Chapter 28: Super High Tech!
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hao Ren toyed around with the silver device in his hand. He was both excited and yet worried.
The device was about palm-sized and had a silver glow to it. Yet, it did not feel metallic when held. It was warm, probably not a metal from this world. It had a very fine hexagonal edge, and was barely a few millimeters thick. Hao Ren could see some light pulsing within the device, as it it was a living, breathing being. He gave the surface of the device a rub and it activated with a sudden bright flash. A holographic menu popped out of the ether and took Hao Ren by surprise.
It was to Hao Ren's credit that he did not just toss the device instinctively. He held it tightly and stared at the hologram. There was a blue cross-shaped sigil revolving slowly in the middle of the hologram. Beneath the icon was a line of words: Space Administration-EN35 Node – World AZ655 – General-Use of MDT. Access verified. Standing by.
"Full Mandarin interface, idiot-proof navigation, even a dummy can master this." Raven12345 pointed towards the MDT, drawing Hao Ren's attention. "This device here contains all you need to know about your work. Oh, and there's the introduction about the Imperial Space Administration, plus some basic information about the Empire. Also, there's more information about worlds, space lanes, world codes, authority levels, material distribution list, support application and more that you'll need to learn. It's a bit too much of a hassle to explain all of it to you, go read it up" Raven12345 snickered "Well, digesting all of this.... hurm... you should be done with module one of the tutorial by now, and on to the second module..."
All Hao Ren saw was despair. He just managed to scrape through school, and now he's back to it again?
"What is this though?" Hao Ren, trying to distract himself from the amount of studying he needed to do, pointed towards the floating blue cross-shaped sigil. He did not know what it symbolized, but was pretty sure it was a pretty big deal. He saw the same shapes within Raven12345's villa and on the magical servants as well. Hao Ren then poked at the hologram and his fingers went through the image. Well, guess it is not manipulated by touch.
Raven12345's expression became serious all of a sudden and Hao Ren took a step back. He never thought that such a whimsical Goddess could swing from one end of a spectrum of gravity to the other. Raven12345 stared deeply at Hao Ren, as though wanting to drill her thoughts directly into his skull.
"This is the insignia of the Xi Ling Legion, the Empire’s emblem, the mark of the Xi Ling civilization. It represents the Xi Ling Empire. Well, you're new, so you might not grasp the significance of the insignia. Just know that it is a very important symbol, that throughout the ether, countless of races are under her protection, and her unnumbered legions fighting for her glory."
Hao Ren could only nod at what Raven12345 just told him. Sensing the mood had gotten severe she tapped her forehead and went "Ah, what am I doing drowning you in this so early in the morning. Remember, no matter what sort of perils you are facing, or what sort of troubles you find yourself in, as long as you see this insignia, know that you are with family. Understand?'
Hao Ren responded with a quick nod. "Uh... how do I use this again?"
"Just put your hand on one of the edges, and control it mentally. It will automatically act on your directive without fail." Raven12345 said as she guided Hao Ren on how to use the device. "Of course, you might need some time to get used to it. Its reaction time is very fast, and the A.I within is as potent as a human's mind, so it will automatically help you out when you've messed up. It's nothing really. Oh, try activating the system, and say "I'm a noob"."
Hao Ren blinked at the device, the only thought that swirled in his head was "My god, this is some high tech stuff!'"
'I thought the Xi Ling apostles are Gods, why would you need such high tech stuff?' Hao Ren asked while trying to communicate with the device. Raven12345 looked at him curiously "How is science and magic any different? The Xi Ling Gods went on both paths, and use what was useful, after all, this are just tools to control reality. Throw that gadget you have right now to a bunch of cavemen and they'll take it as a gift from the gods. That being said, I don't fancy all this high tech stuff, I still prefer my magical items. It’s a pity that you won't be able to use them"
Hao Ren did not pay much attention to Raven12345 at that point, as he had managed to activate the device!
A series of holographic images refreshed at a very fast pace but Hao Ren was not overwhelmed by it. The way the images were formed and refreshed matched his mental agility, as if the device was capable of scanning his brain and determine how it could best absorb new information. Hao Ren's eyes quickly scanned through the data screens that was centered around him. He appreciated the fact that when he needs new information, it will be automatically brought to him in the most efficient manner.
Hao Ren thought he would not be able to manipulate such an advanced device, he quickly realized something: for such an expansive, multiversal civilization, to create an easy-to-use device was as easy as 1, 2, 3. He concluded that the ease of usage only meant that the inner workings of this device is very much complicated. If he were to pry the device open, god knows who would be able to put it back together.
"What does this "Request Support" button do?" Hao Ren asked as he saw it while browsing through the database. The holographic screen stopped at the menu and displayed a huge list of pictures and the corresponding information. It looked like a lot of them are weapons or troop lists, but most of them were grayed out.
