Collapse Iron: The Five Heroes of the Clouds Won't Let Me Go

Before leaving, Black Tower casually remarked, "By the way, you need to be careful with that energy of yours. Although it's not top-tier, it will always attract curious geniuses like me. Others aren't as kind as me."

"Second-rate? This is magic!"

Black Tower chuckled, "No way, has your blockhead really rotted away? The Immortal Ship may have a retro style, but its mechanical technology is top-notch. Does anyone actually believe in magic?"

"For ordinary people, scientific knowledge that cannot be understood or mastered is magic. The energy in your hands is just a manifestation of some kind of substance. It's just too boring, and I have no interest in studying these things."

"Alright, alright, although we didn't gain much today, we did have some fun. Stop getting too caught up in the magical world. See this genius's magic hat? I'm the real magician."

Cheng Xiao stopped Hei Ta, his face showing some displeasure.

"My magic was passed down to me by my important family members, it's not some kind of 'low-class' stuff, please take back that statement."

Black Tower was amused: "So you're Cheng Xiao? For the sake of Screws, I'll say one last thing to you. What you have isn't magic, but just a product of some kind of scientific substance. It might be worth paying attention to on a remote planet, but to this genius, it's just 'second-rate'."

Cheng Xiao knew that Hei Ta was arrogant and lacked empathy. Since that was the case, he would prove it to her with facts.

Cheng Xiao then immediately grabbed Hei Ta's wrist.

Black Tower's expression changed; he hadn't expected Cheng Xiao to be so offensive.

"Heh, even if you're Screw's friend, you still have a lot to learn from him when it comes to manners!"

Black Tower conjured a magic wand, intending to deliver a devastating blow to Cheng Xiao's blockhead.

Bang!

"Hmph! Now you know how powerful this genius is?"

Black Tower's smug expression didn't last long before she suddenly found another version of herself in front of her. Cheng Xiao, however, calmly looked at her, his arm around the waist of the other version of himself, as if to prevent her from falling.

"What kind of trick is this?!"

Black Tower attempted to summon the wand, but found no response, while another version of himself was holding the wand in his hand.

Only now did the Black Tower realize that its perspective had shifted to looking down, and that she was floating in mid-air?!

"What, what is this?!"

Before she could recover from her surprise, Black Tower's soul returned to her body. She blinked and felt the solid ground beneath her feet.

Cheng Xiao said calmly, "This is one of the magic techniques. Have you experienced it? If you don't believe me, that's fine too. Goodbye."

"return!"

"Is there anything else, the brilliant Lady Black Tower?"

Heita choked on her words. Why was this guy suddenly praising her? And using the usual compliments she had set up.

"One more time."

"ha?"

"I said, let's do it again!"

Black Tower raised his voice: "Do what you just did to me again! I want to experience that feeling again!"

Cheng Xiao's lips curled slightly; the fish had taken the bait.

"Okay, close your eyes and hold out your hand."

Hei Ta closed his eyes and urgently grabbed Cheng Xiao's hand.

The next moment, the feeling of lightness returned, and when Black Tower opened her eyes, she was floating in mid-air.

Looking at its translucent hands, the Black Tower asked, "What is this? What state am I in? A consciousness? A memory? Or a creation of memory matter?"

"No, it's the soul."

"Soul? You mean the ghosts, spirits, or spirits from ordinary folk tales?"

Cheng Xiao shook his head: "None of those. A soul is a soul. It's hard to generalize, but it does have the characteristics of the things you mentioned."

Black Tower was absolutely ecstatic.

"Sound! Sound can be emitted without a medium. If, as you say, my soul has left my body, yet I can still transmit sound!"

Cheng Xiao: "Only I can hear it, because I have the power of the soul."

"That's already outrageous! Wait a minute, my soul and my body are dressed exactly the same. Is my soul recording the information of my body? It's not a conscious entity, because I can think normally. This isn't the kind of stream of consciousness that's easily lost and washed away by other information!"

"I can fly at will, which defies mechanics; I also have sight, which defies optics, because essentially I am nothingness—I have no organs! The technology superimposed on my physical body doesn't manifest in my soul; it's more like who I truly am!"

"Quantum state? No, no, quantum state is more like a microscopic influence. The ghost of quantum state can also exert force on external objects, but others cannot perceive it. However, I am completely separated from external objects, as if I have entered two different worlds."

The Black Tower's soul roamed freely, seemingly completely immersed in freedom.

She then tried to touch the object, only to find that her arm had passed right through it.

"Good heavens! Ignoring the volume and existence of real matter? I passed through it? I can see the internal structure of objects! I can move freely between walls, so nothing can stop me? Like a ghost! But I can observe the material world, yet I can't be observed!"

Black Tower was having a blast. She discovered a whole new world and new concepts, or rather, things that were simply beyond her current scientific understanding to explain.

This is magic! Or rather, science that she can't comprehend!

"Very good! Cheng Xiao, I hereby officially hire you as an assistant at the Black Tower Space Station, serving only the Black Tower, that is, myself. As for the duration of your employment, it will continue until I have fully understood this soul form."

"don't want."

"Why? Is it the money? I can offer you a very, very high salary!"

"don't want."

"Why, why? You have to promise me! If I'm not around, you can do whatever you want, and I guarantee you'll get a lot of money and have a lot of trouble."

"No, unless you beg me."

"Please, become my assistant."

Cheng Xiao: "...Where is your dignity as a genius?"

"Could that kind of thing improve the progress of my research?"

"It still doesn't work."

"You broke your promise! I begged you!"

"Heh, how many times do I have to say it? I am a noble wizard, and it's common knowledge that I don't keep my promises!"

"What kind of common knowledge is this?!"

After a commotion, Cheng Xiao returned Black Tower's soul to its body. Black Tower awoke with a sense of loss.

"Why, why can't I enter a soul state anytime, anywhere? I want to experience it a little longer..."

Black Tower's eyes flashed, as if he had made another discovery.

"Wait a minute, my body, my mental state. I was in a spiritual state for about ten minutes, and I felt that my body and brain also underwent a ten-minute period of ultimate rest, and my brain fatigue has been greatly relieved!"

"If that's the case... when my body gets tired, I can switch to thinking with my soul, and then after my body fully recovers, I can put all the conjectures I've been thinking into practice. Wouldn't that allow me to make 100% use of my time every day?! That's amazing!"

Hei Ta turned to look at Cheng Xiao, his eyes like those of a hungry wolf eyeing a cleanly stripped lamb.

"You mentioned one type of magic earlier, right? What about the others? Hurry up and bring them out!!!"

(Next episode: Exploited by the Black Tower and turned into a laborer)

P.S.: Fox forgot to mention, there's another female lead in this book, and that's Aha. Hahahahahaha!