Chapter 1070: Expensive and Useful Robot
Xu Huo had only seen this tool robot once before. It wasn't particularly tall overall, standing under two and a half meters, but its human proportions were well-made, and its build was imposing. Since it was a tool robot, it had no facial features, and its body and limbs lacked excessive embellishment, making it look more like a simplified 3D model. Yet it possessed a texture combining cutting-edge technology with special metals.
"Excavator 114!" Ruan Qiyan's eyes lit up. Ignoring any awkwardness from their unfamiliarity, he rushed over to Xu Huo in a few steps, circled the robot to observe it for a moment, then said, "And it's the reinforced version! These kinds of robots rarely circulate on the market. They're usually given to players as rewards by the game!"
People from Zone 002 had seen plenty of high-tech products and showed no extra interest in this robot. Chi Minghong, however, rubbed his hands together. "What's this robot good for? How much does it sell for?"
"Let me put it this way," Ruan Qiyan said, his eyes fixed on the towering robot with intense fascination. He clenched and unclenched his hands, barely restraining himself from reaching out to touch it. "The robots we often see used by district governments are lightweight models. Even though they can be equipped with weapons, they can't carry heavy loads. They're mainly designed for quick movement through cities, and an ordinary player can easily take them down."
He continued, "But this kind of tool robot is different, especially the reinforced version. Its fingers are made from special ore, capable of splitting rocks with bare hands. It can be used for mountain excavation or mining, let alone digging a hole."
"That impressive?" Xu Huo glanced at the robot, whose body was mostly constructed from metal, and said casually.
"Of course it's impressive!" Ruan Qiyan said excitedly. "If you sold it, you could probably get at least thirty-five million White Notes!"
"Never mind." Chi Minghong automatically withdrew his hand, which had been resting on the robot's rear.
"And this one is brand new. If you find the right collector, the price could go even higher." Ruan Qiyan took a deep breath and looked at Xu Huo. "Can I touch it?"
Xu Huo raised his hand in a "go ahead" gesture.
Ruan Qiyan solemnly took out a pair of gloves, put them on, and then gently touched the robot's body, checking the serial number on its back. "It really is the reinforced Excavator 114. So beautiful! So beautiful!"
He kept exclaiming about how beautiful the robot was, how exquisite the craftsmanship was, calling it a work of art, completely lost in his own world.
Uncle Guan sat nearby resting and spoke to Xu Huo with a hint of apology. "He originally wanted to be an Artificer, but the profession emphasizes precision and small-scale work. The things he made had no market, so now he can only live vicariously through others."
Most players were poor, and those who had money wanted to spend it on good items, making it hard to sustain an expensive hobby.
"It's fine. I don't know much about machinery." Xu Huo was quite surprised. "He's an Artificer?"
"He quit after completing his apprenticeship," Uncle Guan said. "But he still has the skills... Are you looking to craft an item?"
"I have some Subclass Stones," Xu Huo said. "I want to try and see what kind of item I can make."
"He might not be able to do that," Uncle Guan said. "But I can introduce you to some well-known Artificers."
Xu Huo nodded. Over on the other side, Ruan Qiyan turned around. "Actually, we don't have to go to so much trouble finding a place to settle down. The robot can handle it. It'll definitely be much faster than walking on foot."
"But the main function of this version of the robot is to replace heavy machinery. To search for a suitable location, we'd need to add some commands."
"How do you add commands?" Xu Huo asked.
"You can connect an external Jammer," Ruan Qiyan said, tapping a square panel on the robot's back. "Use the Jammer to input the commands."
"You know how to do it? Perfect." Xu Huo gestured for him to proceed.
Ruan Qiyan was stunned. "You're willing to let me modify it? This is an original, unused Excavator 114. Tampering with the commands will significantly reduce its value..."
"I'm not planning to sell it anyway," Xu Huo interrupted.
Probably seeing how readily Xu Huo agreed, Ruan Qiyan hesitated instead. "Maybe you should think it over. It's too much of a waste."
Chi Minghong patted him on the shoulder. "Kid, don't forget there are countless Xenomorphs running wild across this wilderness. Building ruins are better than digging holes. What if the Xenomorphs can dig too?"
Ruan Qiyan was very tempted, but he restrained himself and confirmed with Xu Huo twice more. Only after receiving the robot's authorization did he walk to its back, flip his bangs up and pin them in place, then press an electronic screen against the robot's back. Once the screen adhered, a display projected into the air, and he began operating it in midair.
Xu Huo had also browsed general item crafting processes on Under Dimension before. Usually, it involved gathering materials and adjusting different materials according to functional requirements, though the final product could vary.
Items with temporal or spatial attributes, for example, had effects that surpassed the Artificer's own skill. There were many such items, like "Dead End," which had massive destructive power, their main value lying in the materials used.
As for trigger-type items, like those requiring the holder to speak a command, those were small tricks added by Artificers using advanced technology. Of course, this was different from certain special traits that allowed spoken words to affect other situations.
Ruan Qiyan quickly input new commands and turned to Xu Huo. "It's done. You can give it commands to search for nearby people, animals, buildings, or even large clusters of trees."
Xu Huo did as instructed. The robot received the command, repeated it for confirmation, then immediately set off running along the predetermined route ahead.
"Even a robot originally designed for excavation can excel at other functions. That's the meaning of machinery." Ruan Qiyan watched the robot sprinting away, then enthusiastically said to Xu Huo, "Actually, you can add more than just this kind of command. It can handle general household chores—sweeping, cooking—even better than a person. Attack commands work too. As long as you give it suitable weapons, it can function as a small army."
"But players can't carry thermal weapons in the game, so those commands are limited. Of course, this kind of robot isn't specifically designed for warfare, so it's not very useful for that. But as a target-seeking or suicide weapon, it's quite good."
"Can robots self-destruct?" Xu Huo interjected.
"Of course they can," Ruan Qiyan said. "The robots used by the Game Government are basically all equipped with self-destruct devices. If someone tries to forcibly seize or dismantle a robot, it might trigger the device. Uncle Guan was once injured by an explosion that way."
"But the 114 is your robot. It might not have a self-destruct device installed, and since you authorized the command modification, there won't be any problems."
He added another explanation, then said enviously, "The game is willing to give away a thirty-million White Note robot. Your Instance rating must be pretty high, right?"
(Chapter End)