The System Awakens

The Box World, the Alchemy Studio.

On the workbench, an alchemical device lay quietly on a metal stand, its outer runes slowly shimmering with light.

After completing the insertion of the last component, Lucien straightened up and stretched his stiff neck.

He was preparing to refine a simplified version of the Sorcerer's Stone.

Of course, it can't be crafted in the Box World, nor can it be crafted at home— Lucien was also afraid that a mistake would blow up the Box or House into the sky.

Several deserted islands have been selected as the refining sites. They are very remote, literally the kind of places where no one will bother to do anything. Even if something goes wrong, it won't affect anyone else.

During the break, Lucien brought up the system panel.

After the system went into upgrade sleep mode, the panel turned light gray, as if covered by a thin mist.

Before going into hibernation, the system stated that it would not affect the progress records of existing loans.

My gaze swept over the section on the Emerald Tablet Fragment, and the repayment progress had reached one hundred percent.

However, the loan program has not disappeared.

"Could it be a bug?" Lucien toyed with a metal part in his hand, silently thinking, "Hey, System, are you awake?"

[Host, have you missed me? (* ^ ω ^)]

I only asked tentatively, but I actually received a response from the system.

Lucien was surprised. "So fast? I thought your upgrade would take at least a year and a half..."

The system was upgraded before it was even used for a month?

System: [Because I miss you so much, I want to see you as soon as possible (๑¯ω¯๑)]

Lucien: "..."

He forced himself to ignore the cheesy words and immediately checked the system's updates.

The interface wasn't much different from before, so I quickly browsed through it.

The main change is in the loan categories, with two new types added: quarterly loans (three months/90 days) and semi-annual loans (six months/180 days).

Lucien pondered for a moment and felt that this was a pretty good adjustment and optimization.

It's become more detailed than before, with two new categories added between monthly and yearly loans, which essentially enriches the loan offerings.

He had long felt that the gap between monthly and annual loan amounts was too large, and now that there are two more tiers, it fills the gap perfectly.

The difficulty and time limit of repaying the loan are only one aspect; the key is the loan content itself.

As his strength increased and he acquired more and more knowledge, the monthly loan provided by the system could no longer keep up with Lucien's pace.

Only rare title-based loans, or loans that can be combined into a set, will truly pique his interest.

Lucien rubbed his fingers together. "Let me see what new loan programs are available."

System: [I've been ready for a long time ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶]

The system, which is now much more "lively," has finally given Lucien a sense of familiarity.

Before the upgrade and hibernation phase, the system became "listless," not only responding slowly during communication and interaction, but also reducing the frequency of triggering loans in daily life.

Now that the upgrade is complete, the triggering of some loans should return to normal.

Lucien still had his eye on certain loans, especially the Elemental Rune and the Plague Doctor Set.

Who can resist the temptation to collect everything?

He skillfully browsed the panel, names flashing past his eyes, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

Soon, Lucien received the long-awaited information.

An icon on the panel glowed with a pale blue light.

"Wind?"