BXBX NOVEL Chapter 104 - Foreign Person… Ball
The ball was probably startled by Gawain’s question. There wasn’t any method to determine if the ball was startled as it was merely a smooth metallic ball; it didn’t have any facial features or any body language. When it was floating in midair without moving, you wouldn’t even know if it was listening. But it did stay silent for two seconds before replying, “Aren’t you talking nonsense? I was transported to this place from another place by you. I am definitely not a local ball!”
“You should know that isn’t what I mean.” Gawain remained unmoved and said, “You must have come from a place that is further away. In fact, it wouldn’t be appropriate to describe it as purely further away. A metallic ball that can think, talk, and can even release strange energy waves, with control over magic and metal. I have never heard of such a strange race in this world.”
“That is because you don’t have enough experience.” The ball seemed to be mocking as it said, “During the past two days, I have already found out about you people from the self-proclaimed druid. It seems like your people have gone through a great regression and are now unbelievably backward. How much could you have witnessed in your lifetime? Just based on your measly human eyesight and knowledge from oral tradition, the things you can experience in your entire lifetime is still little!”
When Gawain heard this explanation, his heart was much steadier.
This ball was right. Most of the people in this era indeed had their eyes ‘covered’. The deficient information relay method and the chaotic division of the continent made it hard for people to communicate and gather new information. Only a rare few high-ranked noble clans, mages, or knights would be paying attention to the outside world. The others, including a feudal noble like Viscount Andrew of the Tanzan Town, were all shutting and closing themselves off. The farmers that were either facing the soil or the sky would only be able to receive fresh information in their entire lifetime through a few pieces of newspapers. As such, if Gawain was also a person whose eyes were ‘covered’, then it would indeed be ridiculous for him to judge that the ball came from outer space just because ‘he had never seen it before’.
But the real Gawain didn’t have covered eyes: he had been staring at this world’s evolution for countless years. He had been observing this continent before monkeys started to walk straight. He might not have seen the situation in other continents, but no matter how the other continents’ lifeforms were isolated from this place or how strange they might be, it still wouldn’t evolve into a metallic ball from a pile of carbon-based life!
Unless, there was a cheat-like race outside of Gawain’s vision that developed rapidly and reached the zenith of science and technology, allowing them to create this alloy, anti-gravity, and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, this thing had been stranded on the Loren Continent 1,000 years ago and had been captured by a group of Gondor Master Mages… Instead of believing such an explanation, Gawain would rather believe that Amber would return Viscount Andrew’s butler’s pocket watch.
Thus, Gawain smiled and arrived in front of the ball before pressing his hand on the surface of the ball.
The ball immediately screamed, “Hey, hey, what are you doing!? I am going to be shamed into anger! I will—”
The ball was interrupted halfway because Gawain used magical resonance to transmit a message into the ball’s brain (then again, does a ball have such things?): “Don’t you feel that your appearance and this world’s living beings are drastically different?”
The ball fell into silence for a few seconds before using magical resonance to reply: “…You can just talk using your mouth. Why do you have to do it so mysteriously?”
“Because I know there are some things that you don’t wish for others to know.” Gawain smiled and said, “Therefore, you can just tell me alone.”
“I don’t wish to let you know!”
Gawain remained calm. “Where are you from? How did you get stranded in this world? How long have you been here?”
The ball pretended to be muddled. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about… Isn’t your mental association a little too good?”
“Sigh, I can understand why you are trying so hard. However, you have to admit that your novel and outstanding appearance doesn’t allow you to conceal such information. Furthermore, you are underestimating the knowledge I have. Did that druid called Pittman mention to you that most of the people in this territory might have been born after the civilization regressed, but the feudal lord here— that would be me — revived from over seven hundred years ago when the civilization was at its prime. Furthermore, I am a natural science scholar.”
The ball was in utter silence this time. It was obvious that the unreserved druid, who had a mouth like Amber’s, had mentioned it before.
With the open mind of a transmigrator and the current information Gawain had, he was able to determine that this ball was a guest from a foreign place. But he wasn’t able to determine if it had transmigrated to this world like him, or did it merely come from another planet? But no matter what, this unlucky fellow was definitely the most unfortunate one among all transmigrators: its appearance was entirely different from others…
This was goddamned awkward. In comparison to those black-haired and black-eyed transmigrators who were treated as the child of the devil, this situation was at least two hundred times more awkward. How were you going to use an atypical form to explain to someone else that you came from a strange remote eastern nation?
For his own safety and because he didn’t know this ball’s inside information, Gawain couldn’t just reveal his secret of being a transmigrator either. Instead, he could explain that he had another identity: a natural science scholar who came from a developed society 700 years ago. This identity should be much easier for this ball to communicate with as compared to those ‘ignorant fools that cut themselves from information’.
