Chapter 150: Coupling (Part 1/2)
Translator: Strivon
"Huh? Who is it?" Luo Nan thoughts focused, and he saw a number he had never seen before. Naturally, he was surprised.
Just when Luo Nan was subconsciously about to answer the call, he suddenly felt that something was wrong. He swapped to the settings interface with an effort of will, and sure enough, he had already set the communications mode to be restricted. In this mode, only the people in his contact list could engage in real-time communications with him. Everyone else could only leave messages.
He Yueyin had suggested to set the HexaEar up this way. She said that it was to avoid interferences to the maximum extent so that he could concentrate on his cultivation.
Then came the question: How did that number come in?
Luo Nan was curious to see who the caller was, but the other party severed the communications request right when Luo Nan was about to pick up. Luo Nan waited a moment, but no one called again. He dialed back the number, yet the system displayed the following message: "The person you are trying to contact is in limited contact mode. Please leave a message."
Well then, what was up with this low-level malfunction? It's already been over ten days. Wasn’t the debugging of the Psychic Wave Network over yet?
Luo Nan shook his head and temporarily put the matter aside. His shifted his full attention back to the issue with the Divine Yu Gym.
To understand the enmity that existed in the martial arts circle, Luo Nan obviously needed to find someone in that circle. But only one person remained after Luo Nan had filtered through all the people he knew in the Society. It was Giant Arm, and Luo Nan only knew of him. Giant Arm might not know of Luo Nan.
Then I can only find someone I'm closer to…. Seems like Crag Burst is the only option. He has a military background, and he’s among the top ten strongest people in terms of physical strength within Xia City. He also has a friendly and lively temperament. He should have some common dealings with the martial artists circle.
Luo Nan formulated the wording in his mind and set out a communications request to Crag Burst. However, no one would have expected the system to answer in the same cold tone as before.
"The person you are trying to contact is in limited contact mode. Please leave a message."
Luo Nan concluded that there was indeed a problem with the Psychic Wave Network. He couldn't help scratching his head. The members of the Society were used to the conveniences of the Psychic Wave Network. Very few of them would record the wristband communications numbers down. Luo Nan was no exception. All contact was impossible at this moment.
He could only wait.
Meanwhile, the rich kids were still going at it. Yao Feng poured out his grievances, but Xie Junping wasn't interested in listening at all. He just asked what concerned him. "Hey, that's a Mutant. Did you release it here in Ocean Sky Cloud City to cause chaos and destruction, only to buy it from the other shareholders at a low price...?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't talk baseless nonsense!"
Yao Feng's face was completely green now. He hated being unable to cover Xie Junping's mouth. He could only grit his teeth and explain amidst his misfortune. "It's a client's who is a distant relative on my mother's side. He loves to collect Mutants the most and had spent a considerable price to custom order this one long ago. He just barely got his hand on it, but no one expected him to drop dead from being overstimulated; he was just watching an underground fight, after all…. And so, an excellent merchandise lost a place to call home. It isn't good to release it back to the ocean, so we can only keep it here. We've being dying from headaches for the past few days because of this thing."
"You're freaking lying!" Xie Junping wasn't fooled. "You may not be able to find cookware in your Yao Family, but your place is full of pools where you can put fish. Yet you put this Mutant into this simulation ecosphere to ruin it! You know how hard it is to make! This is a source of revenue for you…. Hey, Yao Four. Are you sure you don't have a money-making scheme you're not sharing?"
Xie Junping reined in Yao Feng's shoulder as he spoke, beaming all the while. He also furtively winked at Luo Nan.
Since Yao Feng was so kind as to deliver himself to their doorstep, there was absolutely no reason for Xie Junping to let him escape. Xie Junping planned to tenaciously hold this predetermined middleman with his gaze. He would use him to get in contact with Tang Yi, and Hu Huaying was backing him up by his side. The two acted with a deep level of tacit understanding with each other.
