Following Dana’s demonstration of the ‘power source’ for the ships, the meeting came back to its main topic. “Now, then, who would like to go first?” She asked, stowing away the reality gem and clapping her hands together.

She naturally noticed that there were some covetous gazes directed towards the item, particularly from the March golems and the demon researchers. However, she had no intention of bringing the time back out again. Once the ships were created, the gems would be heavily monitored. They would not release more than were being actively used, and any requests for replacements would have to be directed to the Sky Citadel.

Any attempt by an individual to steal and study the gem would be treated as a capital offense against the world alliance. If someone were truly bold enough to attempt such a thing, and managed to pull it off, they would be hunted down for the rest of their lives.

“We can begin.” The High Mother spoke in an amiable tone, gesturing to one of the researchers she had brought with her. “I have compiled the three greatest propulsion systems produced by the entirety of the Network.”

The researcher stepped forward, a male Metong with a lithe build. Reaching forward, he placed three metallic cubes down on the table. “The core of the Metong propulsion system lies in the manipulation of spatial coordinates. That is to say, we conduct long distance teleports as opposed to standard faster-than-light travel.”

“In doing this, the energy consumption is greatly increased, but this should not pose a problem for this generation of ship.” He gave a cordial nod towards Dana before tapping the first cube, which brought up a large schematic consisting of numerous engines and internal devices. “Of the three designs, this one has the greatest sub-light speed and maneuverability.”

“The next one is capable of brief spurts of faster-than-light movement, while the third has the greatest energy efficiency of the three.” The researcher tapped each cube as he introduced the schematics, before stepping back. In order to allow the other parties to study the designs, the cubes were left activated on the table.

“We’ll go next, then.” The Desbar leader commented, gesturing towards one of his men. “As you all know, our task in this was life support. I am well aware that we are not as specialized towards any particular methods such as the other races here, but I believe that nobody will be disappointed in our results.”

The demonic researcher was a woman with a somewhat obese build, and she laid a crystal sphere down on the table. Much like the cubes of the Metong, the crystal displayed a holographic projection of several smaller schematics above it. “The system we have designed scans individuals through the use of electromagnetic waves, mana, and ki to assess their biological status.”

“This information is then stored in the medical bay for the doctors to reference as needed. If there is a change in medical status, such as a foreign infection in the bloodstream, hidden injuries, or a change in an individual’s energy composition, the report will be flagged for security and medical personnel to attend to.”

“The air supply itself is connected to one of the tertiary worlds that the demons have discovered, one where the healing process is naturally accelerated, leading to cleaner air. We are in the midst of constructing several large-scale oxygen farms in this world, while also recycling the air within the ships.”

“The final matter we took upon ourselves in terms of ‘life support’ was the matter of dietary requirements. Naturally, individuals of different levels require different levels of nutrients in order to sustain themselves. Not everyone can have the Perfect Self to remove their dietary needs altogether.”

“To handle this problem, we’ve created nutrient capsules for the various stages of constitution. One capsule, at the appropriate stage, is the equivalent of a full meal. These also help to quickly restore the individual’s ki, should they be running low, and stimulate the body’s natural healing response.” After she finished explaining, she stepped back with a satisfied smile. Clearly, the demons had gone above and beyond the simple ‘life support’ system in order to have an increased investment in the new generation of ships.

Next up was the March, where one of the golems stepped forward and laid a card on the table, before stepping back. Rather than the golem himself explaining, the card projected an electronic voice while displaying its saved schematic.

“As we were tasked with defensive systems, we have created a new shielding mechanism. This shield projector is capable of blocking both physical matter and energy waves, while operating at ten different layers. Each layer is connected to the layer above it, constantly sharing information.”

“When one layer is pierced, a datastream containing the nature of the attack is transmitted to the layer below, which automatically changes its frequency in order to optimize its defensive property against the attack in question. If the second layer is pierced, further optimization is performed based on the information transmitted to the third layer, and so on.”

“Once the optimal frequency is found, the datastream transmits this frequency back up the ladder all the way to the first layer. These frequencies are then stored within a learning database in order to increase future response times against similar attacks.”

“Should all ten shield layers be breached, the hull is a reactive polymer designed to disperse impact across its surface. Finally, in the event that the hull is pierced, nano-constructors have been developed to quickly repair damaged structures.” After saying that, the electronic voice within the card died down, causing the representatives of the various races to turn towards the God-Queen of Deckan.

Udona, catching their gazes, simply grinned. While both of her researchers came forward to lay several cards out on the table, she personally explained. “As the offensive branch of this ship’s construction, we have gone for maximum destructive potential.”

