The Cubs Picked Up Are All Villains

 Noah's efficiency was quite high. Three minutes later, Ruan Shiqing, who was still in a dazed stage, heard him say, "The Mechanic Forum has been successfully registered, and the highest authority has been opened for you. I hope you have a good time."

    ???

    He vaguely felt that something was not right, but the grooves were too dense to express accurately. Before he could react, the person had been sent to the door of the forum. 

    Ruan Shiqing looked at the classical European-style tower-shaped building in front of him with a question mark on his forehead.

    Noah's understanding of the forum and his understanding of the forum, are they the same thing? Ruan Shiqing looked at this magnificent building, the outer wall was hazy and chaotic gray, and the spire was so high that it almost penetrated into the sky.

    The guards at the door are not humans, but two silver-gray robots, which are finely crafted and are models that Ruan Shiqing has never seen before. Two guards, one on the left and one on the right, holding a square halberd, glanced coldly at everyone passing by.

    When Ruan Shiqing approached tentatively, they all bowed and respectfully said, "Welcome Your Excellency."

    “…”

    This forum looks a little high in size, at least not the kind of peer-to-peer exchange network forum he wanted at first.

    Taking a deep breath, Ruan Shiqing temporarily suppressed the doubts in his head and walked in under the gaze of the two robots.

    As soon as he entered the door, his body changed, and countless gray light spots surrounded him, condensing into a gray robe, wrapping him from head to toe.

    Ruan Shiqing paused, glanced around, and saw a few figures in gray robes vaguely inside the tower before he let out a sigh of relief and continued to walk inside.

    Entering the interior, the first thing he noticed was the huge statue right in front of him. It was a beautiful woman, wearing a gray robe and a hood, her beautiful face half hidden in the shadows, holding an open book in her hands. The statue was surrounded by countless spiral bookshelves arranged in a strange array. The bookshelves extended all the way to the top of the tower, with no end in sight.

    In twos and threes, people in gray robes like him stopped in front of the bookshelves, or talked in the lounge area, it really looked like some kind of communication salon for niche enthusiasts.

    Ruan Shiqing was about to read the books on the shelf, but was tapped on the shoulder, "New?" Looking back, he saw a young man with blond hair and blue eyes, probably around twenty-five years old, with a warm smile.

    This question is not easy to answer.

    Ruan Shiqing could only smile back. He didn't nod, he didn't shake his head. Fortunately, the young man talked a lot, and he did not lose his enthusiasm because of his indifference. "My name is Dais, and I just came to Metis, just ten minutes before you." 

    "My name is... Ruan Qing." Ruan Shiqing hesitated for a moment, but still used a pseudonym. Thinking of what Noah said when he was sent over to "crack the encryption" and "choose your identity", he subconsciously felt a little guilty.

    After exchanging names, Dais was visibly more enthusiastic. He looked around and whispered to Ruan Shiqing, "Although I knew there were many odd people in Metis before I came here, these people are too indifferent. People ignore me."

    He looked like he was hit hard, and squeezed Ruan Shiqing's hand. "Fortunately, I met you."

    Ruan Shiqing:… Well, as long as you're happy.

    Dais is a qualified guide. Although he is only a newcomer, he obviously knows more about this place. With his introduction, Ruan Shiqing knew that this magnificent building was called Metista.

    The statue when you enter the door is the goddess Metis. She is the first goddess of wisdom in ancient mythology, and Metista is named after her.

    Metista is the headquarters of the Machinery Association, where a mechanic academic exchange forum is held every two years. The top mechanics from various planets gather here to communicate with each other and learn from each other. The top and most sought-after forum.

    Moreover, Metista is not something that ordinary people can enter casually. It is the holy tower in the hearts of all mechanics and reserve mechanics. Only after passing the certification of the Mechanics Association and obtaining the qualification certificate of a mechanic, can you step into the door of Metis and receive the gift of the goddess of wisdom - the robe of wisdom.

    Of course, the real Metista was built in the capital city of Sikkim, and the one in front of me is a holographic building built by the Mechanics Association according to the real Metista, for the mechanics in the holographic network to exchange ideas. 

    “…” OK.

    Ruan Shiqing was shocked and had nothing to say. It is even suspected Noah used some improper means to let him in. But the old saying goes...

    Under the guidance of Dais, he learned to call the database in the tower. Yes, the bookshelves in the hall, which are spiraling upwards with no end in sight, are just facade decorations. They are placed in this way to show that the Mechanics Association has a long history and deep pockets.

    In fact, as long as the mechanic has obtained the license, he can connect to the internal network of Metis, and freely consult many professional materials that are not available outside. Except for some odd people, few people will go to Metis to read books. Of course, there are also restrictions on access to data, and the permissions are divided according to the certification level of the mechanic. The higher the level, the higher the authority.

