Cain notices that the gnomes are still in the staging area looking over their mangled robot when the final set of the concert ends, so he makes his way down out of the stands to go see them. They seem to be having a deeply involved discussion on the input lag of the command system and the capacity of the shielding system, with each of them blaming the other for the failure.
For what it's worth, Cain is on the side of blaming the input lag, because if the robot was attacking and blocking at the proper times it could have defeated the bear without taking nearly as many hits and overloading the shielding system.
The field has been swarmed with spectators going to see the victors and congratulate them on their performance, wishing them well in the finals two days from now.
"Gentlemen, might you have a moment for a potential customer?" Cain asks with a big smile.
"You are interested in helping fund our research? I think we are doing pretty well already? After all the Smashinator Mk 312 made it to the semi-final round." The engineer Gnome informs him in a squeaky voice.
"On the contrary, I was greatly impressed, and I would like to purchase a number of units from you. I think they would make excellent escorts for dangerous journeys through the Awakened areas." Cain informs him and the gnome gets so excited he is practically vibrating.
"They will be excellent escort bots once they are finished, but the data set for the combat processors is currently incomplete and needs to be updated with practical experiences. I am certain that the capability is there, but we don't have a way to transfer knowledge between units beyond practical data, and the adaptive subroutines need experiences using the data before they are fully combat capable, as you saw today. All the data is there, but something is missing to allow it to take initiative."
Cain suspects what is missing is consciousness. Or a facsimile of it. It takes a fairly advanced data set to make an NPC in a video game unpredictable and therefore dangerous to a skilled opponent. Trying to apply that to a robot that needs to function in multiple environments, and against a myriad of opponents is certainly not an easy task for even a skilled programmer.
"If you can sell me a similar model I can suggest to you a highly effective method of having them become more autonomous and better apply their combat capabilities," Cain suggests but the Gnome shakes his head.
"Unfortunately, this was the last functional unit that we had. But if you make it New Muzz, the engineer's Guild has a number of unawakened options to choose from that have similar functionality."
That doesn't do Cain a lot of good without the ability to fight the sorts of opponents they are likely to face in the awakened areas, but New Muzz? That's a place he simply must visit.
"I am newly arrived on the Continent, as you might have guessed already. I don't suppose that you have a map of some sort that could point me towards New Muzz?" Cain asks and the Gnomes both nod their agreement, pulling out pamphlets for their design firm, which specializes in transport striders and mopeds.
The mopeds actually look identical to the ones Cain saw in Muzz, and the spec looks like it is nearly the same. The Dark Elves said that the Gnomes lost a lot when they were forced out, but to think that transport technology has advanced so little in a thousand years is a bit depressing. Looking closer, the materials are all different than the original, so it isn't all a lack of development, but trying to replace rare materials that weren't available in their new location and getting stuck while technology became obsolete for lack of spare parts.
Still depressing, but it gives him hope for their capabilities.
"Thank you. Hopefully, I have a chance to catch up to you there and see your latest inventions." Cain says politely, before leaving to rejoin his group.
He shows them the pamphlet with the directions to New Muzz and Aoi looks vaguely concerned.
"You're not planning to actually go to a Gnomish city, are you? I mean, it's not in an awakened area, but Gnomish cities have their own level of dangers." She asks, genuinely concerned for their safety.
"Maybe, but we didn't have a map at all before, and this one at least gives us a few waypoints along the way. Maybe we can find something interesting along the way. I personally am hoping to trigger a Class Advancement quest." Cain explains.
That is something that the Blacksmith understands very well. Smiths often trigger various quests by creating new and high-quality items related to their trade, so the idea that other classes would do the same is just a given to them.
The next day is the semi-finals of the Transfer Class, and Aoi insists they all get there early for a special treat. She is outside their hotel room just as the sun comes up, not even waiting for them to have breakfast before eagerly leading them towards the arena.
"Trust me, it will all be worth it once you get there and see." She laughs, as Laura yawns from Cain's shoulder.
The location of the surprise is obvious. Even at this incredibly early hour of the day, four hours before the fights start there is a lineup at a shop near the arena. A young Tengu couple is selling buns from a stall that smells absolutely amazing. The sign has one single item on it [Sweet Barbecue Pork Buns 1 Silver per bag while supplies last]
"It's a monthly special, only available during the semi-finals of the tournament. For the finals, they give up the spot for the local baker, who sells victory puddings. The name is misleading because nobody eats them to celebrate the victories, they throw them at the losers if their performance is particularly embarrassing, and only eat them at the end of the day if all the fights were good."
That's a bit cruel, but every sport has its traditions, right?
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