158: Chapter 158 War Maiden Rewards, Time Manipulation
Yun Zhuo looked through the sixteen coordinates one by one.
Twelve of them were landscapes, two were laboratories—one being the one filled with incubation pods he had seen before, and the other where Qiu Min had performed the IVF for Ling Xiangjun.
Another one was Nun Village.
The last one was Su Jingzhou's home, where he saw Ling Xiangjun drinking tea in the courtyard, with a middle-aged man visible behind her.
Di Zhenzhen said he was Su Jingzhou.
At first glance, he was walking hurriedly, and with his gray suit, he looked like a company manager.
At second glance, as he sat down to drink tea in front of Ling Xiangjun, his relaxed yet deliberate manner made him look like a director of some department in a company.
At third glance, he just sat there doing nothing, quietly watching Ling Xiangjun until she felt hair stand on end; in her panic, she knocked over her cup.
At this moment, he was like a domineering CEO.
"It seems my Mother-in-law isn't having an easy time in the Su Family either. Given the Su Family's wealth, she only spent a million on a piece of jewelry, yet Su Jingzhou came to demand an explanation."
"Dr. Qiu warned her before that Su Jingzhou wasn't a good person, but she still insisted on using a child to secure her position. This is all her own doing."
Yun Zhuo smiled slightly. "But if it weren't for her, Big Teacher Su and Little Teacher Su wouldn't exist."
By the time the two of them took the elevator back to the Guanyin Temple, it was already afternoon.
Judging by the sun, it was around three in the afternoon.
The sun had tilted a bit to the west; the light was still blindingly bright, but it lacked the midday intensity that could make skin sting.
Sunlight fell on the plaza in front of the temple, baking the ground until heat haze rose; some spots shimmered as if water had been splashed there, glaring into the eyes.
But in reality, it was just the refraction of sunlight in the air; as one walked closer, the "water" seen previously vanished.
Looking back, their shadows were stretched long and thin, clinging to the ground as they followed.
When the wind blew, heat brushed against their faces; though it was warm, it made one want to quickly find some shade to hide in.
Just as Yun Zhuo was about to ask Di Zhenzhen if she felt hot wrapped so tightly in her nun's habit, she spoke first.
"Xiao Zhuo, it's still early. You shouldn't have anything to do, right?"
"Well..."
"If you're free, could you help me increase our compatibility?"
Di Zhenzhen's fingers unconsciously fiddled with the prayer beads on her chest. She glanced up at Yun Zhuo for a moment before quickly lowering her head again as if struck by an electric shock.
Yun Zhuo reached out, pinched her chin, and tilted her head up.
Her cheeks were flushed red, like a high-altitude sunburn from UV rays.
Yun Zhuo looked at her; she didn't resist, but her eyes darted elsewhere as if making a final struggle, or perhaps observing the surroundings for enemy activity, fearing a sudden appearance by an outsider.
After watching her for a short while, her body began to tremble with nervousness. She looked at Yun Zhuo from time to time as if urging him to give a straight answer—yes or no—otherwise, it would be so embarrassing if someone came by later.
Yun Zhuo chuckled. "Increasing compatibility is a normal training procedure between a War Spirit Master and a War Princess. Why does it seem like something scandalous when it comes to you?"
"Ah?" Di Zhenzhen's face instantly turned bright red. She had thought Yun Zhuo was tilting her head up by the chin because he wanted to kiss her.
Aren't chin-lift kisses in movies and dramas always like this?
Announcing with an irresistible aura: "I belong only to you."
As it turns out, I've already been moved, but you tell me I've misunderstood?
She slapped Yun Zhuo's hand away. "Wh-what nonsense are you talking about? 'Scandalous'... that sounds horrible."
"Then why is your face red?"
"The sun did it."
"Then why are you wearing so much? You've got a hat and a headscarf on."
"To protect against the sun, you have to wear more."
This... actually made sense.
Not to mention she was just wearing a white hat and a black veil; back when he was learning to drive, also in the summer, there was a woman in his class who covered herself up completely.
They spent a month together, and yet no one actually knew what she looked like.
"Alright, transform."
"Huh?"
"How can we increase compatibility if you don't transform?"
The next moment, the Red Dragon Mecha appeared on the temple plaza. Sunlight hit the mecha, and the reflection from the dark red scales rose up like blood-colored flames.
After integration, as Yun Zhuo turned, a halo slid across his body; the silver-white base flowed over him like liquid metal.
It was too conspicuous. On a battlefield, this would be a five-meter-tall attention-grabber—no different from a sitting duck.
With a thought from Yun Zhuo, the light on his body slowly withdrew, and the smooth hull gradually became matte.
"Xiao Zhuo, was my previous appearance not good-looking?"
"No, it's just that I personally feel if a gunner is too conspicuous, they easily become a target for others."
After saying this, the mecha's legs slowly left the ground.
"I can fly? Wait, I don't have a skill like that."
"I do."
Saying so, Yun Zhuo leaned forward and flew out of Nun Village with a swoosh.
"Your War Spirit Master talent skill is flight?"
"It's Gravity Manipulation. You'll have one too in the future. Once your talent reaches Imperial Rank, one will appear randomly, just like with Big Teacher Su."
Speaking of which, Yun Zhuo suddenly remembered that when he first raised Little Teacher Su's talent to Imperial Rank, the System seemed to have said that for every War Princess raised to Imperial Rank, he would be rewarded with a talent skill.
Why hadn't the System's reward been redeemed when Big Teacher Su's talent was raised to Imperial Rank?
[Ding! Host, would you like to look back at our previous conversation logs?]
The System panel popping up of its own accord gave Yun Zhuo a start.
"A misunderstanding? Where's the misunderstanding?"
[For every Saint Rank or higher War Princess promoted, the Host has a chance to obtain a skill reward. If you want more, hurry and promote your War Princesses.]
[Note: It is a 'chance,' not a guarantee.]
"Why don't you just come out and say there isn't one?"
[You have three chances to draw a skill. Would you like to draw now?]
"Draw? Dammit, might as well. Draw!"
[Ding! Obtained 10ml of crystal marrow x1.]
[Ding! Obtained talent skill: Time Manipulation.]
[Ding! Obtained 10ml of crystal marrow x1.]
What is crystal marrow?
Yun Zhuo didn't know, but at least the System had some decency; he didn't draw a "Thank you for participating" in three tries.
And it even gave him Time Manipulation. Thinking of time stopping, this skill was simply...
As the loading for Time Manipulation finished, Yun Zhuo, who had been happy just a moment ago, immediately looked disappointed. "It's practically useless."
Accelerating time for one second consumes 100 psionic energy; pausing for one second consumes 5,000; rewinding for one second consumes 10,000.
The duration cannot exceed ten seconds. Except for time acceleration, time pause and rewind have a one-minute cooldown.
Expensive, too expensive. With his current strength, he couldn't afford to squander it, and not being able to use it limitlessly was frustrating.
"Xiao Zhuo, what's wrong?"
"Huh?"
"You've been standing here for a long time."
"Oh, nothing. Let's continue."
Yun Zhuo tried time acceleration, consuming 1,000 psionic energy to accelerate for ten seconds.
The result was that within one second of real time, his speed increased tenfold.
He was originally landing on the ground, but he didn't react in time, and combined with their low compatibility, his body crashed into a building like a cannonball, collapsing it.
Fortunately, Di Zhenzhen's second form was sturdy enough. Yun Zhuo climbed out of the ruins, cursing under his breath.
Accelerating tenfold in a second—he couldn't react to it at all right now.
Wait, if time acceleration increases my movement speed, does it also increase my recovery speed?