Chapter 7612 Contradictory Value

The Large Mother Crystal Fragment possessed an amazing function!

It was able to perform a scan across interstellar distances that could accurately detect and determine the coordinates of other deathborn!

This was an incredible capability despite its limitations!

Ves certainly had not come across any form of conventional human technology that could do anything similar regardless of whether it picked up deathborn, humans, phase lords or anything else!

Perhaps the phenomenon that could come closest was to rely on the vague and costly predictions of the Great Prophet.

There was no comparison between the two!

As a mech designer and an engineer, Ves vastly preferred to work with a solution that could provide consistent and more importantly straightforward output.

The question now was whether this green crystal fragment could do more than detect deathborn or pieces of their technology.

"Does it have different detection modes? Can you configure it to search for living organisms or high-level entities?"

The Farseer did not answer immediately.

She first made a gesture towards the other scientists, who quickly controlled the mechanical arm to press the large glowing green crystal at several different points.

The projected green sphere disappeared shortly afterwards. The crystal fragment gradually dimmed as it settled back into a somewhat dormant state.

"Aside from a few inconclusive reactions, this is the only setting that we have been able to generate out of our cautious probes. We have many theories. If we assume that deathcrystals are the alien version of circuitry, then we believe that this particular fragment has mostly retained the original Mother Crystal's scanning function. If this is true, then it is unlikely to possess completely different abilities. As far as its main purpose is concerned, the damaged condition of this crystal has definitely impaired it in a number of ways. We believe it is plausible that it originally possessed different scanning modes, but we have not yet confirmed whether they are still accessible. That requires both greater understanding of deathborn technology and deeper examinations. We have only explored the tip of the iceberg so far. There is much that we have yet to uncover."

The collies did not dare to commit to any substantial actions. The crystal fragment may have only been a fraction of a greater whole, but it was still large enough to threaten the Moloch's entire crew if it blew up for whatever reason!

The scientists therefore had to hold back their urges and stop themselves from digging any deeper.

Though Ves commended the collies for their caution, he also felt let down by the lack of definitive answers.

"Why did you turn off the projection?"

"That is due to another major issue." The female formation master responded. "We have found that activating its real-time scanning function puts a severe drain on its energy reserves. While a crystal of this size can store a large amount of death energy, it is nothing compared to the original Mother Crystal. We are also assuming that the damage caused by the fracturing has introduced flaws that decrease its efficiency. More energy is being wasted, which is why it is generating an anomalous energy field that does nothing aside from making everyone around it feel uncomfortable. According to our calculations, if we keep the scanning function active for 7 whole minutes, it will bottom out its remaining energy reserves."

"That short?!"

"That is right, sir. This is the case regardless of the zoom level. There should be a way to reduce its scanning range and intensity, but we have yet to find this setting. We do not even know whether it exists or whether the fracturing of the Mother Crystal has caused it to become lost. If that is the case, then we may never be able to regain this setting unless we repair or alter this deathcrystal fragment ourselves."

That was an extremely unrealistic prospect. Even Ves could tell that deathcrystals was one of the more intricate and high-end domains of deathborn technology.

If red humanity did not manage to capture and interrogate a deathborn engineer or obtain any alien treatises on their technologies, it would probably take at least a decade of dedicated study just to figure out the more superficial principles of these strange crystals!

That was way too long for Ves.

He already resigned himself to the reality that the Larkinsons would not be able to do much to mitigate the severe energy demands of this deathcrystal fragment.

"Well, given what it can do, its current function is already powerful enough in itself. It is definitely a unique strategic advantage if used to hunt down or evade significant concentrations of deathborn. It would be more useful if it can detect living organisms, though. We could switch it on for a brief moment and find out whether there are any hostile fleets lurking in neighboring star systems."

If that was the case, then this deathcrystal fragment would definitely become the most valuable treasure salvaged from the Hypeh-Tekas System!

Nothing could come close to matching its strategic importance!

This included all of the superdimensional spoils!

Sadly, the collies did not have the answers. Yet.

"Whether this crystal can truly search for living organisms and other criteria is unclear. It is dangerous to hold too many expectations given that this object is in a damaged and incomplete state. Even if it contains additional functions, it is questionable whether we can access them given that we are not deathborn ourselves. Perhaps one way to overcome this identity restriction is to employ the aid of your daughter."

