Abnormal Moon

"Love? Oh, it's been so long!"

The boy who emerged from the black hole saw Hayasaka Ai, waved, and greeted her with a smile.

"...Lord Roy?"

Hayasaka Ai stood there for a long while before looking at the other person with disbelief.

"Don't you recognize me?"

"No, you've changed so much, I almost didn't recognize you..."

Hayasaka Ai looked Roy up and down incredulously, her incredulous gaze tinged with a hint of confusion.

Although their appearance and demeanor were completely different from when they set off, in Hayasaka Ai's eyes, the most direct difference was their physiques. The tall and strong boy in front of her was completely different from the gentle and refined boy she had seen before.

This is no longer a question of how big the change is, but how big the impact is.

“I spent quite a bit of time there, so there must have been a lot of changes.”

Roy nodded in agreement.

"A lot of time...it's only been a few days, isn't it?"

"A few days? Hmm, it seems the time flow is not the same on both sides... By the way, can you help me gather everyone together? I brought back a lot of good things from outside and I want to give them to them."

"Okay, please wait a moment, I'll go get them right away!"

Hayasaka Ai put down the large broom and quickly walked into the house.

Immediately following, probably knowing that Roy had returned, joyful laughter came from inside the house.

Roy stood in the yard, took out his phone from his pocket, and opened the spatial view.

There was an email on it that did not indicate the sender.

"According to human custom, first of all, may this first collaboration be pleasant."

"Then, unfortunately, the target world this time is of a lower value to me, and in return, the reward I can give you is also of the same lower value."

What reward do you want?

This message should be from the source, essentially the reward for this mission.

However, is the world of the War City of Learning of the Moon of little value to the origin of Type-Moon?

Roy was somewhat puzzled by this.

According to his understanding, special powers unique to a certain world, such as Star Power, should be considered relatively precious. He originally guessed that the value of the Learning Battle City World to the Root should be relatively high, but the result was the opposite, and it was actually in a relatively low category.

It's relatively low, but not extremely low; in other words, it has some value, but not much.

Why is the rating so low?

Roy simply asked aloud.

If this is a question that the source is unwilling to answer, Roy certainly has no way to answer it. But if He is willing to answer it, and Roy did not ask, then the subsequent transaction may be very disadvantageous for Roy.

The moment he asked the question, his phone beeped.

It seems that this issue is not something that cannot be discussed regarding its root cause, and the answer is precisely what is given in the email.

"Whether it is valuable to me or not depends on the difference between the world and me."

Roy pondered for a while and vaguely understood.

Ultimately, according to the origin theory, what He desires is His own evolution, and the key to the world's evolution lies in the rules governing its own operation. The more vast and complex the rules are, the stronger He becomes.

In other words, what He wants to obtain from other worlds are operating rules that are different from His own. The greater the difference between a world and Him, the greater the difference in rules, and the more He can obtain.

In the world of Academia City, while Stellar Force is certainly a unique power, the rules governing the world's operation are probably not much different from those of Type-Moon, or rather, not very different.

In that case, Roy could understand the criteria for judging whether a mission was good or bad.

"As for the reward..."

Roy fell into deep thought again, a questioning look flashing in his eyes.

"Is it possible to open a door that allows free travel between two worlds? Between this world and that world?"

That's right, that's the most important thing.

Admittedly, if Roy wanted to improve his strength, obtaining martial arts, skills, and treasures from the Root would be the best option. However, for Roy, connecting the two worlds was of greater significance, not only because the other world had the resources he needed, but also because there were people there whom he wanted to take away.

Whether the door to free travel can be opened depends on the initiative of the consciousness of the other world.

As soon as he finished speaking, his phone beeped again.

"If the consciousness of that world is highly aggressive or proactive, it cannot be connected. Only in worlds where the world consciousness is not outwardly manifest can the door to free travel be opened as a reward."

It turned out to be the case.

That makes sense. If the other world is highly aggressive, then connecting the two worlds would actually cause conflict between them, which would be detrimental not only to the Root but also to people like Roy who live within the world.

