Honkai Impact 3rd, Saving the Pre-Civilization from Hand-Crafted Black Tech

"Don't listen to her nonsense, she just wants to slack off," Ai Yue said, shaking his head as he looked at Queen, who had only recently "been born" and was still quite straightforward. He then focused his attention on the map she had provided. "Wow, there's a lot of mineral resources here. If I didn't come, wouldn't all of this be wasted?"

"So that's your goal?" Vill-V chimed in, leaning closer. "The mineral resources of Australia are indeed a very valuable target."

"But what about the Honkai Beasts?" Mobius asked. "You're not the only one who has been coveting this land, but you should know very well why they haven't taken action yet."

In fact, that was precisely the case. Ever since Australia had turned into scorched earth due to the Seventh Herrscher, countless countries had set their sights on this rich land. However, the cost of rebuilding on land ravaged by Honkai Beasts and saturated with Honkai energy was far beyond what any single country could bear.

Even just for mining operations, the labor and transportation costs would be enormous.

And now, Ai Yue intended to complete this project single-handedly. If it were anyone else, Mobius certainly wouldn't have spoken to him so politely.

But he was Ai Yue, after all, so he could actually do it.

"Those things are nothing to Ai Yue," Vill-V said, hooking her arm around Ai Yue's neck and pointing to the Queen Bee beside them. "After all, we have the 'Swarm' here."

Mobius stared at Vill-V for a long time, and when she realized the other woman had no intention of letting go, she sighed and shifted her gaze back to Ai Yue. "So, aren't you going to properly introduce me to the 'Swarm'?"

"How should I put it? Rather than saying I created the 'Swarm' for this place, it's more accurate to say I chose this place for the 'Swarm'," Ai Yue chuckled. "Reclaiming Australia and taking this land back from the Honkai is just the first task I've set for the 'Swarm'."

"As for its full name, it should be called the 'Gestalt Collective Will Drone Swarm'."

"Gestalt? Collective Will?" Mobius's expression changed slightly upon hearing the two familiar terms. "You've combined them with drones?"

Although Mobius wasn't very knowledgeable about mechanical engineering, she was no stranger to these terms, as they were originally part of the medical field. Naturally, she knew what they implied.

Gestalt Collective Will meant that the entire drone swarm was essentially a single entity, controlled by the Artificial Intelligence "Queen Bee," which acted as its brain, much like a human.

This description might not seem particularly special, but if one could control a massive drone swarm as easily as a human controls their own body, then that drone swarm would exhibit terrifying capabilities.

Imagine a group of ten thousand people unconditionally obeying the command of a single mind, with no arguments, no disagreements, and no selfish desires, each person fully dedicated to their role. How terrifying would that group be?

On the battlefield, it would be an invincible army. In construction, it would be the most efficient construction team. If dispersed among the various levels of government, what would that country become?

Compared to humans, drones have even lower demands. Humans experience fatigue, hunger, and sleepiness, but drones do not. As long as there are no malfunctions and sufficient energy, they can work non-stop, 24 hours a day.

Most terrifyingly, according to Ai Yue's previous statement, this drone swarm was proliferating, its scale continuously expanding. As the numbers increased, the swarm's strength would also grow.

Mobius remembered Ai Yue mentioning that Prometheus was an Artificial Intelligence capable of learning and growing. If the Queen Bee was similar... what would their future become?

Perhaps even Ai Yue, who created all of this, would find it difficult to imagine?

Chapter Thirty-Six: What Are You Doing in Front of a Child?

"No wonder you don't need any manpower, and you only brought one guard," Mobius said, her gaze towards Ai Yue filled with a hint of understanding after realizing everything. "With such a useful drone swarm, you probably won't have any problems living here alone."

Ai Yue merely smiled in response, saying nothing more.

The reality was just as Mobius had stated. Ai Yue's original plan was to have the Swarm manage this experimental base.

From basic daily maintenance, to the exploration and excavation of Australia, to the clearing and expulsion of Honkai Beasts, and even to opening up farmland and establishing factories, everything was to be handled by the Swarm.

To this end, he designed over a dozen types of drones with different functions, sufficient to handle various situations. Furthermore, drones with different functions could merge to become larger drones with more comprehensive capabilities. And what these drones would do, and how they would do it, was entirely up to the Queen Bee to decide.

