"In other words… it's time to pull gacha."
Obsidian muttered softly, eyes resolute as he gazed at the heap of Lunacy accumulated before him.
After hoarding for such a long time, he'd amassed quite a sizeable batch of Lunacy.
The harvest from the entire Kazimierz trip, the long-term developments at Lobotomy Corporation, and even the gains from subsequently containing Nothing There...
"Quite a bountiful reward... about one hundred fifty pulls or so."
Exhaling lightly, Obsidian hardly hesitated as he poured all the Lunacy he'd gathered into the Well in one breath.
Simultaneously, he pondered briefly in his mind about the City's current needs.
If it's just a few red level rewards… They probably won't have much effect on the City at this stage.
"In other words... I need to aim for something at the gold or higher, huh? With about one hundred fifty pulls… Even if my luck drops from before, getting two or three gold should still be feasible, right?"
With such anticipation, Obsidian turned his gaze towards the possibilities revealed in the Well. In the blink of an eye, golden lights began to flicker within.
"One, two, three... three total?"
Counting the golden gleams, Obsidian clicked his tongue, beginning to inspect them one by one.
First, tossing aside handfuls of Threads and Extraction Tickets. Then pushing away the red rewards that had little strength…
After neatly categorizing these into "medium-sized cups," Obsidian finally focused on the three newly obtained three-star-level rewards.
"Oh, a new Singularity, huh?"
Picking up a Singularity Technology Random Extraction Ticket, Obsidian raised this card high, momentarily setting aside the other extracted items.
Then, without hesitation, he tossed this new Singularity tech ticket into the Well again.
This time… which corporation's Singularity tech would it be?
This wasn't a Lost Singularity extraction ticket. In other words, Obsidian would gain access to an exclusive and powerful Singularity from one of the Wings of the World!
In that moment, eyes filled with anticipation, Obsidian waited for this Singularity ticket to bring him some pleasant surprise…
[T Corp Singularity Technology: TimeTrack]
When this reward finally manifested, Obsidian's hand paused briefly. He took hold of the Singularity technology card, and after a moment, the corners of his lips gradually curled upwards.
"Well, well… looks like the current affairs can be set aside temporarily."
Putting the other two three-star-level rewards aside, he massaged his temple with his free hand, carefully reading through the information flooding his mind… After a deep breath, he said softly:
"No matter what, setting up T Corp comes first."
Then Obsidian gazed off into the distance, softly murmuring to himself.
The rewards from this gacha pull…
Of course, they'll have to be digested one by one.
Moments later, Heal appeared once more in K Corp's underground factory. Here, the melancholy object continued its unceasing production of Original Fluid ampoules. Heal walked amidst the rows of embryo storage tanks, selecting a suitable candidate.
Shortly after, she chose a young man with slightly curly, black short hair. After her eyes rested on the young man's form, Heal released him from the storage tank. In her hand flashed an Extraction Ticket she'd recently obtained from a pull.
"…Seems quite fitting. Well then, I'll choose you."
Examining the embryo up and down, Heal's lips curled into a gentle smile. She extended her consciousness toward the young man and softly spoke:
"Then… your name shall be Hugh."
"Finally… welcome, my new 'self.'"
Then, Heal spread open her arms, smiling faintly. Before her, Hugh opened his eyes.
...
Not long after, within the flourishing landscape of the City, another corporation was established, swiftly uploading their patented technology.
A patent called TimeTrack Technology.
They called themselves TimeTrack Corporation—or T Corp, for short.
At its inception, this company didn't cause any real splash in the City. This was only natural. After a period of development, the ecology of the City had dramatically changed.
Currently, there were dozens of companies, big and small. With Lobotomy Corporation and K Corp aggressively expanding branches and gaining fame, the City's population had already surpassed the hundred-thousand mark and was still rapidly climbing.
Therefore, the newly established T Corp indeed failed to stand out in any notable way.
But for Hugh, this wasn't an issue at all.
As T Corp's leader, Hugh began actively moving around the City, implementing various strategies to elevate the company's status.
After quickly recruiting the initial few employees, Hugh commenced the first development of TimeTrack technology. Soon after, the TT1 Protocol was introduced.
Its effect was quite straightforward and easy to grasp: storing time, then applying it individually for acceleration.
In other words, harvesting time and transferring it.
With this technology, the time-rich could experience days with forty-eight or even more hours. Conversely, those lacking time might find themselves living days as short as four hours...
For the first time, time itself became a tradable currency.
The moment the TT1 Protocol emerged, Lobotomy Corporation and K Corp began their supportive promotional efforts… Soon, T Corp's name began spreading across the City, and word of the so-called TT1 Protocol gradually became known.
Eventually, people learned how the TT1 Protocol operated.
Simply by offering up time—no extra labor required, just giving their time to T Corp—they would receive corresponding compensation. Conversely, T Corp would sell this time to others, granting them additional hours each day.
At that instant, many began to stir restlessly.
After all, since the City's establishment, the number of people short on time wasn't small at all. The scale was so vast that it was difficult to measure. Thus, once the TT1 Protocol surfaced, propelled deliberately by the other two Wings of the World, it immediately exploded in popularity.
Likewise, many were willing to purchase time. To them, more time represented greater strength, meant more opportunities to make money… provided they could afford the "cost" of time itself.
Thus, T Corp slowly entered the City's field of view. However, this also led to a significant problem...
The biggest issue was—
Time was no longer enough.