Wasteland Development Diary

Zhou Yi gripped the wooden cane that formed the upper half of the prosthetic leg, detecting two additional energy blocks within it.

Including the one he obtained initially, he now had a total of three.

They were all identical in size, shaped like small watermelons, with a regular dodecahedral form, and translucent like ice, exhibiting a perfectly geometric structure.

Zhou Yi pondered that acquiring these energy blocks in the Mud Tree World seemed to depend on luck.

The first one was likely near the spatial bubble he entered, while the prosthetic leg must have traveled extensively this second time to find two more.

This was a Level 4 light-core energy crystal, each capable of triggering a 5-core energy burst, making them genuine strategic-grade nuclear weapons in the regulated wastelands of the light-core entities.

With a reserve of three energy blocks, Zhou Yi felt considerably more confident.

He held the prosthetic leg, growing more fond of it.

The [Mad Traveler] was essentially a super leg-substitute, allowing those without the time, energy, or inclination to risk danger to travel and seek treasures in other worlds.

The inventor was a true genius!

A thought sprouted in Zhou Yi's mind.

If the low gear could find energy blocks, what wonders could the high gear unearth?

He decided to see what the prosthetic leg could find at full power.

Zhou Yi summoned Niger and returned to the previous spatial bubble.

He activated the high-gear mode.

Full-power leg, go!

Upon entering full-load mode, the Mad Traveler suddenly shook and trembled, its surface displaying strange black lines, as if imprinted with numerous QR codes.

It vanished into the black mud of the spatial bubble.

...

The public opinion spurred by the Great Monk continued to ferment.

An increasing number of monks contacted Wasteland Corporation, first visiting Recursive City to thoroughly examine this mechatronic city that had broken free from the existing system. Some ordinary mechatronic beings also went there, seeking employment in a mechatronic city within the Wasteland Corporation's system.

Zhou Yi encouraged this.

Recursive City had no confidential projects, making it suitable as a bridgehead for mutual exchange between the company and mechatronic cities.

The two monks who had previously made appointments, [Enlightened] and [Wise Harmony], arrived at Sandport one after the other.

However, neither of them wished to meet with Zhou Yi.

Enlightened told Red Falcon: "The people I want to discuss and exchange ideas with are the ordinary people and mechatronic employees here. I appreciate Mr. Zhou's kindness, but I do not wish to have any interactions with those in power."

Wise Harmony stated: "Mr. Zhou is busy with affairs, so I will not disturb him. My main practice involves communicating and learning with the semi-civilized mechatronic lifeforms in Emerald City to further deepen our understanding of each other."

Zhou Yi was unconcerned.

Judging from Great Monk Juemingzi and his disciple Hui Mao, mechatronic monks viewed rulers with impartial criticism, whether the ruler was a lifeform or a concrete program such as a general protocol or legal principle.

However, necessary restrictions remained in place.

Zhou Yi had Spine Hunter monitor the monks, allowing them freedom of movement as long as they did not engage in dangerous behavior.

Two days later.

Good news arrived.

Emerald City announced: "Commissioner, we have overcome the Stone Molt problem and successfully created the Stone Molt Reactor!"

Zhou Yi traveled to Yalong Bay aboard Emerald City.

This was also the test site for the Stone Molt Reactor.

The Stone Molt Reactor was fixed underground, with only a stone house serving as an entrance on the surface. A thick chimney on the roof spewed out large amounts of white vapor.

The entrance led down to a basement made of stone bricks.

Inside, a large boiler was being heated, turning water into steam, which was connected to a steam turbine. The high-pressure steam drove a turbine to rotate, driving a generator set to generate electricity.

Finally, a condenser condensed the large amount of steam back into water for reuse.

The process was straightforward.

Machine Dog 703, mutant Li Mo, and Tengu were all present.

"Chairman."

703 said: "Under Mr. Lao Dang's leadership, the project had its twists and turns, but the final result is good."

"Look."

A red beam of light shot out from its head, illuminating a device like a base pedestal under the boiler.

"This is a sealed lead block, inside which are eight pieces of Emerald City's Stone Molt and some equipment."

"The heat released by the Stone Molt boils the water in the boiler, which then converts the heat energy into electrical energy."

Zhou Yi asked: "What about the conversion rate and power?"

"The conversion rate is about 33%."

703 happily explained: "The electricity it provides is roughly equivalent to 260 second-generation floating hearts running at full power, with an efficiency of 403 floats. Most importantly, it does not require fuel replenishment and can function stably for a long time. According to our measurements and Emerald City's judgment, this Stone Molt can continuously generate heat and radiation for 80 years."

Zhou Yi nodded repeatedly.

The Stone Molt Reactor focused on stability, providing another low-cost power generation method that could effectively supplement the floating heart's power supply system.

"However, Mr. Lao Dang will explain the specific technical aspects," the machine dog said, stopping there.

Upon Zhou Yi's inquiry, Shi Gandang, the person in charge of the Stone Molt Reactor project, finally spoke.

"Chairman, our initial idea was to control the energy release from the Stone Molt. Tengu's radiation tests proved that it was theoretically possible."

