Chapter 168: Diploma

The 【Proof of Tinkermancer】 originates from the Dungeons & Dragons worldview; the threshold for using the Power Seed is extremely low, with no mandatory requirement that the user's life essence must be biological.

Jiang Zhihui herself did not use the Tinkermancer Power Seed, likely because she was already a Spirit Summoner, which conflicts with the Tinkermancer.

At the same time, she was immersed in the "Sole Law Prevails" environment, making it impossible to sell it to other players for resources—selling it to the Killing Field System would yield only the recycling price, which was too much of a loss.

After brief consideration, Li Cheng decided to use it himself. He allocated one free attribute point to Intelligence, then opened his laptop and began searching for American universities related to mechanical engineering.

Hui Yu asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

Li Cheng didn't look up. "Buying a college diploma."

Hui Yu exclaimed in surprise, "You can buy diplomas?"

"That's a silly thing to say. Isn't this stuff openly priced?" Li Cheng smirked. "Never mind domestic markets—overseas, donate a few million, and you can get into any university you want."

Even without millions, you can find middlemen.

$1.2 million to guarantee admission to Yale or Harvard. $200,000 to guarantee admission to the University of Southern California. $75,000 to guarantee passing the American college entrance exam. $15,000 to boost SAT scores by 400 points."

Li Cheng spoke casually; the elite universities never hid their donation culture—they regarded it as a strategy to maintain their status and wealth, a sign of social recognition.

It was even framed as charity toward the poor—the donations wealthy families gave to get their children into top schools helped universities build more infrastructure, improve teaching quality, and thus help underprivileged students acquire professional skills and enter the elite class.

After the Killing Field game began, these elite universities quietly added another unwritten rule: children or relatives of high-level transcenders could enter university unconditionally. Domestically, this translated to bonus points on the Gaokao.

Li Cheng had no intention of buying a diploma from a prestigious university—it would take too long.

He found several fly-by-night universities in California, with sleek official websites and seemingly legitimate Facebook and Twitter pages, and clicked inside.

In the U. S., the right to establish universities comes from the states, not the federal government.

California and Hawaii have the most relaxed regulations for registering universities—just a registered email address suffices as a legitimate school address, making these two states home to the world's largest number of diploma mills, with 95% of their degrees awarded to foreigners, primarily Chinese, and the rest sold to U. S. government officials—whose promotions require academic credentials.

The names of these diploma mills were increasingly grand and professional: American International East-West University, Honolulu University, West Pacific University, New York Central State University, Asian University.

Li Cheng sifted through them and chose one slightly more legitimate diploma mill, approved by the U. S. Department of Education and authorized to issue academic credentials. He paid in Bitcoin and received the diploma without even needing to send a photo of himself.

The online customer service was excessively enthusiastic, quickly sending him a photo of the certificate and promising the physical diploma would arrive within a week.

After obtaining the certificate photo, Li Cheng satisfied the requirement of the 【Proof of Tinkermancer】—a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering—and could now use it. In truth, after studying so many textbooks using his Multi-Brain Domain Method, he was only missing this one piece of paper.

He took out the blue hardcover book from his backpack slot, gently placed his palm on the pages, and fell into thought.

Seeing Li Cheng silent, Hui Yu quietly set down the game controller and tiptoed into the study, searching online for websites selling elementary school diplomas.

Hum—

In the spiritual realm, Li Cheng's mind was undergoing a strange journey.

He awoke deep within rock strata, seeing massive steel machines resembling tunnel boring machines mining ore and excavating tunnels.

As his thoughts ascended, he reached a vast ocean, where several hundred-thousand-ton steam battleships belched thick black smoke, slicing through waves and treating tsunamis as nothing. Ten 460mm main guns and twenty 155mm secondary guns fired simultaneously—their roar drowned out even the rolling thunder.

Heavily riveted main battle tanks launched lightning charges across muddy battlefields; magical arrays engraved on their riveted armor deflected anti-tank shells.

Tin-can metal servants with magic crystals embedded in their chests cooked meals in kitchens for their masters returning home from work.

Airships painted with shark camouflage silently slipped through air defense networks via invisibility spells, descending over bustling cities and dropping heavy bombs.

Machinery and magic. War and peace.

The illusions faded silently; the wall clock showed less than ten minutes had passed.

Li Cheng exhaled deeply, sensing a faint warmth in his right hand. He lifted his wrist and looked—on his skin, a gear-shaped seal embedded with a magic crystal had appeared out of nowhere.

The most basic Tinkermancer mark.

Li Cheng temporarily did not alter the mark, choosing instead to conceal it, and turned to examine his new ability.

As the notes stated, Tinkermancers use ingenuity and magic to endow objects with extraordinary performance. A Level One Tinkermancer automatically activated two traits: Basic Spellcasting and Magical Craftsmanship.

Basic Spellcasting: Tinkermancers understand the principles of magic and know how to awaken it. Unlike traditional spellcasting, Tinkermancers excel at guiding magic into objects.

Thus, to others, it appears as if miracles are being created through objects.

For example, using a hairdryer to cast Gust of Wind.

Using a Samsung phone to cast Magic Energy Burst.

Using a refrigerator to cast Freezing Ray.

The specifics depend entirely on the Tinkermancer's own imagination—or creativity.

Magical Craftsmanship: Tinkermancers know how to infuse mundane objects with sparks of magic, granting them temporary extraordinary properties.

For example, temporarily restoring a broken machine to operation, magically charging a dead power bank, or causing an electrical outlet to overload and ignite.

Magical Craftsmanship is not limited to mechanical objects—ordinary items work just as well.

For example, making a still photograph move, giving glasses built-in telescopic vision, or making a toilet flush automatically.

Tinkermancers can imbue multiple objects with magic; the upper limit depends on Intelligence and Spiritual Power. Each object can carry only one magical property at a time.

As a class from the Dungeons & Dragons worldview, all magic there originates from a web-like energy field called the Weave. Spellcasters must draw energy from the Weave to cast spells.

On Earth, there is no Weave; magic attributes are absorbed into the Killing Field's Spiritual Power value.

Li Cheng conducted a series of experiments until he had dismantled all the household appliances, then finally stopped, satisfied.

His Spiritual Power cap also rose from 450 to 465, and continued to rise subtly.