Autumn turns to winter.

Cold air sweeps across the land, and localized regions have already begun to experience snowfall.

On this ordinary day of the eighth winter.

The long silent second Artificial Sun finally rises slowly from the Dead Sea.

Unlike the crystal-clear brilliance of the first Sun, the second Sun is shrouded in mist, resembling a giant ice ball, with vast amounts of white vapor rising around it, giving it a somewhat obscure and elusive appearance.

Zhou Yi arrives next to this gemstone device with Hei Fu.

703 proactively invites Chairman Zhou Yi to enter the interior of the second Sun.

Inside the thick gemstone walls, there are numerous components that interact and connect with each other, like tiny gears collectively driving the operation of the entire massive device.

The interior contains two gemstone spaces similar to heart chambers.

In the left chamber, there are control cabins formed of gemstones, where several Mechanical Lifeforms reside, connected to the outside via gem fiber, with work lights constantly on, engaged in calculations.

The right chamber, however, is relatively empty, with a slowly rotating stone sphere suspended inside.

But 703's presence is nowhere to be seen.

Zhou Yi looks around and finally returns his gaze to the stone sphere.

This stone sphere, he remembers, was furniture that 703 carried with him when he left Chuneng City—although to others it seemed just like an ordinary stone, in 703's most impoverished and difficult days, it was his only toy.

Even after becoming the company's Program Department head and one of the two leaders of the Mechanical Knight Order.

703 has never discarded this stone sphere, still treasuring it like a gem.

After the success of the Sunday movement, 703 even named the stone sphere "Friday," because in the company, after Friday comes the weekend, and on this day, everyone is always in high spirits.

A holiday is most beautiful as it approaches.

Zhou Yi looks at the stone sphere, reflecting on the many things the Sunday program brought, his emotions a mix of bittersweet.

"Worthy of being the chairman, you immediately recognized that my current body has become Friday!"

703's voice emanates from the stone sphere.

Zhou Yi is surprised, then waves his hand: "I didn't actually realize it. I was just thinking of when you used to come to the company with Friday on your back... time passes so quickly, we've already gone much further than we originally intended."

"You're right, it's like a dream."

703 says: "Chairman. Sometimes, many times, I wonder if all this is real? Could it just be a long daydream while I lie in the cramped tin house of Chuneng City? When I wake up, I'd have to face unemployment, no money for insurance, and repairing my body, ceaseless work until eternal rest..."

"But even if all this is just a dream, I am quite content."

"Meeting you and traveling alongside you, undertaking so many feats I never imagined before. Changing the plight of millions of impoverished Mechanical Lives, saving many lives... just thinking about it is incredible."

Zhou Yi smiles: "You're becoming more and more like Zhuang Zi, the dream of the butterfly seems to be passed down. But whether it's a dream or reality, we need to make it better, we always live between the real and unreal."

"You are right."

"Alright, let's talk business. How did you become Friday?"

"Here's the deal."

703 flies in front of Zhou Yi: "With Qing Liu's help, I completed the 'New World Phenomenon,' using the Heavenly People Gem as an element. But my traits are different from Master Jue Mingzi."

"His ability is projection and monitoring."

"The abilities I evolved, besides projection, include a surveying ability."

Zhou Yi listens without much surprise.

703's original factory settings involved mineral surveying as its main function.

"So why did it become a stone sphere?"

Zhou Yi is quite interested in this point.

"This is remote sensing technology in surveying, I implanted gem fragments inside the stone sphere using gem fiber, so it only looks like a stone sphere, but in reality, it is a Gem Remote Sensing Device. Like those projection lifeforms."

"My body has deeply bound and connected to the second Sun to allow precise control, using its energy leverage. So in external activities, I would mainly appear in the form of Friday."

I see.

Zhou Yi expresses: "But I still prefer your original form."

703 says: "Then let Friday remain inside the solar body, I will replicate a body, and use it for activities externally."

Zhou Yi nods: "With surveying abilities… it should be a comprehensive upgrade from your past traits. According to the strength and characteristics of gemstones… you should have stronger surveying capabilities regarding the Heavenly People or Death Light?"