Moreover, there was a crucial element within the Swarm that Ai Yue hadn't actually told Mobius – the "Bee Tribe Network," which linked the Queen Bee and the drone swarm.

The core component of every drone was a chip made from Soul Steel. Such chips not only improved the drone's performance but also provided additional computational power to the Queen Bee when the drone connected to the Bee Tribe Network. Even because of the excellent performance of Soul Steel, each drone could be considered a backup for the Queen Bee.

This way, even if Ai Yue's experimental base suffered a devastating blow, or if the entire world's network was destroyed, as long as one drone survived, the Queen Bee could use the drone manufacturing facility, the "Hive," to make a comeback.

"But the base is mostly drones, won't it be lonely?" Vill-V patted Ai Yue's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll come visit you often!"

"You should first think about how you're going to complete your next mission," Ai Yue shook his head. "The situation in the Mu Continent is much more complicated."

"I was just about to say," Vill-V's face immediately fell upon hearing Ai Yue's words. "Why would you think of building an underground shelter in the Mu Continent? The situation there is so complex and difficult to deal with!"

"That's why I spoke to ****** and told them to give you a green light," Ai Yue chuckled. "The budget for this mission is unlimited, so you won't disappoint me, right?"

"Ahhh, I get it, I'll do it, okay!" Vill-V hesitated for a long time before finally stamping her foot in frustration. "Just you wait, I'll build you the most indestructible shelter!"

With that, she turned and left the control room, appearing to intend to leave through the teleportation gate.

"What mission?" Mobius asked at this point. "You're sending her to the Mu Continent to build a shelter? Why would you suddenly think of something like that?"

As the most technologically advanced region on the planet, the Mu Continent was the forefront of global technology, with almost all cutting-edge technologies originating from there. Even Mobius had worked there and published many groundbreaking results. Now, Moth to Fire also had a science department in the Mu Continent dedicated to researching advanced technology.

However, the Mu Continent had always operated outside the framework of Moth to Fire, always believing it had the capability to solve its own problems and rarely allowing Moth to Fire to interfere with internal Honkai disasters. As a result, for a long time, apart from some technological exchanges, Moth to Fire and the Mu Continent had almost no contact.

"They're starting to buckle under the pressure and have recently softened their stance, hoping we can help," Ai Yue shrugged. "Hen and Kevin are currently busy with matters there, and the shelter is just a necessary project to deepen our cooperation."

Of course, this was just the superficial reason, but it was enough to convince Mobius.

"I see, so the problem must be quite serious," Mobius nodded, a hint of schadenfreude appearing on her face. "I wonder how many of those old guys survived. Perhaps I should find some time to go back and take a look?"

As she spoke, Ai Yue suddenly felt his phone vibrate. He took it out and saw that it was a call from Dr. Mei.

Ai Yue glanced at Mobius beside him and decided to switch to video mode. "What's up?"

"Dr. Ai Yue, and Dr. Mobius, you're both here, so that makes things easier," Dr. Mei said, looking at Ai Yue's situation and visibly relaxing slightly. "It's like this, in a couple of days, the Mu Continent will be holding a technology exchange conference. Headquarters has two spots, and I was wondering if you're interested?"

It really was a case of "speak of the devil."

"Sure," Ai Yue nodded without much hesitation. "Who got the other spot?"

With Queen at the experimental base, there was little to worry about. Moreover, Ai Yue wanted to witness the level of the Mu Continent and see if he could find anything useful.

He vaguely recalled that, in addition to the "Star Gate" capable of teleporting to the moon and the "Abyssal Eye" that communicated with the Sea of Quantum, Armed Dolls also seemed to have been developed by the Mu Continent.

While it seems unnecessary now, it could still save some effort in advancing the tech tree.

"Of course it's me," Mobius said. "Right, Mei?"

"You're willing to do it, Mobius?" Doctor Mei sounded surprised. "Didn't you always refuse this kind of thing outright before?"

"This time is special," Mobius said, glancing at Ai Yue before smiling. "It's been a long time since I've seen an old friend, so I might as well take the opportunity to visit."