"Will the world's consciousness manifest this time?"

Roy guessed that, based on his experience in the Academy City world and his understanding of the original work, the consciousness of the Academy City world—if the world has consciousness—should be the kind that is not outwardly manifest.

"It's not obvious here, but the consciousness next to it is extremely aggressive."

But the next moment, the source gave an answer that was completely unexpected.

Chapter 283 What if they use this kind of trick on me?

"Next to? Which side is next to?"

Moreover, it is extremely aggressive. What does "extremely aggressive" mean?

"Based on what you learned in that world, the other world refers to the 'Immortal Realm,' which is a parallel world different from the world you went to. It is filled with extremely high concentrations of Panacea. The consciousness there is extremely aggressive and will immediately extinguish any abnormalities it detects."

Does the "world beside" refer to the "celestial realm"?

Is the celestial realm that Fan Xinglu mentioned, where many ancient star veins ascended to for generations, also the source of the falling star rain?

Is the other world really that aggressive? They have to suppress anything they find as soon as it's detected?

"wrong!"

Roy suddenly realized a very serious problem.

"Do you know what I've been through? Don't you think you can see through me?"

"Your experiences themselves form intelligence, which is attached to you and I can read it."

Roy thought about it for a long time before he finally understood the principle behind it, and he felt much relieved.

In other words, the source cannot read Roy's thoughts and inner ideas, but it can read the information and intelligence formed by his experiences.

He saw through Roy's exterior, not his interior; what Roy carried could not escape the eyes and ears of the Root.

"So, you should now know that I've encountered a transmigrator who isn't a native of that world, right?"

"This part of the experience has been read, as has the case of Fan Xinglu."

"Then you're not angry?"

"Bringing back the transmigrator or the main character of that world is not part of our deal. Even if we had such a deal, and you deliberately fail to complete it, there is no option to be angry. Being angry is not helpful to the facts and is completely unreasonable."

It seems he still personified the root cause too much.

What appeared before him last time was essentially just a video recording of a simulated personality speaking to him, which Root had placed there. He himself had never shown himself in front of Roy, and could only infer from a few words that Root was a believable monster.

No, to view the world as a human being, believing that it has human characteristics and human morals, is itself a ridiculous mistake.

Roy silently reminded himself that he must not make the same mistake again.

"If that's the case, then you mean we can't build a gate that allows free movement between the two places?"

Roy frowned. This won't do.

"A temporary door is fine, allowing you to come and go as you please, but a door that allows you to freely move around for an extended period is not acceptable, as it carries the risk of being discovered and could result in losses."

Roy clicked his tongue, making no attempt to hide his displeasure.

The temporary door allows him to come and go as he pleases, so if he wants to bring Claudia and the others over, it shouldn't be a problem.

But he also wants the resources of that world, and in the future he wants to connect the two worlds and start exchanging resources. If he can't open the door to long-term free travel, then it's meaningless.

"Ultimately, it's because the benefits aren't enough. What if I brought Fan Xinglu and Stella along?"

Roy didn't trust Root. The reason he didn't want to bring Fan Xinglu and the others over so quickly wasn't because he thought keeping Fan Xinglu would become a trump card against Root, but simply because he didn't want Root to benefit too much—according to Him, the more important a person is in a world, the richer the rules governing the world's operation they contain.

But Roy didn't want to bring Fan Xinglu and the others along. Since they could become his helpers, he naturally wanted to bring them here so they could be put to better use.

Fan Xinglu is one of the main characters, and the traces of rules on her should be of considerable value to the Root. Stella, on the other hand, is the female protagonist of another world, and the differences in rules are probably even greater, so her value may be even higher than that of Fan Xinglu.

"Wishing you a pleasant cooperation."

The source sent a congratulatory telegram.

He agreed to Roy's offer.

Roy was stunned for a moment, then suddenly cursed under his breath.

"Good grief, they're trying to trick me!"