"You really thought that the Inspectors are lone wolves? Or that taking care of a few special creatures at home constitutes the whole of the job scope?" Raven12345 snickered. "Just wait till you go official, being an Inspector is no easy job. What if I were to send you out to pacify a rebellion at Centauri? Or to mediate a military ceasefire in the Scorpio Stars? At this point, you'd be begging for combat support. When you're about to get killed, by all means use it. Of course, such a request would need the necessary authorization, and authorization can only be gained by a strict assessment. Of course we would not be giving access to lethal arms to fresh bloods. Well...lethal arms it may be, it's still just child’s play to us. Hurmm... let’s say if one of this were to land on earth, you'll be looking at centuries long nuclear winter.
Hao Ren gulped as he heard what Raven12345 had just said. This job would be the death of him!
"I....", he stuttered.
"No quitting" Raven12345 grinned. "Even if you were to die, your spirit will be within my grasp. I just need to get you a new body and you're as good as new! It took me so much effort to get a new employee, you think I'd let you go?"
Hao Ren's face soured at the thought.
"Oh don't give me that", Raven12345 teleported to his side and scared the living daylight out of Hao Ren. "It's not my nature to sugarcoat the reality. You'll find out soon enough that this is an opportunity that most would kill for. As long as you don't screw up, you'll live for... erm... quite long. Inspectors are not military personnel. We won't be sending you out to fight wars.'
Hao Ren wanted to speak but was totally overwhelmed by her presence. He slid the MDT into his pocket. There will be much reading and researching to do later.
"Let’s talk about the nightmare" he said as he dropped resignedly back on the sofa. "I felt as if you are hiding things from me. I may be naive, but please don't take me for a fool. At least let me know the things I need to know."
Raven12345 took a glance at Hao Ren, and sighed "Alright, alright, since you are this insistent. I'll let you in on a bit more."
Chapter 29: The Plane of Dreams?
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hao Ren was sitting upright facing Raven 12345, awaiting her explanation. In fact, he did not, at all, expect her to readily tell him everything from the get-go. He had a strong impression that Raven 12345 was egocentric and uncompromising since the day she forced him to board the boat. However, this woman did not seem so unkind now.
"The world is more complicated than you think," said Raven 12345 while she sat right on the desk, ignoring her image, making her looked like a ** boss. "We are looking at a realm where an unknown race, unknown society, or even another unknown space co-exist with our world. While most people are oblivious of it, a tiny minority of the uniquely gifted people, which are rare, are able to get there, The Plane of Dreams."
Hao Ren swallowed hard subconsciously. Raven 12345’s serious demeanor had really stressed him out.
"Of course, I was the one who decided to call it The Plane of Dreams just recently. Before this I used to call it the Illusory Space, and then I changed it to The Mirror World, and then The Phantom Universe… Hmm, it used to be called The Second World as well," said Raven 12345 while scratching her head. The rare seriousness on her face was all gone now. "Anyway, it is a unique phenomenon in the universe, you can call it whatever you like but let’s call it The Plane of Dreams at the moment. It can be altered again if I got a better idea later."
Hao Ren had gradually got used to this strange all-over-the-place woman. He held back the urge to tease her and asked, "What the heck is The Plane of Dreams? Is it a parallel universe? I know that theory..."
"Nope, it’s a little more complicated than that," Raven 12345 shook her head and continued explaining, "The Plane of Dreams is a special information structure in the universe. It’s a little similar to the parallel space; however, The Plane of Dreams is more illusory and unstable. It overlays the universe. The latter is realistic, stable and regular while The Plane of Dreams is illusory, changeable and irregular. When the actual world operates normally according to the regulations of the universe, The Plane of Dreams, however, was just like a dream which changes constantly along with the real world. However, their reflection of each other is very confusing. Therefore, its variation is basically untraceable. Ok, don’t mind the theory. Most people can’t understand it. Anyway, you just need to know that The Plane of Dreams is a space overlaid on top of the real world. It is very unstable but almost never intersects with the real world. There are also mountains, rivers, plants, trees and animals in The Plane of Dreams, probably even intelligent lifeforms. However, all of these are very intricate. Therefore, before you have enough experience, you’d better not wander into that realm."
"Who would like to go near that kind of place!?" Hao Ren made a wry smile and continued, "I could be attacked by a big group of wolves which size is twice of those from earth if I ever wander into that kinda place! Didn’t you say that The Plane of Dreams will not intersect with our world? What then happened to me back then?"