Luo Nan could only sit at the sidelines. He waited a long while and listened to the twists and turns of the conversation. He found the whole thing to be boring. Xue Lei was busy as well. He was still on the phone with those at the daoguan, his feet pacing endlessly in circles. It seemed that things weren't going too smoothly for him.
Another moment of silence fell, and Luo Nan's gaze shifted behind him toward the simulated ocean ecology which had went through a brutal impact. The monster fish had fled to the depths of the crystal pillar after wreaking havoc. Much time had passed since it disappeared without a trace.
But the monster fish's power still existed in the areas it had passed, regardless of the passage of time. Many schools of fish, leisurely swimming around, would suffer from a fearsome invisible pressure when they went near these areas, and one by one they burst and scattered.
Beautiful purple and vibrant red bloomed within the deep blue light, providing a different kind of wonder and beauty.
Luo Nan quietly watched these chaotic shoals of fish. The glow in his eyes circulated, but he didn't open his eyes orifice for cultivation. It was just a cursory experience.
During this process, his feet followed the shoals of fish and moved slowly. By the time he came back to reality, he was already a distance away from Xie Junping and the others. He didn't care; the exchange with Yao Feng wouldn't require him to be present. Plus, with a mere thought, the whole party area would come under the range of his clairvoyance. He wouldn't get lost.
He tried using the Psychic Wave Network communications again; it was still not restored. He stopped thinking about it, and strolled along the viewing platform. He walked, stopped, and walked, his eyes observing the shoals of fish, his mental senses weaving in and out.
Two different realms. Two different modes. They were distinct from one another, but possessing matching sources of information allowed a marvelous corresponding relationship to manifest.
Luo Nan walked halfway. The information between the mental plane and the material plane corresponded with each other, but this naturally led to an interference between each other. The extent was minimal; it was weaker than the degree of soul strength Luo Nan could transfer from the Format barrier, which didn't even have 1% efficiency, by a thousandfold. Yet, there still existed an influence toward the eyes orifice.
Such a continuous and unending influence was rare. It was like the earth was being moistened for life to flourish. The 'water level' of the eyes orifice was rapidly restoring and slowly becoming of higher quality.
Luo Nan savored the subtleties within. He became spellbound for a time. This should be a good thing... right?
He stopped moving. He felt a bit of uncertainty.
A sensation was suddenly born from the bottom of Luo Nan's heart. The thoughts in his brain were still a complete mess, but his body moved according to the sensation. He ducked a bit to the side, the distance of a hundredth of a hair, to perfectly evade a scampering petite figure, whose head was lowered, behind him
But then Luo Nan had his notebook sandwiched under his elbow. It was protruding out, and it caught onto something. It fell to the ground, spread open its pages, and revealed doodled lines. Only rough outlines could be seen.
"Ah, I'm sorry."
The girl, who had nearly caused a rear-end accident, apologized in a sentence. She tidied her unkempt hair and bent over to pick up the fallen notebook.
Her fingertips had just touched a page of the notebook when she suddenly became aware who it belonged to. She lifted her head in astonishment. "Junior Nan?"
Luo Nan went 'oh', and responded, "Senior Sister Tian. What a coincidence."
The person who had bumped into Luo Nan was none other than Tian Si. She laughed as she picked up the notebook and returned it to him. "It's not a coincidence. Those who participate in this party will eventually meet…. Are you dressed as a doctor?"
Tian Si slightly tilted her head to the side. She sized up Luo Nan's attire, and the action made the drawing board she hung from her shoulder shake a bit. Luo Nan laughed with a look. "Sister is dressed as an artist."
Luo Nan had taken professional fine arts classes to learn speed-sketching. He was familiar with the wardrobe of a professional.
Tian Si had dressed cleverly. The only difference between how she was dressed now and how she usually dressed at school was the drawing board. Yet she still displayed a gentle, refined, and beautiful temperament. She instantly went up a grade when paired with the tool. Anyone would be convinced that she was a female artist who went out to collect local cultural materials.
