Chapter 406: Something from Another World, You're Blushing

"Indeed, just as I suspected. As the strength of my physical vessel grows, this portal expands its sphere of influence. Having 'learned' certain things from that abyssal cephalopod, it has surpassed a critical threshold, allowing it to manifest within the void in a new form."

Wang Yu swept his gaze across the pitch-black mental space. It remained unchanged from before, save for the portal’s reach, which had extended further, paving more floorboards across the expanse of his psyche.

Looking from this vantage point, the radius of influence was at least five or six times what it had once been. The knowledge gleaned from that abyssal entity had truly wrought a profound transformation upon him.

"Then, the interior space should have expanded as well. I wonder if I can reach that place now."

He walked toward the portal, pushed open the white door, and stepped inside to observe the familiar room.

As before, no surface changes were apparent. Every piece of furniture remained exactly as it always was; not a speck of dust marred the tabletops or the bed. Time here existed in a state of suspension—as long as Wang Yu did not enter, time within would not flow.

"Now then..."

He crumpled a piece of paper and tossed it toward the unlatched window. The paper ball flew out at high speed, only to strike an invisible wall about ten meters away, rebounding before falling toward the floor below.

Judging the distance, it was exactly ten and a half meters. His range of activity had indeed expanded. Only now, having reached a certain limit, did he realize this space possessed not just horizontal boundaries, but vertical ones as well.

The paper ball he had thrown hung suspended in the air, caught by an invisible plane. Wang Yu was currently on the sixth floor, while the paper hovered at the level of the third—a range of about ten meters.

It was now clear: his range of movement was spherical, its size consistent with the "floor" area expanded by the portal within his mental space.

"Excellent. This distance is more than enough. I only hope everything else is as I imagined."

Walking to the door of his room, Wang Yu turned the handle. Previously, opening this door would have simply returned him to the mental space. But this time, he combined his intent with a certain resonance within his body, pausing briefly before pushing the door open.

If he were on Earth, this door would lead to the kitchen and living room of his home, where he had left some very important items on the dining table.

"Click..."

The door handle gave a soft sound, revealing the scene behind it. It was not the pitch-black mental space, but the vivid, familiar sight of his own living room.

The rectangular dining table bore the grime of years, and upon it sat a laptop, its cord connected to the wall socket beside the table.

"Nice!"

He clenched his fist in triumph. Although he had hypothesized it would work, actually achieving it filled him with excitement. With his range of activity expanded, he could finally touch complex electronic devices.

Wang Yu was accustomed to using his computer in the living room, and his phone was usually kept with the laptop. Since he lived alone and no one ever disturbed him, he had never had the chance to verify whether "special" items like his phone could be used while he was in the room.

"Wait..."

He strode toward his computer, intending to boot it up immediately, when he noticed a few items on the shelf nearby: two or three packs of biscuits and some simple snacks.

"Let's have a taste."

"Snap..."

"Well, a familiar flavor. I can only say it’s quite terrible."

Without hesitation, he tore open a pack and shoved a biscuit into his mouth. He chewed; the familiar, low-quality sweetness and excessive dryness flooded his senses. He could even taste the damp, near-expired staleness—it was definitely something he had bought and left there long ago.

It was truly awful, not even comparable to a single hair of Aivia’s cooking. Yet, this uniquely familiar taste and texture made the corners of Wang Yu’s mouth curl upward.

He finished the rest of the biscuits, though they provided no sense of satiety. He left the remaining packs untouched; these things were non-renewable—once consumed, they were gone.

"Come now, let me see."

He pulled out a chair and sat before the computer. With a flicker of anticipation, he clicked the mouse, waking the machine. The screen lit up. It worked; these electronic devices could be used normally.

The desktop appeared, with his work files and games exactly as he had left them. The battery was at 99%, but it did not show as charging, which meant there was no actual power coming from the socket. The internet, including the Wi-Fi signal, was disconnected—this was well within Wang Yu's expectations.

He clicked through the files, opened a few games to test them, and viewed some photos. Everything was perfectly functional and smooth.

"Not bad..."

He raised an eyebrow. It was going smoothly, just as he had anticipated. Now, he could proceed to the next step: bringing this laptop out into the external world.

Previously, such an attempt would have been meaningless, as the portal existed only within his mental space. But now, the portal could manifest within the void, occupying a specific area that clearly corresponded to the region of influence expanded within his mind.

If Wang Yu’s current location was "inside," then the area influenced by the portal in his mental space was "outside." His goal now was to carry the laptop to the "outside" and see if it would manifest within the void.

Taking the laptop, Wang Yu pushed open the old wooden door of his room and stepped through. An instant later, he appeared in the mental space, the laptop firmly in his hands.

"It really works."

He had managed to bring a paper ball out before, but successfully bringing the laptop confirmed it.

Carefully setting the computer down, Wang Yu withdrew his consciousness and returned to his body.

"Did anything change outside while I was in the mental space?"

Opening his eyes, Wang Yu asked Aivia, who had been monitoring the surroundings with her Perfect Fractal Lens.

"I didn't notice any changes at all. Besides, it’s only been forty-three seconds since you closed your eyes."

The girl shook her head, a look of frustration on her face. Since Wang Yu asked, he must have done something related to that world, yet she had seen absolutely nothing.