“Think about it carefully. Your secret might not be as critical as you imagine.” Gawain lowered his tone and said, “I am not a member of those fanatical religions or those Master Mages that studied you from a thousand years ago. Hence, I don’t really mind if you are a foreign guest, and I will not call some god’s name to purify you, nor will I use metallic tools to drill holes on your body. I simply wish to have a good conversation with you. On the one hand, it will satisfy my personal curiosity. On the other hand, I will also be able to help you.”
“You need to know that you have nowhere else to go. The other side of the mountain is a wasteland, and it is filled with the monsters that you saw two days ago. If you head north, it will be to a feudal kingdom that was founded after civilization declined. Ninety-nine percent of the people there are more stubborn, extreme, superstitious, and unreasonable than me. Since you can only stay here, why not become friends with me?
“Of course, if you are still suspicious, I can let you leave. You can try going to the human nation or the southern side of the mountain. But I cannot guarantee that you will make it back alive. Also—”
“I can’t remember very clearly…” When the magic was resonating, the ball suddenly echoed with a metallic and trembling voice that interrupted Gawain’s words.
Gawain blinked before realizing that the ball was heeding him. He quickly controlled his excited emotions and asked curiously, “Can’t remember clearly?”
“I don’t remember clearly where I came from, or how I came here,” the ball said with a smothered voice. “Your guesses are correct. I did come from a ‘very far’ place, and it is much further than you can ever imagine. One thousand years ago, your people had the concept of planets and a universe. Hence, you should have it too. I shall tell you directly. Back then, those people who studied me had discussed it privately and were guessing that I came from another planet. But I want to say, it is even further than that. The distance has exceeded the concept of ‘universe and outer space’.”
Gawain had a stern expression. “In fact, certain astronomy knowledge wasn’t entirely lost either. But after losing this aspect of observation and calculation skills, the related knowledge had degenerated and twisted into a legend. But didn’t you say that you don’t remember clearly about your homeland, or how you arrived here? How can you be so certain that you didn’t cross the universe and outer space to arrive here?”
The ball’s voice sounded a little helpless. “I lost my memory, but I didn’t lose my common sense. If the two places’ laws of physics are different, how can it be the same universe?”
Gawain had an emotional and excited feeling that was hard to suppress. A comrade (although it was just a ball); a comrade that had transmigrated just like him (although it was just a ball); a comrade that could discuss concepts of planets, the universe, and time travel with him (although it was just a ball). Gawain who had been alone in this world for tens of thousands of years, this was an extremely emotional event.
Of course, Gawain now had new friends and relatives (although the bloodline was rather far away). Amber, Rebecca, Heidi, and Byron were all people that he trusted but were they able to discuss the universe or outer space with him?
Mm… It might be possible if Rebecca’s mind was expanded a little larger…
Gawain had worked hard to suppress all the disorderly thoughts that had surged out instantly. He had a hard time finally finding a new question. “Are you so sure that you have crossed the universe? Have you ever thought the laws of physics in the universe might not have ‘equal proportions’? Perhaps each star system might have a different law?”
“Sigh, how can I not think of that. But it is impossible,” the ball spoke in a dispirited manner. “My race has already explored all our remaining survivors in the entire universe and has even started to consider opening a hole in the world’s barrier. If the universe’s law of physics was disproportional, we would have written it in the elementary textbooks… Thus, since the first day I arrived, I had already excluded the possibility that I was stranded on a foreign planet.”
Gawain was dumbstruck.
This ball actually came from such a powerful and advanced civilization? They had already explored the entire universe? They were even researching how to travel to other universes?
Gawain was a transmigrator, and when he realized that the laws of physics here were different from Earth, he already guessed he had entered a so-called ‘foreign universe’. As such, he wasn’t too surprised by the ball’s explanation about crossing over to a new universe. But he was very surprised that this ball’s race was actually so advanced… Then could the ball be Gawain’s chance for a science and technology explosion, allowing him to dominate the entire continent in half a year, unifying the entire planet in one year, and rushing into outer space in two years?
After thinking like this for a moment, Gawain laughed. Just the thought was fine. The laws of physics were different… In this bizarre world, anyone would be caught unprepared if they were to transmigrate to this place.
Furthermore, this ball should be more unprepared than Gawain: the ball only had its own outlook of the world, but Gawain had the knowledge of Gawain Cecil…
At this moment, the ball was deeply moved as it said, “It has truly been tough to find a human to speak with. This era’s humans are all ignorant and prideful. Let alone talking about the universe or outer space, the people in your camp don’t even understand what the atmosphere is… I finally found a person that could have a conversation with me.”
Gawain’s bitter tears welled up in response. The ball had truly spoken what he felt in his heart. He was also deeply moved in his heart too.
Foreigners meeting on a foreign planet. This was truly the destiny of the ball!