"As I had mentioned before, those who are uniquely gifted will be able to get into that space," said Raven 12345 and pointed at Hao Ren’s head, "via a dream. The world and all that is in it is made up of information, be it hot, cold, big or small. All these information put themselves together to make things perceivable and describable. This is how everything on earth comes into being. This is the simplest explanation of the theory of information unification system. Oh, this theory is actually more complicated than The Plane of Dreams. So, I think that’s quite enough for you. You just have to understand, due to the information unification system, anything inside The Plane of Dreams can be led into the real world, and the medium is via a dream. That is also why I named it The Plane of Dreams recently. In human history, most of those who are able to connect to The Plane of Dreams died young. They would be accidentally killed by the malformed illusory creatures from The Plane of Dreams. However, their short lives also bring endless troubles to the world. Take for instance, the plague, flood etc. Hmm… it’s very troublesome indeed as those who died in The Plane of Dreams will more often than not cause the those creatures, which are mostly harmful, to intrude this world."
Hao Ren was sweating. He had never thought of the existence of another strange world occupying space with the world he is so familiar with. He still remember a few days back when he was grumbling about this boring world and how his life was uninteresting. And now, he can no longer hold on to his former perspective of this world anymore as things had just took an exciting turn.
"So does this imply that I’m gifted?" asked Hao Ren, unknowingly pointing at his nose as he wasn’t sure how to respond. "You make The Plane of Dreams sounds crazy and unbelievable. It seems like people can get killed easily in that realm. You have to do something about it!"
"Gifted? No, you aren’t," said Raven 12345 with a grin. "Don’t overthink it. You’re just an ordinary man, affected by the force of information disturbance after you came into contact with me, and this force can change you gradually, making you different from most people. It will be easier for you to encounter these unusual things, making your task in more convenient in the long run. However, you don’t have to worry too much. Those unlucky ones who died in The Plane of Dreams were those who didn’t have strong backups. So far, based on records, none of them were our employees. Without our backup, how long would they last in there? But you’re different. You have credentials from us. You being there in The Plane of Dreams is what we called a crossover by order. I’ll do my best to drag you out of that realm every time you’re in mortal danger."
Sweat was dripping from Hao Ren’s forehead as he was left speechless.
"Now you comprehend the situation in The Plane of Dreams. However, I do wonder how much you really grasped by just my rough explanation. You definitely need frequent contacts with those abstract beings in order to understand this realm better. You’ll have all the opportunity to learn more about that place in due time." Raven 12345 jumped down from her desk and patted Hao Ren’s shoulder comfortingly but it almost throw him off his the sofa. "Talking about those nightmare, you have stopped having them, right? It means the balance between you and The Plane of Dreams has been restored. A person in the real world doesn’t simply slip into nightmares under usual circumstances," said Raven.
Hao Ren gritted his teeth while rubbing his shoulder. Suddenly, he remembered the question he wanted to ask earlier. "By the way, you know something about the demon hunter, right?"
Hao Ren had learned from Vivian about the ageless conflict between demon hunters and the minority as well as the history of what went down between the minority and humans. He came to know about humans, weak but numerous; the minority few but strong; and the demon hunters whose origins were unclear and whose ground was somewhere in between humans and the minority. All three used to play equally active roles in the civilization of the world. However, the humans have now taken control of this planet while the minority was being marginalized to the extent where nobody remembers them anymore. At the same time, the demon hunters are also lying low among men. Compared to the ages of blood wars in times past between the three races, the age of human civilization was definitely more calm and peaceful. However, Hao Ren knew it was just calm superficially. It’s the demon hunters and the minority who had tactfully maintained the peace in the world.
The demon hunters, strong human-like warriors, were still roaming the world, hunting the minority to this day. And unfortunately for Hao Ren, there are two treaks among those freaks living under his roof. He was eager to know Raven 12345, the self-proclaimed Goddess’s take on this matter, more accurately, he wanted find out whether the three races were treated differently by the Xi Ling Celestials and the Space Administration and if they take any sides?
Thoughts were racing in Hao Ren’s mind. However, Raven 12345 just waved her hand indifferently and said, "I knew it, but I’m just too lazy to care. After all they have yet to find you. We’ll talk about it when they do get on your trail."
Hao Ren knew that he was no match for the white hair succubus in front of him. Therefore, he sat back in his sofa quietly; arms folded across his chest and asked sincerely, "One last question, I’m just a fragile human being and yet you let me deal with these creatures. Now, Vivian and Lily’s temper was still manageable, what if I come across those who are really bad tempered… You should ensure that I am capable of protecting myself, right? How about transferring 200 years’ worth of power to me?"
Hao Ren was just simply making a remark. Beyond his expectation, Raven 12345 actually nodded without hesitation and handed to him The Buddha Palm Technique.
Suddenly, Raven 12345 slapped her forehead and exclaimed, "Gosh! I almost forgot, the intensification of new employee. I was wondering what’s missing. Luckily for you I remembered this before dispatching you onto the battlefield!"
"…" Hao Ren was speechless.
If one day, he meets his death, this brain-sick crazy superior would be the one to blame!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
10 Power
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