Chapter 108: Technology Apprentice
Chapter 108: Technology Apprentice
Ten days.
In the office area, Chen Mo closed the book in his hand and tossed it aside, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.
Over half a year—it wasn’t that long, but it wasn’t short either. During this time, he finished reading more books than many people could read in their entire lives. Even with his Super Brain, it still made his head spin.
A thousand books—if he hadn’t kept his wits about him, he might have felt an urge to go wild with joy over finishing them.
Rubbing his temples, Chen Mo put all the books on the desk back onto the shelves. After reading a thousand books, his mind felt surprisingly calm.
The only thing he hoped now was that the condition for the next level of permission in the Science and Technology Library wouldn’t involve reading books.
After tidying up, Chen Mo lay back on the sofa in the office area and closed his eyes.
A golden gate over a hundred meters tall, inscribed with all sorts of incomprehensible text, symbols—dense and scattered like stars. The gate gave off a feeling of weight and simplicity.
Standing below it and looking up, Chen Mo felt a sense of how small humans truly were.
When he first obtained the Science and Technology Library, this gate had felt eerie to him, but now the feeling was completely different.
Placing his palm on the gate, the massive door slowly opened. Rays of white light burst forth, engulfing him. When the light faded, Chen Mo was already inside the library.
It was the familiar sight of bookshelves towering over a hundred meters high. Only by looking up did he feel like a lost ant.
Pulling back his feelings of awe, Chen Mo walked to the desk and opened the dark red book.
“You’re here.” Elder Shu looked at Chen Mo and gave a slight nod. “It took you over half a year to finish a thousand books; that’s passable.”
“That’s just passable?” Chen Mo didn’t understand.
“Indeed, it’s only passable,” Elder Shu said. “Your mind is no longer ordinary—you have super memory and understanding. If you had spent all your time reading, you could have finished the thousand books in less than four months.”
“I would have dropped dead then.”
“But it’s just as well. At least you’re not a bookworm, and your foundation is built up,” Elder Shu said.
“Elder Shu, can I take a technology now? Has my level increased?” Chen Mo asked.
“Yes, but there’s no need to take one, because it’s meaningless for you now.”
“Why?”
“You have completed the task for the first level of permission and are about to enter the next level. All the technologies for the Novice level will be open to you. You don’t have to choose—you can just take any of them.
As your level increases, more permissions in the Science and Technology Library will gradually open to you. At the highest permission level, you can read all the books in the entire library.”
Chen Mo nodded to show he understood.
“For the Novice level technologies, you can take any of them as you please. These will lay the foundation for the technologies at the next level,” Elder Shu continued explaining.
“What is the next level?” Chen Mo asked.
“After the Novice stage, you become a Technology Apprentice,” Elder Shu said. “Now, stay still. I will upgrade your permissions.”
Elder Shu placed his finger on Chen Mo’s forehead. “The process is a bit uncomfortable, but you must endure it. It will benefit you.”
“Okay.”
As soon as Chen Mo spoke, he felt the world spinning. The dizziness made him extremely uncomfortable, as if his head was about to explode.
Held in place by Elder Shu’s finger on his forehead, Chen Mo’s body couldn’t fall, but it trembled constantly, and his face grew paler and paler.
“Ugh…”
The moment Elder Shu removed his finger, Chen Mo collapsed onto the floor of the Science and Technology Library, dry heaving. The dizziness was so intense he couldn’t bear it.
It took a long time for Chen Mo to recover, gasping for breath. Only when his mental state improved a bit did he stand up.
“How do you feel?” Elder Shu asked.
“It felt like spinning ten times per second; my brain almost exploded,” Chen Mo said, rubbing his chest.
“That was the development of your brain’s domain,” Elder Shu said. “You now have the permission level of Technology Apprentice.”
“I don’t feel anything special,” Chen Mo said, checking his body.
“Of course you don’t,” Elder Shu said with a laugh. “This is your reward for advancing to Technology Apprentice.” Elder Shu pointed a finger, and a book descended in front of Chen Mo.
Seismograph Technology and Manufacturing
Chen Mo straightened his back and stared at the book in surprise. “Does this Seismograph warn of earthquakes in advance?”
“Correct. It can warn of earthquakes five hours in advance, with a detection range of fifty kilometers,” Elder Shu nodded.
“Hiss…”
Chen Mo sucked in a cold breath, then became overjoyed. This was definitely a great thing. If earthquakes could be predicted in advance, it would be an immeasurable contribution to humanity.
Even without any other technology, just this one could make him as great as a revered figure.
“Give it to me quickly,” Chen Mo said eagerly.
“You are now a Technology Apprentice; you can take it yourself,” Elder Shu pointed at the book. “Place your hand on the book’s cover.”
Without thinking, Chen Mo raised his hand and pressed it onto the book’s cover. Then, the book slowly faded, and a flood of information poured into his mind, etching deep into his memory.
Inside were design blueprints, working principles, and manufacturing processes for the Seismograph. Chen Mo fell into deep thought as he recalled them.
“In the future, when you need a technology, just choose it from the red book, and it will appear. You can obtain it yourself—but only for Novice level technologies. Now, let me introduce the permissions for a Technology Apprentice.”
Elder Shu interrupted Chen Mo’s careful recollection.
“Besides being able to obtain Novice level technology books at any time, you also have the optimization function, but it’s limited to optimizing technologies at the Technology Apprentice level and below. Lastly, your Novice period is over, so the permission to randomly obtain a technology each month is canceled.”
“How do I advance to the next level?” Chen Mo asked.
“Your level-up task is this.”
Elder Shu tapped the air, and eight pillars of light descended from above the library, forming a book in each of the eight directions, quietly hovering in mid-air.
“These eight books each represent a technology in a specific field. They are Applied Physics, Chemical Materials, Biomedical Science, Computer Science, Ecology, Electronic Machinery, Military Weapons, and Energy.”
Elder Shu pointed to the books in the eight directions, explaining each one to Chen Mo.
“These eight books are just small representations of their respective fields. The purpose is to show you that, as the owner of the Science and Technology Library, you must be an all-around talent. Your task is to complete the technologies in these eight books, and then you can advance to the next level.”
Chen Mo listened to Elder Shu’s explanation and nodded to show he understood.
“If I want to obtain other technologies at the Technology Apprentice level, what should I do?” Chen Mo asked.
“You are now a Technology Apprentice. You must rely on yourself and acquire technology through technology sharing. Share the technologies you develop with the Science and Technology Library. However, the technologies in these eight books don’t count—you have to develop them yourself.”
“Understood,” Chen Mo nodded.
“For these eight books, you must complete the first one before you can get the second. I am going back now. Until you finish these eight technologies, I will not come out. So, everything depends on you. I’ve already led you through the door.”
Hearing Elder Shu’s words, Chen Mo felt a pang of sadness.
Having spent so much time with Elder Shu, he considered him both a teacher and a friend. Now that Elder Shu wouldn’t be accompanying him further, it felt like saying goodbye to a loved one.
“The rest of the journey is up to you. Remember, complete these technologies as soon as possible. Your goal is to unlock the highest permission of the Science and Technology Library. When you finish your tasks, we will meet again.”
“Okay.”
Elder Shu’s figure slowly faded away. Chen Mo’s gaze swept over the eight books. Each book was like a mystery, only bearing the name of the field without specifying the exact technology.
Chen Mo thought for a moment but didn’t rush to obtain the contents of the books. He exited the Science and Technology Library. He still had many things to do and wouldn’t have time to study them right away even if he did.