Chapter 347 – Preparations Before Departure
Xi Chunzhi didn’t like Xie Xu and was always worried that Tu Ran might suffer losses at his hands. Whenever she got the chance, she tried to coax Tu Ran into taking something from him.
“There is something,” Tu Ran said enthusiastically. She wanted to show Xi Chunzhi all the eclectic items she had taken from Xie Xie’ao’s collection room and stored in her space. Unfortunately, the shadow storage couldn’t display them, so she had to settle for describing the highlights.
“Xie Xie’ao had private collections of inner cores, all of them extremely useful. Things like summoning insects, penetration, reality manifestation, pain immunity, and many others. I haven’t even had the chance to read through all the instruction manuals yet,” Tu Ran said, thinking about the inner cores. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity for Xie Xie’ao.
Xie Xie’ao had collected these inner cores intending to use them himself. Naturally, they were the best of the best, yet they all ended up in her hands.
“Haha…”
“Reality manifestation allows you to bring scenarios crafted by your mind into the real world,” Tu Ran continued, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Those vine monsters we encountered outside the Xie family manor today were created using this ability. Xie Xie’ao had a sculptor consume the inner core, and by relying on their imagination, they conjured the creatures and placed them outside the manor to guard it.”
A hint of confusion flashed in Xi Chunzhi’s eyes. She had lost count of how many times she had been amazed by these bizarre abilities.
Her red lips parted slightly. “These abilities are incredibly powerful.”
“Powerful, yes, but they also demand a lot from the user. If someone doesn’t have enough mental power and overuses abilities they can’t control, it will only harm their body,” Tu Ran said after a pause, recalling the scenes she had witnessed in Xie Xie’ao’s memories. “That sculptor went insane after creating such massive creatures. He lost his mind completely, and Xie Xie’ao dug out the inner core from his body for his collection.”
A heavy silence hung between the two of them.
Although both of them had taken many lives, and not all of their victims were truly deserving of death, they couldn’t help but feel regret for those who had fallen because of Xie Xie’ao’s actions.
Call it hypocrisy if you will, but people often feel sympathy for the tragic fates of those with whom they have no personal connection. Tu Ran, in particular, was prone to such feelings.
Xi Chunzhi let out a heavy sigh. “I almost wish the Federation would fall into the hands of the Rulers.”
A beam of blue light passed between them. Tu Ran lifted her gaze, looking into Xi Chunzhi’s eyes. Beneath her bangs, her dark pupils reflected a profound loathing and disappointment toward the Federation.
Her communicator buzzed a few times on her wrist, but Tu Ran didn’t check it. Instead, she focused intently on Xi Chunzhi. “Don’t think like that. It’s not the Federation itself that’s the problem—it’s the plutocratic system. There are many ways to change it. Relying on foreign invaders is the stupidest option.”
Xi Chunzhi pursed her lips and replied softly, “You’re right, but—”
Tu Ran leaned forward slightly to hear more clearly.
But what?
Suddenly, Xi Chunzhi’s index finger curled, and she knocked it sharply against Tu Ran’s forehead, catching her off guard.
“You actually called me stupid.”
Tu Ran, clutching her head as she leaned back, was momentarily speechless.
…
Zero sent over some data, a collection of information about the currently known worlds—21 in total.
Some of the worlds were described in great detail, suggesting that those who had reached them had stayed there for some time, recording their lifestyles, technological advancements, civilizations, and even politics and religions.
However, most of the worlds were only briefly sketched out.
Since [Space-Time Manipulation] sent people randomly to different worlds, there was a significant chance Tu Ran might end up in one of these places. Gaining some prior knowledge could be useful.
However, there was no mention of the Rulers’ world.
It was unclear whether no one had ever reached the Rulers’ world, or if those who had ventured there never returned alive.
