Azure Cove, E-071.

This area was an exclusive residential district designated by the Association for members at the rank of Investigator and above. A series of simple, three-story villas were scattered about, separated by greenery and protective arrays to ensure ample privacy.

Allen pushed open the large gate made of Sunken Seawood and paused.

Prime real estate, something he had spent half his past life pursuing, had been obtained so easily in this world—as a mere perk of an employment contract.

’I don’t feel a thing,’ he thought. ’It’s almost ironic.’

The total area was just over three hundred square meters. The first floor had a living room, a kitchen, a guest room, and a storage room. The second floor housed the master bedroom, a study, and a Meditation Room. The third floor was a spacious, open-air balcony with an expansive view of the Grand Library plane’s magnificent seascape and the distant chain of floating islands.

All the furniture was standard-issue from the Association. It was far from luxurious, but the materials were solid.

What satisfied Allen the most was the separate Meditation Room on the second floor.

The concentration and purity of Magic Power in this Meditation Room were a cut above the meditation environment he had built for himself in the Cybertron Workshop.

He didn’t dwell on it. After a quick tour, Allen saw that the house needed no tidying and went straight to the study to sit down.

Sitting at the desk, Allen held his badge near his personal terminal. His Level 2 access was authenticated, and the complete interface of the Association’s internal system unfolded before his eyes.

He first opened the Materials Depot.

It was a digital ocean composed of countless product catalogs.

[Metal Raw Materials], [Energy Crystals], [Biological Materials], [Alchemical Reagents], [Rune Carriers], [Finished Equipment], [Consumables]...

Beneath the twenty-seven main categories were hundreds of subcategories and millions of product listings.

This was a massive supply chain that spanned the hundreds of planes connected to the Association.

Allen typed "Adamantine" into the search bar. Instantly, hundreds of listings for the metal from different origins and of varying purities appeared. The prices were generally about four percent lower than what he had seen on the Hub City’s trading market.

What really made his eyes twitch were the items with a conspicuous "Credit Point Exclusive" tag next to their names.

[Resonance Gold (Origin: Void Tide Belt): A core material for constructing hyperspace beacons. Price: 5 Credit Points/kg.]

[Demon Spider Silk (Origin: Spider Mother’s Nest Plane): Can be woven into spatial folds. A top-tier invisibility material. Price: 2 Credit Points/square meter.]

[Spirit-Guiding Silver (Origin: Ruins of a destroyed psionic civilization): 99.7% Spiritual Power conductivity. A sacred artifact for the Mind School. Price: 20 Credit Points/100g.]

...

[Fourth-level Transformation Crystal (Origin: Association Workshop): Used to manufacture Morning Star Level weapons or Golems. Price: 1,500 Credit Points/each.]

[Half-plane Fragment: Temporarily out of stock]

Allen expressionlessly scanned through these top-tier resources, along with a series of materials he had never even seen named in any public market. His gaze finally landed on his personal information.

[Current Credit Points: 0]

’So many good things, but I’m broke.’

He closed the Materials Depot and opened the [Knowledge Base].

If the Materials Depot was a mountain of gold, then the Knowledge Base was a sea of truth that would move even the Gods.

Thousands of years of accumulated alchemical knowledge from the Wizarding World, core technical documents from the five major schools, lessons learned from countless Plane Wars, and even fragments of forbidden ancient civilization technologies judged so by the Gate of Truth... Everything was categorized and available for selection.

Allen took a deep breath and typed the word "Golem" into the search bar.

[Found 410,729 related entries.]

The number alone left him speechless.

He browsed through them quickly.

From the most basic *Mechanical Body Assembly Manual* to *A Theoretical Framework for the Decision-Making of Autonomous War Golems*, and from *A Comparative Study on the Material Adaptability for Golems from Various Planes* to *On the Optimization of Battlefield Command and Coordination Systems for Golem Clusters*—it covered nearly every significant achievement in the field.

Access for a large number of entries was marked as "Level 2 - Free" or "Level 2 - Magic Stone Fee," which he could read directly.

*Instructional Golem Assembly Manual* — Level 1 Access, Free.

*Research Report on the Compatibility of Leyline Energy and Golem Power Furnaces* — Level 2 Access, 5,000 Mid-Level Magic Stones.

*Application and Optimization of Multi-Dimensional Interactive Joints in High-Mobility Golems* — Level 2 Access, 85 Credit Points.

*Cross-Planar Remote Control Technology: A Basic Solution for Signal Latency Compensation* — Level 2 Access, 50 Credit Points.

The further he scrolled, the more solemn his expression became.

Not only were most of the mature technologies circulating on the market available here, but there were also a vast number of cutting-edge research findings from major organizations. Of course, truly secret, ace-in-the-hole techniques were extremely rare.

Even so, this knowledge was the very sustenance needed to upgrade the Cybertron Workshop from a simple manufacturing plant into a Weisren Heavy Industry with real core competency.

