[Dad]: Right, one last thing.
[Jing Yuan]: What is it now?
[Dad]: Nothing much this time. I just wanted to tell you that these friends of mine are here on the Xianzhou as tourists. They won't be staying for too long, so when it's time for them to leave, you absolutely must not stop them.
[Jing Yuan]: Are you afraid they'll cause trouble? Relax. As long as you can forge the mara-suppressing Curio, a little bit of trouble is no problem. As long as your friend in the Artisanship Commission doesn't blow the lid off the Creation Furnace holding the Suiyang, your friend in the Alchemy Commission doesn't revive a wicked dragon like in the Imbibitor Lunae Rebellion, your friend in the Cloud Knights doesn't charge up here and beat me, the general, up, and your friend who likes pretty girls doesn't kidnap the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission and the Helm Master of the Sky-Faring Commission, there won't be a problem.
[Dad]: They won't cause trouble... Anyway, just remember what you said.
After ending the call with Jing Yuan, Chen Li looked at his friends, who were now immensely interested in the Xianzhou, and fell into deep thought.
Chen Li wasn't worried that his friends would cause trouble on the Xianzhou, but he was worried they would cause a huge commotion.
"Vill-V, listen to me. When you're in the Artisanship Commission, you absolutely must not create anything too world-shocking on a whim," Chen Li reminded her again.
"You've already told me this three times," Vill-V said with a sigh. Do I seem that untrustworthy in your eyes?
"Emmm... it's mainly... anyway, it's fine for you to learn as much as you want, but don't show it off too easily. I've already asked a friend to help you find technology for split-thinking in the Type-Moon world. It might be helpful to you," Chen Li said.
This "friend" of his was, naturally, the old worm, Matou Zouken. Although Zouken was now like a shady crawler writhing madly in the darkness and seemed rather unpresentable, he still had his connections and methods. Chen Li had specifically contacted him once, asked about the progress of cultivating worms with [Devolution] or [Evolution] Entries, and then had him find a way to get technology for split-thinking and high-speed thinking as payment for his forging services.
Split-thinking was a technology from the Atlas Institute, one of the three major departments of the Mage's Association. It allowed for the parallel processing of thoughts, performing calculations in an instant. It was said that the highest level was the eight-part split-thinking of the first director of Atlas (8 to the power of 8 = 16,777,216). Chen Li felt that Vill-V might be able to reach that level. As a MANTIS, Vill-V wasn't limited to splitting into only eight personalities; rather, if she split any further, she wouldn't be able to maintain a genius level for each personality.
This kind of thinking could achieve a multiplicative effect. For example, four instances of split-thinking would equal 256 (4 to the power of 4) lines of thought, and it wasn't just the equivalent of 256 people calculating. It was 256 high-speed intellects, without any barriers between them, all revolving and mutually assisting each other for the same purpose.
Chen Li didn't even dare to imagine the combination of surprises and scares this skill, paired with Vill-V, could bring him.
"What would happen if I showed it off?" Vill-V asked curiously.
"You'd get stared at by a big machine head," Chen Li said with a serious expression.
The universe already had enough variables to deal with now that Chen Li, a member of the Genius Society, was here. It couldn't handle another one. At least, not in the next two days.
Vill-V was a genuine genius. So much of a genius that she could learn anything, simply by believing she could. Based on Chen Li's observations, when someone from another world arrived in this one, no matter how outstanding they were, they wouldn't trigger a Path resonance—an Aeon's Gaze—until they had left their own mark on the world. Chen Li, with his Miracle Cards, was a bit of an exception.
"Right, and also... Mobius, don't mess around when you get to the Alchemy Commission."
"I know."
"Also, do more research on how to improve the side effects of the MANTIS surgery," Chen Li reminded her.
"I need to first research how to perform the MANTIS surgery before I can improve it. If you think I'm too slow, you can go to the next civilization and bring back the Void Archives, which stores the knowledge of an entire civilization. The knowledge inside is very important for technical professions like ours," Mobius said.
"...You have a point. I'll go in a little while," Chen Li nodded.
The reason he wasn't going now was that he felt he hadn't successfully "raised" Queenie the Sprite yet. Once she was raised, he could just go to the Honkai world directly through her channel. As for the fact that her location was Kiana's consciousness space? No need to worry. Yakumo Yukari's gap ability would solve everything.
"With the Void Archives, my scalpel Curio, plus the medical knowledge I'll extract from this ten-thousand-year-old Xianzhou... I'm confident I can bring about a technological revolution for the entire world," Mobius said with a faint smile on her face.
"You'd better hold back a little. No messing around."
"What about me? Don't you have anything to tell me?" Elysia asked, raising her hand.
"You... as long as you're happy. I wasn't expecting anything from you anyway."
"How mean! In that case, I'm not going to the Divination Commission or the Sky-Faring Commission. I'm going to the Diyan Commission to get a closer look at this world, this civilization," Elysia said, pouting.
