Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

Luo Tianming nodded, then made an excuse to discuss it with his crew and others before giving her a definite answer.

After receiving the license from Migra, Luo Tianming rushed to Engineer Wohlheim without stopping, and at the same time immediately returned to the submarine and opened the 'Captain's Log'.

Chapter 28 The Reasons for the Extinction of Aliens

[Mission: The Phantom of the Ancient Tomb (Want my treasure? You can have it all! Go find it! I've left all my treasure there...) Ahem, complete the mission issued by the Europa Alliance and bring up any one alien artifact intact. Mission Reward: Special Recruitment Ticket x1]

[Limited-Time Mission: Submit an Alien Artifact (Our 'business-minded' customer service representative has already told you about her desire for an alien artifact, and now you've finally found it... Submitting any alien artifact might increase her 'favorability' and unlock a special event? That is, if she actually possesses such an item.) Mission Reward: 10 Recruitment Tickets]

Luo Tianming: "..."

Looking at the prank-like missions in the captain's log, he helplessly rubbed his forehead.

Although these things seem like a headache, the rewards for completing the tasks are genuinely good.

The first task rewards you with a special recruitment ticket, which is equivalent to 10 regular recruitment tickets.

The second task, on the other hand, directly gave 10... If you can complete it, that's a total of 20 recruitment tickets! This can be described as an unprecedentedly huge reward.

but.

"..."

While overjoyed, Luo Tianming was also pondering a question, which he eagerly pulled out a pen and wrote down in his journal:

[System, are these two tasks mutually exclusive?]

【…】

After a while, the text finally appeared on the screen.

[(After 10 seconds of deep thought) A user pointed out that Task 1 and the limited task are mutually exclusive.]

[A: The two tasks are parallel choices, not mutually exclusive options. The user's concern is that if there's only one artifact within the ruins, there will be more disagreement about the reward for completing the task, leading to a dilemma about which task to prioritize.]

[Therefore, I should truthfully inform users that regarding the inference that there may be more than one artifact in the 'alien ruins,' the probability of finding only one artifact in the ruins is 23%, and 17% of that is due to issues caused by theft, damage, or self-destruction systems.]

[Additionally, there's about a 5% chance that no artifact exists within the ruins; even if it doesn't, there's a certain probability it's hidden in another container.]

In summary, the conditions that users worry about tasks being mutually exclusive have been addressed, and there's no need to worry about only being able to complete one type of task. How many tasks are completed depends entirely on the user's effort. If a user achieves significant success, the system can reclaim some resources.

Luo Tianming: "..."

Who exactly trained this (Lungmen profanity) AI to create this nonsense model? Something that could be explained in a single sentence has to be made into a whole 'universal disclaimer' starting point. I found a model from the 2K era that is more human-like than this.

"..."

Now that it has been determined that there is likely more than one artifact beneath the ruins, the remaining issue is how to deal with the damage caused by these artifacts.

Of the artifacts he knew, the most dangerous was definitely the 'Nasonov Artifact,' which would continuously spawn monsters, causing ocean monsters to rush towards its location without hesitation.

Although these monsters will still prioritize their appetite and create a large hunting ground around them, if they are accidentally disturbed, they will join forces to deal with the submarine, which poses the greatest threat.

Other artifacts each have their own troubles, but none are as dangerous as this one if you were to carry them.

Unable to think of a good solution for the time being, Luo Tianming decided to check the Captain's Log shop. Two hours had passed, and the shop had entered a new round of refresh. He would first see what items were worth buying.

He turned to the next page:

1.【穿梭型无人机——（由32架小型穿梭无人机组成的勘测集群，放出后可以探测半径200米范围内的空间，并实时将画面传递到舰桥）价格=5招募券（无人机丢失后需要花费1招募券补充）】

2. [Synchronous Communication Device X5 – (A communication device that uses short-wavelength optical frequencies for communication. It is extremely stealthy, its signal is undetectable, and it is very difficult to intercept. Without another synchronous communication device tuned to the same frequency, no messages can be received. The receiving range is approximately 5km, and its total number of channels is over 10^10.) Price = 5 Recruitment Vouchers]

3. [Intrusion-type Electronic Warfare Chip - Hermes' Boots (Reputed to be a control panel that can be hacked anywhere, like the boots of Hermes in mythology that allowed him to fly. Of course, you'd better not get caught, otherwise unless you truly possess Hermes' abilities, you're doomed.) Price = 3 Recruitment Tickets]

4. [Anti-submarine missile - Stinger - A missile launched underwater in a curved trajectory. It gets its name 'Stinger' because it penetrates deep into the enemy's body and detonates inside. Price = 3 Recruitment Tickets (Each missile refill costs 1 Recruitment Ticket)]

"..."

