High-Tech, Indeed

Hao Ren curiously examined the small, silver-white device in his hand, feeling both excited and perplexed.

It was a palm-sized gadget with a silver-white metallic sheen. Yet, it didn't feel cold to the touch; instead, it was warm and smooth, unlike the common metal materials found on Earth. The small device was a perfect hexagon, only a few centimeters thick at its widest point. Blue and white streams of light pulsed slowly across its surface, as if a living being were breathing. Hao Ren idly stroked the surface of the "metal plate," and the hexagonal area in the center immediately brightened. Then, a holographic image suddenly appeared in the air—startling him!

Hao Ren nearly dropped his first month's hazard pay. Clutching the metal plate, he stared intently at the holographic projection above it. The image showed a sapphire-blue, cross-shaped emblem composed of four crystals, slowly rotating against a background of chaotic black. Below the projection, a line of Chinese characters read: Time-Space Administration Bureau—EN35 Node—World AZ655—General Data Terminal. Current operator authorized. Device standby.

"Full Chinese interface, user-friendly operation, even novices can master it quickly," Raven 12345 said, pointing a finger at the "Data Terminal" in Hao Ren's hand, drawing his attention. "Here you'll find your work guidelines, an introduction to the Empire's Time-Space Administration Bureau, and basic information about the Empire. Plus, there's everything you need to learn about the Macro World, Space-Time Channels, World Gate Codes, Authorization Processes, Material Distribution Lists, Support Request Protocols, and so on. Explaining it all to you would be too much trouble, so it's better you read it yourself. Take your time to learn. Once you've memorized all this information... well, you should have completed the first stage of your apprenticeship, and then you'll move on to the second stage..."

Hao Ren immediately felt a sense of despair about his future life. Heaven knew he had finally graduated from school, only to find himself back in student days!

"What is this? And how do I use it?" Hao Ren temporarily set aside the thought of his potentially miserable future studies and curiously pointed at the blue cross emblem in the holographic image. Although he didn't know what it was, he felt it must be significant—he often saw this blue emblem in Raven 12345's spacious house, and even on some of the magical servants. He reached out and poked the holographic image twice, but his finger passed right through the projection. It wasn't controllable by touch as he had imagined.

Raven 12345's expression instantly became unusually serious, so serious it startled Hao Ren. He couldn't imagine that this flippant, unconventional "Goddess" could also be so solemn. Raven 12345 stared into Hao Ren's eyes, as if trying to implant her thoughts directly into his brain: "This is the Xiling Military Emblem, the symbol of the Empire, the mark of the Xiling civilization. It represents the Empire—you're a rookie now, and you probably can't grasp the significance of this mark yet. Just remember that it's incredibly important. Throughout the void, countless races survive under the protection of this emblem, and countless warriors fight under its guidance."

Hao Ren listened, stunned. Seeing his reaction, Raven patted her forehead. "Ah, why am I telling you this so early? Anyway, remember this: no matter how dangerous a place you go to in the future, or how complicated the situation, as long as you see this emblem, you've found family. Understand?"

This time, Hao Ren understood and nodded vigorously. "Then how do I use this?"

"Place your hand on any edge, and control it with your mind. It will automatically judge your confirmation commands, preventing accidental operations," Raven instructed Hao Ren on how to activate the small device. "Of course, it might take some getting used to at first, as its response speed is very fast, and its intelligence is not much lower than yours. So, it will automatically do some things for you, and you might sometimes think you've made a mistake, but it's fine—here, try starting the main system and tell it you're a newbie."

Hao Ren's eyes widened as he listened, one thought echoing in his mind: Wow, this is high-tech!

"Didn't you say Xiling Apostles are gods? How come gods use such high-tech stuff... Gods are into technology too?" Hao Ren mumbled, then, with some effort, he focused his attention to communicate with the "metal plate" in his hand. Raven 12345 answered his question: "Is there a difference between technology and magic? The Xiling Pantheon has developed both paths from the very beginning. They use whatever works best; they're all tools to control reality. If you threw this thing in the hands of an uncivilized race, it would be a divine artifact. But speaking of which, I'm not really good with these tech-based products; I prefer mystical creations—too bad you can't use those."

