Chapter Seventeen: A Guide to Life
Page 1/3
[Welcome to the Installation of the Abnormal Community Life Guide]
About this application:
The Life Guide aims to be a dedicated lifestyle service platform for abnormal communities regulated under the Ether Control Protocol.
▷ [Thousands of Merchants] Currently, over 3,000 providers of abnormal and ultra-tech services from 35 countries and regions (Divar and Oletin regions are banned) have joined the Life Guide. Through the Life Guide, you can make appointments, place orders, and more. The integrated navigation plugin helps you find shop entrances beyond dimensions.
▷ [Multi-Party Collaboration] Industry leaders such as Vortex Music, Wanders Communications, Dimensional Express, and Ambrose Restaurant have officially partnered with the Life Guide.
▷ [Safe and Reliable] All merchants registered have been certified by the Veil Maintenance Organization and undergo annual safety audits. When using services through the Life Guide, you receive a complimentary personal and conceptual safety insurance provided by Wanders Communications (excluding the Celestial lineage).
▷ [Mimu Encryption] The anti-Muggle Mimu embedded in the Life Guide ensures your screen content remains hidden.
▷ [Emergency Rescue] Encountering backlash during exorcism? Noticing a suspicious entity in a crowded area? Long-press the app icon; the Life Guide will provide one Ether Emergency Teleportation (new clients have one free chance per day, excluding the Celestial lineage).
▷ [Abundant Benefits] New users receive a 10-unit Standard Arcane Stone discount voucher upon logging in. Major lineage users also enjoy monthly gift packs (excluding the Celestial lineage).
After completing the Life Guide installation, a flood of app content popped up. Xia Xiu scrolled to the bottom and tapped “Use Application.”
[Your Station Nickname: ______]
Xia Xiu casually entered his nickname.
[Confirm Nickname: I Am Not an Undercover]
[Lineage Confirmation—]
[Welcome, I Am Not an Undercover, from the Celestial lineage. Please remember to leave a five-star rating!]
Xia Xiu certainly did not give a good review—this broken app openly discriminated against Celestial users. He thought it deserved to be taken offline sooner or later.
Seeing he couldn’t claim the newbie benefits, he quietly gave the app one star.
[@I Am Not an Undercover: ★☆☆☆☆]
[Comment: This is blatant discrimination against Celestial users. Why must Celestial be treated unfairly? Furious and frustrated—what’s wrong with society? When will the Celestial stand up? {Angry}]
[Developer Response: Dear user, we have forwarded your feedback to the developers. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.]
After submitting his review, Xia Xiu opened the main interface of the Life Guide.
[Community Mall]
[Ether Navigation]
[Focus Forum]
[Dimensional Express]
Page 2/3
Xia Xiu opened the Community Mall. Most items sold here were controlled goods unavailable on the open market. He had already spotted several kinds of Mimu drugs with effects similar to Sumo’s.
He tapped the user search and entered the item he wanted to find.
[Species Search: Pedsarpine Species DNA Template]
[Description: The Pedsarpine species is a living crystal entity, with crystals extending from various parts of its body. When in contact with the ground, crystals can erupt from the floor. Its arms can launch crystals resembling ice, quartz, and diamond. It can infinitely reorganize the crystals it emits, which feature high reflectivity and durability. Its weakness lies in strong sonic attacks, which inhibit crystal growth, cause cracks, and weaken the body.]
[Price: 20,000 per dose {Central Currency}]
[Delivery Fee: 5 Standard Arcane Stones]
Xia Xiu clicked to place the order. The Red Book floated before him, unfolding with a Reverse Summoning array on its surface. He placed his money and arcane stones on it.
[Order placed, expected delivery in three days!]
After confirming the order, Xia Xiu closed the app and disconnected the Life Guide’s link frequency.
He had the item in hand now and was ready to head back.
——————
Deer Institute · Anderson Dormitory.
When Xia Xiu returned to the Deer Institute, night had already shrouded the skies above San Portland. For the sake of citizens’ circadian rhythms, San Portland’s weather was synchronized internally and externally.
After a simple meal, Xia Xiu returned to his room.
[Sir, you have lineage applications tagged as high-risk by the Deer Institute.]
“I know, Jarvis. Activate the Judgement Sword for disinfection.”
[Activating—]
While Jarvis carried out the disinfection, Xia Xiu lay on the sofa, letting its softness envelop him.
The Pedsarpine species DNA template was ready. He had chosen it as the first morph species in his transformation technique.
The “Flesh Sculpting Art” granted by Return Stage Three was a divine skill. Its “Transformation” function converted the user’s original body into other “extraordinary species,” collecting and archiving all cellular genes of these species with exceptional efficiency.
It enabled the user to become any one of them, harness their supernatural abilities, and merge with their DNA for corresponding compatibility.
Provided one knew the relevant ritual and suppressors, theoretically, Xia Xiu could use the “Endless Covered by It” to transform into any extraordinary species.
This was the aberrant lineage—a perversely unique existence.
Page 3/3
The aberrant lineage differs vastly from the normal. The essence of normal lineage arcana can be summarized as:
Analysis, combination, arrangement, experimentation, application.
These five elements encompass all the fundamental requirements at the Arcane Application Research Institute.
They correspond to the omniscience of the Extraordinary Chronicles and one of the guiding principles of the Jadeite Record: “Infinity.”
The five major applications of the normal lineage rely heavily on the Four Great Seals.
The Four Great Seals serve as the structural source of arcana, extracting EVE particles from matter within their range and converting them into arcane energy to power spells.
Ancient traditional arcane scholars believed the material world was composed of the four classical elements—air, fire, water, earth—plus the “Ether,” the mother of all phenomena and the creator of the four elements, regarded as the primary of the five basic elements.
However, with the rapid progress of modern Terra science, it is now understood that the world consists of countless divisible micro-particles. Except for the hypothetical particle called Ether, other ancient theories have been disproved.
The third of the Arcane Mage’s Three Laws constantly urges practitioners to adapt and accept change. Different methods of observation can unlock different energies from the Ocean of Ether.
The closer to the truth the understanding, the greater the ability to harness the Ocean of Ether.
This is normal lineage—continuous innovation and progress.
The aberrant lineage is entirely different; it does not even follow the Three Laws.
Reality disturbers and divine arcane wielders—this was the ancient term for aberrants. Divine arcane mages project their faith in a deity onto their spells unconsciously when casting with EVE particles. This method requires no Four Great Seals and is completely unorthodox.
Aberrant lineage holders are the most prone to distorting the present world.
They are the chief culprits behind the collapse of reality.
Non-lineage arcane mages, normal lineage arcane mages, aberrant lineage arcane mages—
These three groups are all arcane users.
But their differences are vast.
Non-lineage arcane mages typically refer to beings who have learned arcana by changing their worldview, such as most human arcane users, often disdainfully called “wild mages” or “wanderers.”
Normal lineage arcane mages describe those born with an affinity for EVE particles and exceptional talent, some human, others from distant realms beyond Terra.
Aberrant lineage arcane mages refer to beings directly granted power by high-ranking demigod-level entities or above. These are usually formidable and possess limitless growth potential, jokingly called “walking gods among mortals.”
There is a joke: Non-lineage, normal lineage, and aberrant lineage arcane mages take a magic exam. The non-lineage passes because of hard study; the normal lineage passes because they are geniuses who understand instantly; the aberrant lineage passes because they spent the night with the exam supervisor. Though absurd, it somewhat reflects their abilities and origins.