Arad's unruly savior

Chapter 3919 Isn't that still being poor?
The inventors' conference was held as scheduled, and Wulan's popularity reached its peak.

Airships of all sizes and colors swarmed like fish, keeping the largest port in the foggy city, "Stademos," constantly busy.

Many people even began to worry that the fog might fall due to overload.

Ruiqi serves as a judge in the Beast Fang Judgment area, and her work is paid, which will be paid by the three major scholar factions afterwards.

"Chimera, are you awake?" Ruiqi, dressed neatly, grabbed the necessary work documents, knocked on the door, glanced at the wall clock (the hour hand was almost eight in the morning), and said:
"I have to head out now. There are nine entry points for the Fogstorm competition. Remember to find one and enter. As long as you pass the preliminary review and get a certificate, it means your invention has some value, and things will be easier from there."

"However, the probability of being eliminated is very high. At least 70% of them will be rated as worthless inventions. You have to be careful and don't make any mistakes on the spot."

A few seconds later, a faint, lazy sound came from Chimera's room. It seemed that she hadn't gotten up yet, was stretching and rolling around, and after dawdling for a while, a reply came: "I know, the Inventors' Conference lasts for several days, what's the rush?"

Ruiqi shook her head slightly, feeling like she was about to become Chimera's mother, and reminded her, "It's best to go in the first three days."

Unlike other competitions, inventors' works are designed to be perfected by everyone, who will check the details and look for areas for improvement.

So in the days leading up to the inventors' conference, not many participants actually bring out their proudest creations. Since there's only one chance a year, everyone wants to have a few more days to prepare.

The last few days, especially the last day, will most likely see massive crowds and traffic jams.

After confirming that Ruichi had left, Chimera yawned wearily, her eyes showing obvious dark circles. She had barely slept, having spent the entire time studying the structure of the city of Mist.

The surface map of Fogstorm is available in stores. It has a very detailed layout of buildings, territories, and bus routes, making it like a travel guide. It is easy to buy.

However, the internal structure map of the city of Mist is probably only available to a limited number of major powers. Ordinary people simply cannot buy it. Even Ruiqi does not have the internal structure map of Mist.

Chimera tried everything but couldn't get her hands on the internal structure of the Mist. However, just when she was at a dead end, she luckily obtained a balance compass device, a tool used by the Mist's balance monitors.

As a mechanical city suspended in the sky, Mist City needs not only the characteristic of "suspending," but also a very important attribute: balance.

Unlike the solid and stable earth, which remains unshaken by wind and rain, a city suspended high in the sky is subject to violent air currents all day long. If it shakes violently like a ship in a storm, then it is not suitable for long-term habitation.

Therefore, there is a group of balance monitors for the fog, who measure the balance data of the fog every day. The balance tools they use contain the fog structure data recorded by the monitors.

Normally, balancing tools are strictly forbidden to be passed on to outsiders, but once when the Mist was surrounded by monsters, five monsters tried to destroy the core of the Mist, which triggered a terrible war that affected a corner of the Mist. Some pirates were also hiding in the Mist, and after being found by the Demon Strike Team, a battle also broke out.

Some balance inspectors were affected and suffered misfortune, resulting in the loss of several balancing tools.

"I'm so incredibly lucky, it must be the Rubik's Cube protecting me." Chimera had dark circles under her eyes, but she was in high spirits and full of confidence.

The actual operation will take place tonight, tonight. She can't wait much longer.

Before that, she suppressed her restless heart and prepared to attend the inventors' conference, and also to scout out some places.

Carrying her chimera bow, Chimera traveled by car to the Clockwork House area. Although there was a competition entrance near the Beast Fang Judgment, she pretended not to know it, couldn't see it, and wasn't going there anyway.

Upon arriving at the House of Clockwork, Chimera pulled out his wallet from his pocket, opened it, and found only a few pitiful coins and a single banknote, totaling no more than a hundred dollars. At most, that would be enough for a simple fast food meal and a return ticket.

This place is so densely populated and valuable that even breathing here feels like it costs money.

"Where's my money, Brave Chimera? I still haven't gotten the Rubik's Cube. I'm about to starve."

In order to steal the Rubik's Cube, she bought a lot of tools to prepare. Her already meager wallet became as cold as frost. Once opened, even a mouse would cry.

"I haven't bought the necessary tools yet. How am I supposed to steal the Rubik's Cube without them?" Chimera was devastated. The aftereffects of her long-term sleep deprivation also appeared. She suddenly collapsed to her knees, feeling dizzy and seeing everything as money.

