The Record of Unusual Creature

Hao Ren toyed around with the silver device in his hand. He was both excited and yet worried.

The device was about palm-sized and had a silver glow to it. Yet, it did not feel metallic when held. It was warm, probably not a metal from this world. It had a very fine hexagonal edge, and was barely a few millimeters thick. Hao Ren could see some light pulsing within the device, as it it was a living, breathing being. He gave the surface of the device a rub and it activated with a sudden bright flash. A holographic menu popped out of the ether and took Hao Ren by surprise.

It was to Hao Ren’s credit that he did not just toss the device instinctively. He held it tightly and stared at the hologram. There was a blue cross-shaped sigil revolving slowly in the middle of the hologram. Beneath the icon was a line of words: Space Administration-EN35 Node – World AZ655 – General-Use of MDT. Access verified. Standing by.

“Full Mandarin interface, idiot-proof navigation, even a dummy can master this.” Raven12345 pointed towards the MDT, drawing Hao Ren’s attention. “This device here contains all you need to know about your work. Oh, and there’s the introduction about the Imperial Space Administration, plus some basic information about the Empire. Also, there’s more information about worlds, space lanes, world codes, authority levels, material distribution list, support application and more that you’ll need to learn. It’s a bit too much of a hassle to explain all of it to you, go read it up” Raven12345 snickered “Well, digesting all of this…. hurm… you should be done with module one of the tutorial by now, and on to the second module…”

All Hao Ren saw was despair. He just managed to scrape through school, and now he’s back to it again?

“What is this though?” Hao Ren, trying to distract himself from the amount of studying he needed to do, pointed towards the floating blue cross-shaped sigil. He did not know what it symbolized, but was pretty sure it was a pretty big deal. He saw the same shapes within Raven12345’s villa and on the magical servants as well. Hao Ren then poked at the hologram and his fingers went through the image. Well, guess it is not manipulated by touch.

Raven12345’s expression became serious all of a sudden and Hao Ren took a step back. He never thought that such a whimsical Goddess could swing from one end of a spectrum of gravity to the other. Raven12345 stared deeply at Hao Ren, as though wanting to drill her thoughts directly into his skull.

“This is the insignia of the Xi Ling Legion, the Empire’s emblem, the mark of the Xi Ling civilization. It represents the Xi Ling Empire. Well, you’re new, so you might not grasp the significance of the insignia. Just know that it is a very important symbol, that throughout the ether, countless of races are under her protection, and her unnumbered legions fighting for her glory.”

Hao Ren could only nod at what Raven12345 just told him. Sensing the mood had gotten severe she tapped her forehead and went “Ah, what am I doing drowning you in this so early in the morning. Remember, no matter what sort of perils you are facing, or what sort of troubles you find yourself in, as long as you see this insignia, know that you are with family. Understand?’

Hao Ren responded with a quick nod. “Uh… how do I use this again?”

“Just put your hand on one of the edges, and control it mentally. It will automatically act on your directive without fail.” Raven12345 said as she guided Hao Ren on how to use the device. “Of course, you might need some time to get used to it. Its reaction time is very fast, and the A.I within is as potent as a human’s mind, so it will automatically help you out when you’ve messed up. It’s nothing really. Oh, try activating the system, and say “I’m a noob”.”

Hao Ren blinked at the device, the only thought that swirled in his head was “My god, this is some high tech stuff!’”

‘I thought the Xi Ling apostles are Gods, why would you need such high tech stuff?’ Hao Ren asked while trying to communicate with the device. Raven12345 looked at him curiously “How is science and magic any different? The Xi Ling Gods went on both paths, and use what was useful, after all, this are just tools to control reality. Throw that gadget you have right now to a bunch of cavemen and they’ll take it as a gift from the gods. That being said, I don’t fancy all this high tech stuff, I still prefer my magical items. It’s a pity that you won’t be able to use them”

Hao Ren did not pay much attention to Raven12345 at that point, as he had managed to activate the device!

A series of holographic images refreshed at a very fast pace but Hao Ren was not overwhelmed by it. The way the images were formed and refreshed matched his mental agility, as if the device was capable of scanning his brain and determine how it could best absorb new information. Hao Ren’s eyes quickly scanned through the data screens that was centered around him. He appreciated the fact that when he needs new information, it will be automatically brought to him in the most efficient manner.

Hao Ren thought he would not be able to manipulate such an advanced device, he quickly realized something: for such an expansive, multiversal civilization, to create an easy-to-use device was as easy as 1, 2, 3. He concluded that the ease of usage only meant that the inner workings of this device is very much complicated. If he were to pry the device open, god knows who would be able to put it back together.

“What does this “Request Support” button do?” Hao Ren asked as he saw it while browsing through the database. The holographic screen stopped at the menu and displayed a huge list of pictures and the corresponding information. It looked like a lot of them are weapons or troop lists, but most of them were grayed out.

“You really thought that the Inspectors are lone wolves? Or that taking care of a few special creatures at home constitutes the whole of the job scope?” Raven12345 snickered. “Just wait till you go official, being an Inspector is no easy job. What if I were to send you out to pacify a rebellion at Centauri? Or to mediate a military ceasefire in the Scorpio Stars? At this point, you’d be begging for combat support. When you’re about to get killed, by all means use it. Of course, such a request would need the necessary authorization, and authorization can only be gained by a strict assessment. Of course we would not be giving access to lethal arms to fresh bloods. Well…lethal arms it may be, it’s still just child’s play to us. Hurmm… let’s say if one of this were to land on earth, you’ll be looking at centuries long nuclear winter.

Hao Ren gulped as he heard what Raven12345 had just said. This job would be the death of him!

“I….”, he stuttered.

“No quitting” Raven12345 grinned. “Even if you were to die, your spirit will be within my grasp. I just need to get you a new body and you’re as good as new! It took me so much effort to get a new employee, you think I’d let you go?”

Hao Ren’s face soured at the thought.

“Oh don’t give me that”, Raven12345 teleported to his side and scared the living daylight out of Hao Ren. “It’s not my nature to sugarcoat the reality. You’ll find out soon enough that this is an opportunity that most would kill for. As long as you don’t screw up, you’ll live for… erm… quite long. Inspectors are not military personnel. We won’t be sending you out to fight wars.’

Hao Ren wanted to speak but was totally overwhelmed by her presence. He slid the MDT into his pocket. There will be much reading and researching to do later.

“Let’s talk about the nightmare” he said as he dropped resignedly back on the sofa. “I felt as if you are hiding things from me. I may be naive, but please don’t take me for a fool. At least let me know the things I need to know.”

Raven12345 took a glance at Hao Ren, and sighed “Alright, alright, since you are this insistent. I’ll let you in on a bit more.”