"A large-scale Singularity?!"
Lin Xi repeated the words aloud without thinking.
Electrolux nodded emphatically.
"Yes. Don't you think it sounds very similar? A Master from the original world, a course of history extremely similar to the known world yet subtly different, and differences that could drastically alter the history that followed. All three fit the characteristics of a Singularity, don't they?"
"You mean...?"
Lin Xi's eyes widened involuntarily.
He had already guessed what Electrolux meant.
Electrolux smiled excitedly, confirming his guess.
"Exactly. In the story of the Douluo Continent you know, that little girl named Huo Yutong was originally supposed to be a boy, wasn't she?"
The story Lin Xi told had thoroughly piqued his interest. He felt that he had not been this enthusiastic in a very long time.
"..."
Lin Xi fell silent.
That was right. That was it.
Out of a transmigrator's habitual way of thinking, he had unconsciously overlooked the enormous change of Huo Yuhao becoming Huo Yutong.
But now that he thought about it carefully, this was absolutely a change that would affect the course of the Douluo Continent's plot to an enormous degree.
Leaving everything else aside, judging by the original work, the bullying Huo Yutong had suffered when Lin Xi first met her most likely had not existed in the original.
After all, those thugs were not that stupid. They would only do something like that when Huo Yun'er's child was a girl with absolutely no chance of turning the tables.
And the genderbending of Huo Yuhao would also directly change her relationships with a whole host of characters.
Whether Wang Dong'er, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Tang Wutong, Ju Zi, Ye Guyi, or Nan Qiuqiu, they were all heterosexual. With Huo Yuhao turned into a girl, no one could say how they would react.
With things developing this way, would Huo Yutong really obey Tang San's every word as she had in the original? If she did not, what would that hypocrite, gentle on the surface but cunning underneath, do?
Lin Xi hardly dared imagine it.
If he considered it from this angle, perhaps it really was as Electrolux had said: Huo Yutong had caused a drastic shift in the course of the Douluo Continent's history, thereby drawing in a Master like him with exceptionally strong Power of Fate.
Like the Emiya family, he counted as a hired hand of the Counter Force.
By that explanation, his only question now was why he had no awareness whatsoever of his status as a hired hand.
Without Electrolux, although he would still have drastically altered the course of Huo Yutong's destiny, he probably would have struggled to realize that she was the true reason for his transmigration.
Lin Xi sighed helplessly.
Honestly, I've landed myself in quite a troublesome situation...
He adjusted his thinking and looked at Electrolux earnestly.
"Then, Elder Yi, let me confirm this one last time. I'll help you become a god, and you'll help me oppose Tang San. Is that all right?"
Electrolux nodded kindly.
"Of course. Why are you still saying such things at this point?"
Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief and said with a wry smile:
"After all, our opponent is Tang San, the embodiment of this world's creator. Who knows how it'll end?"
Although he disliked Tang San intensely, he had never underestimated him.
The Douluo series was also called the Tang Family Universe, and its sole operating principle was that everyone had to lick Tang San's boots unconditionally.
Defying Tang San was tantamount to defying the will of heaven. Although Lin Xi possessed tremendous Power of Destiny, no one could say whether he could use it to withstand the world will of the Douluo series.
Besides, even without accounting for outside factors, Tang San was a God King-level powerhouse who had painstakingly built up his influence in the Divine Realm for over ten thousand years.
And barring anything unexpected, the instant Lin Xi became a god, he would have no choice but to face Tang San.
In other words, in the worst-case scenario, he might be forced to fight Tang San at the rank of a God Officer.
Lin Xi might seem impressive now, easily defeating opponents with seven-ring combat strength with his three-ring cultivation, and even being capable of putting up a fight against a Soul Douluo.
But his current ability to fight above his level was still nowhere near enough to bridge the immense gulf between a God Officer and a God King.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Yet unlike him, Electrolux did not look worried at all.
"Is that so? This old man thinks things look quite all right."
He smiled and offered reassurance:
"By your account, things were already beyond his control when you arrived in this world. After all, you're a transmigrator who's clearly hostile toward him. A character like you couldn't possibly have existed in the original work, could he? Ultimately, who knows whether we're still in his book, being manipulated by him, or have become the protagonists of another book? Nothing is clear yet. If we've become the protagonists, he should be the one who's afraid."
"Besides..."
At this point, Electrolux's tone grew meaningful.
"I've already accepted benefits from you. How could I not give something in return? You chose to act first and report afterward precisely because you knew my personality, didn't you, child?"
Lin Xi awkwardly looked away.
He noticed after all.
Electrolux had originally been the Child of Light, possessing the purest heart in the world.
Although he had taken many wrong turns along the way, judging by his actions in Peerless Tang Sect, he was still a gentle, kind person.
Lin Xi knew all too well how to deal with someone like that.
As long as he gave him enough things, with his disposition of always repaying kindness, he was bound not to abandon Lin Xi.
Both of them understood this.
Seeing how embarrassed his teasing had made Lin Xi, Electrolux chuckled.
"Haha, you needn't dwell on it. I agreed while fully aware of your intentions. You needn't blame yourself. If anything, you should even be proud. Not many people your age could accomplish something like this."
"...Thank you for understanding."
Lin Xi slowly let out a breath.
Electrolux agreeing to join him meant that his most important recent matter had been successfully resolved.
But resolving it had also raised new questions.
If he really was a hired fighter sent by the Counter Force, as Electrolux suspected, then what task had he been given?
Was it to deal with Tang San? Correct the errors caused by the changes in Yutong's personality? Or destroy this world?
With no evidence to consult, Lin Xi could not think of an answer at all.
But whatever it was, he had to protect the people important to him.
Having made that resolve in his heart, Lin Xi raised his head and said to Electrolux:
"Elder Yi, I'll head out, then. The people outside will worry if I'm gone too long."
Electrolux nodded.
"Mm, go on. You mustn't neglect those around you."
He had told Lin Xi everything he needed to say. Now he had to hurry and research the Heroic Spirit Summoning Formula and the soul spirit system Lin Xi had mentioned.
That was the greatest help he could offer Lin Xi right now.
Lin Xi took a deep breath and slowly let his consciousness rise.
Soon, he surfaced from the Sea of Consciousness and opened his eyes.
To his surprise, the moment he opened his eyes, he saw a pair of beautiful, large pinkish-blue eyes staring at him unblinkingly from close range.
"..."
Both their bodies instantly froze.
One second, two seconds. Time slowly passed. At last, Wang Dong reacted.
"Aah-!"
Lin Xi jolted in fright. Seeing Wang Dong raise her hand to strike him, his body reacted instinctively.
Tracing a graceful parabola through the air, Wang Dong went flying backward just like that.