Chapter 56: Chapter 56, Draw Cards! Engine!
In the process of activating Osenia as a hero, Gu Hang also discovered a hidden mechanism within the system.
It seemed that the individuals who could be turned into heroes were not fixed.
Osenia had not been at his camp from the very first day, but it was only after she exhibited exceptional abilities that the system detected her potential and determined that she could be activated.
Then, as people like Patel and Zhang Chao gained more work experience and improved their insights, was it possible that their potential could rise and they could become candidates eligible for activation?
Even Osenia, who was initially designated as the lowest ‘N’ rarity, could there be a chance for her potential to increase in the future?
Gu Hang felt it was very likely.
The real world was not a game; people change. Those with outstanding talents might fall short, and those with less talent might one day have a sudden epiphany; all of this was unpredictable.
…
After spending ten points of favor on Osenia, Gu Hang still had 78 points in hand.
Without a doubt, he spent 50 points directly on himself.
Level up!
[Level-up successful, Physical attribute +1, Spiritual attribute +1]
[Please choose one new talent from among Physical, Spiritual, Command, Leadership, and Unique directions.]
Gu Hang, as usual, tried clicking on Unique, but nothing came of it.
With no other choice, Gu Hang could only take the path laid out before him.
What to choose, he had already made up his mind—it was still the Spiritual path.
[Telekinesis Control: You can now use Spiritual Energy to directly manipulate physical objects. Spiritual +1]
This Spiritual Talent was quite plain and unadorned. Gu Hang remembered that many Psychic Casters had their Psychic Talents manifest in this way, which was quite conventional.
But conventional didn’t mean weak.
On the contrary, it was a very powerful talent, especially when a Psychic Caster’s own Spiritual strength was sufficiently substantial.
It was indeed a bit of a pity not to have drawn an even more awesome and powerful Psychic Talent, but the result itself was not bad.
Subsequently, his overall attributes became as follows:
[Hero: Gu Hang (Faction Leader), LV3, insufficient experience to level up]
[Physical: 9, Spiritual: 17]
[Traits: Psychic Caster, Governor of Rage Owl Star]
[Talents: Protective Spiritual Energy, Telekinesis Control]
…
A special note on attributes: Gu Hang had now figured out that the average level for a healthy average person was around 5. Take Osenia as an example; she was somewhat frail, had normal Spiritual Energy similar to an average person, had decent Command ability fit for leadership, found military command challenging but could manage logistics without much trouble. Her highest attribute was political, making her more suitable as a high-quality civil servant.
Gu Hang’s own traits, however, did not display Command and Political points. It seemed the system was reluctant to quantify his abilities in these two aspects. On the other hand, his Physical and Spiritual abilities, being objective, would each increase by one point with every level he gained.
Every point represented approximately a 1.5 times growth.
Now, his physical attributes, from strength to resilience to neural response speed… a range of abilities, together, were approximately five times that of an ordinary person.
And his spiritual attribute had reached 129 times that of a normal person!
If before, his total spiritual strength could only be considered that of an excellent Psychic Caster, now it could be regarded as powerful.
Who isn’t a master of spiritual energy now?
Gu Hang was quite satisfied with this.
If he were to go back to the battle in the alien forest a few days ago, it would become incredibly easy. When those three cultists rode out of the woods on their storm birds, he could have crushed the trio mid-air, without having to wait for them to get within a certain range as he did before, or rely on the elite land troops that had been enhanced to assist him.
In fact, he had almost figured it out by now; things like spiritual talent were just icing on the cake. What truly made a decisive difference was the spiritual attribute itself. This factor determined the overall strength of spiritual energy. As long as it was high enough, even the most rudimentary methods of use could be decisive at critical moments.
A single stroke of strength defeats ten sessions of training; that’s the idea.
Having completed his self-improvement, Gu Hang still had 28 points of grace left to spend.
After some thought, he couldn’t resist and spent them on drawing a technology card.
This time, with a 40% chance, he struck gold on the first try.
Gu Hang let out a long sigh of relief; if he had missed twice in a row, he would have called the police.
He couldn’t wait to see what the newly drawn technology was.
[Basic Technology: ‘Whetstone’ Hybrid Engine]
[The most frequently used engine within the limitless boundaries of the Empire World. It can adaptably utilize a variety of power sources including diverse types of biofuels, fossil fuels, and batteries. Configurable and scalable, while not advanced or powerful, it’s remarkably versatile and is seen in countless Empire Worlds.]
Gu Hang was ecstatic.
Technology cards always bring out the good stuff!
Uh… given the current ragged state of the forces under his command, it seems that anything drawn would be impressive.
But regardless, the ‘Whetstone’ Engine still had an irreplaceable role.
As the system description says, this thing is not exactly cutting-edge. At least compared to those mighty engines that utilize matter reactors, energy crystals, or super-compressed energy sources, it falls far short. But if Gu Hang were given one of those high-end engines, he wouldn’t be able to use it.
He had no access to adequate, quality nuclear fuels, couldn’t mass-produce energy crystals, let alone super-compressed or spiritualized energy sources.
And even if he had these advanced energy sources, they would be of little use. These more powerful sources of energy are used in power armors, Titan Mechas, mobile fortresses, and various starships.
Gu Hang couldn’t build any of that.
The low-end properties of the ‘Whetstone’ Engine were just right.
Its most outstanding feature was its indifference to the type of fuel used. Hook it up to a battery, and it works; fill it with diesel, gasoline, or kerosene, and it works; toss in some biomass fuel, throw in some firewood or crops, which after pyrolysis or gasification produce liquid or gaseous fuel, and it still works.
Moreover, its range of application is very wide. It can be configured to be small, rudimentary, and durable—like a tricycle; or a bit larger and more powerful for making tanks; or even larger, set up as a power group to drive cargo ships; or made lighter and of higher quality, with better fuels, to serve as an aviation engine…
It’s incredibly suitable.
With it, the construction machinery and vehicle manufacturing industries under Gu Hang’s command have found their solution.
He had been thinking that, as the territory developed and transportation demand grew, the brute oxen strength he had “extorted” from Revival City and subsequently commandeered during material transportation was becoming increasingly insufficient, and he was considering where to get some more oxen.
Now, he need not worry about that anymore.
Who still uses outdated animal power! At most, it would be used in some rough terrain where vehicles couldn’t run, to make some use of the remaining heat.