When she was inventing, she would reuse many of the tools. To put it nicely, it was about saving money and having compatibility in her inventions. To put it bluntly, it was about being poor.

In the past, Ruiqi could sometimes freeload off me, but lately Ruiqi has been busy and hasn't had the chance to do so.

Chimera may occasionally be dishonest, but she would never steal money.

"I really want to find money, a million dollars..."

"How about I go to the competition first? If I can pass, I'll sell the chimera bow. I'm so poor."

Just as the chimera collapsed from poverty, a group of people happened to pass by. One of them stopped, bent down slightly, and asked with concern:

Are you alright? Are you okay?

The other two also stopped, one of them standing closer to the chimera's head.

"It smells so good..." Chimera glanced at the pair of feet so close to her.

Then, upon hearing the voice, Chimera slowly raised her head. The first thing that caught her eye was a pair of shapely, straight, and slender legs, tightly wrapped in a pair of sporty trousers. The fabric outlined perfect muscle lines, and at first glance, one could sense that the other person must possess exaggerated leg strength.

Looking up, Chimera saw a chest that rose and fell slightly, but it was hard to believe it was due to the fabric, such as the thickness of the protective shield itself. Then she saw a pair of rather beautiful, sunny faces.

"I'm fine." Chimera, her spirits low, got up.

Then, a scene that surprised Chimera appeared: the woman in front of her, with strong legs and a flat chest, actually opened her own wallet. A thick wad of colorful cash immediately caught Chimera's eye, and she stared at it intently.

She pulled out two rather large bills and stuffed them into Chimera's wallet, smiling as she said:

"Everyone encounters difficulties at times, so keep going and don't give up."

"Thank you... thank you so much, you are such a kind and compassionate person." Chimera's eyes were almost wet with tears, and she felt that the woman in front of her smiled like an angel from Bai Hai's novel.

…………

“Catherine, how did you know she needed money?” Saler asked.

Catherine is the nickname of the third princess, Isabella. Including the cool Cyrus, the group of them have never returned to the realm of the gods, where there is so much fun to be had.

"Because there was only a pitiful little bit of money in her wallet." The Third Princess blinked. At that moment, Chimera had already closed her wallet, but the thickness of the wallet didn't lie.

"With such a thin thickness, even if it were filled with large denominations of banknotes, it would only amount to ten thousand yuan."

Having successfully broken through to the Transcendent realm, and becoming increasingly cool and with his feet smelling better and better, Cyrus casually remarked:
"What if her wallet contained checks from a major chamber of commerce, like one million dollars each, and several of them?"

"Isn't that still pretty poor?" the Third Princess replied casually, as if it were perfectly normal, without finding anything amiss. Sala, standing to the side, slightly twitched her lips. Although she was a renowned God of War, she wasn't detached from worldly affairs and knew the value of things and the significance of money.

…………

Chimera brought his chimera bow to the inventors' convention. On the first day, there should have been few people, but there was still a queue.

Besides people like her who can bring their works with them, there are also people whose works are too large to bring to the site, or even to the misty landscape, and who use special photographic tools to record their works.

An inventor is proudly introducing his invention, saying:

"As we all know, it is very difficult for older people or people with health problems to walk, so I invented an assistive device..."

The scholar in charge of the review nodded slightly and smiled. This was indeed a promising field worth exploring. Although there were single-person flying vehicles, they were too expensive for ordinary people to afford.

"Take it out and let us see," a scholar said with a smile.

Then, the proud inventor pushed out a wheelchair.

The reviewer's forehead veins throbbed, and he almost gritted his teeth as he said:
"Invention, invention, the key lies in innovation, not in existing knowledge."

“I have an innovation: there’s an emergency lifebuoy and a parachute on the back of the wheelchair…”

"Eliminated!" one scholar waved his hand, his teeth itching with anger.

The pool of talent was a mixed bag, and he now wanted to drag out the scholars in charge of the preliminary selection, beat them up, and ask them how this kind of thing even passed.

Another inventor has introduced his anti-drowsiness device, which is connected to the body through a backpack-like mechanism. Once it detects that the wearer is drowsy, it will activate a super-powerful electric shock.

"You can ask the Demon Strike Team; they might need this kind of punishment."

When Chimera began to introduce her chimera bow, she noticed that the scholars' eyes lit up, becoming incredibly clear, especially when they saw the unparalleled treasure.

"A double-string bow? What are its advantages?" a scholar asked carefully.

