Wasteland Development Diary.

Chapter 671 The Essence of the Celestial Gem

Autumn passes and winter comes.

A cold front swept across the land, and snowfall has begun in some areas.

On an ordinary day in the winter of this eighth year.

The long-dormant artificial sun, the second one, finally rose slowly from the Dead Sea.

Unlike the sparkling brilliance of Sun No. 1, Sun No. 2 was shrouded in smoke, resembling a giant ice ball, with a vast amount of white vapor rising around it, making it appear somewhat hazy and ethereal.

Zhou Yicheng arrived at the side of the gem device.

703 took the initiative to invite Chairman Zhou Yi to enter the interior of the Second Sun.

Inside the thick, gem-encrusted walls are numerous components that interact and connect with each other, like tiny gears working together to drive the entire massive device.

Inside are two gem-like spaces resembling heart chambers.

Inside the left ventricle are several operating cabins made of gemstones, where several electromechanical lifeforms are located. They are connected to the outside world through gemstone fibers, and their work lights are constantly on, indicating that they are performing calculations.

The right ventricle, however, was relatively empty, with a slowly rotating stone sphere suspended inside.

But there was no trace of 703.

Zhou Yi looked around before finally focusing his gaze back on the stone sphere.

He still remembered this stone ball; it was a piece of furniture that 703 brought with him when he left his hometown of Energy Storage City. Although it was just an ordinary stone egg in the eyes of others, it was 703's only toy during his poorest and most difficult days.

Even after becoming the company's program manager, he was still one of the two leaders of the Electromechanical Knights.

703 never discarded the stone ball, still regarding it as a treasure.

After successfully exercising on Sunday, 703 even gave the stone ball a name: "Friday." Because at the company, Friday is followed by the weekend, and everyone is always in a good mood on that day.

The holidays are most beautiful when they are about to begin.

Looking at the stone ball, Zhou Yi recalled the various events brought about by Sunday's program, and couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

"As expected of the chairman, you recognized me immediately when I was in my true form, Friday!"

The sound of 703 came from inside the stone sphere.

Zhou Yi was taken aback, then waved his hand: "I didn't see that coming. I just remembered when you used to bring Fridays to the company... Time flies, we've gone much further than we initially thought."

"You're right, it's like a dream."

703 said, “Chairman, sometimes, many times, I wonder, is all of this real? Could it just be a long daydream as I lie in my cramped tin-roofed apartment in Energy Storage City? When I wake up, I'll face unemployment again, no money for insurance and medical repairs, endless work until I finally pass away…”

"Even if all of this is just a dream, I'm still very content."

"It's incredible to have met you, to have walked alongside you, and to have accomplished so many amazing things that I never imagined. You've changed the lives of millions of impoverished electromechanical workers and saved so many lives... It's all just unbelievable."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "You're becoming more and more like Zhuangzi. It seems to be a direct descendant of Zhuangzi's dream of the butterfly. But whether it's a dream or reality, we should strive to make it better. We always live between the real and the unreal."

"You're right."

"Alright, let's get down to business. How come you're on Friday now?"

"Is such that."

703 flew to Zhou Yi and said, "With the help of Mr. Hydrogen Flow, I completed [New World], which also uses the Celestial Gem as an element. However, my characteristics are different from those of Master Juemingzi."

"Its capabilities are projection and monitoring."

"Besides projection, another ability I've evolved is surveying."

Zhou Yi wasn't particularly surprised.

In its earliest factory configuration, the 703 was designed for mineral exploration.

"Then why did it turn into a stone ball?"

Zhou Yi was quite concerned about this point.

"This is remote sensing technology used in surveying. I implanted gemstone fragments inside the stone sphere using gemstone fibers, so it only looks like a stone sphere, but it is actually a gemstone remote sensing device. Just like those projection life carriers."

"My physical body is deeply bound to the second sun in order to achieve precise control over it and use its energy levers. Therefore, when I am active outside, I will basically appear in the form of Friday."

It turned out to be the case.

Zhou Yi said, "But I still prefer and like you the way you were before."

703 said, "Then Friday should stay inside the sun. I'll replicate a body and use it to move around outside." Zhou Yi nodded, "As for your surveying ability... it should be a comprehensive upgrade of your past characteristics. Based on the strength and properties of the gem... you should have a stronger ability to survey Celestials or Death Rays?"

"You're absolutely right!"

The voice of 703 came from inside the stone sphere: "I have a natural affinity for the directions of gemstones and death rays, so the survey results and accuracy are the best."

