Chapter 306: Killing Two Birds with One Stone
Another azure light coalesced in Wise's palm. As the system glow faded, it didn't leave behind a parchment scroll or a skill book, but a tangible, physical object.
A perfectly geometric cube, roughly the size of a fist, rested weightlessly above his skin. Its surface was an elegant, pristine silver-white, polished to a mirror-smooth finish that caught the ambient room light with a cold, precise metallic gleam. It hovered in absolute silence, emitting a steady, tightly restrained hum of energy that vibrated faintly against Wise's fingertips. Even a passing glance made it obvious—this was a highly advanced technological artifact, far beyond standard New Eridu machinery.
'Looks like another tech-oriented drop,' Wise mused, his eyes narrowing as he examined the floating cube. He mentally calculated its applications, figuring he and Belle likely wouldn't have much personal use for it. Their current power progression leaned heavily toward physical conditioning and raw elemental manipulation, leaving little room for cybernetic or hardware integration.
Focusing his mind, he let his consciousness brush against the artifact. The system interface immediately chimed, projecting a holographic data window into his vision.
[Item: Holy Stone - Prime Core]
[Quality: Blue]
[Type: Multi-functional Energy Core and Computing Unit]
[Function 1: Power Supply. Integrates a highly advanced, semi-permanent void energy extraction and conversion core. This core continuously draws free ambient energy from the surrounding space, and even siphons from the higher-dimensional 'void,' stably converting it into pure, highly efficient universal energy. Barring catastrophic structural destruction, its power supply is virtually infinite.]
[Function 2: Computing Power Amplification. Houses an extremely complex computing amplification and co-processing matrix. This matrix can smoothly link with external intelligent devices, providing massive auxiliary processing support. Under standard operating conditions, its baseline computing power can easily sustain the data operations of a large-scale metropolis. In overclocking mode, the instantaneous processing output rivals entry-level stellar computers for a brief duration.]
As Wise read the item description aloud, the room fell into a heavy, stunned silence. Brother and sister stared at the hovering silver cube, processing the sheer magnitude of its stats. Then, slowly, identical expressions of wild, unadulterated ecstasy spread across their faces.
"These... these two things..." Belle stammered, her eyes darting back and forth. She pointed a trembling finger at the azure data cluster containing the Explode With You!!! skill in Wise's left hand, and then at the gleaming Holy Stone: Prime Core in his right. She was practically vibrating with excitement, struggling to form a complete sentence.
"They're a perfect match," Wise finished for her, his usual calm demeanor cracking to reveal deep awe and joy.
Only moments ago, they had been agonizing over a critical flaw. If Eous learned a self-detonating clone skill, the little Bangboo would inevitably drain its internal battery to dangerous levels. They had pictured their poor companion sputtering out and shutting down in the middle of a Hollow after just a few explosions.
But this changed everything. The Holy Stone: Prime Core and its virtually perpetual energy siphon completely eradicated that bottleneck.
By integrating the cube as a secondary heart, Eous wouldn't just be a scout—it would become a tireless, relentless artist of destruction. As long as its reinforced chassis could withstand the thermal stress, their Bangboo could theoretically spam Explode With You!!! an infinite number of times. It was an astronomical leap in combat potential, instantly elevating Eous from a utility-focused support unit into a walking strategic bomber capable of laying down continuous, devastating burst fire.
And the benefits didn't stop there. The secondary function—the massive computing amplification matrix—immediately brought their other very useful partner to mind. Fairy.
Fairy was already an exceptionally advanced AI, capable of hacking and data-mining with terrifying efficiency. But if they could establish a secure uplink between Fairy's mainframe and the Holy Stone: Prime Core, the results would be staggering. Her information processing, real-time tactical analysis, and her ability to monitor the sprawling, chaotic data networks of New Eridu would undergo a massive, qualitative evolution.
It was the ultimate safety net for the increasingly dangerous multiversal crises they kept finding themselves dragged into. A single ten-pull had yielded two blue-tier rewards that didn't just complement each other flawlessly, but directly empowered their two most vital non-human companions.
Calling it 'good luck' felt like a massive understatement. This was absolute wish fulfillment—a flawless strike that killed two birds with one very shiny, silver stone.