Hao Ren didn't pay attention to what Raven 12345 was saying anymore, because he had successfully activated the small data terminal!

A rapid series of images flashed across the holographic projection, appearing chaotic at first glance. However, Hao Ren felt no difficulty keeping up or understanding. The speed and transition of these images perfectly matched his comprehension. It seemed the data terminal could scan the human brain and push new information based on its real-time processing state. Hao Ren's eyes darted across the holographic display. The most crucial information he needed was always in the center of his vision. Whenever he wanted to know something new, without even consciously issuing a command, the holographic images would shift, allowing him to acquire new data in the most efficient way possible. Initially, Hao Ren thought he wouldn't be able to handle such advanced equipment, but he soon realized something: for a civilization powerful enough to traverse the multiverse with ease, creating a simple, user-friendly tool was not a problem at all. It was like how humans can create feeding machines that even chimpanzees and pet dogs can use—when technology reaches perfection, its use becomes increasingly simple, with complex functions hidden away from the user's sight.

For example, Hao Ren was quite sure that if he dismantled the small device in his hand, no one on Earth could put it back together...

"What does this... 'request support' mean?" Amidst the rapidly refreshing data, Hao Ren suddenly saw a very eye-catching term. Without any command from him, this item that piqued his curiosity automatically stopped in the center of his vision. Then, a large amount of accompanying images and video information appeared on the holographic display: various images that looked like weapons and equipment, rows of soldiers, and charts that he couldn't quite understand, all neatly laid out before him. However, all of the above was displayed in gray.

"Do you think Examiners are lone wolves? Is their entire job just taking care of anomalous creatures freeloading at home?" Raven 12345 shrugged. "You'll know when you're officially hired. Examiners have very complex work to handle. What if I sent you to Centaurus to quell a rebellion right now? What if I sent you to Scorpion Tail Nebula for military mediation? In such cases, 'request support' and 'armament protocol' come in handy. You can choose these options when you're about to be killed—of course, they all require corresponding authorization, and authorization requires various strict assessments. We can't give lethal weapons to a rookie with an unstable mind, even though those things are basically harmless civilian goods in our eyes... Well, throwing those civilian goods onto your planet would be enough to cause four or five ice ages."

Hao Ren broke out in a cold sweat. Although he hadn't finished reading the "Examiner's Handbook" and the "Time-Space Administration Bureau Work Outline," he heard something incredibly serious from Raven 12345's words... This job seemed life-threatening!

Hao Ren opened his mouth: "I currently..."

"You can't resign," Raven 12345 chuckled. "Even if you die, your soul will be on my attendance record. I'll just get you a new body, and you'll have to keep working. It's not easy for me to recruit a new employee, and you think you can just leave?"

Hao Ren: "..."

"Don't make that face," Raven 12345 instantly teleported next to Hao Ren, startling him. She then patted his shoulder. "I never bluff. You'll soon realize this is an opportunity most people would dream of—as long as you don't court death, you can basically live until... well, a very long time. After all, Examiners aren't military personnel, so there aren't that many major battles for auxiliary police like you to participate in every day."

Hao Ren tried to speak several times, but was always cut off by this charismatic white-haired witch. In the end, he could only force a smile and stuff the data terminal into his pocket. There was too much to read, and it wasn't realistic to do it here. He decided to study it slowly after returning home.

"Then let's talk about that nightmare," Hao Ren resignedly sat down on the chair. "I think you're hiding something from me—I'm honest, but that doesn't mean you can bully me. At least tell me more, so I can sleep soundly when I get back."

Raven 12345 glanced at Hao Ren and finally sighed helplessly. "Alright, alright. You're quite stubborn. I'll tell you what I can."