"I asked Tengu to stimulate the Stone Molt to release more energy externally, but this caused an experimental accident, leading to the coma of Tengu and Li Mo, who were operating on the front line, and forming a small-scale consciousness shock outwards."

"Fortunately, their physical strength was high enough, and they only suffered mild concussions, resulting in a brief loss of consciousness due to the close-range impact. They recovered soon after treatment at Maria Hospital."

Shi Gandang said: "After learning from this lesson, I abandoned the aggressive energy release path and chose a more controllable and stable method."

"The current form of steam turbine power generation, although the conversion rate is lower and the amount of electricity produced per unit time is not high, is safe and usable."

"I believe this model is suitable for our current actual situation."

Zhou Yi agreed.

Technology had to be developed step by step, starting with what was usable and then gradually trying to upgrade and update it.

He asked: "So how much Stone Molt have we found now?"

"Currently, there are 53 pieces found deep underground in Sandport and under the Dead Sea."

Shi Gandang explained: "The frequency at which the aliens shed their molts varies, usually the larger the body, the higher the shedding rate."

"Emerald City now produces about one piece per year, the small high-rises hardly produce any, and the high-rises No. 5, 6, 7, and 8 each produce one piece per year, plus the initial building, totaling five pieces per year."

"Yalong Bay is the largest, producing one piece per month, and the energy level of the same size Stone Molt is 53 times that of Emerald City. Among the molts we have obtained, its energy level is the highest, and the quantity is also the largest, almost all buried deep under the Dead Sea."

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"The Leshan Giant Buddha also produces one piece per year."

"Maria Hospital produces the least, only one piece every two years."

"What is more special is the Wuhu Overpass. Its body is continuing to expand, and it has already completed full coverage of the Sandport area, and has built a ring road on the suspended layer, and now it has also been connected to the Moon Landing Area, and the growth momentum is very strong."

"Because of the high-speed body growth, the shedding is also more, and the molt production has now reached one piece per month, and the energy level is about 22 times that of Emerald City's Stone Molt."

"There are differences in the energy level of different Stone Molts, it is best to react the same molts together, which can ensure stable energy release. Therefore, Emerald City, Maria Hospital, Yalong Bay, Leshan Giant Buddha, and the Overpass all separately collect the molts to build these five types of reactors."

"We plan to build five reactors, one of each type, and the total power output is equivalent to 16,000 second-generation hearts continuously generating electricity."

"As time goes on, we will collect more and more molts, and the number of reactors will continue to increase further."

Zhou Yi was overjoyed.

After the Stone Molt Reactor is built, there will be no additional costs except for maintaining the power generation equipment, and no need for oil and sugar replenishment.

Although the current floating heart is famous in all directions, it has also caused a surge in the demand for oil and sugar in the market, and the price of this part of the energy raw materials will inevitably rise.

Floating organisms have a huge appetite, and further cultivation and upgrading will consume even more.

With the Stone Molt Reactor as a supplement, the cost of electricity can be effectively controlled and reduced.

Especially if there are natural disasters or poor harvests in various places, there is no need to worry about power outages.

The recruitment of building life must be stepped up.

Zhou Yi pondered in his heart.

I wonder if Building No. 7's electric cat output operation with the United City has recruited any wild building life.

There has been no response so far.

This led him to think of another thing.

"Emerald City, since Building No. 8, you haven't built a new body for a long time. Why is Building No. 9 delayed?"

This was also a question that Zhou Yi had always had.

It was just because there were many things to do, and he forgot about it while thinking about it.

"Commissioner, I don't think I have enough ability to guide them well."

Emerald City responded: "In the past, I relied on instinct to build high-rises and let them grow naturally and barbarically. But as I continue to learn and know more about the outside world, I realize that this is not appropriate."

"The company's Mushroom Forest Elementary School will accept the children of employees for learning and guidance."

"But building life cannot participate in it."

"I have been thinking about what obligations a cultivator in building life should fulfill, and what to do to make the newcomers better than me. I haven't figured it out yet, so I have temporarily suspended building new high-rises."

"If I figure it out, I will start construction as soon as possible."

Zhou Yi was stunned.

The fact that increased education leads to a decrease in fertility rates is actually happening in building life as well.

Zhou Yi could only express his understanding of this.

...

The next day, it rained heavily.

Zhou Yi sat on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window.

He looked at the rain outside the window, hoping that a building life would fall from the sky under the guidance of an electric cat, and then bow down to him.

However, this did not happen.

Instead, the Mad Traveler ran back through the wall again.

This time it looked a little embarrassed, with some gnawed white marks on the wooden pole, some purplish-brown stains on the surface of the stone foot-like base, and a lot of mud, as if it had experienced a great battle and a long run.

Zhou Yi grabbed the wooden pole.

Then his eyes narrowed.

This time the prosthetic leg brought back a geometric-structured cave dweller energy block.

It was only the size of a fist, in the form of a regular tetrahedral triangular pyramid, and only an entry-level LV1 light core.

But a piece of shell was solidified inside.

What is this?