"The two strings can be used alternately, each suitable for shooting at different distances, which increases the lifespan of the bow, reduces the burden on the archer, and can increase the firing speed once you are familiar with them."

The judges took turns looking at the inlaid bow. They knew that the divine bows used by the musicians of the Melodious Harmony had more strings, but that was to suit the playing properties of the instrument. The plucked strings stirred magical power and hardly shot out any physical arrows.

Through several experiments, they determined that the chisel bow had the advantages claimed by the other party and was sufficient to advance to the next round.

Chimera pulled out some accessories, explaining that a major feature of the Chimera Bow is its accessories. The accessories imbue the arrows with corresponding magical power, the most prominent of which is poison.

The arrows will carry the poison they wish to inflict.

"It affects the power of arrows through accessories, somewhat similar to the Mysterious Bow of the Wandering Association," one scholar commented.

The difference lies in the fact that the Chimera Bow can be used with more accessories, while the Mysterious Bow is exclusive to the Wandering Association and has the mysterious upper limit of summoning Centaurus.

Chimera's work received unanimous approval and successfully advanced to the next round. As she turned to leave, she heard the scholars' anguished roars once more.

…………

That night.

Chimera, carrying all her equipment, headed straight for the marked location. She was ready to act; she couldn't wait any longer.

The ideal solution would be to drill a hole in the ground and fall down, but unfortunately, the ground of the misty area is constructed from a special alloy and a magic array, making it almost indestructible. Ordinary methods are not an option to break through the ground.

Moreover, it would cause a huge commotion, so the best option is to sneak in.

"Because Fog City is a mechanical city, its internal space is not as free as a basement in normal land. The major powers can only build underground spaces according to Fog City's inherent structure, which is a pity."

Chimera examined the construction diagrams closely, took a deep breath, and then activated a mist device at her waist. A few seconds later, her body slowly disappeared in a distorted light, achieving visual invisibility.

If you look closely at the space where she is hiding, you can still find a hint of something amiss, but human vision is prone to overlooking things, and our eyes will subconsciously look at what we care about.

She proceeded cautiously and successfully blended into the Clockwork House area, skipping several security checks.

While searching for the entrance to the lower level, Chimera was suddenly drawn to the sound of an argument. It was a brightly lit office, and through the window, several important figures could be seen having a meeting.

A scholar who appeared to be middle-aged, wore glasses, and possessed a refined demeanor, spoke calmly with a cold expression:

"No, has the Beast Fang Judgment gone mad to make such a suggestion? The Transformation Cube can only be used in a small area. Trying to use it to change an entire region is risky. No one can control this dangerous power. One wrong move could cause a major crisis."

"You mentioned the Rubik's Cube...?" Chimera perked up her ears; the familiar words made her decide to linger a little longer.

"Would it work if a hermit were present?" an elderly scholar asked, bowing his head. He was one of the senior professors who had accompanied Dendel on his experiment not long ago.

“That must be approved by the hermit, not decided by the beast's teeth.” The bespectacled scholar spoke with firm conviction, his brows deeply furrowed.
There was a reason why Lord Kelton entrusted the Rubik's Cube to us in the first place.

The old fogies at the Gear Workshop are too conservative in their thinking, adhering to established knowledge and lacking a spirit of adventure. Once they get their hands on the Rubik's Cube, they will most likely be permanently sealed away, never to see the light of day again.

While the Beast Fang Judgment may seem to have an open academic atmosphere and teach without discrimination, it actually hides a fanatical mindset that is willing to accept any losses incurred during the research process as long as the ultimate goal can be achieved. They will spare no effort to study the Rubik's Cube, and in extreme situations, they will even use living animals to conduct experiments.

Only the House of Clockwork retains a spirit of reverence while possessing an innovative spirit.

　A few adorable things about chimeras...

　　She's a chatterbox, but she'll become very well-behaved if scolded.
　　The Rubik's Cube was stolen.

　　The game features a skill that can reduce cooldowns by retrieving parts. The background depicts a chimera that is quite poor due to frequent experiments, so it is very frugal.

　　However, when Chimera is set to stand in the street during her second awakening, she will pick up money... She will find a gold coin on the ground, secretly walk backwards, and quickly pick up the money.

　　Regarding the Rubik's Cube, it is set as Kelton's "relic," but this does not mean that its power originated from Kelton. In fact, the power of the Rubik's Cube is very inconsistent with Kelton's, but is very similar to the power of Yannemer.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)