“I can make very accurate judgments about gemstones with different polishing parameters and various types of gemstone fibers, and I can also polish them based on existing standards.”

Zhou Yi was overjoyed to hear this.

That means we've acquired a gem engineer. Previously, various gems could only be used as finished products, but now they can be processed according to specific parameters, greatly enhancing their operability.

With the increasing use of gemstones, the capabilities of 703 are of great significance.

"Chairman, I have confirmed that the gemstone is essentially high-purity crystalline silicon, composed of numerous isotopes."

"Therefore, the gem-like bodies of celestial beings can also be considered as artificial silicon-based life forms."

“Under normal circumstances, pure silicon crystals cannot enter the Earth’s natural environment because the water and oxygen here will cause the silicon crystals to oxidize rapidly, which will cause the connection between the gemstones to fail and the entire structure to collapse.”

"The fact that the early Celestials' partial bodies collapsed rapidly upon landing on Earth was also due to this factor. Later, they underwent special treatment on their bodies, creating a layer of silicon oxide, and no longer had to worry about this situation."

"Based on my recent observations of more than 3000 million gemstones on the moon, I have found that their surfaces have thin films of compounds such as silicon nitride (SiN) and silicon carbide (SiC), which greatly improves the impact resistance and toughness of silicon gemstones."

Zhou Yi's eyes lit up.

We've finally figured out the true nature of gemstones.

This is a huge step forward!
"However, gemstone technology itself is very complex and precise, and the technology of silicon crystal gemstones is extremely advanced. Although its material is based on silicon crystal, it also has other elements as auxiliary materials. I cannot reproduce it based on the finished product alone."

703 said with some regret, "Silicon gemstones have a very special crystal structure at the microscopic scale. I have detected that they are carved and made at least at the atomic level. It is very likely that the precision is even higher than that."

"The more I learn, the more I realize how terrifying the Celestials are in gem technology... It truly exceeds the scope of what Earth technology can comprehend."

Zhou Yi nodded: "Their technical capabilities are beyond doubt. However, we shouldn't engage in a technical contest with them. Instead, we should understand their weaknesses, leverage our strengths, and use our strengths to attack their weaknesses. That's our approach."

"That's what you said."

"This has always been the company's strategic direction. Now I understand your thinking, and it is a very correct decision."

After making a flattering remark, 703 said, "Although silicon crystals may seem fragile, they can be quickly adjusted and optimized. By combining with other elements, they can continuously modify and iterate to match various environments."

"So your judgment is correct. We need to start from the realm of life and consciousness, where silicon and gemstones do not overlap."

"My survey of the death ray area can come in handy."

It paused for a moment and then said, "Chairman, when I was on the moon, I discovered some disordered information by observing the dead light layer on the lunar surface."

"This information is discrete and shows very clear signs of human intervention."

"The source of the intervention is the sun."

"However, the higher the energy intensity, the higher the degree of intervention, and the lower the energy density, the lower the degree of intervention. Just like the ocean is deep and difficult to explore, but shallow streams can be seen underwater."

703 said, "That's why I applied to bring the second artificial sun to Earth. The density of death rays here is low, and the degree of interference is low. After several months of continuous debugging and testing, we did make a discovery."

"Chairman."

"The Lord of the Dead Sea... or rather, the Dead Sea consciousness born from the eruption of the circular current in the sun, has a part of its own consciousness."

"It's just that it's interfered with and controlled by a special force, causing the information it sends to be broken and reassembled."

Zhou Yi immediately realized: "String Light?"

"Yes, it is string light."

"The String Civilization, through its internal structure, remotely influences and interferes with the sun, releasing the information it desires through the Dead Sea Lord. This includes the parts observed by the War Lord: open the sun, beware of the cyborgs..."

703 said: "However, because this is the result of the distortion of the Dead Sea Lord's consciousness, the information is not coherent and often appears intermittently. In other words, the Dead Sea Lord is resisting the influence of the String Civilization."

"If we intervene and eliminate some of the blocked string light, we can help it return to normal to some extent. At least the part projected onto the Dead Sea on Earth can be alleviated to some extent. With low Earth intervention, this is achievable."

"We can completely subjugate the Lord of the Dead Sea in this way, and then the Dead Sea will no longer be a problem!"

Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow

It seems.

The transformation of the Dead Sea, which he had been longing for, now had a feasible direction.

(End of this chapter)