Although Chu Yunyi had no idea why this world had never developed firearms,
its technology was still so advanced.
But—
perhaps there was a reason for everything,
for example:
On Blue Star, cryolite and aluminum were closely linked.
In industry, molten cryolite was used as a flux to dissolve alumina at around 1,000°C, forming a molten mixture of cryolite and alumina. Then, with carbon blocks as the anode and cathode, the mixture was electrolyzed to produce usable aluminum.
Without cryolite, aluminum could never have become commonplace.
The consequences
would have gone beyond Blue Star's people being unable to drink canned beverages. The entire industrial system would have collapsed and regressed.
But—
if some other, more interconnected element disappeared, could the resulting Butterfly Effect lead to even greater consequences?
For example, Night Star had only bladed weapons, yet had never developed firearms.
Still, that was one thing
Chu Yunyi didn't really care about.
He had little interest in learning about a world's history or the reasons behind it. He wasn't a historian.
All Chu Yunyi cared about was how much of what this place had to offer he could make use of.
Soon,
following the directions the little punk had given him, Chu Yunyi arrived at Old Jin's shop.
Although everything was quite different from Blue Star,
there was a little hiccup along the way.
The elevator buttons here were actually binary. Chu Yunyi spent quite a while trying to figure them out.
In the end, a middle-aged woman came over, connected to the elevator with the personal terminal in her head, and sent Chu Yunyi straight to the floor he needed.
What Chu Yunyi couldn't understand was
the pity in the woman's eyes. She looked at him like he was a child born with an intellectual disability.
He thought about arguing with her, but in the end, Chu Yunyi said nothing.
He just couldn't bring himself to.
Damn cultural differences. How had people in this world gotten used to using binary?
Wasn't it a hassle!?
With that thought,
Chu Yunyi arrived at Old Jin's shop, a storefront converted from an ordinary apartment building. It had a pretty big frontage.
Big enough that he could tell at a glance.
He knocked on the door and heard someone speak in a language he didn't understand. Fortunately, Chu Yunyi had kept NO.6 [Words of All Spirits] active.
"Come in," someone inside said.
Without a moment's hesitation, Chu Yunyi pushed open the door and walked in.
He glanced at the door, seeming to wonder if this world had doors too.
Or rather—
were all the worlds whose doors could be opened by the [Void Gate] worlds that had doors?
And were worlds that could produce "doors"—things that only allowed individuals under two meters tall to pass through—basically all inhabited by carbon-based humans?
Chu Yunyi stepped inside.
He looked around.
The walls were lined with steel mesh shelves, somewhat like pegboards, except that they displayed all kinds of cybernetic limbs.
"Do you have any cybernetics that don't require surgery?"
"Something that can improve my strength quickly."
"And two bladed weapons."
Chu Yunyi was still straightforward. He wanted to wrap this up quickly and then go back to deal with that guy surnamed Xia.
But—
this time, things didn't seem to go the way he'd expected.
Last time,
at the gun shop on Blue Star, the owner hadn't been difficult about it. He'd just sorted out the [AM-180] and [Walther P22] for him.
But this time,
he was on Night Star, where the local customs seemed a little different.
The shopkeeper, whose name was Old Jin, had drooping eyelids and didn't seem interested in Chu Yunyi, his customer.
His gaze drifted around in midair, and every now and then, he chuckled to himself.
Old Jin spared Chu Yunyi a glance. He found him a little interesting, but that was all.
He said:
"If you don't want surgery, then Nano Skin. You just slap it on and it works."
"With your build, you need Model Two."
"For bladed weapons, just get High-Molecular Nano Blades. They're top of the line."
"Credit Points."
"Transfer them to me, and I'll get your stuff."
At that, Chu Yunyi looked troubled. He really didn't have anything like Credit Points.
He'd come from another world. It would've been strange if he had the local currency.
Thinking it over,
Chu Yunyi reached into his pocket and opened NO.15 [Portable Space], taking out a piece of gold.
He tossed it onto the counter and sent Old Jin a thought:
"Use this to pay."
Old Jin glanced at it, then burst out laughing.
Then—
Old Jin opened his mouth, revealing a whole set of gold teeth that flashed brightly enough to dazzle Chu Yunyi.
With another gesture,
Old Jin leaned toward a machine beside him and sent out a stream of information.
"Bzz..."
The two Mechanical Arms on the workbench switched their printing material and instantly fabricated a piece of gold. It was exactly the same shape and size as the one Chu Yunyi had tossed over.
Old Jin held out both hands, palms tilted toward the piece of gold.
He hadn't seemed to say anything.
But somehow, he'd said everything.
Chu Yunyi was deeply shocked.
Damn.
The technology tree in this world is so fucking weird.
"No guns."
But they can print gold instantly.
"How does that even work? Are there fucking magic dwarves in there?!"
Though he badly wanted to complain, Chu Yunyi managed to keep it off his face.
But Old Jin spoke first:
"Credit Points."
"Don't have any," Chu Yunyi said.
Chu Yunyi looked like a shameless hardcase, the kind nobody could push around.
The next moment,
Chu Yunyi raised Walther and aimed it at Old Jin. "I don't have Credit Points. Can you give me the goods first?"
Old Jin didn't panic at the sight of the dark muzzle.
"Bzz."
Old Jin swung his arm. A blade, like a mantis's forelimb, sprang out from the side of his forearm and pointed straight at Chu Yunyi.
It looked like all he had to do was move forward a little, and he could strike at Chu Yunyi's neck.
Seeing this,
Chu Yunyi put his gun away. Forget it. There was no need to start a fight.
He could just go to some warehouse and take a set for himself.
As Chu Yunyi was thinking this, Old Jin spoke first:
"You need Credit Points to activate the equipment."
"That's a rule set by the Upper City."
"Even if you kill me and take the stuff, you won't be able to use it."
At that,
Chu Yunyi froze for a moment. The stuff had to be activated?
Night Star...
Chu Yunyi had just one thing to say: he'd come here once, and he never wanted to come back a second time.
Next time,
he'd have to add more conditions to the [Void Gate]. He didn't want to visit a world with so many damn rules.
But the next moment,
Old Jin tossed him something like a watch. Except it was much larger than an arm, looking for all the world like a shackle.
"Native Human, this is a mobile personal terminal."
"It has a registered account."
"Go to Laiyun Tavern on the edge of District 74. You'll get Credit Points there."
Old Jin seemed too lazy to say anything more, but the way he looked at Chu Yunyi at the end seemed a little pitying.
Before you continue