Kiana opened the Homu box at Mei's urging. Mei who was interested leaned in closer.
A golden light burst forth.
"Wow, it's the Golden Legend!"
Kiana exclaimed, excitement glimmering in her eyes. She had once played an evil, pay-to-win game in Shenzhou and felt a rush of nostalgia.
However, when they examined the contents of the Homu box, both of them were stunned.
"This... isn't that the baseball bat you brought?" Mei picked up the baseball bat from the box with an uncertain expression. She had known Kiana for a while and remembered the baseball bat that Kiana always carried.
"Uh..." Kiana scratched her head, took the baseball bat from Mei, and waved it around. "Well... this feels like my baseball bat, right?"
"Really? But... why do you have two baseball bats?"
In a moment of distraction, Mei grabbed the baseball bat that Kiana had left at her house and shook it at Kiana.
"... I don't know; these two baseball bats feel exactly the same. They're both mine..huh!?"
Mei was startled by Kiana's sudden exclamation and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Kiana?"
"Um... this baseball bat..." Kiana held the bat she had pulled from the Homu reward box and pointed out, "If you look closely, there's something like an item description."
[Kiana's Baseball Bat (Sub-space Lance)]
[Although it looks and feels the same as the baseball bat she used before, it is actually made of the Sub-space lance created by the power of the Herrscher.]
[Durability: -1]
"My baseball bat?" Kiana looked at the description with confusion.
"This... should be the baseball bat used by Kiana in the future, right?" Mei observed, noting the introduction of the baseball bat.
After seeing Kiana's puzzled expression, Mei explained, "Didn't you say that the space is independent of time? Then there shouldn't be a problem with rewarding people with items from the future or the past, right?"
"Uh... that seems to be true." Kiana nodded, recalling Mei's point. However, she still wore a troubled expression as she examined the bat in her hand.
"It's obviously my baseball bat from the future, but why is it related to the power of the Herrscher?"
"And this durability... well, it sounds like the durability of equipment in a game. Long-term value, right?"
"It's actually a negative number. Will this baseball bat really not break upon contact?"
A trace of dissatisfaction crossed her face as she muttered, "Sure enough, that space isn't reliable at all."
[It's not a good habit to speak ill of others behind their backs.]
A sudden voice echoed in the air.
"... This voice, is it that... the space's consciousness?!"
Familiar with the voice, Kiana reacted instantly and began to look around.
At some point, the surrounding environment had changed. It appeared a white zone once again.
But this time, Kiana wasn't alone.
The changes around her initially stunned Mei, but she soon reacted and said in surprise, "Is this the strange space where questions have rewards when answered, the one Kiana mentioned?"
[You can just call it the Q&A space.]
A hint of helplessness tinged the voice of the consciousness.
[I believe you learned about this space and my role from the one beside you, correct?]
"Yeah," Mei nodded.
[Then, welcome, visitor.]
[Towards the stars... it seems to be off-stage.]
"Hey, hey, hey! Explain to me what's going on with this weird baseball bat?!" Kiana interrupted, visible dissatisfaction on her face.
[That?]
[As you suspect, that baseball bat is indeed your item from the future.]
"Huh? Then what's the deal with this Herrscher power?! I won't have anything to do with the Herrscher!"
Kiana placed one hand on her hip in frustration, pouting as she weighed the baseball bat in her hand with disdain.
"And why would I use such a broken baseball bat in the future? Durability -1? This kind of thing will break upon contact, right?!"
[Regarding the first question, I must apologize for my inability to disclose details.]
[If you want an answer, you will have to seek it out yourself.]
[Everything you wish to know can be found in the questions and rewards generated by this space.]
[As for the second question, that is not an issue.]
[The composition of the baseball bat is derived from the power of the Second Herrscher, the Herrscher of the Void.]
[The power of the Herrscher of the Void is to manipulate and create imaginary space.]
[As for the concept of imaginary space...]
"The world we live in is based on real numbers, while a world independent of this is based on imaginary numbers?"
Mei ventured, sharing her understanding of imaginary space.
[Correct.]
"Wow, Mei, you know a lot!" Kiana admired her friend.
Although she could comprehend every word spoken by the space's consciousness, the connections made her head spin, and she struggled to understand the concepts of imaginary numbers and real numbers.
"I can't grasp any of it at all!"
With a slight blush on her cheeks, Mei turned away and twisted her hair with her fingers, whispering, "No, I just occasionally read about this in the library."
[Since you know the concept of imaginary space...]
[That makes things simple.]
[Imaginary numbers do not exist within human understanding.]
[And that baseball bat is an imaginary creation birthed from the power of the Second Herrscher.]
[Its nature resembles that of something called bedrock in some electronic game.]
[It does not inherently possess durability.]
"So I understand roughly," Mei nodded, signaling her comprehension.
"Uh... does that mean this thing won't break?" Kiana, still puzzled, simplified the conclusion in her own way.
"Not exactly. Although imaginary numbers don't exist in our understanding, if we encounter something capable of touching imaginary numbers or possess energy that is sufficiently powerful, it can destroy this type of creation." Mei shook her head slightly, contemplating before adding, "But aside from those instances, this baseball bat should be indestructible against normal enemies."
"Really? That's great!" Kiana beamed.
"Hehe, no need to change the bat."
Kiana held the bat close, rubbing it against her face in satisfaction.
Due to genetic factors, the Kaslana family possessed immense strength, rendering normal weapons ineffective. Kiana preferred using a bat not only for the satisfying feeling of hitting but also because bats were notably durable compared to other weapons.
Even so, Kiana had broken several bats in the past.
Now, with an indestructible bat, she wouldn't have to worry about breaking it with too much force during battles.
"Kiana..." Mei hesitated.
Indeed, having a weapon that could be used to its full potential without fear of breaking was something to celebrate.
However, this bat, rather than its significance as a combat tool, should be regarded with more attention for the information it revealed about the future.