After a brief silence, Luo Tianming looked at his warehouse, which had a balance of '0'.

He almost couldn't help but wail—they're all such good stuff!!

The first drone will fill the gap in the detection capabilities currently lacking on the Nautilus.

The second communication device can maintain contact within a 5km range. With these devices, he no longer needs to run back and forth to relay messages to his crew.

The third electronic warfare device... its purpose is unclear, but it's definitely useful! (Hamster collecting urge kicks in.)

The fourth anti-ship missile, the Stinger. If I had known it was this good, I wouldn't have modified the ship with two pulse lasers.

Of all the items that were removed during the last refresh, I was already heartbroken because I couldn't afford to buy the pistol and adrenaline mod.

If everything is rejected this time, Luo Tianming will probably be regretting it for another fifty years.

No way, I have to get all these items this time!!

Luo Tianming quickly found Laiwei and Wu Jianmiao and told them about the mission.

"..."

Upon hearing him mention 'alien ruins,' both women looked at him with disbelief.

"Alien ruins?!" Levi looked puzzled. "Is our scope of business really that broad? Now we even manage alien ruins?"

"I hope there aren't any aliens or anything like that inside. Just thinking about them crawling out of my stomach makes me feel nauseous!"

On the other hand, Takemi Taeko corrected, "Alien is just a fictional scene created by the movie for the purpose of exaggeration. In reality, the human body does not have enough nutrients for biological growth."

"However, alien ruins... are there alien remains inside? If so, can I dissect them?"

Looking at Miaomiao's expression that seemed to say she wanted to "disintegrate," it was clear that this female doctor was not as simple as she appeared.

The eager look in Wu Jianmiao's eyes sent chills down Luo Tianming's spine; he absolutely did not want to appear on Wu Jianmiao's operating table.

He patted his chest and assured them, "Don't worry, there are no aliens inside anymore. You won't find a single alien like the ones you're imagining in the entire ocean of Europa."

Wu Jianmiao didn't rush to agree, but instead asked, "Since there are no aliens, if this matter weren't dangerous, you wouldn't have come to discuss it with us... What exactly is the danger in there?"

Luo Tianming: "...mechanisms, an endless array of mechanisms."

Heh... Anyone who knows about alien ruins knows that these damned aliens set up more traps in their own home than White King Worm set up chainsaws in the White Palace!

Those damn aliens must have gone extinct because: they needed to unlock a light switch to open the toilet seat, accidentally pressed the wrong red button to get up and caused the bed to explode, and needed to play with a gravity ball to open the refrigerator.

Chapter 29 Preparation

Since neither of them had any objections, Luo Tianming went to Migra to accept the task.

The Alliance has always been stingy with rewards. He was only given two thousand marks for delivering elastic fibers the previous time, and this time he was only given six thousand marks for exploring alien ruins.

No wonder so many submarine captains are so adept at navigating all sides; working solely for the Alliance would be a complete waste of their time.

At the same time, he obtained a series of necessary items, such as an artifact storage box, which can temporarily isolate the artifact from its surroundings.

Scanners—scan and model the internal structure of ruins, allowing scientists to understand the structure of these ruins.

There was also a set of coordinates. After entering them into the submarine's navigation system, a new destination appeared, which was the location of the ruins.

However, they were not in a hurry to set off.

The critical modifications to the submarine are not yet complete; at the very least, we must make thorough preparations.

Luo Tianming found the old engineer, Wohlheim, at the shipyard. The old man was very disdainful of his arrival: "Hmph, here comes the sycophant."

Luo Tianming: "..."

He didn't do anything, but his reputation inexplicably became tarnished.

The old man's prejudice against Luo Tianming likely stemmed from that 'license'.

Since it was a top-level license issued by Colonel Ivan, it meant that Luo Tianming could bypass the officer ranks and directly purchase upgrade services for any military site.

Rumors circulated that he obtained a license by currying favor with a staff officer at headquarters named "Migra".

Therefore, naturally some people despise his sycophantic behavior, especially his attempts to please women.

This time, Luo Tianming came with even more upgrade requirements.

First, the existing energy storage batteries need to be upgraded to increase their energy storage capacity, and the charging speed also needs to be adjusted.

