Chapter 104: Scouting Plans

Chapter 104: Scouting PlansThe workshop had transformed beyond Adrian’s recognition.

In the past, it was comparable to a football field in size, but now it sprawled across an area three times as large.

The walls were lined with several more automated assembly arms and tools, and the fabrication hub had evolved dramatically.

Sleek consoles lined its perimeter, each equipped with touch-sensitive interfaces.

Adrian approached the central console, his Power Suit’s boots clanging softly against the polished floor.

The moment he tapped the interface, the Tech Core pinged, its voice clear in his mind:

[What would you like to fabricate?]

The question sparked curiosity. Eager to test the workshop’s capabilities, Adrian decided to experiment.

"Wood," he said aloud, and the fabrication hub shifted before his eyes.

The consoles reconfigured, and a section of the workshop sprang to life with tools tailored for woodworking: precision saws, lathes, sanders, and many more.

Impressed but eager to push further, Adrian tried something new. "Paper," he commanded.



The hub transformed again, replacing the woodworking tools with paper-processing equipment: pulping machines, rollers, presses, and even high-speed printers and photocopiers.

"Clothes." The hub complied, morphing into a textile station with looms, sewing machines, and fabric synthesizers. When he said "metals," the setup became the usual foundry, complete with smelters, casting molds, and a runic engraver for inscribing magical properties.

His experimentation hit a wall when he requested specific materials like electronics, food, or chemicals. The Tech Core responded curtly:

[Material not recognized. Please specify a valid fabrication category.]

"Still, this is incredible," Adrian murmured. The workshop’s versatility exceeded his expectations, but he couldn’t afford to waste time exploring every possibility.

With a mental command, he reverted the hub to its default magi-tech configuration, the familiar setup of runic engravers, some forging anvils, and precision assemblers reappearing.

Satisfied, he turned to the worktable to continue. While crafting the underground capsule, Adrian had solidified his plan for the drone.

While crafting the underground capsule in the Corrupted Lands, he had solidified a concrete plan for the drone.

His goal was ambitious: to scout the entirety of the Corrupted Lands, a sprawling 20,000-square-kilometer expanse.

A successful scouting mission could yield a wealth of benefits. A detailed map would reveal the land’s topography, resources, and potential hazards, giving him a strategic advantage.

More importantly, it would allow him to investigate the pervasive claim that the Corrupted Lands were utterly devoid of mana; a notion that puzzled him deeply.

Adrian knew the concept didn’t entirely add up. Mana was the lifeblood of this world, flowing through everywhere.

Yet here, in this desolate land, it was conspicuously absent. There had to be a reason... a geological anomaly, an ancient spell, or something more sinister.

He was determined to uncover the truth, but his first priority was clear. "I need a detailed map of the Corrupted Lands," he said to himself in a voice steady with resolve.

A map would be the foundation for his exploration, guiding his movements and revealing what secrets this forsaken place held.

Before he could dive into the logistics of crafting sensors for the drone, a sudden realization hit him like a jolt of electricity.

Would the Tech Core even register data collected by an invention? His original plan hinged on the drone’s sensors capturing topographic and mana data, which the System would then process into a comprehensive map with the [Mapping] function.

But doubt gnawed at him. The sensors he could craft, while advanced, weren’t sophisticated enough to independently process and transmit detailed data to him.

He had hoped the Tech Core would treat the drone as an extension of himself, integrating its findings into the System’s [Mapping] function.

But was that realistic? Uncertainty crept in, and he decided to confirm with a carefully worded question.

"Tech Core, can the System process environmental data, such as topographic or mana readings, collected by my inventions to generate a map or analyze mana presence, or is it limited to data I directly perceive?"

The response came swiftly, and it was a blow to Adrian’s plans:

[No. The System only processes information directly sensed by the user. Data can only be collected from inventions equipped with ??.]

Adrian’s expression deflated and his shoulders slumped within the Power Suit.



"There goes my hope of mapping this place," he muttered in disappointment. But the Tech Core’s mention of "??" still managed to grab his attention.