    "Mechanic apprentices like us who have just passed the assessment can only be consulted in the primary gray database." Dais gave him a demonstration.

    Ruan Shiqing followed his example, tapped on the virtual screen, and when his finger accidentally swiped across the highest-level golden database, the interface suddenly jumped, and a dazzling array of manuscript design drawings appeared in front of him: "The Design Manuscript of the "Scavenger" Destroyer", "The Design Sketch of the Diganon Photon Cannon", "The Pros and Cons of the Ion Ring"…

    ? ? What is this?

    Ruan Shiqing was full of doubts, and was about to turn his head to ask Dais, but found that his lips were trembling, and his eyes were about to pop out when he stared at the virtual screen.  ! !

    This is the "Golden Palace" that only mechanic masters have permission to view! It contains the design sketches and manuscripts of many mechanical masters throughout the ages!!

    How many mechanics have seen this in this lifetime?! He was lucky enough to see it today!!

    He suddenly grabbed Ruan Shiqing's hand and said with a trembling voice, "It turned out to be a big boss, I was sloppy." Then he felt wrong. "Boss, why haven't you been to Metis?" Looking at the gray robe on him again, he became even more puzzled, "Why are you still wearing a gray robe?"

    The mechanics' robes are also quite particular, with clear grades from color to badge. For example, only mechanic apprentices will wear a grey robe, because it is a gift from the goddess of wisdom, which means that the light of the goddess of wisdom shines on everyone. After the level is upgraded, the association will issue new robes and badges.

    First-level mechanics to third-level mechanics are all brown robes, only the number of leaves on the "Wisdom Leaf" badge is different.

    Mechanical masters like Ruan Qing usually wear white robes and the "Wisdom Tree" badge.

    “…” The gray robe is put on you when you enter the door, you ask me why.

    Ruan Shiqing was thinking about how to make an excuse, but Dais had already thought of the reason. "It must be because you are usually engrossed in academic research that you did not make time to come to Metis. You are the legendary sweeper Monk, right? The greater you are, the less you care about these things."

    Maybe the planet where the boss is located is very far from Sikkim, so he can only see this holy tower on the holographic network.

    He nodded to himself, "Yes, how can he be as free as I am when he became a mechanic master at such a young age?"

    “…" The reason he made up was impeccable, Ruan Shiqing got a mouthful of words and couldn't explain it clearly, he could only maintain an expressionless and unfathomable attitude.

    Dais continued, "Meeting you is fate, if I encounter a problem in the future, can I ask you for advice?" Afraid that Ruan Shiqing would refuse, he quickly assured, "You can rest assured, it will not disturb your study and work. When you are free and in a good mood, just ignore me. This is my honor!"

    “…” What else could Ruan Shiqing say, he could only keep smiling.

    In the end, under Dais's strong request, he added him as a friend. After Ruan Shiqing dealt with it a few more minutes, he excused himself and hurriedly returned to the initial space.

    "Sir, are you still enjoying the exchange at the Mechanic Forum?" Noah's brisk voice came. He obviously didn't realize that his and Ruan Shiqing's understanding of the "forum" deviated.

    Ruan Shiqing felt that this AI was not quite right, no matter how he thought about it, he thought about his words and tentatively said, "I went to Metista just now, right? It's not easy to be there.

    Before he finished speaking, he stopped and turned abruptly, "It's good to help sir. The Mechanic Forum is the most sought-after forum in the Empire!"

    His Royal Highness does not seem to reveal his identity, so he should behave a little more ordinary.

“…”

    Ruan Shiqing was not sure what was going on with this AI and was afraid that asking too much would irritate him, which would be detrimental to himself. Without further questions, Ruan Shiqing said goodbye and went offline.

    Removing the helmet and turning back into a brain, Ruan Shiqing pondered for a while, preparing to wait for Xiong Fangfang and the others to come over and ask about the AI.

    In the age of artificial intelligence, AI was not uncommon. But like Noah, who could hack into the Mechanics Association casually was not normal. Before each AI was designed, there would be restrictions in the core program, what can and cannot be done would be very clear. But this AI… seemed to have a very high degree of freedom.

    The shock today was too great, Ruan Shiqing decided to read some books to suppress it. When choosing a book, he couldn't help thinking of the database that Dais clicked on.

    The books in the database are exactly what he needs most at the moment, and even many of them have never been seen when he searched online.

    Ruan Shiqing felt unbearable. After hesitating for a while, he still couldn't help connecting to Metis' internal database according to Dais's method.

    It's just to borrow a few books, he would not do anything else.

The author has something to say: 

Xiao Ruan: How can it be called stealing when it comes to knowledge?
Noah: Yes.