The supporting structures

Chapter 4

The following day, Clyde woke up with a giddy expression on his face as he realised once again this wasn't a dream. After a long day of ordering things and overseeing construction at his headquarters, he went home last night.

This was still a huge shock, something that he had to learn to get used to. He had previously followed the typical path of his generation, attending school and college before working a series of odd jobs. He wasn't alone, but he didn't have anyone to rely on, either because he was uncertain about his long-term goals or the people he might want to spend them with.

Clyde had a hard time placing his trust in others, and he didn't have anyone he could even confide in. When he needed help the most, the people he thought cared about him abandoned him.

What a farce it was for him to put his trust in others and learn from his family and friends. But if Clyde learned anything, it was that the only person he could fully trust in this world was himself; hopefully, he would get to experience a different world someday.

He had assembled several hundred robots in the cave, all working towards the same objective. His objective, but also one that he believed many other people shared but couldn't reach.

He didn't see himself as a hero or anyone special; he was just an average citizen who wanted to see things change. Someone who would sacrifice more than most to see his goals through but who also might be seen as a divisive leader.

Clyde's goals were far off in the distance, so he decided to take things slowly.

As he made his way back to the cave, the action was heating up. The robots achieved their desired dimensions by smoothing out the cave's walls and flooring.

The entire cave appeared to be framed. Beams and columns made of titanium filled the walls and provided structural support. A handful of robots were working to secure the final pieces in place. Amazing how much could change while he slept; I guess this is one perk of robots. Clyde pondered and then chuckled.

If you're wondering where they found so much titanium, rest assured that Clyde has a fantastic answer for all of your material requirements. He was playing No Man's Sky last night at Ghost's urging.

Copper, silver, gold, cobalt, platinum, and titanium, among many others, materialised before his eyes in great quantities. Clyde clearly lost control of his summoning abilities, as this filled up every available area.

It was a bit of a dramatic scene for a while, with droids and bots stuck in place surrounded by materials. But obviously the genius Clyde—or should I say ghost—came up with another blinding idea.

Opening up a game on his phone this time, he saw the Immortal Taoists loading screen appear before his eyes.

Based on the XianXia novel series, Immortal Taoists is a relaxing idle game where players can seek immortality through cultivation in a tranquil fantasy setting.

He was after the game's "void ring" in particular. The ring's inexhaustible storage capacity meant it could hold anything he could imagine. This is one of his most powerful summons yet, capable of holding anything he can think of without any drawbacks.

Benefits he can't even begin to fathom, such as the ability to carry massive objects without expending much effort or time, access to areas that normally prohibit such things, and so on.

 - Void Ring

 The Void Ring has unlimited space and contains all crafting materials.

"Do you wish to summon the void ring?"

"Yes"

A gold ring emerged, which at first glance seemed completely ordinary, revealed a massive translucent crystal upon closer inspection. The diamond was so flawless that it seemed to contain an infinite glass universe.

The ring wasn't really Clydes' style; typically, he prefers minimalistic or more detailed designs. However, he had no grounds for complaint now that he possessed yet another impressive ring.

He felt a profound sense of unity with the ring as he slipped it onto his naked finger. Streams of hazy smoke lingered in his thoughts as he saw the infinite glass universe. There was something unexplainable about the feeling that he was in charge of a transcendent beast.

Clyde directed the ring's energies with a single mental command. It was as if the air itself contained a space element that was slightly disturbed, causing the materials around it to tremble.

In less than a second, the seemingly endless supplies of material evaporated, leaving behind only the titanium that was required. It was as though the material was shrunken into the ring by an infinite light. It was a magical sight to behold, but questions remained afterwards.

Now in the present, Clyde is watching the final piece of the framework go up while opening the Immortal Taoists app for the second time. This time, he was going for the seemingly infinite collection of cultivation tomes.

To begin, he went to the spirit jade hall and market to see what he could conjure. The title, "Divine Wind Pieces lX," of a book caught his eye.

- Divine Wind Pieces lX

A long-lost skill that has been cultivated by many powerful grandmasters. (Increases accuracy and evasion after learning).

"Do you wish to summon Divine Wind Pieces lX?"

"Yes"

A heavy book, accompanied by dust particles, landed in his lap. His vision was restored after he blew off the thick layer of dust that had settled on the book.

The book's front was filled with varying shades of green that flowed in visually appealing patterns. Spectacular in appearance, yet retaining a sense of antiquity, it resembled a work of art or tapestry.

When he opened the book, the pages had an old, worn look and feel to them; they were no longer white and had taken on a brownish, yellowish hue. Each page was covered in ancient writing that looked nothing like anything currently in use.

Every letter and word looked like it had been carefully written by hand in black ink. The writing resembled pictures or diagrams within the text, a completely different type of literature structure we recognise from Earth.

Clyde was flipping through the pages of this purportedly ancient text. He looked for parallels to earthly texts and objects but found none.

He had looked through the entire book and found nothing useful when he suddenly recalled one of the ghost's roles. It's possible that ghosts can assist guardians in translating and uncovering long-lost texts.

"Ghost can you decipher this text?"

"I will try my best guardian"

After his robotic voice, a transparent blue hue emanated from the centre of the ghost. Clyde held out hope for the book as ghost hovered over it and examined it from every possible angle. Although he could call upon various artifacts and automatons for assistance, he was otherwise no more powerful than the average human.

To his knowledge, he was unable to call upon any game-specific skills or abilities, so he was looking for something else. Not having any other ideas, he is keeping his fingers crossed that cultivation will work.

As soon as Ghost was done scanning, he flew up next to Clyde and started talking.

"Guardian, this lost text comes from a world that has not yet been discovered and is not even remotely like any known world."

"I haven't been able to translate or even begin to understand it, but if I keep studying different texts and languages from all the games out there, I might be able to begin uncovering it."

"I'm sorry I failed you, guardian." Ghost said in his robotic monotone, but his voice somehow carried an undercurrent of melancholy.

"Don't worry, ghost; you've done more than enough; now we just need to look for some other power I might be able to hold."

"At least now we know it's not impossible, and since we planned to gain knowledge from other worlds anyhow, it shouldn't be too challenging."

Clyde knew that ghost was powerful; if it were him or any other summons Clyde could think of, they probably wouldn't stand a chance. He wished it had already been translated, but he knew he'd have to go a different route.

Clyde and ghost had just about finished their brief discussion when the framework was finished. Clyde's eyes widened in disbelief as he began to search the cave.

In less than half a day a few hundred robots managed all this, imagine given a year's time with a hundred times the robots. Clyde just laughed because he couldn't wrap his head around the transformation.

Now that he had finished setting up his headquarters, he realised how vast it was, though he hoped it would continue to grow. Clyde sat back and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Ghost, draw up the layout in great detail; we're ready to begin right now!"