The projector changed its visual from the map showing Autometa's positioning and locations of interest to the carrier Alistair had retrieved. It had undergone drastic changes, like built-in doors and a metal cockpit at the front. Its chassis had an overhaul, converting the top layer into Stealthrim plating, covering all decals from the outermost layer. The damaged turret had been replaced by the missile launcher of the Missile boat Alistair had captured. He also noticed turbine-like attachments, which Alistair presumed were for increased speed. He wondered just how James had the time to overhaul the machine.
"I present the Zephyr," James announced proudly, gesturing towards the craft's projection. "Some of you may be wondering how I managed to turn the damaged carrier into a functional VTOL. The simple answer is that I had to cut some corners and got very lucky."
As James spoke, Alistair exchanged glances with Riseth and the others present, sensing a mixture of curiosity and concern among them. Nessyra's voice cut through the air as she sought clarification.
"What exactly do you mean by 'cutting some corners'?" she inquired, her tone tinged with a hint of disapproval.
"Oh, nothing critical; seating is a bit iffy, so you will have to hold on to straps. But this would speed up any emergency dismounts. The carrier wasn't exactly modular, so I had to gut some things. Fortunately, the Stuquit, the race which deployed the automata, had a bit of a mental flaw."
The statement drew some confused glances, which caused James to elaborate on his point.
"From what I gathered, they are a rodent alien species well known for their skittishness and propensity for extreme caution. They often exhibit a compulsion to build redundancy upon redundancy into their technology and machinery, sometimes to an excessive degree." James explained.
He started to list examples, such as their keyboards, which have every letter twice, and the carrier's built-in redundancies. He had been able to gut most of the carrier, saving him a lot of time and giving him a lot of space to work with. Multiple Stuquit nations were embroiled in a world war, but they deployed their automata instead of fighting themselves. James had not found any evidence of any Stuquit being still alive, but his drones had not yet left the territories of the two nations they had found.
"Are you sure you have not cut out anything important?" Nessyra pressed.
"Quite certain, I held multiple field tests to ensure its safety. I would not endanger my family and friends with untested machinery." James said in a more serious tone.
This satisfied Nessyra, who nodded and withdrew. Alistair knew that the only person James would endanger with something he built would be himself. But he was by no means careless and would only test things once he felt confident in them functioning as intended. However, he understood Nessy's concerns and planned to talk to her later. As James concluded his talk about specifications, he summoned a table next to the projector and retrieved multiple items from his storage ring. His girlfriend, who had been sitting quietly until now, joined him by summoning several sets of labeled metal flask potions and explaining their precise effects.
"Most of you know this, but don't drink multiple potions in quick succession. It will strain your body or, depending on which potions you mix, probably poison you or worse. Unless, of course, you have some kind of consumption skill or body modification. You should usually wait around 20 minutes between consumptions," Jessica advised as she placed the last of the metal flasks on the table.
She was about to sit back down when something occurred to her. "Oh yeah," she added, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. "Don't throw away the flasks if you can help it. They're reusable and maintain the potency of potions even in regular storage devices."
"Time to hand out some more presents," James announced cheerfully as he handed Riseth a large rifle. "I got several titles for all this crafting, especially for the Zephyr. It was well worth the time spent," James added, with a satisfied expression as Riseth eagerly inspected the rifle.
James proceeded to hand out cloaks with camouflage properties but stopped when he reached Alistair and handed him the camouflage tarp he had looted from the sniper and an undersized cloak.
"Sorry, Alistair, I don't have a cloak in your size; you might need to adjust your height. But I can craft you a larger one after the expedition."
"It's alright. My light manipulation skills have improved over the last few weeks. But I might be better off with a camouflage enchantment since my armor could integrate that," Alistair suggested.
"Right, I keep forgetting some of us have that enchantment. Resni has recently managed to recreate the comfort array. But I am still waiting for her to put it on my power armor." James lamented.
Resni had recently made the decision to join the clan as an auxiliary member. She had been intrigued by the expedition but was less interested as the things found in the Automata Trial World were outside her expertise and interests. She was more than happy to just work on the mountains of materials the clan brought in regularly. Another reason not to join the expedition was that Alistair had set requirements for anyone wanting to join the expedition. Alistair refused to lose anyone to avoidable deaths in the Trial. He had insisted on a number of safety measures and level and stat requirements to join. This had met little resistance as everyone deferred to him when it came to surviving in a warzone. Alistair had not been in a warzone before the trial but had completed the battlefield trial and had experienced the automata in action. Alistair presumed there would be mines and other death traps and had set requirements accordingly in an earlier clan meeting.
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Once everyone had taken their items and settled back into their seats, James started to explain the items.
"The cloaks should be self-explanatory; their camouflage slightly extends beyond the fabric but not by much, so it's a good idea to put on the hood," James jokingly added.
