Therefore, the gunsmiths, the armorers and the shipwrights, were generally all one thing. Inventors. There was no grinding to raise a level in such skills. Instead, there was designing, and tinkering. Crafters endlessly experimented with the Game’s built in system for creating blueprints and designs, for even the smallest of improvements could lead to never-ending riches. They could either improve on designs in their possession or create add-ons for existing designs. A few designs were generally public knowledge and could be found on the globalnet, outlines for a basic laser pistol or spaceship capable of interstellar flight, for example. Occasionally, long lost or new designs were found in unexplored regions of the Game, but these were of such rarity that they were hardly mentioned.

The interesting thing about all this was that the designs had to work. When Eve had first said this to Alan, he simply assumed that she meant that they had to work in-game, which seemed obvious. But what she meant was entirely different. The designs had to follow physics, they had to make sense. They had to work both in the Game, and potentially in real life. That was mind-blowing to Alan, for it implied that the technology found within the Game was hypothetically technology capable of being created in real life! The spaceships, the weapons, the armor, all of it. Even the various implants. Of course, it also meant that all of the crafters also had to be actual engineers, going through years of schooling, learning genuine knowledge. They had to be actual chemists rather than simply fake alchemists following some strange mythical formula taught to them by a game. Otherwise, they were doing real science. In a game.

There was one issue with all of this. Resources. There was a virtually infinite amount of resources found within the Game as mining sites replenished eventually and enemies with loot respawned in the universe without end. In real life, there was a finite amount of metal and fuel. According to Eve, to gather the metal required to create a single capital class ship, entire solar systems would be needed to be broken down due to rare materials needed. And, of course, the Enforcers would never allow the creation of such weapons of war.

All real life Foundries were heavily guarded and observed, while resources such as rare metals and fuel were carefully reserved and doled out according to one’s standing in the Game. Still, it was sort of nice to know that what could be created within the Game could also be created outside, that the knowledge of humanity, or, Alan supposed, sentient races, was being expanded upon.

“Hello, Alan, are you there?” Phantom asked, breaking Alan out of his reverie.

“Hmm, what? Oh, yeah. Can you tell me what I’m doing here now. Why Eve is gone and what's with the helmet?”

“Well, the two are interrelated. I’m doing a full scan of Eve, to make sure there are no hidden viruses or other issues before she is given more access to the guild network. It’s standard procedure, and the AI in question needs to be off for this type of scan. Of course, the complete results and everything I learn from the tests will be shared with you. This also gives me the opportunity to discuss a few matters with you.”