Inventory

The Astrylites' race was slowly sinking into turmoil caused by the chaos unleashed by Kraynnor, as if a curious child had disturbed a swarm of bees by striking it with a branch. Meanwhile, the source of this tumultuous affair was immersed in a highly mysterious activity: half of his right arm literally delved into nothingness.

He looked around perplexed, as if his arm had been amputated, but instead of finding flesh and bones, he found a slowly spinning gray hole.

"Intriguing... Could this be related to a form of spatial distortion technology?" Kraynnor hesitated for a moment, trying to use his knowledge to make sense of what was happening. However, he shook his head and continued, "No, inserting my arm into this space suggests the possibility of manipulating the very structure of space-time... But it could also be something else."

No matter how much he pondered, he couldn't find a satisfactory answer: "What level of understanding of space fabric would be required to accomplish such a feat? Is it exclusive knowledge of the Universal System, or is it something found in the repertoire of more advanced civilizations?"

Kraynnor scratched his head in frustration, "Enough. My current knowledge doesn't encompass something this complex; let's leave these complicated technologies for the future."

In the absence of an explanation, he had a feeling he hadn't experienced since his school years, when almost everything was a mystery to him. He slowly withdrew his arm, revealing his hand holding the Biomimetic Cube: "It's useful, no doubt, but I can't understand why in a space capable of holding sizable objects, it only allows one at a time," he pondered.

He began testing with small rocks from the storage, but soon realized he could only insert one rock at a time. To add another, he had to remove the one already inside.

This initial limitation led him to believe it was a space of very few centimeters.

However, his surprise was even greater when he tried his saber, which astonishingly went in completely. He decided to test the space's limits and took a massive Cordiolethor bone, which measured several meters in length and width. As expected, the bone also slid smoothly into the strange space.

This situation made him wonder why on earth it only allowed him to insert one object despite having so much available space!

"Surely it's another one of those absurd system rules. Why do you make everything so complicated?" Kraynnor muttered, expecting an angry response from the system. To his surprise, he received total silence. He had been completely ignored.

Tsk!

Kraynnor looked at the map and noticed that he still had at least fifty kilometers to reach Caelum. He decided to use his time in the workshop to create some interesting things.

With each passing second, the minutes accumulated until, finally, an hour had passed.

[Five kilometers remaining to reach Caelum.]

Upon completing his work while listening to the voice of Cognitron X-12, Kraynnor examined his three new creations, which were all aquatic drones. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of materials, he could only produce conventional technology, which the system rated as "Zero Stars." However, he did receive at least six Knowledge Points.

[Water Guardian Drone (Zero Stars): Detects movements and threats over a wide range and provides real-time information. Additionally, it features a small foldable shield. A common product in the universe.]

[Aquatic Scout Drone (Zero Stars): Ventures into dangerous areas, identifying zones with adverse conditions and transmitting vital data about the environment. A common product in the universe.]

[Aquatic Sentry Drone (Zero Stars): Protects the surroundings, triggering alarms and sending alerts for suspicious movements or nearby threats. A common product in the universe.]

Although he felt somewhat annoyed that his inventions were called "common products in the universe," he couldn't help but acknowledge that, given his limited access to materials, his creations were simple. However, he was determined to significantly improve his designs once he had more resources, making them truly exclusive to the High Humans.

Frrrrrooom!

Suddenly, a strong tremor shook the entire submarine, causing numerous objects to fall and it to wobble!

"What's happening!?" Kraynnor asked alarmed. He considered the possibility of enemies nearby, perhaps another alien creature or even a member of the Astrylite race.

"...?"

However, quickly checking the map, he detected no hostile presence in the vicinity.

[Apologies for the sudden stop, but there was no time for a warning. I detected highly advanced detection systems less than a kilometer from Caelum. The anti-detection system was about to be compromised, but I managed to avoid it by stopping at this distance.]