"Oh, alright then. I'll let Su know," Doctor Mei nodded, not paying it much mind. "He shouldn't mind."

Both sides were straightforward people, so after concluding their call, they hung up cleanly. Ai Yue put away his phone and looked at Mobius again. "You want to see an old friend?"

The teasing tone in his voice was far too obvious.

"What, is that not allowed?" Mobius shot him a glare. "Don't get any funny ideas."

"I was just wondering if you actually have any old friends," Ai Yue said, feigning surprise. "What were you thinking?"

Mobius gritted her teeth in annoyance, then grabbed Ai Yue's arm. "You have a bedroom here, right?"

"Wait, what are you doing? It's still daytime!"

"Less talk, let's go!"

The two of them vanished from the main control room, completely ignoring the Artificial Intelligence beside them.

"Sister, didn't you say before that Doctor Ai Yue's spouse was Miss Aponia?" Queen asked curiously after the two had disappeared out the door. "Then what's going on with Doctor Mobius?"

"Shh, don't ask what you shouldn't," Prometheus replied without looking up. "It's adult matters, children shouldn't pry—that's what Doctor Ai Yue told me before."

"Oh."

Taking a day off, hoping for everyone's understanding.

There's very little established lore for the Mu Continent, so I have to make a lot of things up. I need to think more about it and also re-read the existing lore. Hence, I'm taking a day off.

Since this book was published, the only day I didn't update was right at the beginning when no one was reading. Other than that, I've at least posted one chapter. But today, my brain really isn't working, so I need to reorganize my thoughts.

Furthermore, after finishing the slice-of-life parts, we'll soon be entering the Herrscher subjugation battles. How to write the next Herrschers, whether to follow the original plot, and if not, how to design it, all need careful planning to avoid a collapse. So, readers with ideas can also discuss them in the comments or reviews. I'll read them all.

Finally, thank you all for your continued support (bows).

Chapter 37: There are still experts?

The Mu Continent is a very strange place. There isn't a single independent country on this continent; instead, there's only a city called "Atra," which is jointly managed by numerous countries. It's as if there were no indigenous inhabitants, and it was entirely developed by outsiders from the beginning.

"It's said that there really are no natives here, which is very strange," Vill-V explained to Ai Yue on the plane. "However, the first people to discover the Mu Continent were Europeans, so it's hard to say what the situation really is."

Ai Yue merely shook his head, offering no comment.

"The Mu Continent truly has no natives, the specific reason is unknown, and it might be related to the continent itself," Mobius chimed in. "According to previous exploration results, this continent doesn't possess the conditions for civilization to arise. Everything is very peculiar."

After saying this, she couldn't help but look at Vill-V. "Speaking of which, why are you still here? Didn't you say you were supposed to go to the Mu Continent already?"

"Oh, I'm going to build a shelter, so of course I need to prepare in advance. How could I just leave on a whim?" Vill-V said with a smile, then meaningfully glanced at Ai Yue, who was looking at his phone. "Could I be disturbing you?"

"No, you're not," Mobius replied expressionlessly, then closed her eyes, clearly not wanting to deal with the party pooper.

Vill-V, however, wasn't about to shut up. "Speaking of which, you two are going to attend the Technology Exchange Conference, right? Didn't they say you need to bring your own projects to participate? What did you bring?"

"Nothing," Mobius said concisely. "I'm a judge, so I don't need a project."

"I didn't bring anything either," Ai Yue said, patting his arm. "When we get there, I'll see what everyone else's level is and whip something up on the spot."

The projects Ai Yue had developed were generally at a level that would make others question if they'd eaten raw poisonous mushrooms. Even the most basic among them would be considered something that the entire Mu Continent would revere.

If nothing else, the Honkai Energy Absorber was something the Mu Continent couldn't optimize further based on Ai Yue's design, let alone his other groundbreaking research.

"That's true. With your level, you really didn't need to come," Vill-V nodded. "If you had said you wanted to participate beforehand, these scholars might have even moved the conference venue to the Moth to Fire headquarters."

"That would be putting the cart before the horse," Ai Yue said, finally looking up. "Speaking of which, is this all? I remember Doctor Mei's Sea of Quantum communication project was also on the Mu Continent, wasn't it?"

