Chapter 222 Chapter 222: Phantom Dream Zero and the Old World
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Eileen was left in disarray, while Renji's thoughts returned to Tia's earlier words.
A three-piece set.
Renji had guessed that Kael Technology would use "Branding Technology" as a lifeline when he first met Tia.
In the game, the Branding system was a key development system comparable to the 'equipment' of Eclipse, often greatly enhances the combat power of Eclipse. A good set of Brandings could lead to a qualitative change, where one plus one equals a hundred in effect.
Take Eileen's previous state with the Branding [Raise a Glass]for example. In her 'Annihilation' state, she could infinitely stack her attack power as long as there were enemies. It was the chemical reaction of her skills and Branding that allowed Eileen to send Maria, who was many levels higher than her, flying with a single punch.
Kael Technology's research on the basic theories of Brandings is sound, and Renji is well aware that although there are excellent single and two-piece Brandings, the truly powerful ones are always the complete three-piece sets. Separates can never match the power of a full three-piece set.
Considering the number of Brandings in the game, as someone who had completed the entire catalogue, Renji knew there must be hundreds of sets. These are sets, not solo pieces, and if counting solo Brandings, there could be thousands.
In the game's perspective, he could see each Branding's name, its rightful position, and its corresponding attributes and effects.
But obviously, the people of the later world do not have this ability. Renji could tell at a glance if two Brandings belong to the same series, but for Kael Technology, they might have to try one by one among hundreds or thousands of Brandings, like finding a needle in a haystack.
'No. There must be other methods; otherwise, the efficiency would be too low. Perhaps through the comparison of similarities in patterns or from the historical background of the Brandings?'
Additionally, applying Brandings to weapons was something not seen in the game before, opening a completely new avenue.
'It seems that people five hundred years later are not just relying on old achievements'
However, speaking of relying on the past, Renji then asked Tia, "Miss Tia, so are these Branding models all discovered in [Dream Zero]? Could you share with us the progress Kael Technology has made in [Dream Zero]?" This time, without waiting for anyone else, Renji himself took the initiative to inquire.
Renji hadn't forgotten his purpose in coming to the Mechanical Alliance, which was to find a way to enter 'Zero's Dream'.
So, when Tia brought up [Dream Zero] while introducing the Branding technology, Renji paid close attention.
"You're correct, all Brandings were incidentally discovered by our company while maintaining [Dream Zero]. As for the progress in [Dream Zero] you're asking about, I'm sorry, but that's confidential information that I'm not authorized to disclose."
Though Renji received a vague explanation, it didn't matter. His real goal was to steer the conversation here and then...
"So what exactly is [Dream Zero]?" As expected, not all Sin City scholars were familiar with the term, and some younger ones showed confusion when the term reappeared.
"[Dream Zero] is the largest and longest-lasting dream network that exists to this day. Due to its enormous size and content, we prefer to call it the Old Dream World, or the Old World."
"The Old World?"
Tia nodded to the puzzled scholars: "Yes. The genesis of this dream comes from the Mechanical Alliance's creator, the most advanced artificial intelligence entity in history, 'Zero'. The dream simulates 'Zero's' memories, depicting the apocalyptic Old World engulfed in Miasma five hundred years ago."
"The Old World is filled with Miasma pollution, natural disasters, and countless monsters. More deadly, as I mentioned earlier, this dream, under the powerful computation of 'Zero', creates a high level of realistic immersion. This means that, unlike other dreams, death in [Dream Zero] results in the death of one's psyche in reality. There have been numerous bloody cases to prove this fact."
"To prevent further tragedies, the Mechanical Alliance, including Kael Technology, established a formal law a hundred years ago to completely block access to Dream Zero, strictly prohibiting citizens from entering. Any unauthorized access without permission is illegal. The supervision and maintenance of Dream Zero are now entirely managed by us."