Chapter 567: Expansion (1/2)

Zac’s eyes lit up at the idea, and he could see himself throwing out his mountains of loot and watch them grow. This could be a game-changer for Port Atwood, and he immediately turned toward the scientists with fire in his eyes.

“Unfortunately, no. It doesn’t work that way,” a scientist said, but he quickly shrunk back when over ten angry glares were directed his way. “Ahem... That is... This change doesn’t seem to affect items with a certain amount of energy. Nexus Crystals won’t grow in size, for example, and neither will Spiritual Materials. However, we have only been able to test this on our limited supply of materials in this short while. There might be some materials we can grow this way to great effect.”

Zac couldn’t help but feel some disappointment at losing such a good money-making opportunity before it could even start. Being able to grow things like gold and steel might sound amazing, but mortal materials were essentially worthless in the multiverse.

Even Zac could conjure a mountain out of nowhere with [Nature's Punishment], and powerful beings could harvest whole planets with a wave of their hands. Some Mystic Realms also contained shocking amounts of certain elements. You could find a world containing hundreds of billions of tonnes of purest gold, ripe for the taking.

Of course, it was still worth growing some materials since it was free. There was a large demand for construction materials to build and expand the towns of his force, and normal materials were enough to build houses.

Zac already gave up on the idea, but the demon wasn’t as easily convinced.

“What about the walls of this place?” Ogras said with a frown. “That metal can’t be something common. I couldn’t even leave a lasting mark when going all out last time I was here.”

“That- We are not sure how to explain the walls, but we have a conjecture?” another scientist explained as she adjusted her glasses. “We believe that the material of the base itself, while extremely high technology, is not spiritual in nature. It is some sort of advanced metallurgy that we don’t understand. Its regenerative properties are in turn powered by an external energy supply.”

Zac nodded in agreement, remembering the Technocrat vessel he visited. It was the same there. The Technocrats seemed to use advanced techniques to somehow drain high-grade materials from their spirituality, while still retaining their strength. It seemed like a waste of time to Zac, but it might be required for the materials to work with the “Dao of Technology”.

“We haven’t been able to prove this though, as we’ve been unable to take samples,” she added.

They asked a few questions more about the mysterious growth, but there was only so much that the scientists had managed to find out. They neither had the tools nor the strength to get to the bottom of things, and most of what they knew was conjecture. Zac guessed that he would find out more as he ventured deeper into the Mystic Realm.

“Have you encountered any living beings?” Zac asked next. “Apart from the worms.”

“No, but the amount of time we spent inside the actual construct is limited. Only three of us managed to get clearance,” Tina said from the side. “We also never left the security door that protects this section, as we were afraid to open it and let the natives inside.”

“It’s good that you took it safe,” Zac nodded before he asked with confusion. “But what do you mean not getting access? That console doesn’t give access to everyone?”

“No,” Tina said with a shake of her head. “I think it’s bugged or something.”

“Or it has some sort of requirements we don’t fully grasp just yet,” the head scientist added. “There seem to be some requirements though, the main being a minimum power. All the people with access are over level 50.”

“Anything else?” Zac asked.

“Two are mortals, one is a cultivator. So spirituality might not actually be a boon but a hindrance,” a scientist hesitantly said. “But it’s too early to tell with such a small sample.”

“Also, we only managed to get Tier-2 clearance, which only let us travel a very limited section outside. Only some doors opened for us. We might not even have been able to open that security door even if we tried,” Tina said.

“Maybe I had beginner’s luck? Or maybe I’m just that handsome?” Ogras grinned from the side, drawing multiple eye-rolls in response.

It would be a problem though if only Ogras could control that main exit from their position on the frontier. Would they have to station him like some sort of doorman just so they would be able to maintain their mobility? And what about further inside? There would no doubt be more barriers toward the core of the Mystic Realm.

“It might be looking for some specific genome that only a few in the multiverse possess. It shouldn’t be based on human anatomy considering a demon has had the most success though,” Joanna ventured. “If this place is built by Technocrats it shouldn’t make its decision on something like constitution or levels, right?”

“Right,” Zac nodded. “Anything else?”

“There has been seismic activity in the past two weeks. It might be related to the growth,” another scientist said after some thought. “The earthquakes have been mild so far, but they might cause troubles down the line if they increase in severity. The walls might break apart from the vibrations, allowing outsiders to enter our secured area.”

Zac nodded in understanding, a slight frown adorning his face. He had heard just how sturdy this place was from Ogras. Furthermore, it had managed to hold peak E-Grade warriors trapped for millennia. He probably wouldn’t be able to open new pathways by punching his way through the walls even if he exhausted himself.

Then again, few things could contend against nature itself, and it wouldn’t be too surprising if some cracks started to appear. But Zac didn’t feel that to be just a negative. There were obviously problems with mobility inside this place since the natives still hadn’t managed to escape to Earth. That probably meant that it would be difficult reaching either the Dominators and the Dimensional Seed as well.

“Thank you for your excellent work,” Zac said as he looked around. “I know you guys are tired of this place, but we can’t leave just yet. Some new intelligence has come to light since you were locked inside, and every faction on Earth is scrambling to get inside this place. We are already behind the others because of the cultists, so I will need to rely on your expertise a while longer.”