[DSeek, classify and archive all knowledge entries related to Golems, automated production, and half-plane technology.]

[Command received... Analyzing data...]

DSeek categorized, tagged, and filed all entries of interest according to three priority levels: "Currently Available," "Short-Term Goals," and "Long-Term Strategy."

Ten minutes later, the results of the report made even Allen feel a surge of excitement.

[DSeek analysis complete.]

[247 key technologies have been listed as "Short-Term Goals." Full unlock estimated to require: 4,980 Credit Points. Once mastered, the comprehensive production efficiency of the ’Cybertron’ Workshop is projected to increase by 350%.]

[8 core knowledge areas have been listed as "Long-Term Strategy." Full unlock estimated to require: 5,720 Credit Points. These include ’Half-plane Workshop Expansion Technology’ (800 Credit Points), ’Logistics System Design for Synchronized Multi-Planar Production’ (200 Credit Points), ’Techniques and Concepts for Core Witchcraft Development’ (500 Credit Points), ...]

[Conclusion: To unlock all the knowledge above (excluding additional technologies beyond what is needed for advancing to Morning Star), a total of approximately 10,700 Credit Points is required.]

[Based on the standard mission revenue model for a Level 2 Investigator, if acquired solely through regular missions, the estimated time required is: 54 years.]

[Recommendation: Optimize mission selection strategy. Prioritize mission types with the highest Credit Point return rate.]

"No wonder..."

Allen leaned back in his chair, murmuring to himself.

’No wonder Eleanor was so certain I wouldn’t want to leave.’

The knowledge from the "Short-Term Goals" alone was enough to elevate the Cybertron Workshop’s production capacity and technological level. As for the "Long-Term Strategy" knowledge—if he mastered it all, the technical bottlenecks on his path to Morning Star would cease to exist.

The Association was telling him in the most blatant way possible: Everything you want, I have.

Power, knowledge, immortality... You only need to trade one thing for it all—your service.

Just advancing to Morning Star and strengthening Cybertron’s foundation would take 50 years to earn the required Credit Points. That wasn’t even counting the other fields of technology Allen would surely dabble in, plus the cost of cultivation supplies and high-level materials. It would be a miracle if he didn’t end up working for the Association for 100 years.

You could choose not to renew your contract, but as for those exclusive resources and knowledge, you might not find anyone willing to sell them to you even for several times the price in Magic Stones.

Allen reined in his fluctuating emotions, swiped his finger across the air, and opened the [Mission Center].

’Since the rules of the game are clear, let’s begin.’

The mission list was equally clear, divided into several major categories like [Exploration], [Development], [Retrieval], [Elimination], and [Rescue]. At the very bottom of the list, one category caught his eye.

[Production Missions]

These were orders the Association issued to its Wizards with manufacturing capabilities, tasking them with producing standardized equipment, replenishing consumables, and repairing or upgrading existing devices for its various planar outposts.

Allen clicked on it, and a recently posted mission appeared before him.

[Mission ID: PR-2291 | Type: Production | Difficulty: D-Class | Details: Produce 500 sets of "Universal Golem Joint Module - Type V" and 200 units of "Standard Patrol Golem Power Core - Type III" for Association Outpost #37 | Deadline: 10 days | Reward: 180 Mid-Level Magic Stones + 1 Credit Point | Materials: Association provides 80%; manufacturer provides the remaining 20% of key materials | Note: Golem Wizards are preferred. Standard blueprints for the Type-V module and Type-III core are included.]

One credit point.

Compared to the massive deficit of over ten thousand, this was just a drop in the bucket.

But Allen’s gaze lingered on this mission for a moment.

[DSeek, evaluate Mission PR-2291.]

[Evaluation initiated...]

[Feasibility Analysis: At the ’Cybertron’ Workshop’s current production capacity, this order can be completed within 72 hours.]

[Cost Analysis: The cost of the 20% self-provided materials is estimated at 31 Mid-Level Magic Stones.]

[Net Profit: 149 Mid-Level Magic Stones + 1 Credit Point.]

[Additional Value: This mission offers a risk-free opportunity to acquire the technical specifications and quality standards for Association-standard equipment, providing a crucial data baseline for benchmarking future ’Weisren Heavy Industry’ products. Risk is extremely low, and the return is stable.]

[Overall Assessment: Recommended to accept.]

The corner of Allen’s mouth curved into a subtle, unnoticed smile.

’Let’s start with you, then. My first Credit Point. And the first market research report for "Weisren Heavy Industry."’

He reached out and tapped the light screen.

[Confirm acceptance of Mission: PR-2291?]

"Confirm."

[Mission accepted.]

[Time remaining: 240 hours, 00 minutes, 00 seconds.]

[The relevant technical blueprints and 80% of the basic materials will be transported to your residence within one hour.]