"This is amazing! Brother, hurry up and use the skill on Eous!" Belle urged, bouncing on her heels. She was already picturing the little Bangboo doing victory dances with its shiny new explosive arsenal.
"Right," Wise nodded firmly, a wide grin breaking across his face. "First, we get Eous to master the combat skill. Once that's stable, we'll sit down and map out a safe hardware integration for the core to link up with both Eous and Fairy."
However, despite their soaring excitement, Wise and Belle didn't just blindly shove the data into their companion. Instead, they both knelt on the floor, bringing themselves down to eye level with the small, round machine that had been with them through thick and thin.
"Eous," Wise began, his tone shifting into something gentle but incredibly serious. He gestured to the swirling blue data cluster hovering above his left hand. "We pulled a skill that can finally give you real combat capabilities. But... taking this means you won't just be sitting in the backline doing reconnaissance and support anymore. It means you'll be stepping directly into the line of fire."
Belle placed a soft hand on the Bangboo's metallic head. "We want to know what you want. Are you willing to accept this? Do you want the power to fight back, to protect yourself... and to fight alongside us?"
Eous's round, heavy body leaned forward eagerly. Its internal processors easily parsed the weight of Wise's words. Without a single microsecond of hesitation, the Bangboo threw its stubby arms into the air and let out a loud, fiercely energetic electronic chirp.
"Mhm-nuh! Mhm-nuh mhm-nuh—!!!"
The urgent, resolute tone of its voice synthesizer left absolutely zero room for doubt. It was more than willing! It had watched from the sidelines for far too long. It wanted to grind, to get stronger, and to stand as a shield for Wise and Belle, just as they had always shielded it from the horrors of the Hollows.
Hearing that fierce, metallic declaration, Wise and Belle exchanged a warm, relieved smile. A deep sense of pride swelled in their chests.
"Alright then, buddy. Let's do this," Wise said, his eyes softening. He didn't hesitate any longer. With a focused thought, he guided the glowing Explode With You!!! data cluster, pushing it gently through the air toward Eous's chassis.
What happened next sent a wave of unmatched wonder cascading through Eous's logic circuits. The swirling, ethereal mass of blue light didn't bounce off its hardened metallic casing. Instead, the moment the data streams made contact, they silently phased right through the armor. It looked exactly like a drop of glowing water dissolving into a dry sponge, sinking deeper and deeper until the light completely vanished into the Bangboo's core.
"Mhm... nuh?" Eous tilted its head, looking down at its perfectly unchanged body in sheer confusion. It patted its own stomach, then looked up at Wise and Belle, its digital eyes blinking rapidly with question marks.
In its mechanical logic, gaining combat power meant Wise opening up its back panel with a wrench and installing a heavy, physical weapon module—maybe some rocket boosters or a machine gun attachment. It couldn't comprehend how absorbing a weird, intangible ball of light was supposed to make it stronger. Was it really that easy to become a fighter?
That innocent confusion didn't last long.
A split second later, a colossal, unfamiliar torrent of information slammed into its core processing unit like a bursting dam. It was an absolute flood of high-tier combat data—complex schematics for constructing volatile energy clones, complex algorithms for detonation sequences, precise thermal regulations for maximum blast radius, and the fundamental physics behind a terrifying, localized 'combustion' effect.
Eous's entire chassis instantly locked up, freezing mid-motion. The digital display screen that served as its face underwent a drastic change. The usual simple, expressive circular eyes vanished. In their place, a highly detailed, retro pixel animation began to play across the screen.
The animation showed a tiny, chibi version of Eous locked in a deep martial arts horse stance. Giant, pixelated beads of sweat flew from its head as it diligently threw lightning-fast punches and roundhouse kicks against a wooden training dummy. With every strike, colorful, retro comic-book text effects like "POW!" and "BOOM!" exploded across the screen. It looked incredibly hardworking, intensely focused, and overwhelmingly cute.
It was obvious to the two Proxies watching. Eous was currently operating at maximum capacity, fully receiving, analyzing, and hardwiring this brand-new combat protocol into its very soul. The integration would take some time; the little Bangboo's internal system was undergoing the most important update and structural overhaul of its entire life.
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