7: Chapter 7 Hephaestus

The entrance to the old mine was even more dilapidated than marked on the map. It was located beneath the skeletal remains of a completely collapsed factory building. The entrance was mostly buried by twisted metal beams and concrete blocks, leaving only a crack that required crawling to enter.

Lin Qiming observed outside the entrance for a long time, having Hephaestus repeatedly scan the interior. The results showed that behind the crack was a downward-sloping, man-made tunnel with a relatively stable internal structure.

He crawled inside. The tunnel was dark and damp, but there were indeed no signs of living creatures. He cracked open a chemical glowstick he had found and slowly explored downward by its sickly green light.

After walking about a hundred meters, a fork appeared. Lin Qiming chose the path extending horizontally. After another few dozen meters, the tunnel suddenly opened up into a natural cave about the size of a basketball court.

On one side of the cave, there were traces of underground water flowing, forming a small pool; the water looked relatively clear. There were cracks in the cave ceiling, letting in an extremely faint, mysterious light from an unknown source. Most importantly, deep within the cave was a natural stone platform recessed inward, dry and level, and large enough for a person to lie down. Below the stone platform was a small pit that could be used for a fire.

"This place... isn't bad."

He decided to make this his new base.

The first thing he did after settling in was start a fire. He used found chemical gel blocks and dry, rotten wood to light a small fire. The warmth dispelled the cave's damp chill and brought light. Then he re-cleaned and bandaged his wounds, ate some heated protein paste, and drank hot water.

[In a relatively safe environment, wounds properly treated... HP recovery speed increased... Current: 32/68...]

[Quest [Injuries and Supplies] completed! Rewards issued... Energy Level: 12.0 → 15.0 ona.]

[Experience: 195 → 200/200! Promotion conditions met!]

"Time for a breakthrough."

He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and guided the small amount of energy within his body. The process wasn't easy; the energy was weak and difficult to control, and the injury to his left arm was a distraction. But he was patient.

After an unknown amount of time, a certain "checkpoint" in his body suddenly loosened! The accumulated energy surged past the boundary like a stream breaking through a dam, instantly rushing through his body!

A warm current! A warm current stronger and more lasting than any before washed through his entire body! Muscle fibers trembled slightly and strengthened; his bones felt a faint itch; his senses became sharper; even his thoughts seemed to clear.

The pain from the fracture in his left arm significantly lessened under the washing of this warm current!

[Rank Breakthrough complete!]

[Current Rank: E-Rank · Lower Tier!]

[Energy Level: 15.0 → 38 ona! (Breakthrough significantly increased)]

[HP Limit: 68 → 88. Current: 45/88.]

[Stamina Limit: 100 → 120. Current: 60/120.]

[Vigor unlocked! Limit 30, Current 0/30.]

[Free Attribute Points +2.]

[Obtained E-Rank Permissions: Can query the stc core database in more detail, can generate more complex quests.]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: Congratulations, you have officially stepped onto the threshold of the supernatural realm—though it is only the lowest threshold. Now, you can at least be considered a piece of relatively tough cannon fodder.]

Lin Qiming slowly opened his eyes, feeling the changes in his body. The sense of strength, lightness, and the faint flow of "Vigor" within him were all brand-new experiences.

He added the 2 free attribute points to "Endurance" and "Intelligence" respectively. Attributes became: Strength 5, Agility 5, Endurance 6, Intelligence 16, Mystery 3, Charisma 4, Luck 2.

Then, he couldn't wait to try calling out: "Hephaestus!"

This time, the response was no longer intermittent static. A steady, clear voice with a faint electronic synthesized quality rang directly in his mind:

[I am here, Anchor Lin Qiming. stc core repair progress has reached 0.12%, and the Intelligent Assistant Protocol is fully activated. Currently available: Real-time environmental scanning and analysis (50m radius), basic tactical suggestions, targeted database retrieval, quest framework auxiliary design, energy and repair progress monitoring. More functions will unlock as repair progress increases.]

"Fully activated..." Lin Qiming breathed a sigh of relief. "Report current stc core status."

[stc core Status Report:]

[Repair Progress: 0.12%]

[Energy Reserves: 18 ENU]

[Next Stage Key Repair Node: Repair progress reaches 1%. Expected unlocks: Basic Manufacturing Blueprint Library (Random), Information State Projection Protocol (Player Summoning Protocol) framework initialization, Primary Energy Weapon Principles.]

[Repair Suggestion: Continue absorbing high-purity energy or fragments of ancient ones relics (most efficient).]