He repeated it slowly, almost whispering, "What is that..."

Adrian had seen those double question marks before. They were always amongst the stars listed out when a new magical invention was reviewedm and it was always given the F- rating.

Could this be connected? "It could just be a placeholder for something I have not unlocked yet," he mused.

"But the System implied my inventions could collect data if they had that... "

The realization sparked a theory: this particular double question mark might represent a critical component, similar to the stats and grades he was accustomed to.

If so, it could enable his inventions to interface with the System, allowing it to process their data as if he’d sensed it himself.

"So that means," Adrian said slowly, piecing it together, "it’s a defining aspect of my inventions, just like the stats and grades I’m used to. There is a chance they’re the same thing."

The revelation fueled his curiosity, making him desperate to uncover what it truly meant.

Why was the System so cryptic about it? He felt as though it was challenging him to discover the answer on his own.

Though he was currently clueless about how to proceed, determination burned within him. He would figure it out eventually. But with his Factory time limited, he couldn’t afford to chase that mystery now.

"Okay," he said, refocusing with a sigh. "I might not be able to map the land, but the drone can still help me confirm if there’s mana here after all."

That was his immediate goal. He grabbed a massive sheet of paper and a marker; preferring it over the interface on the workable.

With precise, practiced movements, Adrian began sketching, his mind translating his vision into detailed blueprints.

His plan was to create a drone with advanced flight capabilities, drawing on a propulsion system he planned on developing from the scratch.

The system utilized lightweight Sylvaris frames, as detailed in his [Metals of Thanad] knowledge, paired with enchanted gyroscopes for stability.

These would allow the drones to navigate the Corrupted Lands’ turbulent winds and cover vast distances without faltering.

The primary drawback was the drones’ power requirements. Sustained flight over 20,000 square kilometers demanded immense energy.

Adrian calculated that two 3-Star magic crystals on the drone would provide sufficient power for the propulsion system, ensuring long-range operation.

A third 3-Star crystal would fuel an inbuilt mana detector, designed to pick up even the faintest traces of ambient mana.

The detector’s sensitivity was critical; it needed to be able to relay and communicate mana signatures.

Since the System couldn’t directly process the drones’ data due to the absence of the hidden stat, Adrian devised a workaround inspired by his Communicator invention.

He would craft a signal receiver, a compact device that would emit a sharp beep if any drone detected mana.

To track their movements, each drone would be equipped with a magnet and compass, feeding positional data to a GPS tracker he planned on designing.



The tracker would log the distance covered and the direction traveled, providing a rough estimate of where mana, if any, was detected.

"Yes, each of the drones," Adrian said aloud, emphasizing his strategy. Relying on a single drone was too risky; a mechanical failure or navigational error could derail the entire mission.

Instead, he envisioned a swarm of interconnected drones, linked via an array field to cover different sectors of the Corrupted Lands.

This approach would accelerate the scouting process and improve reliability. If one drone detected mana, it would transmit its location to the receiver, then deactivate immediately.

To achieve this, Adrian planned to embed a mana-volatile formation in each drone’s core, crafted with runes that would overload upon exposure to external mana.

This would cause the drone to shut down, allowing nearby drones to converge on the signal and confirm the finding.

The giant paper was soon covered in meticulous sketches: blueprints of the drone’s sleek, aerodynamic frame, detailed schematics of the propulsion system, and intricate circuitry for the mana detector.

Notes outlined the array field’s synchronization protocols, ensuring seamless communication between drones, and the GPS tracker’s data relay system.

Adrian stepped back, studying the design. It was his most ambitious project yet, surpassing even the Mana Gun in complexity.

The interplay of flight mechanics, mana detection, and data transmission pushed the boundaries of his expertise, requiring him to integrate concepts he hadn’t fully mastered.

"But I’ll scale through," he said with quiet resolve. He flexed his Power Suit’s metal-clad fingers and the joints hummed softly, after tilting his neck with a satisfying crack, he said:

"Time to get to work."