The "Investment" Takes Effect and New Variables Emerge
Observer Zero's "investment" was like digging a spring on a dry riverbed—what was once stagnant "technological dead water" began to gurgle and flow.
Inside the Advanced Energy Research Institute, a tiny, barely noticeable amount was carefully extracted from the silver tube dubbed "Stellar Fluid". When this wisp of liquid starlight was injected into the modified energy conversion core, the device—once as hoarse and inefficient as an asthmatic—suddenly let out a steady, low hum. Its output power soared instantly; the bone needle on the dashboard (made of glowing moss and bone spines) slammed straight to the end, and the soul fire of the skeleton researcher in charge of monitoring nearly flickered out in fright.
"Stable... stable output! Energy purity at 99.99%... useless loss below one ten-thousandth!" The Lich Director's voice cracked, his tentacles trembling with excitement. "This... this is nothing short of a miracle!"
In the Materials Laboratory, researchers fell into a feverish state of study, poring over rubbings of the patterns on the black stone slab (named the "Spatial Foundation Stone") and the microscopic structure diagrams analyzed from the rhombic crystal (called the "Origin Crystal of All Things"). Problems that had plagued them before—like material brittleness and energy repulsion—suddenly seemed to have found their key, now that they had access to this knowledge that struck at the very essence of matter. A new composite material, "Ink-Steel," made from common Demon Realm obsidian and bone powder, with a trace of Stellar Fluid added for energy guidance, was created in just the third synthesis experiment. Its strength was fifty times that of the original bone alloy, its toughness twenty times greater, and it conducted demonic energy exceptionally well!
The changes at the Information and Teleportation Technology Center were even more tangible. Guided by the principles of the Spatial Foundation Stone, the entire structure of the Magic Network nodes was completely overhauled and redesigned. The new nodes were no longer bulky and massive—they were the size of a fist, with silver patterns (homologous to those on the Foundation Stone) flowing across their surfaces. When the first upgraded node was activated in the core area of the Wasteland, a stable, clear, almost latency-free stream of information instantly connected to a test node hundreds of miles away, on the border of the former Rotting Marsh. Immediately after, a short-distance material teleportation test was launched, targeting a lively Demon Realm mange rabbit. A flash of silver light later, the mange rabbit appeared unharmed at the receiving end, blinked its red eyes in confusion, and then went back to nibbling on the glowing mushrooms at its feet.
It worked!
This was no longer clumsy, short-distance, high-consumption, unstable "baby steps"—this was truly practical communication and teleportation technology!
News of the success couldn't be fully contained. Like a spring breeze, it spread through the Community's senior ranks. The doubts and conservative mindsets of the past melted away in the face of these ironclad facts. Every demon realized that the Lord wasn't being overly ambitious—he had long seen a future far beyond their reach. A wave of awe, enthusiasm, and boundless anticipation swept through the management and research institutions.
Resources were concentrated more efficiently, and talented demons were allocated more rationally. The three core technological fields began to unleash astonishing productivity.
Stellar energy conversion furnaces became smaller and standardized; energy towers, like black obelisks, sprouted up like mushrooms after rain at major resource points and important towns across the Community, providing an unprecedentedly stable and abundant energy supply. Thanks to Ink-Steel and various newly synthesized materials, more efficient production tools, sturdier building materials, and even primitive demon-energy-driven machinery began to emerge. The first phase of the Magic Network was rapidly rolled out, covering over two-thirds of the Community's territory—boosting the efficiency of information transmission and resource allocation by more than a hundredfold.
The face of the Community changed with each passing day.
Yet Lin Mo's gaze had already moved beyond this "application-level" prosperity.
In his quiet room, three objects hovered before him: a drop of suspended Stellar Fluid, a piece of Ink-Steel inscribed with simplified spatial runes, and a miniature, steadily operating Magic Network node model.
His spiritual sense, like the most precise probe, delved into the tiniest details of energy, matter, and space. Combining these with the principles gleaned from the Spatial Foundation Stone and the Origin Crystal of All Things, he conducted deductions and calculations.
What he sought was not mere technological application, but... creation.
The creation of an entirely new system—one that could adapt to the harsh underlying rules of the Demon Realm, and even "define" or "optimize" local rules to a certain extent.
Time slipped by silently amid these in-depth deductions.
Until, at a certain moment, the drop of Stellar Fluid before him suddenly flared to life. Under the guidance of his spiritual sense, its internal energy structure began to undergo extremely subtle yet fundamental changes, resonating strangely with the spatial runes on the nearby Ink-Steel piece. The operating frequency of the miniature Magic Network node model adjusted in sync.
A dynamic, self-circulating, self-optimizing balance formed between the three.
A faint yet tangible "field"—with energy properties unlike anything native to the Demon Realm—quietly spread outward, centered on these three objects.
Within the range of this field, the chaotic, corrosive, oppressive rule-based power inherent to the Demon Realm seemed to be gently pushed back by a more orderly, stable force, creating a "pure land" roughly a foot in diameter.
Lin Mo extended a finger, feeling the unprecedented "order" and "calm" in this tiny area.
At last, a hint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
"The basic framework is more or less complete."
He named it—
[Chaos Purification Sequence · Prototype Zero].
This was not a weapon, nor a tool. It was the prototype of an... "environmental modification plug-in".
He withdrew his spiritual sense; the faint field dissipated, and the three objects returned to their original state. But he had fully recorded the experimental data of this success.
He knew this was only the first step of a long march. Scaling up the prototype to cover a village, a town, or even the entire Community would require solving a mountain of problems—energy supply, material strength, rule conflicts, and more.
But the direction was clear.
Just as he prepared to start another round of deductions, a flurry of urgent footsteps echoed outside the Administrative Center, accompanied by a panicked report:
"My Lord! It's an emergency! The Magic Network... the Magic Network has detected an abnormally powerful energy fluctuation from the far west—the direction of the former Thousand-Eyed Abyss! A type of... unrecorded spatial distortion is forming! The fluctuation level... far exceeds that of a Demon Lord!"
Lin Mo looked up. His gaze seemed to pierce through the thick stone walls, fixing on the ancient, unexplored territory to the west—an area even he had never fully investigated.
Observer Zero's "investment" had just begun to bear fruit, and already, new variables had emerged.
A blessing? Or a curse?
He stood up slowly, his fingers unconsciously brushing the cold surface of the Spatial Foundation Stone hidden in his sleeve.
"Send the order: the Community enters Level 1 combat readiness."
"At the same time, initiate the preliminary preparations for Project 'Ark'."
His voice remained calm, yet it carried the condensed tension of an impending storm.