After seeing off Rebecca and her brother, Cairo's workshop returned to silence once more, only the servo-skull's faint scanning hum interweaving with various tools' scattered operating sounds, like a metal hive's whispers.
He placed the newly acquired materials one by one on the analysis platform, movements precise and efficient.
That "Thunder-7 type" battery was quickly connected to a self-made charging-discharging regulation device covered in cables. Energy flow began slowly yet steadily injecting into his hungry micro-reactor.
"Energy input stable, fluctuation rate below two percent. Not bad, old friend, we can finally catch our breath." Cairo said to the hovering servo-skull, fingertips sweeping across the finally-stopped-flashing energy warning on the visual interface.
The skull silently rotated a half circle, jaw slightly opening and closing, blue light in eye sockets glowing steadily, as if expressing agreement.
His attention immediately turned to those parts Rebecca and crew considered scrap.
The high-frequency particle scanner emitted soft humming. Microscopic structural analysis probes moved embroidery-fine across the scorched circuit board surface.
"Look here," he spoke as if conversing with a silent apprentice, pointing to a unique spiral nanometer circuit magnified in the holographic image. "Sacrificing long-term stability for extremely high instantaneous data throughput...
An almost gambling design philosophy. This world's technological evolution is filled with this all-or-nothing madness."
The servo-skull descended, sensors carefully scanning the area Cairo indicated, projecting more detailed data streams into his vision.
He picked up a dull alloy fragment, fingertip sensors analyzing its molecular composition.
"Smelting technique outrageously crude, impurity content far exceeding standard tolerance... yet, look at these trace element addition combinations—not unintentional. To resist high-intensity acid rain and radiation dust corrosion? A pragmatic survival solution in harsh environments."
He stood, taking half a step before the oil-stained workbench. Mechanical feet struck the floor with crisp sounds.
"And this neural network interface's redundant design... look at these excess signal pathways—not optimal solutions, more like remedial measures. To cope with inevitable conflicts from massive inferior, incompatible cyberware implants flooding the market? Interesting, truly interesting."
He resembled a scholar examining ancient scrolls, desperately piecing together a civilization's struggling advancement outline from these broken technological remnants.
"These technologies, from the Mechanicus's perspective pursuing eternal stability and standards, are undoubtedly heretical even barbarically crude. But they are exceptionally adapted to this chaotic, rapidly iterating, oppression-filled cyberpunk world. Understanding it, old friend, is our first step to applying it, even transcending it." He gently patted the servo-skull's cold cranium.
The skull obediently bobbed up and down, as if nodding.
After encrypting and archiving all analysis data, Cairo felt a long-absent satisfaction belonging to researchers.
This knowledge would be the foundation for his future modifications and utilization of local equipment, even manufacturing gear that both fit this world's underlying logic while integrating Mechanicus technological advantages.
With preliminary energy supply improvement and deepening understanding of local materials, the desire to transform this workshop became urgent.
"Priority task: energy system expansion. We can't always depend on one scavenged battery and unreliable sunlight." He ordered the servo-skull while his hands already began working, using newly arrived materials to build higher-power conversion and buffer systems.
"Calculate optimal energy plan, prioritize workbench and smelting unit energy allocation."
Light flowed in the skull's eye sockets, quickly projecting calculated three-dimensional circuit diagrams before Cairo.
Next, he dismantled those few most valuable scrapped circuit boards, precision tools seeming to possess life in his hands: "Extract usable crystals and rare metals, purity must reach 99.7% or above. Our new workbench needs an adequate 'heart.'"
Hours later, the workbench was completely renewed, integrating a small but efficient focused laser smelting and sintering device.
Dark red metal arms hung above, radiating faint heat.
"Test it, starting from lowest power." Cairo commanded.
A slender yet extremely scorching beam shot out, precisely smelting a small alloy scrap into a brilliant molten droplet, then instantly cooling and forming into a smooth ingot.
The servo-skull circled the new device, multi-spectral sensors recording all data, confirming perfect operational status.
The most complex part was improving the network receiver. Cairo screened out still-functional signal processors and filters from garbage chips, movements so fast they left afterimages.
"Filtering algorithm needs rewriting. Local communication protocol chaos exceeds imagination. Skull, invoke previously analyzed signal fragment data, cross-reference frequency characteristics." He soldered those tiny components while issuing orders to the servo-skull.
The skull quickly presented required data streams on one side of his vision.
Days later, a bizarre device cobbled from countless scraps with crooked antennas was erected on the workshop roof—an exemplar of Mechanicus aesthetic style.
"Looks like a complete mess, doesn't it?" Cairo said to the servo-skull with slight self-deprecation. "But function supreme." He activated the device.
After a burst of cheerful yet piercing crackling, the device began operating.
In the visual interface, the information flood originally filled with massive noise and invalid data seemed tamed by an invisible dam, becoming much clearer and stable.
"Signal strength improved 400%, signal-to-noise ratio significantly enhanced. Finally can hear this world's 'voice' clearly." Cairo satisfactorily watched more stable news channels, corporate broadcast fragments, and local communication signals flooding into his database.
"Continuous monitoring, record all information patterns regarding technology, corporate activities, and conflict events."
The servo-skull loyally executed commands, silently hovering beside the terminal, light in eye sockets flickering slightly with data streams.
"Reverse engineering progress: Local basic materials science 7%, energy technology 12%, information network protocols 5%, bio-mechanical interfaces 3%..." Cairo reviewed the scrolling list in his vision corner. Progress was slow, but solid foundations were being laid brick by brick.
The upgraded workshop still permeated with mixed smells of ozone, smelted metal, and dust, but it was no longer merely a shelter.
Precision self-made tools, stably powered systems, preliminarily formed data links, and most importantly—a brain rapidly understanding and absorbing local technological knowledge made this place a beginning-to-operate, vitality-radiating technical outpost.
Cairo stood before the completely renewed workbench, one tentacle holding that self-refined local alloy ingot, another tentacle calling up power gauntlet blueprints.
"Material property parameters updated, structural strength 5% higher than expected, but insufficient toughness. Need to adjust force distribution design." He said to the servo-skull as if seeking opinion.
The skull synchronized projecting material analysis reports and structural stress simulation diagrams onto the blueprints.
Outside the window, eternal wind and sand still battered this forgotten land.
But within the workshop, the Tech-Priest's creative fire had ignited, burning steadily, illuminating his step-by-step forging in this chaotic world of a small yet solid foothold.
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For now, every 100 powerstones is an extra chapter.