"What that Puppet Master senior could do, I can certainly do too." Gustavo was very confident; Logo's memories of bloodline studies could be used in this area.
"Moreover, I am different from the Puppet Master. He only has the Predator talent, while I also have the Soul Devourer, which allows me to extract the soul information of other living beings."
"The puppet's body is optimized using gene fragments, while its soul information can enhance its Combat Skills, allowing for the cultivation of various types of puppets: attack, defense, agility, and even functional puppets such as pharmacists and Mechanics..."
Gustavo's eyes grew brighter and brighter, countless inspirations flashing and dancing in his mind like sparks.
After a long while, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, only to suddenly realize that he had overlooked a problem.
Genetic fragments are stored in Gene Warehouse, but what about soul information?
Upload to Higher-Dimensional Information Space?
It's not impossible, but it's not a long-term solution.
Soul information is different from ordinary information.
The former is equivalent to "initiation," which allows one to quickly inherit a certain type of knowledge from the original owner.
The latter is equivalent to a book, which requires you to turn the pages, memorize, and understand it yourself.
The efficiency of acquiring knowledge is on a completely different level.
Of course, "initiation" also has its drawbacks, namely that one is easily assimilated by the other person's soul memories, and if the degree is not properly controlled, the person will perish.
This concern does not apply to ordinary information.
The Higher-Dimensional Information Space is all ordinary information, which needs to be learned and understood on one's own.
To impart knowledge to a puppet that lacks self-awareness, ordinary information is insufficient; soul information must be used—a direct "copy and paste"!
"It seems I need to build a storage organ, similar to Gene Warehouse, to store soul memories."
Gustavo seemed thoughtful, then after a moment's thought, he murmured, "Let's call it the Soul Library!"
"Hmm... So the next tasks are to improve the four major talents, including [Predator] and [Energy Optimization], deduce the construction method of the Soul Library, and we can't neglect the ' Complete Compendium of Top-Tier Poisons ' either, while also keeping the Star Capture User class in mind..."
As Gustavo pondered this, he suddenly realized that he had so much to do.
"Oh, poor spider!" Gustavo sighed, and with a thought, something wrapped in spider silk and huddled in a corner of the cave floated over.
The spider silk parted, revealing a black powder the size of an infant's fist, surrounded by various materials.
Herbs, the excrement of unknown creatures, blood glowing blue, unknown liquid...
"It's so inconvenient not having any power; even gathering materials is so difficult," Gustavo muttered, his resolve to build a puppet army growing stronger.
At least it can help me run errands, right?
Moreover, puppets are essentially weapons; they lack independent thought and are not affected by Luck Deprivation.
"Begin preparation!"
Clearing his mind of distractions, Gustavo got to work.
His eyes became extremely serious and cautious, his eight legs tensed, ready to run away at any moment, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy, as if the things in front of him were ten times more terrifying than the Ironback Azure Bear.
It's no wonder Gustavo is behaving this way; the pill he's currently concocting is a four-star poison— Hades!
A fully-formed Hades can poison Legendary beings; its destructive power is unimaginable.
However, to concoct the complete Hades, Gustavo's toxicology level was not high enough, and he also couldn't collect enough materials.
Hades requires a total of 632 materials, five of which are four-star materials, commonly known as Legendary materials.
Of these five materials, Gustavo only managed to obtain one: the blood of the Legendary Dark Nightmare Beast.
To be precise, it's at the Legendary level, the blood of soul-like beings.
Hades is a poison that acts on both the soul and the body, and some of the materials used are soul-related, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of collecting it.
Gustavo obtained this Dark Nightmare Beast blood from Spider Mom before leaving the lair; he'd been eyeing Hades for quite some time.
Over the past few months, Gustavo has collected more than a hundred kinds of materials. It's impossible to concoct a complete version of Hades, but a super-incomplete Hades is something he can try to create.
With level 22 toxicology and level 45 Energy Manipulation skills, Gustavo's nerves were on edge, but his movements were methodical, slowly adjusting his formula...
