its own internal security system. If for some reason you end up inside forbidden areas, you will immediately be attacked by the ship."
Zhao Hai nodded, then he said, "Instructor Margaret, how long will it take us to reach our destination?"
Margaret answered, "In about three days. In these three days, people will come to deliver food to you. You can use the internet inside your room and you can also practice. It would be best if you don't go out." Zhao Hai nodded for the last time before he went inside his room.
The room wasn't very big, only about 20 square meters. It had a bed, a table, a bathroom, and a sofa, nothing else.
But what made Zhao Hai surprised the most was that there was a window inside the room. Although it wasn't big, he could still see the scenery outside.