Chapter Two: The Chip "What is this???"
Hearing the mechanical voice in his head, Leilin's pupils dilated instantly.
"Isn't this the auxiliary Chip I used to have in my brain? How did it follow me through the transmigration? That's impossible!!!"
Leilin found it hard to believe, then said in his mind: "Chip! Scan my brain and locate the auxiliary system!"
"Beep! Scan complete! No foreign objects detected in the host's brain!"
In an instant, the Chip's mechanical voice rang out again.
"Then scan my entire body, and display the body data while you're at it!"
Another burst of mechanical sounds followed.
"Beep! Scan complete!"
"
"No Chip detected in the host's body!"
A three-dimensional holographic image materialized before Leilin's eyes, displaying his own body, with data annotated along the side.
"No Chip? I should've known—the Chip is a physical object. How could it possibly follow my soul through transmigration?" Leilin thought to himself. "It seems that during the explosion or the transmigration, a mutation occurred and the Chip's functions merged with my soul..."
"If I were still in my previous world, this would be a monumental discovery! Not only does it prove the existence of the soul, but it also reveals the possibility of mutual transformation between matter and the soul! This would drive those old fools at the National Academy of Sciences absolutely mad. Unfortunately, they'll never get to see it!"
This type of Chip was essential equipment for every scientist in his previous world. Due to human rights and mental health concerns, no intelligent AI was permitted—it had only two functions: analysis and storage.
The analysis function could collect data samples and run simulated projections based on the host's commands.
The storage function was even simpler—it could record everything perceived through the host's five senses. According to calculations from his previous life, this Chip's storage capacity was sufficient to record everything that occurred over a span of tens of thousands of years.
"Why the Chip merged with my soul—that's a question I'll have to wait until I have the ability and means to investigate. But with the Chip here, I finally have something to my name in this world!"
A brilliant smile suddenly spread across Leilin Farell's lips. He knew full well that in this medieval-era world, possessing the crystallization of future technology, his path forward would be anything but ordinary!!!
"But! This body Leilin Farell ended up with is really..." Staring at the data before him, Leilin Farell was once again rendered speechless.
The readings were benchmarked against an average adult's physiological indicators. Theoretically, a normal adult should score around 1.0 across the board. This Leilin Farell was only thirteen or fourteen, but even so, his numbers were pathetically low.
"Hmm? Wait—maybe it's just that humans in this world are universally weaker! Chip, scan the physiological data of everyone nearby!"
"Beep! Task initiated! Commencing data collection!"
Almost instantaneously, three-dimensional body models of the people around him materialized before Leilin Farell's eyes, annotated with data points.
"Name: Unknown. Sex: Male. Strength: 0.9. Agility: 1.1. Constitution: 0.8"
"Name: Unknown. Sex: Male. Strength: 1.2. Agility: 0.9. Constitution: 1.0"
"Name: Unknown. Sex: Female. Strength: 0.8. Agility: 1.2. Constitution: 0.7"
"Alright! So humans in this world are actually a bit stronger on average than humans from the future. And this Leilin Farell can't even measure up to a girl... I'm blushing on his behalf..."
Leilin Farell scanned his surroundings. Everyone around him was roughly his age, yet even a girl who looked delicate and frail outclassed him by a wide margin. At that point, he had completely lost hope.
"So it looks like this Leilin Farell is nothing but a lazy, gluttonous, lecherous waste of space!"
"Name: Unknown. Sex: Male. Strength: 3.3. Agility: 2.5. Constitution: 3.2. WARNING! WARNING! This organism is extremely dangerous. Recommend the host immediately retreat to a distance of no less than one thousand meters!!!"
The red alert flashed three times in succession, leaving Leilin Farell in a state of pure shock.
"An average score of 3.0!" Leilin Farell murmured. He scanned several more times to confirm the Chip hadn't made an error, then fell completely silent.
"Not even a world champion would hit those numbers. Back in my previous life, this guy could totally pull off wearing his underwear on the outside and play Superman!"
As a scientist, Leilin Farell understood perfectly well what a constitution of 3.2 meant—this person's ability to withstand physical damage, resistance to viruses, and rate of bodily recovery were all more than three times that of a normal human!!!
Every physical indicator at triple the norm—it wasn't as simple as adding them together. What kind of concept was that?
It meant this person could defeat dozens, perhaps even over a hundred opponents, bare-handed. In his previous life, that would make him a mini Superman!
"In all likelihood, only genetically modified bio-soldiers created in a laboratory could achieve these numbers—and even then, only in a single category! This world truly isn't simple!"
Leilin's gaze lingered on the person possessing such terrifying strength.
He was the black-clad man in charge of distributing food, middle-aged in appearance, with a knife scar running from his forehead all the way down to his lip, nearly splitting his entire face in two. He looked thoroughly vicious.