"1%... Blueprint library, Player Summoning..." Lin Qiming's eyes burned with anticipation. These were all things he urgently needed.

"Is there any information about this mine in the database?"

[Searching... Fenris IV, a fringe world in the Storm Sector, gradually forgotten by the Empire about three hundred standard years ago. The current mine belongs to an abandoned vein for early 'Ash Stone' extraction. Warning: The database marks this area as having an 'unconfirmed anomaly,' possibly related to remnants from the era of the Ancient Ones or slight Warp infiltration. Cautious exploration of the depths is recommended.]

"Can you scan the depths of the mine?"

[Deep scanning requires additional energy. Proceed?]

"Proceed. Minimum power."

[Scan Target 1: Electromagnetic pulse source... Wreckage of an old-era automated mining machine. Some capacitor units still retain a faint charge and may contain valuable metal parts.]

[Scan Target 2: Radiation source... Non-standard geometric body. Material cannot be fully parsed; energy signatures match 'Ancient Ones Basic Construct Wreckage' recorded in the database with 41% similarity. Warning: Space readings around this object show slight distortion. Risk Level: Medium-High.]

Ancient Ones construct wreckage!

Lin Qiming's heart skipped a beat. The most efficient repair path was right before him! But the risks were also clearly marked—spatial distortion, Warp interference. In this universe, anything associated with the Warp was extremely dangerous.

He forced himself to calm down. Handle the relatively safe electromagnetic pulse source first to obtain parts and resources, then challenge that ancient ones relics.

The next day, he took his gear to the northwest tunnel. At the end was the wreckage of an automated mining machine about three meters tall, its casing rusted and perforated. Following Hephaestus's guidance, he used a long metal rod to discharge the remaining charge from the capacitor bank, then removed the voltage regulator module, several dark-gold crystal chips, high-strength alloy bearings and gears, and several metal plates.

After returning to the cave, under Hephaestus's guidance, he integrated the voltage regulator module with the energy crystal fragments to create an improved energy induction device.

[Simple Energy Induction Device (Improved) completed. Item Evaluation: Still crude, but at least it won't murder the user upon first use.]

"Progress." Lin Qiming put the device away and used the metal plates to craft simple bracers and a chestplate. He also used the alloy fragments to regrind the edge of his machete.

After resting for a night, his HP recovered to 58 points and stamina to 85. The injury to his left arm had improved, and he could now apply slight force.

On the third day, he took all his equipment and headed toward the collapsed shaft.

The shaft entrance was located behind an inconspicuous crack on the east side of the cave. He secured a rope to a rock pillar above and began to climb down. It was dark, damp, and oppressive. Radiation readings rose significantly, and the air was filled with a faint scent of ozone and ancient dust.

At the end of the tunnel was a natural stone chamber only a few square meters in size.

In the center of the stone chamber, an object lay quietly.

It was a polyhedron about half a meter long, made of a material that was neither metal nor stone, appearing a dull silver-gray. Its surface was covered in extremely fine, circuit-like geometric patterns, with an occasional, almost invisible flicker of ghostly blue light passing through. The object had no physical support; it simply hovered half a foot off the ground, slowly rotating. The surrounding air seemed somewhat blurred, and light distorted slightly as it passed by.

[Confirmed: Ancient Ones Basic Construct Wreckage (Information State Stabilizer/Fragment). Energy Signature: Pure Ancient Ones technological creation energy, homologous with the stc core. Estimated absorption efficiency over 85%.]

[Warning: Faint but stable information state ripples detected around the object. Use of an induction device for remote connection is recommended.]

Lin Qiming suppressed his excitement, carefully took out the improved energy induction device, and slowly extended the probe toward the floating polyhedron.

When the tip of the probe was still a few centimeters from the object's surface, a sudden change occurred!

The patterns on the polyhedron's surface suddenly lit up! A bright, ghostly blue light illuminated the entire stone chamber. Those geometric patterns seemed to come alive, flowing and reorganizing! A massive but gentle stream of information rushed directly into Lin Qiming's mind through the probe and the device!

It wasn't sound or images, but a torrent of pure "concepts" and "data"!

He "saw" the endless starry sky, saw an ancient and glorious civilization building Webways that spanned the galaxy, saw their wars with terrifying entities, saw the fall of their civilization and the scattering of their legacy... He also "perceived" a "plane" beyond the physical universe—the Information State Universe, where the "blueprints" of all existences and possibilities were recorded...

At the end of the torrent, a blurred but majestic consciousness, spanning sixty million years of time, made momentary contact with him:

[...Detected... Homologous Anchor Protocol... Unit severely damaged... Transmitting final record...]

