Alchemy Doll
District 18, Energy Coin Minting Zone.
It absorbs energy from underground planets for collection and casting.
Logically, if a planet doesn't perish, energy coins should be inexhaustible.
Mechanical life forms shouldn't lack energy coins either, but Lister only realized this after visiting the mint in District 18.
The amount of energy coins that can be minted each year is fixed; the production capacity is limited.
Furthermore, the majority of the production was used for energy shields and the normal operation of the 49 districts.
The surplus was then given to the mechanical lifeforms.
The mechanical lifeforms, wanting to gain more, naturally sought to minimize the overall consumption of the Alchemy Ruined City.
This is also why the entire city is shrouded in a gray haze, with only faint green streetlights on the roads.
No wonder he thought the energy coin was only effective in Act IV.
On the contrary, the gold coins from the earlier acts can be exchanged for local digital currencies during the galactic and cosmic eras, even if the exchange rate is extremely low.
After a brief tour, Lister continued his exploration inward.
District 15, Alchemy Machinery Research and Development Zone.
District 7, the refuge area.
All the cryogenic chambers were destroyed, as if they had been cracked by the blast, and none survived.
The cabin was completely empty. Over three thousand years had passed, and the bodies of the alchemical humans inside were estimated to have completely decayed and dried into dust.
A strange odor filled the air, and seeing that they had found nothing else, they turned and left.
For about a month, Lister explored inwards.
In the central area, the number of functional areas that meet human needs has been greatly reduced, while the proportion of functional areas that serve mechanical life remains the same.
At the same time, many functional zones that maintain the city's operation have also emerged.
Although they had arranged to meet at the entrance of Zone 3, they coincidentally bumped into Wang Yue outside Zone 4.
His level was already LV70, but his scan revealed that his skill level was only 65 and his basic attributes hadn't reached the barrier.
It seems that the period of rapid development has passed. Even though Wang Yue's level is still rising rapidly, she will still need to make up for her overall weakness through active training.
Upon seeing Lister, Wang Yue shook her head with some regret.
"No information from the Galactic Federation."
"Regarding alchemical civilization, there's only one piece of information that could be considered somewhat useful."
"That alchemical genius is named Hoffman; he's the creator of this Alchemy Royal City."
Lister recalled that the book "The Origins and Development of Alchemy Machinery" from the Information Archive mentioned a genius in alchemical mechanics.
Including the alchemical genius who was mentioned from time to time during our exploration of the central area, we now know his real name.
Hoffman is indeed a genius for creating such an alchemical mechanical life form.
The fourth zone is also a functional area; once inside, it resembles a factory-style industrial park.
Various robotic arms and alchemical machinery parts are processed in different areas like an assembly line.
Blades, machine guns, alchemical microwave weapons, and more—along the way, we even found weapons or accessories for combat robots.
The surrounding area is entirely dedicated to the production of various types of alchemical machinery parts.
Lister even saw the recycling area, where many energy-depleted mechanical lifeforms were sent, with predictable results.
All the components were eventually delivered to the central fortress. If nothing unexpected happened, this fourth zone would resemble a production or "breeding ground."
"Permission scanning in progress: Level B permission, entry permitted."
"Please note: Any act of vandalizing, interfering with, or affecting the birthing area will be considered 'public enemy number one,' and will result in the prohibition of all privileges and removal."
It seems this really is the birthplace of mechanical life?
Although it was unrelated to Lister's purpose, he was still quite interested in the birth of this mechanical life form.
Moreover, this fourth district seems to be the only way to enter the third district.
Inside the fortress, a complex, multi-layered assembly line unfolded before his eyes.
Parts of various alchemical machinery were assembled.
"Snap! Snap!"
The clicking and closing sounds of the machinery echoed in my ears, and they were rather Heal to hear.
Lister stood on a semi-suspended glass corridor, where visitors had only a fixed tour route.
Notification: Energy shield detected. Overall shield level: 8, strength: S-rank.
Sure enough, an invisible energy fluctuation appeared as soon as he reached out.
With this level of strength, let alone accidental damage, even Class Holder would struggle to break through this shield, let alone disrupt the production within it.
The deeper you go inside, the more completely the mechanical lifeforms are assembled.
Finally, colorless energy crystals were installed and placed, but the mechanical lifeform was still not activated.
"Alchemy Grade C energy crystal discovered, 100% energy, 29 cycles remaining."
"81 loops remain."
Ultimately, all life forms were teleported into the final area, which was completely enveloped.
Like the sky outside the city, it was an endless darkness when looked into from the outside, impossible for anyone to explore.
The most important secret of the so-called birthing area remained unknown, and the so-called visit turned out to be a complete waste of time.
Lister realized why so few players risked their lives to enter the central area in his previous life.
It turns out that most of the interesting exploration areas are in the non-central areas, and the central areas are probably not worth visiting except for some side quests.
"Is that... a robot too?"
Wang Yue pointed ahead into the black area, where a strange figure stood facing him.
He was about two meters tall, with a slender build, and his eyes were closed, revealing rather regular facial features.
Of course, what attracted Lister the most was his green hair; he was definitely not an "ordinary person."
Wearing a brown and green trench coat-like outfit, her overall demeanor instantly improved.
"Isn't that... a robot wearing green?"
Wang Yue couldn't help but ask, "I never expected to see a mechanical model here that even the Desire Gymnasium doesn't have."
Even Lister had to admit that the man in front of him was handsome, even dressed in green.
"Huh?"
A surprised exclamation came from Wang Yue beside him, and Lister couldn't help but frown.
There was no other reason than that the "robot" in front of them suddenly opened its eyes, and the two of them thought it was an inactive mechanical life form.
His green pupils turned and swept over Lister and his companion.
Those eyes... were completely devoid of the dullness of a mechanical life form; they were incredibly bright.
Lister could even sense a hint of curiosity in the other person's eyes.
At the same time, the contraction and expansion of the pores all over the body and the breathing at the tip of the nose don't seem like a simulation of a mechanical life form; it's too realistic.
Could this be a real person?
Immediately scan the other party's information using the system.
"Reconnaissance of enemy and friendly forces is underway... Reconnaissance results have been obtained..."
[Target Found: Alchemy Type C Doll]
[Level: Lv70]
[Health Points: 50313/50313]
[Strength:18981/18981]
[Attributes: Strength 60, Stamina 70, Intelligence 67, Agility 59]
[Skill: Master-Level Fighting Techniques (Rank A) LV54: A master-level mixed martial arts technique originating from Alchemy Civilization, dealing 5005~5313 points of damage, and can cause certain negative effects such as immobilization, slowing, bleeding, and stun.]
Excellent-Level Blade Technique (B-level) LV51: Excellent-Level Blade Technique originating from Alchemy Civilization, dealing 4305~4704 damage. Breaking the attack may add a certain amount of damage.
Manipulation Descent (Passive, No Grade) LV70: Can withstand LV70 level energy. (Note: The overall rating of withstanding energy does not exceed Grade C)
[Overall Rating: C (Boss Level)]
Alchemy Doll?
Lister hadn't expected it to be a doll; it was incredibly lifelike.
Amidst the Killing Intent Wave, the look in his eyes, the faint, fluctuating breaths, and even the few hairs on his face and hands, all made him sigh in amazement.
The Kingdom of Lucian is not without puppeteers and doll makers, but their skill level is far inferior to that of the puppeteers in the Alchemy Civilization; they even struggle to anthropomorphize puppets.
Or rather, it's even more difficult to compare with the humanoid machines of Alchemy Civilizations, let alone the lifelike puppet before us.