The Allspark. The words instantly came to Sebastian's mind.
"This thing... it can't really be an Allspark, right?" Sebastian blinked with some disbelief. Immediately afterward, he asked the system, "System, deduce the origin of this championship prize."
A moment later, the deduction result appeared: a single fire seed source, born naturally.
"A single fire source?" Sebastian gazed faintly. It seemed somewhat different from what he expected. But he wasn't surprised, both Godzilla and Pikachu differed from their portrayals in Earth movies. Nonetheless, it didn't matter, as long as it worked.
Sebastian pushed his consciousness into the awakening space.
At this moment, on Greater Terra, inside the Imperium.
The Astra Militarum was holding a post-war meeting, inheriting the fine tradition of the past. The recent battle prompted a post-war summary. The meeting was attended by the seven senior cabinet members, along with a group of generals and scientists.
"This time, our preparation was still insufficient," Yamamoto said directly. "Or rather, the weaknesses of our military were exposed in this battle. I believe you all saw it too." Yamamoto swept the crowd and added, "In the last fight, when our teammates were attacked, we could only watch helplessly and were unable to assist. Even when enemy aircraft were directly overhead, we dared not shoot."
"Yamamoto's right. Our close combat capabilities are still extremely weak," an elderly scientist with gray hair agreed. "This was not a problem before, but in future conquests, it will become more apparent. Once targeted specifically, this will be a critical weakness."
"Of course, the space for ground forces to operate will diminish over time. The future belongs to air weapons, but for now, ground forces are still indispensable. We must address this shortcoming."
"This problem has been considered decades ago," Yuuki added. "But it's very difficult. Compared to supernatural beings, we are just ordinary people. Even with equipment aid, our strength is still far inferior. However, we must find a way to compensate. The probability is low, but we have to create it."
The focus of this meeting was on the last encounter with the Immortal College. The teammate teams were attacked early on, increasing the Astra Militarum's desire for close-combat weapons more than ever.
After deliberation, they reached a unanimous decision to accelerate investment in this area. They aimed to develop effective weapons as soon as possible, though it would be very challenging.
With the Imperium's current technological level, they couldn't imagine what kind of weapons could fight supernatural beings in close combat.
This kind of weapon was under development by the scientific teams. Back in Elizabeth's era, a scientist named Hemmer attempted to develop a towering robot, but limited by time, progress was minimal. Many considered it impractical.
Most scientists now focus on developing wearable exoskeletons. It sounded more plausible, and technically, more feasible. The difficulty was not too high, and the costs were relatively low.
"But will it be able to fight against supernatural beings?" Yuuki asked, inspecting the products of these scientific teams.
Next to him, Yamamoto frowned slightly. Exoskeleton armor was not yet fully mature technology. While a Guardsman could tear apart a tiger or leopard with it, their real opponents were supernatural entities.
Both men recalled encounters with the Magic Ape, Sirius, and Forest Trolls. With exoskeleton armor, facing these creatures would be a matter of a slap.
"Looks like I need to change my mind," Yamamoto shook his head, a look of dissatisfaction on his face.
"But this is the most advanced armor we have right now," the head of the scientific team said.
"It's not enough. You need to be honest, publish the results," Yamamoto said bluntly. "To tell you the truth, these things still fall far short of our requirements."
This truth was hurtful but served to motivate the scientists. After witnessing one of their so-called "advanced products," Yuuki and others reconvened to discuss increasing investments in such projects. As with nuclear fusion, these were key projects. The Astra Militarum would never put all its eggs in one basket.
Regarding melee combat deficiencies, Yuuki and Yamamoto, having participated in battles, knew the reality well. Every fight required defensive tactics. Even with Typhoon Jets, their defensive capabilities were limited, they could only attack from afar and could not approach enemies safely. This frustration weighed heavily on them.
"There's no need for me to guide this," Sebastian said with a small, relieved smile.
Based on the system's deduction, melee weapons were essential, they couldn't rely solely on fighter jets. Many magical races existed in this world. For example, underground, what use would a powerful missile be?
After observing the Astra Militarum's progress, Sebastian began deploying the Allspark. According to the system's projections, he divided the single Allspark into two parts: one placed in the third continent, and the other in the first continent, inside the Imperium.
On the Third Continent.
When the Allspark landed, it surprisingly turned into a pile of silvery-gray, unknown metal. Initially about the size of a stone, it gradually grew larger over time.
Spring and autumn passed.
Wind and rain.
Months later, this silvery-gray metal had expanded to several meters.
A passing Pikachu curiously examined the metal. It discharged a strong electric attack, but there was no reaction. It tried repeatedly, realizing it was just a pile of metal, and soon lost interest.
Shortly afterward, a Silver Eagle flew down. Seeing the metal, its eyes showed curiosity. It pecked at it a few times but found it indestructible. Finally, it left.
A few days later, a quantum cat arrived. Walking and gazing at the sky with its cat-like eyes, it seemed to ponder something. When it approached the metal, it suddenly stopped, turning its head to look. Its star-like eyes shone upon seeing the silver-gray metal.
