[Cloud City · Downtown Luxury Apartment]
"I am Little Deer Assistant 9528, responsible for today's modern life tutorial. Would the two Saviors please get up and come to the living room."
Yin Wuwang jolted awake, springing up from the bed. He glanced around warily before remembering he was now in the modern world. Just moments ago, he had dreamed of returning to the Wuwang Sea—dreamed of the moment Fuguang's sword pierced through him, of falling from the sky. Fuguang had gazed down at him from above, and he had struggled with all his might to reach up, yearning to touch Fuguang's silhouette one last time. But then, in the next instant, he had fallen into a warm embrace. The one who caught him was Fuguang—with tears streaming down his face.
He let out a sigh. It's all because this modern world's bed is too soft—like sleeping on clouds. That's why I'm having such absurd dreams. Fuguang, crying for me? How could that be possible? If anything, he would be the one crying for Fuguang. It was just a dream, after all.
He rubbed his face and walked into the bathroom, beginning to brush his teeth and wash his face as Little Deer Assistant had taught him yesterday. He grumbled internally the entire time. What a hassle. I've lived for three thousand years without ever brushing my teeth, and I've never had a single cavity. Mortal bodies are so fragile! He recalled the dental implant procedure Little Deer Assistant had shown him on the television yesterday and couldn't help but shudder. Mortal methods are downright brutal. If he wanted someone to lose their teeth, it would take nothing more than a flick of his finger—a punch at most. But look at what mortals did: they used instruments to wrench teeth out by the roots, drilled into mouths with rotating tools, and hammered metal posts into jawbones... It seemed "modern people" were quite different from the mortals he'd known.
Yin Wuwang walked into the living room and found Xie Qingyan already sitting on the sofa, waiting for him. Without hesitation, he sat down beside Xie Qingyan, casually draping his arm along the back of the sofa behind him. Xie Qingyan turned to look at him, expression blank. Yin Wuwang stiffened slightly, then asked as if nothing had happened: "What are we learning today?"
Little Deer Assistant 9528 said: "Would the two Saviors please pick up the items on the table."
Yin Wuwang seized the opportunity to withdraw his arm, leaning forward to stare at the object in his hands—a black, flat, cold... stone tablet? He turned it over and over, examining it. The thing was slightly larger than his palm, with rounded corners and a surface as smooth as a mirror.
"This is a 'phone,'" Little Deer Assistant 9528 explained. "A communication artifact used by modern people. Similar to a Message Transmission Jade Talisman."
Yin Wuwang raised an eyebrow. Message Transmission Jade Talismans required spiritual energy to operate. This stone tablet, though finely crafted, contained no spiritual energy whatsoever. He wondered how effective it could possibly be.
"How do you use it?"
"Press that raised part on the right side."
Yin Wuwang found the small protrusion and pressed it with his thumb. The screen lit up.
Little Deer Assistant 9528 continued earnestly: "The phone requires unlocking before use. You can unlock it with facial recognition or fingerprint. Let's start with fingerprint unlocking. Please place your thumb on the area at the bottom of the screen with the wavy lines. It will read your fingerprint."
Xie Qingyan had also picked up a phone. He had just raised his finger when he heard Yin Wuwang ask: "What is a fingerprint? What's the purpose of reading fingerprints?"
Little Deer Assistant 9528 explained: "Fingerprints are the patterns on your fingertips. Everyone's fingerprints are unique, used to verify identity. Similar to an identity token."
Yin Wuwang examined the patterns on his own fingers, then pressed his thumb against the screen—crack. A fracture appeared across the display.
Little Deer Assistant and Yin Wuwang fell silent simultaneously.
Watching Yin Wuwang's operation from the side, Xie Qingyan nearly burst out laughing. He quickly lowered his head to look at his own phone, gently placing his thumb on the designated spot. Ding. The screen unlocked, displaying various icons. He glanced at Yin Wuwang's shattered screen, then at his own intact one, thinking: This man truly has no sense of restraint with his strength. His destructive power is astounding. I hope our mission points are enough to cover his damages.
Little Deer Assistant's voice sounded utterly exasperated. "Modern items aren't reinforced with spiritual energy, so they're extremely fragile. A light touch is sufficient—no force required... Savior 9527 has destroyed one phone. Repair cost: 5 points. Recorded for deduction during final settlement."
Yin Wuwang rubbed his nose and snorted: "This artifact is far too flimsy. I barely pressed it and it shattered. A Message Transmission Jade Talisman from the cultivation world wouldn't break even if struck by tribulation lightning." He grumbled internally—mortal-made items were indeed inferior.
Xie Qingyan cleared his throat lightly: "Little Deer Assistant, repair the phone."
Hearing this, Yin Wuwang turned to glance at him. Xie Qingyan had already resumed his cool expression, focused intently on studying the icons on his phone screen. ...Did Fuguang just laugh at me? Yin Wuwang withdrew his gaze suspiciously and glared at the phone.
Little Deer Assistant 9528 swiftly repaired the phone and continued wearily: "Facial recognition unlock... too complicated to set up. Let's learn phone photography first. You'll need to take photos for evidence during investigations. Please tap the icon on the far right of the row of small squares at the bottom."
Yin Wuwang raised an eyebrow at the now-restored screen. He lightly tapped where Little Deer Assistant indicated, and a face suddenly appeared on the screen. Yin Wuwang's pupils contracted. The face that appeared was strikingly handsome—black hair, violet eyes, a hint of wickedness in the features. He moved slightly; the face moved too. He frowned; the face frowned. What manner of demon is this? How dare it mimic this sovereign's appearance? He instinctively tightened his grip on the phone, fingers applying slight pressure—
"Warning! Savior 9527, please refrain from using brute force!" Little Deer Assistant called out urgently. "That's the front-facing camera. It projects your face onto the screen—it's like a mirror! It's not a demon!"
Yin Wuwang stared at the face on the screen—identical to his own—and fell silent for a moment. Ah. Like a reflection in water. He casually turned his head left and right before the phone. "I knew that. I was merely testing its durability."
After an arduous hour of phone tutorials and vocabulary explanations, Little Deer Assistant ushered them toward the study. "We only have 3 days to help you adapt to the modern world. You must integrate into modern life as quickly as possible before Captain Lin contacts you for case assistance."
The two entered the study one after the other. Yin Wuwang's gaze fell on a long desk in the corner. On it sat a black rectangular box, and in front of the box was a glowing panel somewhat smaller than the television. Beside it lay another panel covered in small squares, each inscribed with symbols. Next to that was a flat silver block.
Little Deer Assistant 9528 took over the explanation: "What's on the desk is a 'computer' and a 'laptop.' Similar to phones, but more powerful. You can look up information, organize documents, analyze clues... You'll need computers to research data during investigations. Feel free to explore on your own—you must familiarize yourselves quickly."
"That's the keyboard, used for inputting text," Little Deer Assistant explained. "And that's the mouse, used to control the arrow on the screen."
Yin Wuwang frowned: "So complicated? I can sweep my divine sense across a thousand miles and know everything happening within. Yet mortals have to poke at things one finger at a time?"
"That's how modern tools work."
Yin Wuwang clicked his tongue. This broken world without spiritual energy really is useless.
[End of V2_Chapter 04]
Next: The "internet" connects everyone in the world together. Wouldn't that be terribly noisy?