A Growing Reputation and a Special Mission

Returning to the Great Workshop, Yanaki's reputation had preceded her. The story of the "little summoner" who had used tree roots to save an entire convoy from the Vulture Leader had been told, and embellished, by Grumbles and Wisp. People no longer looked at her with disdain, but with curiosity and a bit of admiration. They began to understand that her "pets" weren't just for show.

With the 200 Contribution Points she had just earned, Yanaki immediately went to the Guild Shop. She didn't exchange them for readily available equipment. Instead, she exchanged them for things others often overlooked: basic engineering textbooks, manuals on steam principles and alloy types. She wanted to build her knowledge from the ground up.

She spent the next few days in a workshop, practicing on her own. She started by crafting the [Small Cryo-Cannons] from the D-Rank schematic she had. Initially, her products were crude and malfunctioned. But with persistence, her analytical ability, and Volt's help in diagnosing errors, the cannons she made became more and more refined.

She didn't keep them for herself. She brought the best-functioning cannons and gifted them to Wisp. "You're an aerial specialist; perhaps this will be useful to you," Yanaki said.

Wisp was incredibly surprised and delighted. She tested the cannon and realized it was a perfect addition to her hit-and-run playstyle. This act not only helped Yanaki strengthen her relationship with a potential ally but also helped her reputation as a thoughtful crafter to spread even further.

One day, as she was studying a new blueprint, Foreman Rory came to find her. Her expression this time was completely serious.

"Kid, my office. We need to talk," Rory said.

In her office filled with drawings and machine models, Rory handed Yanaki a special data slate, marked "Top Secret."

"The Gear Guild just launched a new Security Automaton, the 'Aegis' Model. It's faster, stronger, and smarter than anything we've got," Rory said, her voice laced with frustration. "They're winning a lot of important security contracts, causing us no small amount of damage."

She pointed at the slate. "This is all the scarce intelligence we have on it. I want you to... do what you do best. Analyze it. Find its weakness. We can't face it head-on, but if we can find an 'Achilles' heel' in its design, we can create a counter-weapon."

This was no longer a routine repair job. This was a mission of technological intelligence, a silent war between the two guilds. Rory no longer saw Yanaki as just a mechanic. She saw her as a strategist.

[You have received a Special Mission from the Foreman: [Aegis Design Analysis].]

Description: Analyze the intelligence data, simulations, and reports to find potential weaknesses in the design of the 'Aegis' Model Security Automaton.

Reward: 1000 Contribution Points, access to B-Rank Guild Schematics.

The reward was too tempting. Access to B-Rank schematics was exactly what Yanaki needed to craft more powerful equipment for herself, to prepare for the search for the Ancient Energy Cores.

"I'll need all the raw data, any video footage of it in operation, and any wreckage fragments you have," Yanaki said, immediately stepping into the role of an analyst.

Rory smiled. "It's all here. And I'll give you access to the 'Combat Simulation Room' to test your hypotheses."

Yanaki accepted the mission, her heart filled with excitement. She was evolving from a solo player into a key player in an entire floor's technological war. She looked at the complex data of the Aegis model, and her brain began to work at full capacity.

She knew that to find the weakness of a perfect machine, sometimes you needed more than just technical analysis. You needed to understand the philosophy of its creators. And to do that, she would need the help of Elara, her Spirit of Memory.

A high-tech investigation, combining machine logic and spiritual empathy, was about to begin.