Since the batteries have been upgraded, the entire ship's electrical system also needs to be upgraded. A large number of lines have been replaced with special cables that are more resistant to high temperatures, and the outer layer of the cables has been wrapped with a special fireproof insulating layer.

Secondly, the internal reactor was upgraded, increasing the maximum power output ratio, which not only improved the fire resistance rating but also completed structural modifications and fission rate upgrades.

The fuel was replaced with more durable thorium fuel rods, an ideal alternative to uranium-235. Thorium itself does not directly participate in the reaction but is converted into separable uranium-233.

It has higher power, is more durable than ordinary uranium fuel, and has a higher fission efficiency.

In addition, an underwater robotic arm will be installed, which will mean that Luo Tianming and others will no longer need to go outside the cabin frequently for operations, and they can work in a small area.

"..."

After reading these requirements, the engineer from Wohlheim was so angry that his beard trembled.

Old man: "Do you think this is your home?! Do you want me to get you another beer and let you set up a deck chair here?!"

Luo Tianming: "..."

He felt that his request was a bit excessive, after all, only Wohlheim was the engineer who was busy with everything, and the other apprentices were not focused on this at all.

He made so many demands all at once, the old man was so busy he was about to fall apart, and seeing so much work to do, it was normal for him to get angry.

The most urgent thing now is to calm the old man down.

"...!"

Suddenly, the 'beer' the old man had just mentioned caught his eye. He immediately ran back into the submarine and retrieved a sealed container that looked like a liquefied gas cylinder.

Wohlheim: "?"

Luo Tianming tilted the bucket, then poured a glass of foamy, deep brown wheat juice into it and handed it to the old man.

"What is this...!"

Before the old man could finish his grumbling, he was suddenly given a mouthful of medicine.

——!

But it was this one sip that made his eyes light up.

The smooth texture, combined with a balanced bittersweet flavor and a few bubbles as you pass through your throat.

"Hiccup~"

Wohlheim let out a long burp, his nasal cavity filled with the smell of alcohol.

He immediately took the glass of craft beer in surprise, looked around cautiously, and whispered, "Where did this good stuff come from?"

"I haven't had such good beer since we lost contact with Earth."

Luo Tianming knew that no man could resist the allure of beer and fried chicken. It was a pity that there was no fried chicken available now, otherwise, he could have a beer and fried chicken meal as soon as he left the cabin and release all his stress.

He replied mysteriously, "Don't ask about the place of origin, it'll cause trouble if I tell you. Just tell me about the beer."

Wohlheim rolled his eyes at him, then turned and went back into his room. A moment later he returned carrying a ham that looked like agate and some salty cheese.

It seems there's no need to tell him about the beer's quality anymore; the old man has brought out all his best-kept secrets, so naturally he's very satisfied with the beer.

The two men, each holding a military dagger, slowly sliced ​​the ham, drinking craft beer with salty cheese... Every time Luo Tianming sliced ​​it too thickly, the old man would slap his hand away in distress and make him do it himself.

While eating, Luo Tianming suddenly remembered something.

He suggested, "If I could get two more barrels of beer, do you think we could recruit more soldiers to help modify the submarine?"

"Them?" Wohlheim said irritably. "Those guys are good as laborers. They're stuck here all day with no outlet for their strength. They can move cables and clean, but don't expect them to do anything else."

Without hesitation, Luo Tianming went back and fetched two more barrels of beer. He called out to the guards and told them that anyone who came to help at the shipyard would get beer soon.

Before long, more than a dozen busy figures appeared at the shipyard.

With the addition of these new workers, the simpler manual labor was left to them, and Wohlheim and his apprentices focused on the modification of the reactor and power system.

Enticed by two kegs of beer, they quickly completed most of the submarine modifications, and all that remained was to test its sealing after it was launched.

The soldiers quickly finished off the two kegs of beer.

Some of them lingered, still holding their cups, looking for Luo Tianming, wanting to ask if he still had any good opportunities to earn beer in exchange for work.

It's not fair to blame these soldiers for being spineless; it's simply because—Luo Tianming gave them such good wine. Most of the wine on Europa is a byproduct of microorganisms that specifically produce ethanol. Industrial alcohol diluted with water can't possibly taste good; it's considered acceptable if it doesn't kill anyone.

Before long, a legend about a beer called 'Captain Lo's Moonbrewed Beer' began to circulate among the Alliance soldiers.

Chapter 30 Departure

After eight hours of extreme fracturing tests, it can be basically confirmed that the modification did not affect the underwater sealing performance of the submarine itself.

He then signed the acceptance notice that Wohlheim handed him.