Chapter 359: Mang |
"Did you manage to research anything?"
Chen Mang took the tablet handed to him by Xiao Ai. The screen displayed the "Naomi Civilization's" research on the Heavenly Palace over the years. Naturally, this information had been procured by Xiao Pangzi's Father. Aside from the older man's immense resourcefulness, the main reason he obtained it so easily was that there was simply nothing worth keeping secret.
It could be said.
They had discovered absolutely nothing.
The only things they had figured out were the inherent functions of the Heavenly Palace itself.
For example—
It could create cloud layers.
Taking advantage of the incredibly high ceilings, artificial clouds could be formed at the top of the palace, along with an artificial sun, synthetic wind, and more. This ensured that anyone inside the Heavenly Palace would not feel like they were inside a building at all.
Each area could be tailored to have different weather conditions.
Beside him, Xiao Ai explained, "When Doba designed the Heavenly Palace, one of his core concepts was to avoid giving the architecture an oppressive feeling. He believed that people should own the building, rather than feeling imprisoned by it."
"..."
Chen Mang did not say much more. It was obvious that Doba had put a lot of heart into this Heavenly Palace. However, he had not yet figured out the most important aspect: the energy drive. The Naomi Civilization had not managed to research it either. Doba had previously reported that there was still one unsolved problem regarding the energy drive, which he expected to overcome within a month.
Therefore, he was still not entirely sure at the moment.
What exactly powered the Heavenly Palace.
Following that—
He mingled with the crowd. Dressed in a white coat like a researcher, he walked to the center of the "Palace King District" and looked at the "safe" that had been cordoned off by warning tape.
It was perfectly square.
A standard cube, measuring exactly one meter in length, width, and height.
The entire Heavenly Palace was virtually empty. There was nothing else around; only this safe stood out as something special.
He took out the Copper Key left by Xiao Pangzi's Father from his pocket and looked at the safe in front of him. There was indeed no keyhole to be found. He tried placing the key on top of the safe, but there was still no reaction.
The safe was quite heavy.
However, with Biao Zi's current physical prowess, he could still lift it with relative ease.
He carefully inspected the bottom of the safe, but there was still nothing to be found.
Its edges and corners were sharp and distinct.
'Did I leave this thing behind...'
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the safe in front of him, and began to ponder why he would have set up such a container.
First of all—
One thing was certain.
According to the established future timeline, this Heavenly Palace being thrown into the Time Fissure should be something that happened after he returned to the Dead End Star System from the Naomi Civilization. Therefore, this safe must have been created during that period.
That was only a span of a few months.
It was highly unlikely for the train to experience any massive technological breakthroughs in such a short time, especially since, in that specific future timeline, he had not yet received the massive sum of resources given by Xiao Pangzi's Father.
In that case...
It was highly probable that the safe was created using the train's currently available technology.
As long as he thought about it from this angle, he would quickly find the answer.
He lowered his head, lost in thought, and scrolled through the tablet to check the Overlimit Effects of each individual component. However, in the end, he still could not link any specific component to this locked safe.
'Could it be the Refrigerator again?'
'The inner liner of the Refrigerator?'
But that did not make sense. The "Naomi Civilization" had conducted experiments, and even their Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon could not shatter this Refrigerator. He did not know what level they had used, so he once again flipped through the Naomi Civilization research materials left to him by Xiao Pangzi's Father.
The records clearly stated that the Naomi Civilization had used a level 200 Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon.
If it could withstand a level 200 Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon without a scratch, what about a level 500 one?
However...
He felt that he wouldn't be stupid enough to leave a safe for his past self that required such a violent unlocking method. Furthermore, if it actually shattered and destroyed whatever was inside, that would be completely disastrous.
Chen Mang furrowed his brows tightly. He pulled up Doba's blueprint of the Heavenly Palace on the tablet and scrutinized it carefully, attempting to spot any anomalies.
Beside him, Xiao Ai suddenly spoke up.
"Captain, Doba has made some minor modifications to the Heavenly Palace blueprints over the years. I just asked him for the latest version. Would you like to take a look?"
"Show me."
Soon enough.
He lowered his head once more to look at the three-dimensional blueprint of the Heavenly Palace on the tablet. The lines were intricate and marked with countless numbers, which truly gave him a bit of a headache. But upon closer observation, he could still see that the entire Heavenly Palace was divided into ninety-nine sectors.