Both of them turned their gazes towards the little girl, who had been staring at the large green crystal with a dazed expression.

"Hmph?" She suddenly became conscious of the attention she was attracting. "I… can feel a lot of stuff from this big crystal. It feels… strong… but also… garbled. I have tried to make sense of it through Yaika, but I only get the sense that I am 'hearing' static."

The Farseer did not look surprised. "This crystal either does not come with an intuitive interface or it has suffered damage. Whatever the case, do not try to push deeper, girl. The risks are too great."

Fortunately, Andraste knew better than to tempt fate.

"I know. This crystal is scary. It makes me feel as if I have stepped close to a high-explosive missile. Even if it is just sitting there doing nothing, my instincts are warning me that I do not want to be around if it ever detonates."

Though Andraste was not an engineer or an expert in xenotechnology, Ves and Andrea still took her words seriously.

Her companion spirit was able to pick up signals that others could not perceive due to her uncommon affinity towards the death element.

Not even Blinky could match Yaika in this aspect!

While the Star Cat was able to tolerate a broad range of E energy attributes, his versatility came at the cost of depth. He would never be able to compete with other companion spirits in terms of depth and specialization.

This was a tradeoff that Ves had consciously made when he initially determined the development trajectory of his companion spirit.

He did not regret this decision. He only felt sorry that Andraste may be burdened with the responsibility of managing this deathcrystal fragment in the future.

"You should actually feel lucky that this crystal fragment is so limited and impaired." Andrea Vos mentioned to Ves. "If it was truly capable of performing the tasks that you desire, then it would never be allocated to your clan in the first place. Several tier 1 galactic citizens would have staked their claim on it. I am referring to fleet admirals, god pilots and Star Designers. Each of them have strong reasons to secure this crystal for themselves in order to abuse its ability to precisely detect the up-to-date locations of alien forces."

That caused Ves' expression to drop.

He could easily foresee such a possibility taking place!

As much as Ves had climbed up the ladder of power, he was constantly aware that he had not yet joined the ranks of the top dogs.

Any genuine True God-level existence such as Xenotechnician or the Evolution Witch could easily swoop in and appropriate his precious Large Mother Crystal Fragment without encountering any resistance!

They only needed to provide a sufficiently plausible excuse to justify their actions.

Even if their honor and principles compelled them to provide ample compensation to the Larkinsons, Ves seriously doubted that it would ever make up for the loss of this priceless treasure!

Ves narrowed his eyes. The Farseer's latest remark had given him a very important reminder.

He could not allow this crystal to remain in the hands of RC researchers.

As much as he respected their competence and professionalism, they still worked for the Red Collective.

Their loyalties did not solely lie with him. They had no obligation to uphold his interests. Some of them may even be agents planted by other major powers such as the RA or the RF!

The best way to deal with this precious crystal was to transfer it to a fully Larkinson-owned vessel or lab as soon as possible.

He wordlessly stared into the other woman's eyes.

The formation master read his unspoken demand.

"I do not advise doing that just yet, sir." She answered. "My superiors have… expectations. Until we have returned to human-occupied space, the crystal fragment must remain under our supervision. We will continue to examine and probe this large specimen in the hopes of making another significant discovery. Only when we have returned to our side of the border will we fully organize all of our findings and calculate the 'final' value of all of the deathborn artifacts that we have brought back. If no greater authority has made an overriding claim on this specific treasure, then your clan is free to take it away by using up a significant proportion of its own quota."

That put Ves in a troubled mood.

One one hand, he hoped that this Large Mother Crystal Fragment did not possess any other easily accessible functions.

The more useful it became, the greater the probability that it would slip away from his possession!

On the other hand, if the crystal continued to remain obstinate and refuse to do anything else, then its utility remained severely constrained.

It would remain completely useless unless the Larkinsons needed to acquire information about whether there were any deathborn in the stellar neighborhood!

"I hope… that you and your researchers make sure to err on the side of caution in the next few days." Ves carefully said. "I don't want anything to happen to the Moloch and all of the valuable artifacts she is carrying. Besides, I don't want you to empty out the crystal's energy reserves. I imagine that it is very problematic to replenish its charge."