"Yes, yes, but there are no pretty girls in the Diyan Commission. The leaders of the Divination and Sky-Faring Commissions, on the other hand, are both rare beauties. One is a legal loli, and the other is a mature onee-san."
"..." Elysia fell into deep thought.
Maybe... I should go check out the Divination and Sky-Faring Commissions first?
"I will abide by the rules," Sakura said immediately when she saw Chen Li look her way.
"You're the one I'm most at ease with. Alright, you all wait here for a bit. Someone sent by the Luofu's General will be here soon to take you to your respective internships in the different Xianzhou commissions," Chen Li instructed the group as they stood on the streets of Central Starskiff Haven.
"What about you?"
"I plan to pull a huge stunt on this world!"
"Such as?"
"Starting with giving people free treatments for kidney deficiency."
"???"
...
"Phew, finally succeeded. That wasn't easy," Chen Li said with a gratified smile as he looked at the three Entries he had successfully extracted from the event.
[Kidney Deficiency]
[Divine Healer]
[Deception]
Although Chen Li had no idea what kind of Curio he could forge with these three Entries, having them was better than nothing.
Besides that, his Abundance Value had finally reached 100, which meant he could ask the Aeon of Abundance for medicine again. Although he had only used 1/49th of the divine item he had received last time, who would complain about having too many divine items from the Path of Abundance?
Besides, Chen Li was also planning to see if he could summon the Aeon of Abundance to the Xianzhou.
"Alright, closing up shop!" Chen Li began to pack up his stall.
"Not setting up the stall today?" Bailu asked, sipping milk tea beside him.
"I'm not setting it up ever again," Chen Li said.
"What? No way!" Bailu instantly grew nervous.
"...I don't think you gained much from this stall-sitting process. Why are you so nervous?"
"Because... because if you don't have the stall, I'll have to stay in that courtyard all day seeing patients. Seeing patients is fine, but the main thing is, even if I'm not treating anyone, I have to stay there by myself and read medical books. I can't come out to play at all," Bailu said dejectedly.
It was nothing like sitting at the stall with Chen Li, where she could eat and drink as she pleased. As the Dragon Lady Healer, Bailu belonged to both the Alchemy Commission and the Vidyadhara race, so she was under the joint supervision of both factions. Unfortunately, both organizations treated her more like a tool.
Chen Li was currently wearing his disguise glasses, and the Vidyadhara Elders didn't recognize him with them on, but Danshu did. Because the cooperation between the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the Vidyadhara Elders was becoming increasingly close, Danshu had enough clout to let Bailu accompany Chen Li outside to "play" as his supervising physician. The Vidyadhara didn't understand, but they respected the decision.
"So that's what you were worried about. I thought you couldn't bear to part with me," Chen Li said with a disappointed expression.
"I can't bear to part with you either! After all, that tablecloth of yours that can conjure up so many snacks is really amazing."
"You little glutton, you just want my snacks. But don't worry, I'll go beg Danshu to give you half a day off every day for a while."
"Really?"
"Don't worry, it's a guarantee," Chen Li said, giving a thumbs-up.
He immediately took out his Friends Circle terminal and sent a message to Danshu.
[Dad]: Danshu, kneel. I have a favor to ask.
[Danshu]: What?! Even if you are a divine emissary, telling me to kneel is going too far!
[Dad]: I have some connections with the eighty-fifth member of the Genius Society, the Curio Forger. He sent me a link to a Curio that can revive the dead without any side effects, but I don't have time to use it recently, so I wanted you to help me test it out...
[Danshu]: Father, I'm kneeling. Please, tell me what you need. As long as I can revive Yufei, I will do anything!
[Dad]: It's nothing much. It's just that Bailu has been telling me she wants to go out and play a bit more...
[Danshu]: Yes, Father. No problem, Father.
"..."
To be honest, Chen Li preferred Danshu's defiant attitude from a moment ago.
"Alright, it's settled," Chen Li said, turning to Bailu.
"Really? That simple?"
"Simple? I had to beg Master Danshu for a long time before she agreed to my impertinent request."
["Beg" is a good word choice.]
"That's great! Chen Li, I like you so much!"
"You can't just say things like that, or you'll be arrested by a passing Cloud Knight," Chen Li said, subconsciously glancing around.
After all, he was still a minor. Bailu could genuinely be arrested by the Cloud Knights for being in a relationship with a minor. And more than being arrested, Chen Li was more worried about Jingliu suddenly appearing and stabbing him with her sword.
"Chen Li!"
Fu Xuan's voice echoed from down the street of Central Starskiff Haven.
"Crap, the Master Diviner is here to drag me back to work!" Chen Li panicked. "Bailu, this stall is all yours. I've gotta run!"
"Hey, where are you going?"
"To a starship swarming with mad scientists to discuss a malevolent brainwashing scheme with a hag of a mage!" Chen Li declared.
"That sounds illegal. No wonder you're so afraid of the Cloud Knights," Bailu retorted.
"Believe it or not, the only thing I'm doing today that isn't illegal is the one thing that sounds like it is."
---o---