491: Another old man

Inside Watt's office, a bearded old man was holding a steaming cup of coffee, staring blankly at the swirling bubbles on the surface.

"Hoo... slurrrp..."

Opposite him, Watt was drinking with gusto, as if eating jelly, which made the old man feel flustered.

"Alright, stop drinking!"

The old man could finally take it no more, slammed his coffee cup onto the table, and said angrily, "James, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you!"

Watt looked up and chuckled, "The coffee here is ground from high-quality beans and made with fresh milk. The sugar might not be top-tier, but it's still decent. Are you really not going to try some?"

The old man's mouth twitched, "I didn't come here to discuss the hundred ways to drink coffee... Are you really going to let those outsiders help you return to your original world?"

"It's not just helping me; it's helping everyone!"

Watt said calmly, "This world has been divided for too long. If..."

"I think it's fine this way!"

The old man sneered, "In this world, I can freely develop and create according to my imagination... Do you know how much effort I spent transforming such a backward world? You should know that this world is currently abandoned, and the Master no longer cares about it at all. Once it becomes whole again, can you guarantee that the Master won't make us attack Earth again?"

Watt said, "I can't guarantee that, which is why I need your help!"

"I won't help you!" the old man said in a deep voice. "There's a saying in Huaxia: 'Well water does not interfere with river water.' We've been living together peacefully like this; don't force me to wage war against you!"

Watt chuckled, "I know what you're thinking... You want to stay here and be a local ruler; you don't want to be constrained by anyone... But have you ever thought that you've become a frog in a well..."

"Yes, we've lived together for thousands of years in peace, but you must realize that these three planets are completely suppressed by a Restriction. This means no matter how much we achieve a technological Breakthrough, we can't leave this planet. The Universe is vast. Haven't you ever thought that being trapped here means we will sooner or later encounter outsiders as powerful as the Master..."

"Once discovered by those ultimate powerhouses, we won't even have a chance to escape... Therefore, developing space technology is imperative, but as long as the Restriction remains, we will never be able to reach the Universe!"

"The weapons I've created are enough to defend against foreign invasions!" the old man sneered. "Just because you're not confident doesn't mean I'm not!"

"Is that so?"

Watt chuckled, "You're just afraid. You're afraid to face the future, which is why you avoid talking about it. In fact, you're even more cowardly than I am. You're afraid the Master will find you again and make you his slave!"

The old man said angrily, "I'm not afraid... Damn it, you've got me going in circles... Hmph, to tell you the truth, I've been studying this Restriction for thousands of years and haven't found a way to break it yet. Do you have a solution? Even if you want to develop your steam technology in the Universe, you should at least have a mature plan. Right now, it's all empty talk. Why should I believe those outsiders can succeed?"

"I didn't say they would definitely succeed, but with them here, the chances of success will definitely be much higher!"

Watt chuckled, "Because you have no idea who they are, you're yelling at me so hysterically... Hmm, that's why you sent an idiot to scout them out, right?"

"Hmph, so what if you know?"

The old man sneered, "To be honest with you, although my subordinate looks unremarkable, he is a top-tier assassin with first-class stealth skills. If they can't even get past him, you'd better give up now!"

"Uh... you call that old man a top-tier assassin? The bar for 'top-tier' must be set way too low!"

A voice came from behind the old man, leaving him stunned. He turned around abruptly to see a group of people standing behind him, looking at him with very strange expressions.

The old man was furious, turned back to stare at his friend, and asked, "You knew about this all along?"

"No, no, no, I didn't know. I just knew their strength was formidable, that's all, especially this bald monk in front of us. He is a Disciple of Shakyamuni and also a True Buddha, protected by powerful Buddha Dharma!"

Watt chuckled.

The old man was silent for a moment, then said, "Being a Buddhist Disciple alone isn't enough. Does he have any other titles?"

"Hmm, he doesn't, but the person next to him is even more extraordinary!"

Watt chuckled, "Although he looks very ordinary, he... came from that person!"

"That person? Which person?"

The old man was still confused, but after a long while, he seemed to understand something and said in shock, "Wait... he is... you... young man, what... what is your surname?"

Tang Xian disdainfully picked his nose, "Why are you asking me if you've already guessed it?"

The old man almost fell backward. After a long while, he finally said, "You... are you really... really... that person's... uh, James, is this what you meant by... the chance of success you were talking about?"

Watt chuckled, "That's right!"

Tang Xian frowned slightly and said, "I'm curious... how did you know about the existence of... that person? Logically, you shouldn't..."

"Before we followed the Master, we had already met that person!"

Watt said in a deep voice, "We were fortunate enough to be chosen by him and had this memory preserved... It seems the old man didn't act without reason. He must have anticipated today's situation long ago, which is why he had us keep the memory!"

Tang Xian rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, and then nodded, "I understand... Hmm, okay then. Since he has chosen you, I can help you... But whether it will succeed or how exactly to proceed, I really don't know!"

Tang Ku and the others were confused. The monk said, "Can you stop speaking in riddles? Why is it that I understand every word you say, but when put together, I don't understand anything at all?"

"It's not yet time for you to understand!" Tang Xian laughed. "From now on, you just need to be a tool!"

The old man fell silent, and after a moment, he said, "What you are doing... is... is... is it..."

"Heh, you want to say cheating?"

Watt sneered disdainfully, "Then do you think any of the Master's actions from the beginning until now haven't been cheating? Also, do you really know who this bald Buddhist Disciple in front of you is?"

The old man was speechless. After a long while, he finally said, "Fine, I... I'm willing to help you... Cough, that... that Buddhist Disciple, what is your name?"

Tang Ku suddenly narrowed his eyes and said, "Tang Sanzang!"

"As expected!"

The old man shook his head helplessly, "I... I really didn't expect this!"

Tang Ku suddenly laughed, "Is there anything in this world that Da Vinci can't think of?"