"How strange, Caelum didn't have anti-detection systems. This can only mean it's Astrylite technology... Shit, there always has to be some problem," he expressed indignantly.

But what surprised Kraynnor the most was how quickly the anti-detection systems were breached.

Despite being at the far end of the detection system on the other side, the intrusion happened alarmingly fast. Kraynnor said with a tone of melancholy, "It seems your invention has its limitations, my friend." His words were directed at the deceased scientist who had made the anti-detection system he had been using for over five hundred years possible.

Kraynnor vividly remembered the story of that unfortunate man, which took place in the year 2228. A young prodigy lived in hiding with his family after refusing to collaborate with an extremely dangerous individual. However, their hideout was discovered by the enemy, and tragedy befell them, leaving his entire family lifeless. Instead of seeking revenge, that young man became a scientist under Caelum's protection and dedicated the rest of his life to creating something that would protect everyone from their enemies.

Tragically, as a result of the trauma of that bloody day, when he was only halfway through the process of completing the flawless anti-detection system, a fit of madness led him to take his own life at the age of sixty...

Fifty years later, at a time when the memory of that man had faded from everyone's minds, Kraynnor discovered the files of his research. It could be said that if it hadn't been for that man, his life wouldn't have survived to this day, giving him the opportunity to avenge humanity.

[Shall we turn back?]

"No, I need materials, and only Caelum's warehouse has them. If you can't get in, then I have to take the risk and use the new toy the system gave me earlier," Kraynnor said as he took a small piece of dark gray metallic fabric from a small compartment.

It was the Stealth Exoskeleton, which looked like a dark gray towel. Kraynnor examined the fabric with curiosity and asked, "How do I use this?"

He tried to grip the fabric tightly, and surprisingly, it began to move on its own as if it had a life of its own. It slid across his skin until it covered his chest and legs, taking on the form of a snug-fitting sportswear.

"..."

"It felt like thousands of ants crawling on my skin... How disgusting," Kraynnor asked Cognitron X-12, "Can you detect me?"

[Although the cameras capture your figure, it appears completely blurry, and any other detection system registers you as if you weren't present. However, it seems to register your clothes as if they were floating in the air.]

"Does it not hide my clothes? Hmm... Then I guess it doesn't hide this," Kraynnor muttered as he held the Biomimetic Cube in his hand.

[It looks perfectly visible. It seems to only hide your body; anything else is visible.]

Upon hearing this, Kraynnor immersed himself in deep thoughts. The situation was extremely problematic; he could only carry one object with him, just one item to take in the system's inventory.

"Well, it seems it'll just be you and me for a while," Kraynnor said to his Biomimetic Cube.

After all, it could take on a wide variety of forms, which could assist him in many situations. Still, he glanced at the three drones he had created and felt it would be a shame not to use them.

Suddenly, an interesting idea sparked in his mind, "Have this drone move ahead to see what happens if it's discovered. Will ships come to investigate what's going on?" Although it sounded like madness, as it alerted the enemy, it was better to know the potential consequences. Anyway, as long as he was in the submarine, he could escape without being detected.

[Understood, proceeding to use the Scout Drone as a guinea pig.]

Cognitron X-12's small robotic arms took one of the three drones and pulled it out of the submarine. They were currently only a few meters from the surface, so the water pressure was negligible.

Vrrrrroooom!

The scouting drone shot forward at a remarkable pace, resembling a tiny torpedo in its swift movement. Finally, when it was only thirty meters away, something rather ominous occurred.

Zaaap!

A thin, bright red light appeared in the blink of an eye, and when it vanished, the drone had disappeared without a trace.

"...It seems like this is going to be a truly intriguing journey."

[Master, I calculated the probability of encountering threats that could jeopardize your life, especially after what happened with the Scout Drone, and the results are not particularly encouraging. I would recommend considering an alternative.]

Kraynnor smiled upon hearing these words and replied, "I would love to try a different approach, but time is running out. We have no other option."