After a quick check for any questions, he continued, "From my analysis of the Autometa, I discovered that their primary detection mechanisms are visual. They have no audio receptors. However, their drones and scouts can detect magic, so minimizing your magic footprint by suppressing the magic permeating from your body is also recommended." James added, despite knowing that being able to suppress one's magic was one of the requirements for joining. James seemed to treat the last few points more like a checklist, and he made joking remarks as he read them off a list that was invisible to the rest of them.
Alistair was confused about one particular aspect of Automata. "How come robots seem so minimalistic compared to the crafts of the Stuquit?" He inquired.
James pointed at him with a smile. "Good catch. That's because they did not create the Autometa we see. Multiple factions on their planet bought some lower-grade blueprints for automata self-replicators from the Synth Alliance. The Alliance warned against modifying their replicators as they put safeguards in, so they didn't dare mess with it. They were playing at war, and it got out of hand. And now their world got copied to be used as a trial from the system."
"Why would they need low-grade automata in the multiverse? I get the bridge preventing stronger beings from crossing, but wouldn't they be wholly inadequate there?" Simon asked, somewhat confused.
This time, Riseth added her expertise. "The planet was probably rather remote. Many Planets in the multiverse possess low mana density and limited resources, making them unappealing to larger factions. Also, Grades 9 and 8 make up the most common average grade. Of course, there are some factions with much higher averages. However, our views are quite skewed from the benefits of the Trial. Regular individuals often need to work together to defeat monsters of their grade, while elites can handle them by themselves and are expected to handle higher-grade threats in groups. The quality of our records can't be compared to the average in the multiverse."
"So, from the perspective of the Multiverse, all of us can be considered elites?" Simon inquired.
"Yes, but we are still in grades 10 and 9, and it will get harder and harder to advance from there, so you had better not get complacent, especially during the trial." Riseth cautioned.
"The larger factions' interests are the rich, untouched worlds that have formed or were handcrafted by the natural gods in the wake of the integration. There are near countless opportunities and treasures to be had in a newly integrated universe," she added preemptively, anticipating Simon's next question and prompting him to lean back into his seat.
After ensuring they were done discussing, James picked up where he had left off. "As I was saying, they played at war, and everyone lost. Well except for the Synth Alliance who made a lot of USC. I don't even know what they were fighting over, as the automata I disassembled only had the most recent mission objectives programmed into them."
James picked up one of the small purple crystals they had handed out earlier, beginning to describe its function. "These are resonator crystals. They corresponded to a crystal beacon and let you teleport to it in an emergency. I will place the beacon in the gate room. Breaking the resonator crystal or being incapacitated by falling unconscious or paralyzed will trigger the teleport function automatically."
James let his words sink in, clearing his throat before continuing. "Each use of the resonator crystals will damage the crystal beacon until it shatters. Do not hesitate to use them if you are in danger, but don't casually use them either. The crystal beacon was rather expensive, and we have only been able to obtain one so far, as recommended by Resni to one of her fellow craftsdwarfs. Do not treat this like the lifeguarding you experience in the arena. These crystals will only get you out of the danger zone. Any injuries you experience will persist." he warned.
Once James concluded his presentation, the group delved into lively discussions, sharing thoughts and questions. Eventually, Nessyra took the floor, ensuring that any lingering uncertainties were addressed and everyone felt prepared for the expedition ahead.
"This should cover all the basics for tomorrow's expedition. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me through the Akashic Link." Nessyra concluded, her tone both reassuring and encouraging.
Nessyra eventually led everyone into the ritual chamber she had acquired. Alistair's mother and sister had both prepared their respective evolution rituals. The goal was Ice Witch and Celestial Witch, respectively. The outcomes weren't guaranteed, and one required a high enough affinity to succeed. There was potential to become an even higher tier subrace in the same branch. But this wasn't what they were aiming for. Both had measured their relevant affinities and should not have an issue advancing.
They had placed the needed treasures at focal points within the ritual circle, which were not too dissimilar to his own array. The more Alistair looked at the ritual circle, the more commonalities he managed to spot between it and his own cultivation array. The difference being that his array gathered and collected and then maintained essence at the center. Where as this one seemed to directly infuse it into the user's body, burning through the treasures to do so. However, he wasn't exactly sure as there were plenty of runes and functions he did not understand.
Melissa was currently arguing with her mother. She was nervous and hesitant but insisted she should be the first to undergo the ritual as it was her idea. Juliana, on the other hand, offered to go first and take the risk if something went wrong. After some back and forth, their mother backed down, and Melissa hesitantly stepped toward her ritual circle. As she did, Alistair went to his position in the ritual circle to supplement it with mana alongside Simon, Nessyra, and Riseth. With the largest mana pools, they were the natural choice to provide the required energy. A lone person could supplement this with other sources of mana, but this option was safer and cheaper.