Chapter 170 (1/2)
The five, casket-like sleeping pods lay in front of Hao Ren. He could scarcely believe that these things simply popped out of thin air. As he was looking at the control panels of the pods, something Raven 23333 said caused him to turn his head rapidly in her direction. “Worsening? What’s worsening?”
“The Plane of Dreams. Didn’t 12345 tell you anything?” There was a hint of surprise in Raven 23333’s voice. “Oh…seems like she has her own plans regarding this. It would be remiss of me to divulge too much. Ask her yourself when she gets back.”
Hao Ren’s jaw had yet to complete it’s drop before he hauled it back up and swallowed all the questions he wanted to ask. He pointed at the pods. “Say… How am I bringing this back? I don’t suppose teleportation would work…”
“Use your Dimensional Pocket?”
Hao Ren shook his head. “Ugh… it hasn’t been unlocked yet.”
“Not yet?” Raven 23333 was surprised. “But, based on what I saw in your profile, the authorisation for your Dimensional Pocket should have already been approved… Let me have a look.”
Raven 23333 squinted as her eyes went still for a short moment. An embarrassed expression soon appeared across her face. “Seems like 12345 has forgotten about it.”
“I knew it!” Hao Ren exclaimed.
“Oh well, she’s always forgetful when it comes to things like this. Don’t mind her.” Raven 23333 said as she snapped her fingers. “Let me authorise that for you… and now you have the Dimensional Pocket. It is bound to your soul frequency and can be used within the borders of the empire and where the Imperial Data Network is available. Give it a try. It’s like using the MDT with your mind. You will probably feel disorientated on your first try. It takes a while getting used to the dimensional shift but, the Data Network will help you calibrate that.”
Hao Ren was skeptical that a new ability was unlocked this fast. He though Raven 23333 would have to be pushing pens and papers to get his authorisation approved. He wanted to take a nap in the pod. Excited with his newfound ability, he eagerly activated the Dimensional Pocket. The sensation was almost similar to the first time he activated the MDT. As he focused his thoughts, he felt his senses being pulled into a different subconscious state.
An empty dimension appeared in his mind. The space was independent of sight, touch and hearing, a sensation that was beyond a human’s five senses. That said, being human himself, Hao Ren’s access to the dimension was through thought-signals.
He felt so at ease with the Dimensional Pocket that he did not need to use the user manual. Raven 23333 was right. The Data Network would help in calibrating and processing the storage of items. Hao Ren just needed to set a wide enough space to get things started.
After understanding the ins and outs of the Dimensional Pocket, Hao Ren was really excited. He finally had one to call his own. After working for the Celestials for so long, he finally got one of the abilities most essential to his quality of life. He dreamed of the coming days where he did not have to bother about bringing a luggage anymore…
As the excitement glowed on his face, Raven 23333 threw him a pitiful glance, “It’s hard working for 12345 eh?”
Hao Ren had not snapped out of his euphoria when he heard that and could only answer with a late, “Huh?” He then heard Raven 23333 continue, “Raven 12345 is screwed up in the head and it’s still not cured.”
“Ahem…” Hao Ren coughed as he cleared his throat. He looked at 23333 wearily and thought that the two goddess may have had some unsavory past. “I think 12345 is a pretty decent person. Bad mouthing her at this time…”
“Oh, don’t misunderstand me. I’m on good terms with her. She’s my senior after all. Raven 23333’s face was serious without any hint of humor around. “There’s something wrong with her psyche. A long time ago, when she was in the front lines, her Cognitive Core was damaged. But, because she felt that it was not affecting her work despite being brain damaged, she refused to get it fixed. Even until now she’s pretty neurotic.”
Raven 23333 then sighed deeply. “Haih… After that, she became the oddball among the Ravens. She forwent our graceful spells and started dabbling in techno-sorcery with a fanatic zeal. Even when she fights, she likes to get up-close and personal. I’ve even heard that she took someone’s Zankantou as her personal weapon and called herself an Eldritch Knight… We kept advising her to seek treatment but she simply won’t listen.”
Hao Ren was already stunned silly by then. He never thought that the crazy goddess he teased so much to be really damaged in the head. He took another look at Raven 23333’s face to reconfirm and he did not see a single shred of pretense on her face. He resignedly accepted the fact that his boss was a real lunatic…