In any case, Luo Nan's notebook had most likely caught onto this drawing board.
Tian Si answered, all smiles. "I've always been in the design school. Though right now I’m placing a heavy emphasis on industrial design, I've pursued a bit of the arts in my early years. What do you think? Am I dressed alright?"
"It matches you quite well." Luo Nan's words came straight from the heart, but he had no intention of continuing the conversation. Right now he was in a restless state of mind. He just said a few words for the sake of courtesy, and intended to bid farewell.
But Tian Si pursed her lips into a laugh. Her attitude showed that she still wanted to talk. "Junior Nan's costume is a bit strange."
It wouldn't be proper for Luo Nan to ignore her, so he just sincerely asked, "What's strange about it?"
"I just feel that Junior Nan shouldn't be a doctor. It's a pure feeling."
Tian Si used her fingers to charmingly draw circles by the sides of her head. Then, she pointed at the loose-leaf notebook clasped under Luo Nan's arm. "You also have that prop. It stands out a bit."
Luo Nan simply said, "I brought it with me without thinking. It's a habit."
Luo Nan said some boring words, and he finally realized the bizarreness of the whole thing. Their conversation was merely superficial. If Tian Si was looking for someone to chat with, she shouldn't have chosen him.
Having thought this far, a deeper sensation was born in Luo Nan's heart. He subtly focused his will, and he 'saw' a young man just over twenty to the side behind him. The young man was dressed similarly to Luo Nan, playing the role of a doctor. He had a tall and straight stature, and he had handsome and bright facial features. But the gaze he had cast over them was filled with ill intent.
Tian Si should be able to see this person from her perspective, but she acted as if she hadn't. She simply chatted with Luo Nan, beaming all the while.
Luo Nan could more or less guess the situation from looking at the movements of the 'young doctor's' expression. He mentally shook his head. Had Tian Si come over in the hope that he would take some heat off her?
No one who was able to attend a friendship party between the five schools was someone who could be easily dealt with. Luo Nan was young, and he wasn't tall. It was a bit funny to be used as a shield.
As Luo Nan mulled over how to lay the situation bare in a few words, Tian Si began flattering him, "I took a few extra peeks at what you drew. Junior Nan's line drawing fundamentals are quite solid. If you can get into the design school and inherit the family legacy…. Why, that would be a story to behold."
Family legacy?
Luo Nan's heart shivered. His original train of thought scattered in an instant. All that was left were chaotic emotions. He didn't know what to say for a time. Tian Si put her hands together in contrition.
"Apologies, Junior Nan. I found it very odd last time at Frost River Reality. A bunch of youths from the Mo Family, and only you had a different last name. I asked Mo Qiu more about you, and I heard Tian Qi mention some rumors and circumstances around you and his Mystic Arts Research Society. I was curious, and I looked up your profile. Only then did I find out that you are the child of Senior Brother Zhongheng and Senior Sister Qingwen."
"...."
Yes, that was right. Luo Nan's parents had indeed studied at the school's design institute. Tian Si was absolutely correct when she mentioned his ‘family legacy'.
Tian Si stepped closer, and her mannerisms became more intimate as well. "Actually, for these past few days, I've always wanted to have the chance to thank Junior Nan."
Luo Nan's brain was a bit slow in understanding. "What?"
"Some time ago, I was selecting my graduate design topic. At the same time, I also sought to be a graduate student of Pan Wen, Professor Pan. But several of my topic selections were shot dead time and time again."
Tian Si's glowing eyes gazed at Luo Nan's face. She whispered, "I was really out of options, but luckily Junior Nan's matter gave me the inspiration I needed. I proposed a research topic anew based on Senior Sister Qingwen's Coupling Design Theory from back in the day, and it finally got accepted.
"Senior Sister Qingwen is Professor Pan's most outstanding pupil. Professor Pan saw the topic I chose and her eyes immediately went red…. I know. I got lucky and scored big. I owe it all to Senior Sister Qingwen."