According to Doba's design concept.
Anyone able to reside in this Heavenly Palace in the future would be individuals of high status and power. Therefore, numerous residential areas were designed, with different sectors taking on different responsibilities. This Heavenly Palace would eventually replace the "train" as the center of power, while the train would focus entirely on combat and military duties.
'He thought quite deeply about this.'
But just then—
"Hmm?"
Chen Mang suddenly raised an eyebrow as he looked at the blueprint on the tablet. He seemed to have spotted an extra area, an area designated as Sector 100. This sector was not located on the surface, but rather on the first underground level.
It was the sole underground sector.
According to the Heavenly Palace's design, the entire space beneath the ground level was meant to house the energy drive systems, armed defense mechanisms, weather transformation devices, and various other apparatuses. Only one specific location had been hollowed out for a different purpose.
This sector was located directly beneath Sector 99.
"What is this Sector 100 used for?"
Chen Mang asked aloud.
Xiao Ai did not answer immediately. After dozens of seconds passed, she finally replied, "I just asked Doba. He said he intends to make this area into a special zone, similar to a basement in a villa, to handle specific, unique functions."
"As for its exact purpose, whatever Master Mang wishes this area to be used for in the future, that is what it will be used for."
"How do you access this sector?"
Chen Mang tapped his Hell Scepter against the floor of the Heavenly Palace.
The entire Heavenly Palace was incredibly sturdy. Both its floors and outer shell could withstand a level 200 Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon without sustaining any damage. There was no data on its absolute damage limit, as the Naomi Civilization had only ever tested it with up to a level 200 Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon.
"He hasn't decided yet."
Xiao Ai spoke again with a hint of helplessness. "Although the Heavenly Palace is largely complete, many small details are still being finalized. Doba's idea is to ensure that this Sector 100 is kept extremely hidden, and to guarantee that you, Master Mang, are the only person who can enter it."
"They have not yet come up with a perfect solution for the specific entry method."
"..."
Chen Mang frowned slightly, looking down at the ground. Sector 100 was situated right beneath his feet. By the looks of it... he might need to cause a bigger commotion, take this Heavenly Palace away, and study it slowly.
He simply needed to erase the Naomi Civilization's imprint from the planet below first, and then he could store both the planet and the Heavenly Palace inside the Space Portal.
There was one prerequisite for the Space Portal to take in such a massive object: the object had to be situated on a planet.
Alternatively, he could throw out an abandoned Ore Star.
However, the distance was too close.
It would trigger a catastrophe.
After pondering for a long while, Chen Mang looked at the "complete blueprint" of the Heavenly Palace beneath him, derived through the Doppelganger Radar, and inspected it closely once more. To his surprise, the material of the Heavenly Palace could actually block radar detection.
Completely sealed areas were invisible to it. For instance, the devices underneath the Heavenly Palace's floor could not be detected by the radar at all, nor could it see into Sector 100.
But looking closely at this complete Heavenly Palace blueprint...
He suddenly noticed a... rather peculiar spot.
Which was—
In a corner of Sector 99, there was a labyrinth of standing stones. Some were tall, and some were short, resembling an art installation similar to the stone statues on Easter Island. Viewed from the front, they looked completely ordinary, but when observed from high above...
One would discover the truth.
All those shorter stone pillars within the cluster of rocks formed a specific character.
"Mang".
'No...'
'It should be said that it was an incomplete character, missing a single crucial stroke.'
"No way..."
Chen Mang's mouth twitched slightly. He hadn't expected the method to decipher this puzzle to be so absurdly simple.
Moreover, it was a classic case of being hidden in plain sight!
The "Naomi Civilization" had naturally explored the entire Heavenly Palace long ago. Could they really have failed to notice the anomaly of the stone labyrinth in Sector 99, failing to see that those short pillars were arranged in a highly specific, independent formation?
Naturally, they had noticed it ages ago.
Even now, there were quite a few personnel in white coats holding testing equipment, investigating all around that very stone labyrinth in Sector 99.
There was only one main reason for this oversight.
That was because the character "Mang" was a human ideogram, whereas the Naomi Civilization used the Cosmic Language. Due to the language barrier, they simply couldn't see what the problem was.
If that was the case...
He waved his hand. A squad of armed robots quickly marched out of the train and apprehended all the researchers in Sector 99, ensuring that no information from here would be leaked. Only then did he stride toward the stone labyrinth a short distance away.
