Chapter 604 - 601: Tracing the Source

Chapter 604: Chapter 601: Tracing the Source

The young staff member didn’t know why Li Luo kept asking about this relic. She stood to the side, holding her datapad, looking a bit wronged.

"Is there something wrong with this relic? Was the cost written down incorrectly?" she asked cautiously.

"No, it’s nothing." Li Luo realized she might be overly suspicious. This staff member probably didn’t know anything.

So, Li Luo changed the subject and started asking about something else.

"Do you know the origin of the Pipe Fortress? How was it built?"

Hearing this, the staff member pondered for a moment before answering, "It was formed from an expanding relic. We call it the Fortress Core. Because we have to ensure the core’s safety, its location and information are classified. I can’t access them with my clearance level."

"All the pipes in the Pipe Fortress are created by the core, which then imbues them with various functions. Over time, the Pipe Fortress will continue to grow larger and larger."

"To be honest..."

At this point, the staff member paused, leaned closer to Li Luo, and whispered:

"I actually think the Pipe Fortress is alive!"

Li Luo was taken aback, asking in surprise, "Why?"

"Don’t you think the Pipe Fortress is like a living creature? It can grow on its own, different parts of its body are responsible for different functions, the core is the brain, the pipes are the limbs, and humans are like parasites living on this creature, constantly forcing it to perform all sorts of actions..."

"Or maybe the Pipe Fortress is the remains of some creature, and humans are just controlling its corpse. Think about it, don’t humans do this kind of thing all the time?"

"Using turtle shells for divination."

"Using animal bones to make tools."

"Using stomachs as carrying bags."

"Using feathers to weave clothing..."

"Humanity’s use of other creatures’ remains has reached a terrifying level. You could even say that human civilization is built on the corpses of other beings. When you think about it that way..."

"...it’s not impossible that the Pipe Fortress is a living creature, right?"

The staff member spoke vividly about her theory, and Li Luo listened intently.

If she didn’t know the true origin of the Pipe Fortress, she really might have agreed with the staff member’s point of view.

"The data I transferred contains records about the Pipe Fortress’s origin," Li Luo said, pointing to the datapad on the table to remind her.

"Huh? The Hua Sheng Islands are actually related to the origin of the Pipe Fortress?" The staff member was a little surprised and eager to take a look, but Li Luo had uploaded too much data for her to find it right away.

"I’ll read it carefully after I submit the data," the staff member finally gave up.

After gossiping about the Pipe Fortress’s origins, the staff member returned to her professional demeanor and began going through the official procedure.

"You can choose to keep the relic you acquired from the relic vault, but you need to register it..."

"The Pipe Fortress will provide you with a one-time free synchronization rate test to help you anchor. If your synchronization rate meets the standard, we can also help you descend to the next level for free..."

"Free accommodation is also provided for you within the fortress..."

"You will also receive special permissions within the fortress. With the exception of a few critical locations, you can move freely within the fortress and can also control the pipes to perform a series of actions."

"Do you need me to install the control program on your datapad now?"

The staff member finished reciting all the procedures as if from memory, then pointed at Li Luo’s datapad.

Just as Li Luo was about to agree, she saw the twisted pipes on the back of the other datapad.

"After installing the control program, will my datapad become like that?" Li Luo asked, pointing at the strange-looking datapad.

"That’s right."

"Let’s hold off on that for now. Also, can the synchronization rate test be saved for later?"

"Of course. Just contact me again when you need it," the staff member said with a smile.

"Okay." Li Luo nodded and then, under the staff member’s guidance, registered the relic.

"Your datapad has now been connected to the Pipe Fortress’s internal network. Although you can’t directly control the pipes, you can indirectly notify the staff at the control hub via communications to help you use some of the Pipe Fortress’s functions. You can also search for information in the Pipe Fortress’s database."

"Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

After guiding Li Luo on how to use the internal network, the staff member hurriedly left the lounge, apologizing to her as she went.

After the staff member left, Li Luo picked up her datapad and immediately began searching for information on the Pain Transfer Pills.

Sure enough, just as the staff member had said, the relic had no check-in time, only a simple acquisition note stating it was donated by a Hunter. There was no other usage information either.

It seemed no one else had used it before Li Luo.

Li Luo tried searching by function and was indeed able to find the relic. However, it was very inconspicuous among the dense mass of relic information. She had no idea how the staff member had noticed it.

"Pain Transfer Pills, donated by a Hunter..."

Li Luo lightly tapped on the relic’s detailed acquisition information. Unexpectedly, beneath the "Donated by a Hunter" note, there were a few vague records:

"0122."

"Permission."

Li Luo looked at these two terms, somewhat confused.

’What is "0122," and what does "Permission" mean?’

She hurriedly began to search on the Pipe Fortress’s internal network. However, the search box immediately spat out a pile of unrelated data.

Li Luo browsed for a long time but couldn’t find any information related to the Pain Transfer Pills.

However, she did find the definition of "permission" within the Pipe Fortress.

"Permission" seemed to refer to the various classifications of permissions within the Pipe Fortress.

Inside the Pipe Fortress, different professions generally had different permissions.

For example, with "Medical Permission," a person could freely enter and exit certain medical facilities, including the pharmacy vault and the medical center’s back-end systems. In the Abyss, medical supplies are scarce resources, so this permission is very difficult to obtain.

Similarly, there were also Chef Permissions, Hunter Permissions, Guard Permissions... all sorts of permission categories. The special permission Li Luo had received was classified under Hunter Permissions.

’Could it be referring to Permission #0122?’

Li Luo started searching through the list of permissions, but they didn’t have any serial numbers. It was just a rather rough classification, with overlaps between permissions and very vague details. Most people wouldn’t bother paying attention to the specific terms of these permissions.

After all, as long as you had any permission, you could live a normal life in the Pipe Fortress. These permissions were also assigned directly by the authorities, so there was no competition for them; they were just a sort of optional pass.

As for "0122," she had even fewer clues. Li Luo searched the database for a long time but found nothing related to it.

’Could it be that this information was just filler text entered during data input?’