He had been looking at the list of projects the Mu Continent was bringing to the Technology Exchange Conference, but he couldn't find what he was looking for.

Not to mention the Abyssal Eye and the Star Gate, even the Armed Dolls weren't on the list. Instead, a bunch of random things filled the list, making Ai Yue feel an urge to turn around and leave.

What kind of top-tier global technology exchange conference is this?

"Oh, projects like that wouldn't appear on this list," Vill-V explained. "Doctor Mei's projects are all classified. How could they possibly be presented at the exchange conference?"

"Then it feels like there's no point in going to this exchange conference, right?" Ai Yue frowned. "It would be better to visit the projects that can't be publicly disclosed."

"There's nothing that interests you?" Mobius nodded. "Then let's just not go. I'll take you around Atra properly."

"It might not be good to be absent directly, especially since Doctor Mei arranged it," Ai Yue rubbed his chin, then turned his gaze to the girl who had been quiet all along. "Hua, how about you go in my place?"

"Huh?" Although she didn't speak, the girl who had been paying attention widened her eyes in astonishment. "Me?"

The next day, at the largest exhibition center in Atra City, the highly anticipated Technology Exchange Conference officially began.

The conference was scheduled to last for three days, with over a hundred projects and nearly four hundred scholars participating. Countless technologies, unheard of by ordinary people, were unveiled for the first time, and the lineup of judges was truly impressive, making it a rare technological grand event.

Naturally, such a grand occasion also attracted the media. Countless reporters eagerly awaited the opportunity to obtain groundbreaking, exclusive news at the conference.

However, reporters soon noticed that the majority of the scholars attending the Technology Exchange Conference were milling around the venue, seemingly searching for something.

"Could it be that some top scholar has arrived?" The reporters exchanged glances. "I heard that the renowned medical expert, Mr. Spasi, reappeared in the public eye recently. Apparently, he's found a way to cure terminal illnesses."

The reporters had thoroughly studied the attendee list for the Technology Exchange Conference. Any notable names had been meticulously researched, yet they couldn't find anyone who could cause such a stir.

"Mr. Spasi is still in Europe; he even made a house call this morning, so there's no way he could be here," someone immediately shook their head. "Besides, Dr. Mei isn't attending either. If it's not them, then who could it be? Even Dr. Mobius wouldn't have this kind of effect."

Mobius's capabilities were practically unmatched in the academic world. Coupled with her notoriously bad temper, it not only made her extremely unpopular but also kept countless scholars at bay. Without a sufficiently strong will, even scholars of the same caliber wouldn't dare approach her lightly, naturally making it impossible for her to elicit such a reaction.

Not to mention, Mobius had withdrawn from the event at the last minute yesterday, replaced by her assistant, Klein. She wouldn't even be present—oh, actually, the strangest thing was that she was on the initial list of judges at all.

To be honest, Mobius's absence was a good thing. Otherwise, who knew how many projects she would have given a zero score.

So the question remained: if it wasn't Dr. Mei, nor Dr. Mobius, nor Dr. Spasi, then who was this person that so many scholars were desperately searching for?

This confusion was quickly resolved. Following the index on the map, the scholars immediately converged in one direction. The crowd density was so immense that it even brought nearby projects to a standstill.

The reporters followed the direction of the scholars' movement and found a very inconspicuous, even easily overlooked, exhibition booth.

Its location was excellent, practically at the very center of the entire venue. However, it was truly meager, with only a table, a computer, and a young girl who, by her appearance, didn't look like a scholar at all.

Whose subordinate was this?

The reporters quickly found the information for this booth according to the map. They discovered that booth number "01" didn't even have a project title, only a name.

"User: Ai Yue."

Chapter 38: You're also a Three Laws follower, huh?

Moth to Fire, Atla Branch, Third Science Department, Seventh Laboratory.

This was a rather messy laboratory. A large amount of discarded materials and parts were scattered about carelessly. Countless crumpled pieces of paper and documents littered the floor, leading one to imagine what kind of slovenly person the owner of this laboratory must be.

And in fact, the owner of this laboratory was indeed a bit... unkempt.

"Hmm... is this the 137th or 138th experiment?"