Biao Zi followed closely behind, easily hoisting the cubic safe onto his shoulder.
Upon arriving at the stone labyrinth.
Under Xiao Ai's guidance, they continuously adjusted the angle. Finally, when the cubic safe was pushed into a specific spot, a sharp clank echoed from beneath the ground, followed immediately by the sound of countless spinning gears.
The taller stone pillars gradually retracted into the floor, and in the dark opening that was revealed, a set of stairs formed.
This design was actually quite ingenious.
"Interesting."
Chen Mang chuckled softly. It seemed that there was absolutely nothing inside that safe. That was because it wasn't a safe at all, but rather a solid block of stone cast in one piece, serving purely as a key.
The real prize was located in Sector 100, hidden deep underground.
He took the lead and stepped inside.
The moment his foot touched the first step, the walls on both sides of the previously pitch-black entrance suddenly lit up brightly. The passageway was quite narrow; compared to the vastness of the Heavenly Palace, it could only allow a maximum of four people to walk side-by-side.
Before long—
He saw the entirety of Sector 100.
It wasn't very large.
It was roughly the size of a basketball court, with a nine-meter-high ceiling. The floor was paved with a layer of gray rock, and right in the center sat a wooden Storage Chest.
Chen Mang stepped forward, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the Storage Chest in front of him.
There was no lock.
That Copper Key was still useless; this was not where it was meant to be used.
Inside the open Storage Chest.
There were not the massive amounts of resources he had imagined, nor was there a data chip recording the details of the disaster to relay information to him, and there was certainly nothing that could grant him an immediate boost in combat power.
There was only one item.
A bracelet.
A lone, solitary bracelet.
A special item called the "Hell Bracelet".
"..."
Chen Mang stood silently with a complex expression on his face. He picked up the bracelet from the chest and remained speechless for a long time. He had never imagined that he would acquire the "Hell Bracelet" through such means.
The Hell Set.
It was the sole set in the entire universe, possessing absolute uniqueness. Only one person could own it.
It consisted of seven components in total.
The "Hell Scepter", the "Hell Hat", the "Hell Sunglasses", the "Hell Firestone", the "Hell Clothing", the "Hell Sandals", and the "Hell Bracelet".
The first three components could only be acquired in the First Universe.
The next three components could only be obtained in the Second Universe.
As for the final component, its acquisition method was a complete mystery. No one knew how to get it. In fact, if one did not collect the first six pieces, they wouldn't even be able to learn the name of the last one.
The only known fact was this.
There were multiple copies of the first six components, giving everyone a chance to acquire them.
But the "Hell Bracelet" was completely unique across the cosmos. When someone acquired this piece and gathered the remaining six components, they would obtain the one and only Hell Set.
No one knew what effects this set possessed.
And no one had ever owned it before.
Only a scant few individuals had even heard of the set's existence.
He looked down at the special item effects of the "Hell Bracelet" in his hand. The effect was exceedingly simple—one could even call it crude. It hardly seemed worthy of its 'unique' status, despite this special item being the only one of its kind in the entire universe.
Special Effect: The wearer of the Hell Bracelet will enjoy robust health, free from illness and pain.
Calling it a special effect felt like a stretch; it sounded more like a simple blessing.
In truth, the effect was actually quite good, but when compared to the absolute rarity of being 'unique,' it was simply far too modest.
He immediately returned to the train.
Looking at the control console's screen, sure enough, a notification panel slowly surfaced.
-
"You have collected all components of the 'Hell Set'. The Hell Set will now be officially unlocked."
"The Hell Set is the one and only set within both the First Universe and the Second Universe."
"There are no other sets in existence."
"Others have lost the opportunity to acquire this set. You will be its sole owner. Upon your death, the set will follow you to the Second Universe. If your soul is annihilated resulting in true death, the set will be completely obliterated along with you."
"There will never be a second user."
"The set's effects will officially unlock in 24 hours."
-
"...Phew."
Chen Mang let out a soft breath. He certainly hadn't expected his future self to leave him such a massive gift. This meant that, according to the established future timeline, he would have originally obtained this Hell Bracelet component within the next three months or so.
Right now, he was pondering one particular question.
'Does this thing currently count as a Cosmic Taboo Item?'
'Will I encounter a second one in the future?'