Arya seemed to have noticed Calamity and Horror Main God's predicament. He guessed that this Main God avatar in a mortal body might have lost a great deal of the fundamental attributes unique to Main Gods, and that the avatar's memories appeared rather incomplete.
Without any intention of probing into the realm of Main Gods, Arya thoughtfully explained, "This is a completely ownerless Fantasy Weapon. My lord need only imprint your sequence... that is, a genetic fragment from your current mortal body, and it will recognize you as its master. Then you may control it as you wish."
Recognize its master with blood?
Tang Chuan muttered inwardly. He easily understood Arya's phrasing, nodded faintly, and maintained the bearing expected of a Main God without answering.
Instead, he tucked Little Tentacle into his belt, wiped his hands on his clothes, and put his thumb between his teeth.
Hiss—
He bit down hard on his thumb, yet failed to break the skin. Instead, Tang Chuan experienced the agonizing pain of ten fingers linked to the heart.
The pain made Tang Chuan realize something, and he silently cursed cultivation novels for misleading people.
Human incisors simply were not suited for cutting open skin.
Besides, genetic fragments were not found only in blood!
Tang Chuan calmly endured the pain and scraped the swollen thumbnail across the Metal Sphere.
Whoosh!
He had no idea whether it was nail dust or saliva from his thumb that triggered some mechanism within the Metal Sphere.
The Metal Sphere rose into the air and projected beam-like rays of light. The rays formed a net that seemed to scan Tang Chuan's physical composition.
Somehow, after the web of light vanished, Tang Chuan seemed to have formed a subtle yet unmistakable connection with the Metal Sphere.
With a thought—
The flawless, round Metal Sphere hovering in the air began changing shape like modeling clay.
Tang Chuan vaguely understood why Arya had called the Metal Sphere a "Fantasy Weapon"!
Through the connection between his mind and the Metal Sphere, Tang Chuan could clearly sense that with a single thought, the Metal Sphere could transform into any shape and function he imagined!
If he imagined the Metal Sphere as a spaceship, it could become a spaceship!
If he imagined that spaceship traveling faster than light, then it could cross the universe at superluminal speed!
He could even imagine the ship smashing through a star, and it would possess the kinetic force and structural strength to destroy one!
Of course, such fantasies could not grow infinitely powerful. They had to rely on the Metal Sphere's inherent "Fantasy Attribute."
There would always be an upper limit.
Otherwise, if you could simply imagine a weapon capable of slaughtering Supreme Main Gods, wouldn't that make you invincible?
To beings at the level of Supreme Main Gods, this thing was utterly worthless. It was not even qualified to serve as a toy.
There was no other reason: so-called Fantasy Attributes were bestowed upon weapons by deities. In a sense, they were vessels containing a portion of a deity's power.
And a vessel of power normally could not be stronger than its original owner.
Perhaps only weak lower deities would regard this thing as a treasure.
Wait, no. Even the weakest lower god could wipe out the universe I originally came from!
And I actually looked down on this thing, thinking it was useless?
Where the hell had this absurdly elevated perspective come from?
No matter what, this thing was still an unimaginable treasure to me!
Through his imagination, Tang Chuan molded the Metal Sphere into a form resembling the Quinjet used by the Magic Shield Bureau in Manwei Movie.
Before he could refine the details of his one-man space Shuttle, a rumbling sound came from outside the Main God Hall.
Looking up, he saw that the Main God Hall had completely merged into the Main Universe River.
Another piece of information surfaced in his mind at just the right moment.
The Main God Hall had always traversed the Main Universe along some unfathomable trajectory.
Only when the Main Gods needed to convene a meeting would the meeting's initiator locate the Main God Hall and send invitations to the other Supreme Main Gods.
Now that the meeting had ended some time ago, the Main God Hall naturally had to return to its original operational pattern and merge back into the Main Universe.
Passing through the Realm Gate of the Main Universe, the Main God Hall traveled through the galaxy and gradually returned to its trajectory.
And Tang Chuan knew that he could leave.
He imagined the Quin Shuttle once more, allowing it to naturally form an interior space suitable for human habitation.
Tang Chuan looked at the respectful Arya, draped an arm over his shoulder, and said with satisfaction and majesty, "Arya, my most loyal servant, you have done well. The glory of Calamity and Horror shall be with you forever."
Arya placed one hand over his chest and bowed slightly. "Devoutly serving my lord is Arya's honor."
Tang Chuan nodded. "Return to your place. When the next meeting is convened, I may offer you my commendation."
Arya lowered his head. "Thank you, my lord. Should you require anything, please summon me."
Arya turned into a streak of light and returned to the shrine where he had originally stood, condensing once more into an eerie stone statue that had remained unchanged since time immemorial.
Tang Chuan also let out a breath of relief. The Quinjet projected a bridge, and Tang Chuan quickly stepped onto it and entered the cabin.
Clack, clack, clack.
The extended bridge retracted into the hull. The Quinjet rose into the air, spewing blue flames as it effortlessly broke through the "membrane" surrounding the Main God Hall and entered the profound depths of space.
Slurp—
Slurp, slurp—
The cabin was neither particularly spacious nor cramped, and soft, clear light filled it.
Tang Chuan sat blankly in the command chair of the small bridge, his heart filled with confusion.
The boundless starry sky.
The infinite universe.
Inside the lonely spacecraft, only Little Tentacle crawled all over the floor, as if becoming familiar with its new surroundings, constantly secreting mucus and keeping Tang Chuan company with its eerie, chilling sounds.
"Keep it down!" Tang Chuan could not help snapping.
Little Tentacle clearly had no obvious auditory system, yet it shrank back in fright. It seemed both wronged and timid as it cautiously extended its head toward Tang Chuan in the command chair.
Then it truly slowed down, and its "slurping" became as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
It understood human speech?
Tang Chuan froze.
Were you a phone or a living creature?
Or both?
Everything I saw and heard today would be enough to write a novel when I got back.
It was simply too absurd and bizarre, far beyond the scope of human consciousness.
With a sigh, Tang Chuan turned his head and blankly stared through the transparent hull at the eternal splendor of the galaxy's starlight, sinking into thought.
Gradually, the adrenaline and dopamine that had surged beyond measure after a chuunibyou youth stumbled upon an extraordinary encounter began to fade. A feeling of uncertainty and loss arose in his heart.
How long had it been?
I didn't know.
But it had definitely been more than one Earth day, twenty-four hours. How was I supposed to get back?
My hometown, my friends and family, my chili sauce... Was today our final farewell?
The socks on my bedside table still hadn't been washed. They had been sitting there for three days.
Where was I supposed to go in this vast, lonely expanse of space?
Tang Chuan gazed through the transparent hull at the eternal, shining splendor of the galaxy. After a long while, he fell into deep emptiness.
Countless thoughts gradually flooded his mind.
He thought of his best friend's crude jokes, the silver hair at his father's temples, and his grandmother, who hoped he would return home during the holidays and always stood waiting at the village entrance...
Hot tears flowed from his eyes without his realizing it.
In the unknown depths of the universe, it was as though a wandering soul went from quietly to urgently, then hysterically, screaming soundlessly.