At the same time, the metal, which had been motionless, trembled faintly, life seemed to be emerging within, though still very weak.
Seeing this change, the whiskers of the quantum cat curled slightly, and it turned away.
"So that's how it is," Sebastian observed the changes in the Allspark and had a realization.
"Could this be the quantum cat's ability?" he wondered, but the system's deduction results all said "unknown." Sebastian couldn't be certain which specific ability it possessed.
He turned his gaze to the first continent. There were no quantum cats there. When the Allspark also transformed into silver-gray metal, it remained in a mountain range. Its quantity increased, but it was still an inanimate object, so Sebastian's expectations waned.
"These two parts of the Allspark will likely follow different paths," he thought quietly.
Soon, a scientific research team discovered the strange silver-gray metals. Out of curiosity, they knocked off a piece and brought it back to the Institute, handing it over to a mineral research specialist.
The scientist studied it and found its uniqueness. He immediately reported to his superiors. Soon after, the Supernatural Research Institute received samples. After initial tests, the significance was unprecedented, attracting the attention of both Yuuki and Yamamoto.
"This newly discovered metal can flow and deform?" Yamamoto was surprised.
"Preliminary results suggest so," a scientist said excitedly. "It's not exactly liquid metal but possesses properties of both liquid and solid metals!"
"If we combine it with vibranium, Starfall Iron, and Tearstone, we could create a new kind of alloy," another scientist said, fists clenched with anticipation.
Sebastian remained somewhat detached. The acquisition of this metal, produced from the Allspark, inspired new ideas for the Astra Militarum's melee weapon development. Meanwhile, other projects advanced steadily, especially nuclear fusion, now at a critical stage. Overall, various initiatives moved forward in an orderly fashion.
Compared to Earth, many fields here had surpassed their Earth counterparts, but some lagged behind, for example, the entertainment industry. Sebastian, with nothing better to do, immersed himself in observing the streets and alleys of the Imperium.
At this point, the Imperium and Earth's nations resembled each other: tall buildings everywhere, fashionable, lightweight clothing, bustling streets filled with cars. Cars were the dominant mode of transportation.
The streets were lively, neon lights, streetlights, car lights, and other illuminations intertwined. Pedestrians hurried past, most holding cell phones. Cell phones had existed for over a decade and had evolved into smartphones.
Sebastian watched this familiar scene with emotionless detachment, continuing his walk. He spotted an internet cafe, more precisely, an electronic reading room mainly used by ordinary people for internet access.
This world also had online and handheld games. The technology was comparable, but game content was less diverse, with only a few titles available due to a small market. Esports and short videos were still in their infancy.
In contrast, biological research was booming, with many companies entering the field. Artificial intelligence was another hot area. Nearly daily, companies announced breakthroughs, but most were limited to small applications. The general public considered true AI to be still far off.
Within the Astra Militarum, especially the Supernatural Research Institute, the highest level of technological innovation existed. Thanks to an increasing number of scientists, the institute expanded annually.
Though none matched Elizabeth's talent, the overall expertise was higher than in her era. The development of the Imperium was steady and orderly.
Sebastian's gaze shifted to the second continent, where nothing unexpected occurred. After Yamamoto departed, the Astra Militarum remained in a state of dormancy within their base.
The Giant Kong now lived comfortably, no longer pursued by Ghidorah. Its offspring continued to reproduce, and the family grew.
Ghidorah, meanwhile, kept watch over the Astra Militarum's base while also monitoring the gathering of Godzillas, an increasingly dire situation.
"Let's see what's happening on the third continent," Sebastian decided, turning his gaze back.
Pikachu was a dominant local species, with no natural enemies of its own but being the predator of other creatures. When encountering Pikachu, which could discharge electricity, animals would run in fear of being electrocuted.
As the offspring of Pikachu increased over time, their electric discharges grew more powerful, developing seemingly formidable electrical abilities.
The quantum cat resided in the northern part of the third continent. Its colony consisted of about ten individuals, far fewer than the over 100,000 Pikachu. The disparity was stark.
In the West, the Space Kangaroo's growth was limited by the Silver Eagle's presence. Reproduction was slow but steady.
The nursery space of the Space Kangaroo was expanding. It housed not only young kangaroos but also food and supplies. The land was overrun with kangaroos, which was burdensome rather than beneficial.
Due to their large food intake, several pounds of leaves and fresh grass per day, they posed a challenge to ecological balance. Unlike Pikachu, which liked fish, their diet was different, and their numbers were manageable.
"This probably reflects the Terra Eternal Level Potential," Sebastian thought.
The Silver Eagle's appearance primarily served to control the rapid development of the Space Kangaroos, preventing ecological disaster.
All four groups developed smoothly. In the middle of the third continent, where Sebastian had cast the Allspark, the silvery-gray metal, after being examined by the quantum cat, increased in quantity and vitality. Over time, the trace of life within it grew stronger.
Sebastian watched quietly. After about a month, a small piece of metal suddenly detached itself from an inconspicuous corner of this metal pile.