Chapter 153: Is Radiation a Hoax??

The craftsmen chattered nervously, not daring to overpromise in front of this mysterious figure.

"The game pods weren't developed by us humans. They rely on the [Transcendence Core] continuously produced from core split pods gifted by a certain race thousands of years ago."

"From what we know, different races have different types of game pods."

"For our human race, the game pods mainly have added functions like radiation isolation and heart rate monitoring for protection."

"If these features are compromised, the game pods will automatically shut down until we craftsmen repair them."

"But other races use the [Transcendence Core] directly. They let players place the core on their foreheads to enter Transcendence."

"What we can do is manufacture and maintain the game pods using the [Transcendence Core] for our race."

"However, with your purification ability, using the [Transcendence Core] directly to enter Transcendence would work the same."

"But [Transcendence Core] is strictly controlled material. Even Lord Beck can't request its use."

The craftsmen finished speaking, looking anxious, worried that this big shot might discard them.

"So, to get a game pod, we have to take it from the authorities?" Sterl frowned. He didn't want a direct conflict with the human race on Earth.

Fortunately, his new subordinate, Beck, proved to be useful.

"Sir, if you need game pods, there's no need for such trouble. Many players die of old age every year."

"Even though our settlement only has tens of thousands of people, we oversee hundreds of thousands of game pods."

"Every day, a number of people die of old age or other reasons, leaving their game pods vacant. If you need, I can secretly arrange a batch for you."

"I can't promise much, but a few thousand game pods should be manageable."

Beck's words made Sterl's eyes light up.

His goal in collecting game pods was simply to ensure that himself, Linna, Rayna, Teresa, and future core players wouldn't be at anyone's mercy.

A few thousand game pods were more than enough.

Sterl nodded approvingly. "Well done. Go ahead and arrange it for me."

After speaking, he silently crushed a green-quality skill book in his small world, turning it into essence and placing it into Beck's forehead.

"Work for me. You won't be disappointed."

Sterl's words left Beck initially dumbfounded, then overjoyed!

A green-quality skill!!!

He sensed that he had suddenly gained a powerful ability.

Beck was stunned! Back when he was in Transcendence, he couldn't even dream of such a high-grade ability!

Now, just to save his life by following a powerful figure, he got it effortlessly!

He had hit the jackpot!

Without any shame, he knelt down and kowtowed fervently.

"Thank you, Sir!"

"Thank you, Sir!"

Zero!

Zero!

Zero!

These readings were extremely abnormal!

Previously, it could still be explained by Purification Ripple, but now? Even Sterl was feeling extremely uncomfortable, and yet it was still zero radiation. Moreover, zero radiation can't naturally occur in the environment.

The only explanation is that the thing enveloping Earth, preventing people from surviving in reality, isn't nuclear radiation at all!

Rather, it is...

A flash of realization struck Sterl's mind: "It's the Forbidden Poison!"

The thing hidden in the air causing immense suffering to people, forcing them to escape into the game world, had nothing to do with radiation.

At this moment, Sterl felt he had figured something out. Based on the knowledge he had acquired in his previous life, nuclear radiation couldn't possibly last for a thousand years without dissipating. Theoretically, Earth should be habitable again by now...

He had always thought that maybe the nuclear weapons in this world were either not advanced enough and thus too "unclean," or they were extremely powerful, preventing the radiation from dispersing.

But now it seemed that the supposed world destruction caused by nuclear war was probably a pure lie!

Sterl felt a slight panic. He hadn't expected that logging off to destroy some data would lead him to such a shocking secret...

"However, knowing this doesn't seem to help me at all."

"Although my Purification Ripple can eliminate the Forbidden Poison, to clean up a large enough area for human survival, I'd need to ascend to godhood."

"Moreover... the reason why Earth's humans used nuclear radiation to cover up the existence of the Forbidden Poison is also unknown."

"There might even be external forces eyeing us covetously. If I act rashly and start a large-scale purification, it could invite trouble."

Sterl pondered for a long time, but it all boiled down to one thing—strength!

His current strength was insufficient. Knowing the secret, he couldn't do anything about it, which only added to his anxiety.

Instantly, Sterl felt a renewed sense of urgency. He quickly released the craftsmen and Beck, who had been hidden in the small world.

He also took out a large amount of food, drinking water, and other resources from the small world, instructing them to develop the base first.

Without hesitation, Sterl dismantled a game pod and used its core to log in.

Instantly, his vision began to blur...

...

Meanwhile.

Starfall Settlement, 46 floors underground.

A giant game pod slowly illuminated, and then the glass door opened. A graceful figure stepped out, completely naked.

If any other human players from Earth saw this, they would be shocked, as this was the original model of the game pod mentioned in history textbooks. It was extremely bulky and occupied dozens of square meters, yet it could only allow one player to enter the world of Transcendence and remain unaffected by "radiation."

Theoretically, this model of the game pod should have been obsolete long ago, but for some reason, the naked woman was still using it.

As the woman stepped out of the game pod, dark purple energy transformed into a veil, draping over her body.

If Sterl were here, he would probably recognize her immediately—Shadow Power mixed with Moon Power. This was none other than the goddess of the Dark Moon Alliance—Gloria!