The spotted boy from earlier had been frightened by him.
"This is one of the academy servants sent to receive us. They say he isn't even a
Leilin suddenly found himself burning with intense interest and curiosity about the profession of Wizard. He itched to reach the academy right now and find out for himself.
The line was short, and it was Leilin's turn almost immediately. The scar-faced man in black handed him a portion of white bread and some fruit juice without a word, then simply waved him off with an impatient look.
If it were the old Leilin, even if he wouldn't dare drag this man outside and give him a few lashes just because he was away from home, his expression would have been far from pleasant—he might even have thrown in a curse or two.
But the current Leilin was naturally not that foolish. Drawing on his memories, he gave a slight noble's bow. "Thank you, sir!"
The black-clad man remained expressionless, watching Leilin turn to leave.
"Huh! I didn't expect that Leilin to actually pull off a proper noble's bow!" The two youths trailing behind him began whispering to each other.
"Move it—now!" The scar-faced man's voice suddenly exploded right next to their ears.
The sheer volume was so shocking that one of the youths dropped straight to the ground in fright.
Leilin paid no mind to the chatter behind him. Meeting the cold stares around him, he allowed himself a bitter smile. "Fine, I really am the unpopular one here."
Glancing at George, he noticed him quickly turning his head away, his hand behind his back furtively making a signal.
"Ugh, fine—for the sake of the medicine, I won't expose you." Leilin sighed, found a somewhat secluded spot, and sat down regardless of whether there was a carpet beneath him, then set about eating heartily.
"This truffle white bread still isn't as good as what I had in my past life! But in Leilin's memories, it's the kind of food you only get during festivals!"
Leilin mused as he ate.
According to Leilin's memories, productivity in this world was still quite low. White bread was food for nobles—ordinary minor nobles only brought it out to enjoy during grand holidays and celebrations.
For ordinary farmers, hard and nutritionless black bread was a supreme delicacy.
Thinking of the black bread he'd seen in the memories—so hard it could be used as a stone—Leilin sighed. "At least my luck is decent. Whether noble or Wizard, they're both part of this world's upper class. No need to suffer!"
Leilin wolfed down the bread in his hands and drained the fruit juice in one gulp before wiping his mouth with satisfaction and climbing back into the carriage.
Based on past experience, the noble-born youths would pitch their tents at the camp, rest for a night, and then set out again the next morning. But no one was going to invite Leilin, and he hadn't brought a tent of his own, so he had no choice but to sleep on the cold, hard carriage.
"Just took a quick look — there are over fifty apprentices, twenty-five black-robed ones, and three white-robed ones at the top!"
Recalling how just a momentary glance from a distance had been detected, Leilin felt a chill run down his spine.
Especially the Chip's warning: "Unknown radiation source detected!" "Subjected to unidentified Field interference — unable to scan!"
That had cast an even deeper shadow over Leilin's heart.
"Looks like even with the Chip, I'm still a weakling in this world! But precisely because of that, I want the power of a Wizard even more!"
Leilin's eyes seemed to burn with a flame.
"Better get to sleep early — still a long journey tomorrow."
He took off his coat and spread it on the floor to make sleeping a little more comfortable.
"It's been over three months since I set out on this journey. I've passed through more than a dozen kingdoms and still haven't reached my destination. The transportation conditions in ancient times are really…"
He closed his eyes and drifted in and out of a daze for an indeterminate amount of time before the carriage door banged open.
Leilin shot upright, and the next instant, a scent of roses filled his nose.
Sweet and fragrant, it smelled wonderful. More than that, it sent a tremor through his body, stirring up his memories.
"Lei… Leilin! Are you all right?" A pleasant feminine voice drifted in.
"Besta? Come in!" Leilin shifted aside.
The floral fragrance inside the carriage intensified at once, and with it came a beautiful young girl.
Fair-skinned, wearing only a red bodysuit, with a black hair clip on her head.
What Leilin found even more unforgettable was the girl's platinum hair and her blood-red ruby eyes, which together with her beautiful face made for a stunning sight.
This was the girl — Besta — who had gotten Leilin beaten and had cost him his life!
"May I ask what's the matter?" Although this young woman was well-developed and quite attractive, to Fang Ming—who came from another world and had long been through an onslaught of such sights—she was merely of modest beauty.
He showed this by being cold and indifferent.
Clearly, this attitude surprised the young woman across from him, and the words she had prepared caught in her throat.
After a long silence, she finally fished a small glass vial from her bosom and placed it in Leilin's hand. "This... this is medicine for wounds. Just apply it to your body! I... I'm sorry!"
The young woman bowed once more as she offered the medicine, and something stirred in Leilin's heart.