Night City.
The massive and ancient city stands on the plain, like a giant beast lying down, with its hundred-meter-high gates welcoming visitors from all directions.
Spaceships landed from time to time in the sky, while a massive steel fortress patrolled directly above.
The ancient and the modern seem to intertwine and blend here, giving the Night City a unique charm.
Headquarters of the Brooks Mercenary Corps.
A small, ten-meter-long flying saucer opened its hatch, and a woman wearing a brown robe and a hood stepped out.
She was very tall, easily 1.9 meters, with fair and delicate skin, and dark gold pupils that seemed to contain a starry sea, exceptionally deep.
"How was the trip?" Brooks greeted her with a beaming smile.
"The fish on Planet Saila are as delicious as ever, and the scenery is also quite nice. I don't understand why the Saila People always complain about their lack of resources. The martial spirit of this country is ingrained in their bones." Diwoer showed a helpless expression.
"Oh? When did you start caring about this kind of thing?" Brooks asked in surprise.
Diwoer clasped his hands together, tilted his head slightly back, his eyes seemingly reflecting the Stars, and spoke in a strange tone, "The Mother of the Stars guided me through the Mist, allowing me to glimpse a sliver of gloom. I seem to see the future of the Elven Plane, a future shrouded in fire and blood, where an invisible hand is manipulating something..."
After saying this, Diwoer's expression turned serious, and he looked at Brooks, saying, "If the war spreads to the entire Elven Plane, we will inevitably be implicated!"
Brooks raised an eyebrow. "You mean, the Plane Protection Period?"
Diwoer shook his head. "That's only one reason. I suspect the war might come sooner than expected."
Brooks seemed to be deep in thought. She certainly believed Diwoer's words, but what use was it for a Legendary like her to know about such a major change affecting the entire plane's situation?
Shaking his head, Brooks led Diwoer into the hall and told him his request.
"To divine the fate of an unknown creature?" Diwoer examined the spider silk in his hand.
Brooks nodded slightly. "That's right, I will give you sufficient compensation!"
"Alright!" Diwoer did not refuse and, in front of Brooks, activated the Divination.
The spider silk in his hand floated in mid-air and then burst into flames, revealing illusory stars that twinkled and, together with the firelight, created a blurry scene.
Caves, spider silk, spider monsters...
"Found it!" Diwoer opened his eyes, the spider silk in his hand had turned to Ashes and vanished completely.
"Where is it?" Brooks asked hurriedly.
"Two thousand three hundred kilometers west of Night City, at the eight o'clock direction."
"Alright!" Brooks stood up, a hint of killing intent flashing in her slender eyes.
While Diwoer was divining for Gustavo, Index, who was sleeping in the Fallen Star Nest, suddenly opened her eyes.
"What's going on? Someone's doing a fortune telling on me? Who's got a death wish?"
"No, it's after the second brother. Let's see who it is!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Index disappeared.
Meanwhile, in the Dark Temple in the center of Night City.
Archbishop Andre was praying devoutly when suddenly his eyes widened. "How did this monster get here?"
"Don't be nervous, it has nothing to do with your Church of the Dark Night!" Index's voice suddenly echoed in the hall, and the archbishop breathed a sigh of relief. He knew it; he hadn't offended this troublemaker recently.
The Brooks Mercenary Corps.
Elia, Rig, and the other five were kneeling on one knee, awaiting Brooks's instructions, completely unaware that pairs of eerie green eyes had quietly appeared above them, spying on them.
"Alright, let's get to work!" Brooks waved his hand, and Elia stood up with a face full of hatred, leading the other five people out of the hall.
"I hope everything goes well!" Brooks, her hands behind her back and her eyes slightly narrowed.
This Legendary had no idea that he had just narrowly escaped death.
"Just some little guys, no fun. Let the second son handle it himself!"
And so, pairs of eerie green pupils vanished silently, and at the same time, the enormous shadow that had enveloped the entire Night City also receded.