"You are absolutely correct!"

703's voice comes from the stone sphere: "I have a natural affinity with gemstones and Death Light in these two directions, so the surveying effects and precision are optimal."

"Like different polishing parameters of gemstones, and various types of gem fibers, I can make very precise judgments, and can polish based on existing standards."

Zhou Yi is greatly pleased.

That means gaining a Gem Engineer. Previously, all types of gemstones could only be used as finished products, but now they can be processed according to need, significantly enhancing operability.

As gemstone usage increases, 703's capabilities become critically important.

"Chairman, I have confirmed, the essence of gemstones is high-purity crystalline silicon, composed of numerous isotopes."

"So the gemstone body of Heavenly People can also be regarded as synthetic silicon-based life."

"Under normal circumstances, pure silicon crystal cannot enter Earth's natural environment because the water and oxygen here will rapidly oxidize the silicon crystal, causing the connections between gemstones to fail, and the entire mechanism to collapse."

"The early local bodies of Heavenly People collapsing quickly upon descending to Earth was due to this reason. Later, they underwent special treatment on the surface, creating a layer of silicon oxide, preventing this issue."

"Based on my recent observations of over 30 million gemstones on the Moon's surface, they have formed thin films of compounds like silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) and silicon carbide (SiC), significantly enhancing the impact resistance and toughness of silicon crystal gemstones."

Zhou Yi's eyes light up.

Finally, understanding the essence of gemstones.

This is major progress!

"However, the gemstone technology itself is extraordinarily complex and precise, and the technological force behind silicon crystal gemstones is extremely high, although the material uses silicon crystal as a core, it also incorporates other elements as auxiliaries. Just with a finished product, I cannot perform restoration or replication."

703 says somewhat regretfully: "Silicon crystal gemstones have a very special crystal structure on a microscopic scale, I have detected they are at least crafted and sculpted on the atomic level. The precision could very likely be even higher."

"The more I understand, the more it makes me realize, the Heavenly People's gemstone technology is indeed terrifying... it certainly exceeds the scope comprehensible by Earth's technology."

Zhou Yi hums: "Their technical prowess is undeniable. However, we are not engaging in a technological contest with them, but rather aim to understand their weak points and capitalize on our strengths, leveraging our advantages to target their weaknesses—that's our approach."

"You are right."

"This has always been the strategic direction of the company, now I understand your thinking, it is indeed the correct decision."

703, after a bit of flattery, says: "Though silicon crystal gemstones may appear fragile, they can rapidly adjust and optimize, continuously adapting through compounding with other elements, completing environmental matching."

"So your judgment remains correct, starting from the fields of life and consciousness—silicon crystal gemstones have no intersection here."

"My surveying capability in the Death Light domain can prove useful."

It pauses and then continues: "Chairman, initially on the Moon, through observing the Death Light layer on the lunar surface, I discovered some disordered information."

"This information is discrete, with very clear marks of artificial intervention."

"The source of intervention is in the Sun."

703 says: "That's why I applied to bring the second Artificial Sun to the Dead Sea near Earth. The Death Light density here is low, and the intervention degree is low. After several months of continuous adjustment and testing, a discovery emerged."

"Chairman."

"At first, on the Moon, through observation of the Death Sea Master on the lunar surface, I found some chaotic information."

"This information is discrete, with very clear traces of artificial intervention."

"The interference comes from string light."

"The String Civilization exerts long-distance influence and intervention inside the Sun, releasing information that the Dead Sea Master desires. This causes the information to be fragmented and reassembled, meaning that the Dead Sea Master is resisting the influence of a string civilization."

"If we can intervene and eliminate parts of the string light interference, it will help it recover to a certain extent. At least, the portion of the Dead Sea Master projected onto Earth can be alleviated to an extent. The earth's lower intervention level means this is possible."

Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow,

It seems.

The transformation of the Dead Sea that he had been contemplating has now found a practical and feasible direction.