Chapter Two: What If the Computer in Another World Also Has an IQ of 5!
“I’ve found you a great teacher!”
Early in the morning, as Lin Lei crawled out from under his bed as usual, his elusive brother Wang appeared out of nowhere once more.
“When did you get here?” Lin Lei was almost immune to his brother’s sudden appearances by now.
“Last night,” Lin Wen replied with a cheerful smile. “I sat by your bed and watched you sleep all night. Did you have a nightmare? You kept yelling at some old man not to come near you.”
“Ugh, you’re such a creep!” Lin Lei’s skin crawled with goosebumps. He quickly took a gulp of water to get rid of the creeping sense of disgust. “So, what kind of teacher is this? Is it someone who’ll teach me sorcery?”
“No, this one will teach you the way of cultivation.”
“Wait a minute—wasn’t the whole cultivation thing something I made up?” Lin Lei was dumbfounded, his mood a tangled mess of confusion and disbelief. Nevertheless, he followed Lin Wen along the long avenue of the royal palace until they arrived at the silver-white Royal Mage Tower.
This tower occupied a full tenth of the palace grounds. It was the most important structure in Twin Moons City, housing dozens of royal mages who tirelessly researched all manner of spells. Before they could even enter, a group of mages with eyes gleaming green surrounded them.
“Little Highness, isn’t this the little Highness himself!”
“Our noble little Highness, at last you appear!”
“Little Highness, I have your favorite malt sugar in my lab. Would you care to drop by?”
“Your lab is a wreck. Little Highness must come to my laboratory instead. I just captured a beautiful rabbit spirit that I’m sure you’ll want to see.”
Lin Lei was engulfed by their enthusiasm—everywhere he looked, flushed, panting old faces surrounded him. He was so intimidated he instinctively grabbed hold of Lin Wen’s sleeve.
“Brother Wang, you’re not planning to hand me over to this bunch of weirdos, are you?”
Lin Wen rather liked the way Lin Lei clung to him, but as the crowd pressed closer, he coughed twice and spoke in a more serious tone.
“Everyone, I’m taking the prince to see the Guardian. Time is short, so if you’d kindly step aside.”
At the mention of the Guardian, the mages’ movements halted. After a moment’s hesitation, they cleared a path into the tower.
“If it’s the Guardian who wishes to meet the little Highness, we won’t stand in the way this time.”
“Please convey our regards to the Guardian.”
For some reason, the old mages seemed nervous. Lin Lei had never seen them wear such expressions before—they seemed almost fearful of this Guardian.
He followed Lin Wen into the Mage Tower. “Brother Wang, is this Guardian the teacher you found for me?”
“Yes,” Lin Wen answered with a smile.
A sense of foreboding crept over Lin Lei. The last time these old men experimented with spells, they’d almost blown up the palace, yet they feared nothing and no one. If even they were intimidated by the Guardian, then this Guardian must be a monster more terrifying than any of them.
An image flashed through Lin Lei’s mind—a hulking old man, muscles bulging grotesquely. He shuddered involuntarily. “No… it can’t be…”
Nervously, he followed Lin Wen deeper into the tower, passing several magical research zones. The innermost chamber was known as the Guardian’s Hall. It was spacious and filled with light. In the center floated a massive orb of light, within which countless glowing runes drifted, illuminating the entire hall.
Around the orb stood many magical devices and conduits Lin Lei had never seen before. The conduits connected the devices to the orb’s shell, and a dozen mages bustled around, busy at their tasks.
“Your Highness,”
An elderly mage in white robes approached, followed by several others. Clearly the overseer here, he bowed slightly to Lin Wen and then turned to Lin Lei.
“So this is the little Highness?”
Lin Lei sighed with relief. He didn’t recognize this white-robed elder, but the man’s gaze was gentle and his demeanor kindly—far better than he’d feared.
“There’s nothing frightening about him at all!” Lin Lei thought, then nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lin Lei, Guardian.”
“My prince, I’m not the Guardian,” the white-robed elder laughed heartily. “I’m merely the administrator here. The Guardian is right over there.”
He pointed to the center of the hall. Lin Lei looked in that direction.
“Don’t tell me that round lamp is the Guardian?”
“You’re the lamp!” Suddenly, the hall’s brilliance dimmed, then flared again. The mages all stared in alarm.
A woman’s voice resounded through the hall, brimming with indignation. “I don’t know what a lamp is, but I sense your disrespect! I am the one who holds the knowledge of a hundred million spells, known as the greatest magical intellect of the ancient age—the Wisdom Staff! Even your grandfather would not dare speak to me that way!”
Lin Lei’s jaw dropped as he stared, dumbstruck, at the orb in the center of the hall, which pulsed with the rhythm of the voice. The sound was coming from within.
“So you’re not a lamp. Are you an intelligent computer?”
“What’s a computer? I already told you—I am the greatest Wisdom Staff of the ancient age!”
“—or what’s left of it.”
“How did you know…?”
“Do you think I’m stupid? You don’t look like a staff. That must be your true form, that stone at the center.”
Lin Lei had noticed a diamond-shaped stone floating at the orb’s heart.
“I am not a stone—I’m a crystal!” The orb flared in anger, causing the hall to flicker with light and shadow. Some of the mages had begun to tremble.
“Lin Lei, don’t provoke the Guardian!” Lin Wen turned pale and hurriedly whispered, “The entire treasury of the Elven Kingdom is managed by the Guardian. If you anger it, your monthly allowance might—”
“Oh most illustrious Wisdom Staff of the ancient age!” Lin Lei’s expression turned solemn. “I am your devoted disciple, Lin Lei!”
“…”
“…”
Lin Wen was struck dumb. The mages were all stunned, and even the orb seemed to freeze, its light dimming in surprise.
“Ahem… Well, you’re a quick study…” After a long pause, the orb coughed and spoke again. “As long as you recognize my greatness. I’ve already heard of your exploits. They say you wish to study cultivation?”
“I never said that—it was them who wanted me to cultivate…” Lin Lei grumbled inwardly, but now he understood perfectly why the mages were afraid of the Guardian—fear of having their pay docked! Clever as he was, he had no intention of provoking the orb further.
“Reporting to you, Teacher,” Lin Lei addressed it as his teacher now. “Those cultivation stories came to me in dreams, so I don’t know if they’re true or not.”
“They are true,” the orb interrupted before Lin Lei could finish. “I’ve read all your stories. According to my calculations, the ‘spiritual energy’ of the cultivation world is very similar to—or perhaps identical with—what we call arcane particles.”
“What?” Lin Lei was shocked. “The spiritual energy needed for cultivation is arcane particles?”
Don’t try to fool me—I’m not that naive! They’re clearly two different things!
“There’s no mistake. Although perhaps equating spiritual energy with arcane particles isn’t entirely accurate…” The orb paused for two seconds, then continued, “More precisely, arcane particles should be considered an evolved form of spiritual energy.”
“For nearly ten thousand years, we elves have studied arcane magic, using soul and consciousness to explain the world. Yet… perhaps we went astray from the very beginning.”
“Otherwise…” the orb’s voice rose in intensity, “why is it that in the world of cultivation, their bodies are so powerful they can shatter planets with a punch, while our greatest mages can’t do so? Why?”
“We must have taken the wrong path! We should abandon fragile magic and learn the mighty techniques of cultivation!”
The orb proclaimed loudly, “To shatter a planet with a single blow—how violent, how exhilarating!”
“We’re doomed,” Lin Lei thought in despair. “Even computers in this world read too many novels and turn into idiots!”
It wasn’t just the people whose intelligence was stuck at five—even the computers here had the same problem!