[...Warning... Overlap Experiment... Risk... Third Path... Key...]

The information flow stopped abruptly. The polyhedron's light faded rapidly, its surface patterns quickly graying and solidifying. Finally, with a soft "crack," several fissures appeared on the object's surface. The levitation field vanished, and it fell to the ground, turning into a piece of gray stone that looked completely ordinary.

Lin Qiming froze in place, taking several seconds before he could finally catch his breath, stumbling back and leaning against the rock wall.

[Energy absorption complete!]

[Energy Reserves: 18 → 588 ENU!]

[stc core Repair Progress: 0.12% → 1.07%! Key node breakthrough!]

[Energy Level: 38 → 75 ona! (E-Rank · Mid Tier)]

[HP Limit: 88 → 105. Stamina Limit: 120 → 140. Vigor Limit: 30 → 50.]

[Free Attribute Points +3.]

A massive improvement! Energy reserves skyrocketed! Repair progress finally broke 1%! Energy level nearly doubled!

But Lin Qiming couldn't focus on those. The fragmented information left by that Ancient Ones consciousness echoed repeatedly in his mind: "Overlap Experiment... Risk... Third Path... Key..."

"Overlap Experiment... does it refer to the overlapping of the Information State Universe and the physical universe? Like my transmigration, and the Player Summoning Protocol?" he muttered to himself. "The Third Path... is the key?"

Hephaestus was silent for a few seconds before responding: [Integrating database fragments... In the late period of the Ancient Ones civilization, a series of experiments regarding 'Information State-Material State Interference' were conducted, aimed at finding the ultimate method to combat Chaos. Your stc core and the 'Player Summoning Protocol' are both directly related to those experiments.]

Lin Qiming digested this information. His transmigration wasn't an accident, but part of some ancient experiment? Player Summoning was also part of the plan?

"So... I am both the test subject and the executor?" He gave a bitter smile.

[stc core repair progress reached 1.07%, new functions unlocked:]

[1. Basic Manufacturing Blueprint Library (Randomly unlocked five basic blueprints): Simple Water Purifier, Basic Trap Components, Low-Power Lighting Stick, Simple Medical Kit, Crude Metal Armor.]

[2. Information State Projection Protocol (Player Summoning Protocol) framework initialization complete. Current status: Ready for activation. Activation requires 500 ENU and the establishment of a stable 'Beacon.' Once activated, the first batch of players can be summoned. Maximum quantity: 10.]

[3. Primary Energy Weapon Principles unlocked: Can attempt to parse and manufacture minimum-power energy weapons.]

Blueprints! Player Summoning! Energy weapon principles!

Despite his mental exhaustion, a light never seen before ignited in Lin Qiming's eyes. He finally had the possibility of moving beyond pure manual crafting and the hope of gaining "teammates"!

He immediately added all 3 free attribute points to "Intelligence" (Intelligence: 16 → 19).

Player Summoning required 500 energy and the establishment of a "Beacon." He currently had 588 energy, which was just enough. The Beacon required information state affinity materials.

[Analyzing... The ancient ones relics wreckage (depleted) still possesses a basic information state structure and can serve as the Beacon's core base. Energy crystal fragments can provide the initial driving energy. The current cave has enough space, but further clearing and reinforcement are required.]

"Understood." Lin Qiming took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to activate the summoning immediately. He needed to return to the cave first, use the new blueprints to craft equipment, prepare all the materials needed for the Beacon, and set up the summoning site.

This would be a systematic project. But the hope was clearer than ever before.

When he returned to the cave base, a prompt appeared on the panel again:

[Discovered and absorbed an ancient ones relic, completing a Major Historical Deviation Event (Minor).]

[Obtained special reward: Feat 'Ancient Resonance (Faint)' unlocked. Effect: Perception range for Ancient Ones technological creations +50%, Information State Resistance +1.]

[New Quest Triggered: Establish Beacon—Establish an Information State Projection Beacon within thirty days to activate the Player Summoning Protocol. Reward: Large amount of experience, Random Blueprint ×1, 'Pioneer' title.]

Lin Qiming stood in the cave, the firelight illuminating his tired but determined face.

Hephaestus, the intelligent assistant from sixty million years in the future, was now fully activated.

The legacy of the Ancient Ones had opened the first door for him.

And summoning players to build his own strength was no longer out of reach.

Seven days after his ninety-ninth death, in this forgotten mine at the Hive Bottom, the transmigrator Lin Qiming finally held the first key to changing his fate.

The road was still long and dark.

But ahead, there was light.