“Confucianism” soon won “Gu” over, though you had no idea what price he had promised that deity.
[But you did not care. Instead, you began gathering intelligence.]
Just then, Wu Yong, who was within “Confucianism’s” Dao Lineage, found the clone left behind by “Number One Other-Self,” whom your “Old Self” possessed.
[He solemnly summoned you.]
Thus, “Number One Other-Self,” possessed by “Old Self,” crafted a [Major Thousandfold Realm] by hand and brought him inside.
You knew Wu Yong was no longer human and therefore had no emotions, so he generally only did things that were “useful.”
[Since he was willing to seek you out, then, it had to be something important.]
[Sure enough, his mechanical electronic voice rang out.]
—His mechanical form, unchanged from your first meeting, emitted something akin to the Great Dao’s Voice:
“Chen Fan, I want to make a trade with you!”
[Your interest immediately stirred, and you asked through "Number One Other-Self," whom "Old Self" possessed:]
["What trade?"]
Wu Yong came from a technology-oriented Great World. The [Level Nine Civilization] in his world surely had higher-dimensional existences, perhaps even more than one.
[So you were rather interested in what he could offer in a trade.]
[He transformed into a squat, boxy little desktop machine, predominantly pale blue and off-white, with red and yellow buttons. A thin antenna stood on top, while a display and large buttons adorned its front. Its rounded corners gave it a retro-futuristic look.]
[His electronic voice drifted out:]
“The Future Riddle Machine!”
[At those words, your heart shook violently.]
[Given his technological background and the name he had called out...]
[...You vaguely remembered an anime you had watched in your previous life, which was also technology-oriented.]
[A blue, cat-shaped robot could pull all sorts of unimaginable future technology from its pocket.]
You