"Only that long? That’s strange; it felt like the same amount of time I spent unconscious last time. So, it must be related to my physical state. Let’s go to the void and see. I think there might be a surprise waiting for us."

He smiled and patted the girl’s shoulder, signaling her to help him open a void rift. He hadn't felt any changes related to the portal in the material world, but within that territory in the void, he had sensed something.

Wang Yu could see the frustration on her face; Aivia had always been concerned about the place he came from.

"Mm."

Nodding, the girl opened the void rift. Wang Yu took her hand and stepped into the void space occupied by the portal.

The portal looked identical to the one in his mental space, but Wang Yu had tested it—Aivia could not open it or walk through. Even he couldn't walk through it; it was truly just a door panel.

However, at this moment, Wang Yu could sense something different. Its presence was faint, but it was undeniably there. Though it could not be perceived from the outside, through the portal, Wang Yu could confirm its existence and its composition...

He unleashed the Power of the Chariot, drawing in void energy and converging it upon that spot. Gradually, a laptop, identical to his own, materialized before their eyes.

"This! Is this the computer you were talking about?"

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise. She had heard Wang Yu mention it many times, but she hadn't expected to see it manifest like this.

"Yes, that’s my computer. I’m quite surprised myself. It wouldn't manifest in the material world—I suppose the materials that compose it don't exist there. But the void isn't so picky; a little shaping with void energy and it’s done."

Wang Yu smiled as he explained his theory. He had wondered long ago if he could use the void to craft phones or computers, and now, it had actually happened.

Because the template was perfectly defined, this laptop wasn't just a black box with computer functions; its internal structure had been "replicated" as well.

"I haven't been able to show you any pictures of that place before, but now I can."

He opened the computer and displayed the contents to the girl, who leaned in, her face full of curiosity and anticipation.

"This is my home. It’s a bit old, but it’s very comfortable to live in."

"Is this the 'car' you mentioned?"

"Yes, that’s the one. The concept for the alchemical motorcycle engine was based on what I could remember of these."

"Oh, oh! And this—your sun. Hmm... doesn't the moon change color? A world with no void, no magic, not even battle aura... it’s truly amazing."

Aivia stared unblinkingly at every photo Wang Yu opened, eager to learn about the strange existence called "Earth." Even though they had talked about that world many times, witnessing it through actual images was a completely different experience.

As a young...

The curiosity of a woman, coupled with the insatiable thirst for knowledge inherent to a scholar, filled the girl with a profound fascination for this place called Earth, a realm utterly distinct from the otherworldly planes of her own existence.

Even the most disparate planes could never truly escape the convergence of supernatural forces like mana or the void, yet the world Wang Yu once inhabited differed from hers down to its very fundamental laws; more importantly, it was the world he had always yearned to return to.

"Is this a picture of the starry sky? How beautiful. I wonder if the stars in our world look the same as in yours. Haha, this friend of yours looks so chubby..."

"I wouldn't know, though I suppose there might be a chance to see it one day. Er, she just loves to eat, it's perfectly normal. Right, let me show you this—it's a game I often play."

Wang Yu navigated the computer, answering the girl's endless questions while unveiling more of his world to her. After a moment's thought, he opened Steam; most of his library consisted of single-player games that worked fine offline anyway.

Having not touched a computer in so long, Wang Yu found himself momentarily lost in the experience. His reaction speeds had become superhuman, yet card games like Slay the Spire remained just as engaging and addictive as ever.

"I think you should take that card."

They had been playing for a long time, and Avia had watched in quiet fascination. The game was intriguing, successfully drawing the girl in, until a voice from beside him broke Wang Yu’s concentration.

Turning around, he saw the towering Lady of the Night leaning over to watch him play; he had no idea how long she had been standing there.

Scratching his head, Wang Yu realized he had forgotten that he’d granted Zieg and the others access to this space; he hadn't even noticed the Lady of the Night enter. Still, a goddess really ought to have better manners—everyone knew it was common sense not to backseat-game.

"Hmm... I'll set one up for you to play, too."

After a moment, Wang Yu used void energy to replicate a laptop and handed it to the Lady of the Night, leaving her to her own devices.

"Thank you."

She thanked him happily, took the computer, and scurried off to the side to play cards.

Turning back, Wang Yu found that Avia had already taken control of the mouse and keyboard herself; with her abilities, figuring out how to operate a computer was child's play.

"Wang Yu, what is in these folders?"

Avia browsed through his files and stumbled upon two or three folders protected by simple, crude passwords, asking about them with genuine curiosity.

Wang Yu took a glance and realized they were his "study materials." Back on Earth, he hadn't been in a relationship, but he was a man, and he had his physiological needs, which he naturally had to handle himself.

"Well, you can think of them as something like 'The Romantic History of a Wild Mage.' I did read things like that back then."

Wang Yu had no reason to be coy about such matters and answered Avia with complete candor, using a local equivalent to explain before typing in the password.

"..."

Avia opened the folder and flipped through it casually. There wasn't much content, and she finished scanning it in a few seconds. Wang Yu hadn't actually collected much; the password was just a precaution to avoid trouble if a superior or someone else happened to see them.