“The primary attack method will be a combination of remote piloted drones and swarm turrets, controlled through a virtual reality device. Each pilot will be in control of one drone and ten turrets, focusing their power on individual targets or a wide area. Power will be transmitted through the use of our new Relay card, allowing the turrets to operate even without being connected to the main ship.”

“Additionally, the main cannon. I have assembled ten fourth-tier attack cards that can be used in tandem, all powered by the abundant energy Dana already displayed. When fired together at such a level, our simulations speculate that they should have the ability to shatter a planet the size of Lorek.” The various researchers and world leaders couldn’t help but shudder when they heard that.

“However… the use of this cannon should be a last resort. Each one can only fire once within a fifty-hour period at maximum power. If it is used again within that timeframe, the cards creating the attack spell will be destroyed by the internal stress. Even for me, assembling these cards is no easy feat.” As she said that, she cast a brief glance towards Dana.

“Finally, the cards wielded by the remote turrets can be exchanged between uses, in order to customize our attack strategy for any enemy. I have prepared fifty attack spells of the third tier, and four of the fourth tier that can be utilized by these turrets.”

As Udona finished talking, Dana nodded her head in satisfaction. “It looks like everyone brought some remarkable systems to the table. Now, our next goal will be to bring all of these plans together in a single ship. To do that, I would ask everyone to contribute personnel and form a unified team. As per the Keeper’s plan, this team will be operating out of Deckan for the time being, until the prototype ship has been tested.”

“For the duration of this cooperation, I will be personally staying in this world. Should the need arise for the reality gem to be tested in order to design the system to support it, I will directly oversee these tests. At no point will the gem be leaving my sight until it has been installed on the prototype.”

After saying that, Dana flashed a toothy grin. “Trust me, gentlemen, you don’t want to test my abilities for this.”

Five years of Earth’s time… in other words, it took two hundred and fifty full years of trial and error, and several large islands being destroyed before Tsubaki finished what she was assigned to create. The fact that it took so long ashamed her, but there was nothing that she could do about this. She was confident that nobody else within this world would have been able to create the array faster than she had. After all, unlike the people in this world, she had the full knowledge of constructing arrays up to the fourth tier.

Ultimately, what Tsubaki created resembled a black sun. Due to blocking out both the light and heat created by this item, it appeared to be a harmless ball of black flame. However, when set atop a matching scepter, where it would hover menacingly, it became a tool of equal might to the reality gems.

Tsubaki knew that this scepter had far more to offer than the reality gems, however. Whereas the reality gems were purely an external power, these black suns could serve as a tool for cultivation. She had personally experienced it when creating the ki-attuned sun, her cultivation within the Lorek system progressing at a rapid rate.

If these items were used in conjunction with a proper formation, they would allow a large group of people to rapidly progress through their cultivation stages. Furthermore, they did not share the same weakness of the reality gems, where their energy was constantly leaking. Without a device specifically created to harness the power of the black sun, its energy would remain entirely self-contained. And, as of that moment, only Tsubaki knew the method of creating a tool to harness that energy.

She held two of the black suns in her hands, one each for ki and mana. This was the most that Tsubaki could create with her current knowledge, as neither of the other two energies worked on the same principle. Still, this alone would be more than enough for what they needed.

With the two suns in her hands, and the production method saved so that she could mass produce these in the future, Tsubaki’s body turned into a stream of light that shot across the horizon. She needed to pay a visit to the control terminal for Lorek’s divine registry.

As there had yet to be a god ascending within Lorek, Tsubaki had only arranged a basic energy-gathering array to power the formation surrounding the planet. However, such an array was quite feeble when compared to the size of the planet, so it was important that she upgrade this power source immediately. Otherwise, it was entirely possible for the formation to shatter if a deity were to actively resist its effects.

As Tsubaki traveled, she kept a firm grip on the two items in her hand, their solid shells preventing her from injuring herself on them. Even with all that she had learned from their creation, there were still parts that were lacking. For instance… would it be possible for a cultivator to directly refine one of the black suns, inserting it into their internal sky? Or would the energy be too great, destroying the cultivator that attempted to do so.

Tsubaki was quite interested to find out, but she knew that it would not be good to force a test such as that. If done with a resident of Lorek, it could be a pointless waste of life if it failed. On the other hand, if tested on a star beast… it could create an unimaginably terrifying existence if it succeeded. Neither possibility was one that Tsubaki wished to face.

Since these items are safer, I’ll ask for the Keeper’s permission to create cultivation rooms for the sects of Lorek and Spica. She gave a self-assured smile as she thought about that, arriving at the deep north, where the wind itself formed icy blades that tore open space.