Chapter 38

"Finally, I understand what Raven 12345 meant by 'too busy to deal with trivial matters on Earth,'" Hao Ren said with a mix of laughter and tears after hanging up the communication, "Her daily work is simply insane, like living in a blockbuster movie all day long."

"Does she usually hold grudges?" Vivi also saw what just happened and was instantly filled with lingering fear. Although this girl might not understand what space war or mathematical rate weapons are, she could instinctively feel that Raven 12345 was someone not to be provoked, "Are you sure you haven't offended her?"

Hao Ren thought for a moment: "Does it count if I usually think of her as a white-haired witch in my heart?"

Vivi: "……"

While Hao Ren and Vivi were chatting, the data terminal by his side suddenly lit up, and a message directly entered his mind: Raven 12345 had sent the promised translation program.

Hao Ren opened the data terminal and quickly found the location of the translation program. In fact, there was no need to search; just a mental command would make the data terminal display its current functional changes. Reading the description of the translation program, Hao Ren subconsciously licked his lips: "Wow, it's really a high-end thing. If I had this back then, I wouldn't have failed my English Level 4 exam three times..."

"How about it?" Lily, excited, leaned in to look at the data terminal, "Does it say how to use it?"

Hao Ren pointed to the holographic screen, where it was written very clearly:

"Universal adaptive translation script, usage permission F, applicable to grassroots inspectors or their kin. Once activated, it can directly connect to the user's mind, performing brain-synced translation. The user will not feel the translation process, and it also supports language assistance, taking over part of the user's language ability to achieve seamless communication with various foreign languages."

Although it used some technical terms, Hao Ren understood how to use it after reading through the parts he could comprehend. He had to admit it was a divine tool. Just like the data terminal could directly connect to the user's mind, the auxiliary programs in the data terminal also connected in this way. He originally thought the translator would be something like a text-to-speech reader (after all, that was the most advanced thing he knew on Earth), but he never expected it to directly send the translation of any language to his mind. Moreover, it had a "language assistance function" that could take over part of the user's language ability?

Hao Ren thought for a moment and concluded that this meant he could pretend to be a local—perhaps even with a perfect London accent.

"Hey, we can try it out right now!" Hao Ren saw that the translation program's notes mentioned that it already contained all the language libraries within the empire's jurisdiction, including the native languages of uncivilized planets and extinct languages. He immediately wanted to test it. He activated the translation function, confirmed in his mind that the data terminal had prepared the mental port, and then looked at Vivi, "Speak to me in Old English and see if it works. According to the manual, it can translate any form of communication on Earth."

Vivi blinked: "Is this thing really that amazing?"

"Try it and see," Hao Ren said enthusiastically, "Go ahead."

Vivi was slightly taken aback: "What I just said was Old English—your response was too."

Hao Ren looked at the data terminal in his hand, speechless for a long time before muttering to himself: "It really is seamless communication. I didn't even notice... It even mimicked your accent."

Lily, who had been watching from the side with her knees hugged, couldn't suppress her curiosity and came over with a smile: "Landlord, landlord, let me try too~~"

But as soon as Lily took the data terminal, the translation program immediately terminated.

"This device, although a low-permission civilian model, still has rules!" A pompous line of text appeared on the data terminal, "The permission verification for the function module you selected has failed. Continuing to use the corresponding function may violate regulations—If you really want to use it, buy an unlocked downgraded civilian version in Shadow City in the future."

Lily's eyes widened: "Why is it fine when I use you to listen to music normally?"

"This is an unlocked function, which can be opened according to regulations," the data terminal displayed another line of text, "But please respect the initial settings of this device. It is designed for users to perform tasks, not to play music! You can insult the traditional appearance of this device, but you cannot insult its player—playing 'Little Apple' on a 16-channel loop in your mind is a serious provocation!"

Hao Ren looked at Lily with a strange expression, and she sheepishly returned the data terminal: "I was bored. I just played with it a bit when you left it on the coffee table to help the bat cook."

Hao Ren silently put the data terminal away, feeling a bit sorry for Lily's disappointed look, so he tried to divert her attention: "Let's try it out. I just tested it with Vivi. You can pick any foreign dialect and see if it translates."

Lily perked up, cleared her throat, and tentatively said: "Woof?"

Hao Ren: "……" Vivi: "……" Data Terminal: "……"

"This... the device does not have the corresponding vocabulary pre-installed," a line of text appeared on the data terminal, "However, based on the context and your physical condition, you just said 'food'?"

Lily, hugging her knees, turned away: "Guessing doesn't count. This isn't fun. I'm going to get something to eat."

After Lily ran out, Vivi turned to Hao Ren with a forced smile: "See, she never admits she's a big dog, but as soon as she opens her mouth, she gives it away."

"You can't say that," Hao Ren, who still had some affection for the silly werewolf girl who often cheered him up, said, "I asked her to speak a foreign language, and for a werewolf, barking might count as a foreign language... or at least a dialect."

Hao Ren marveled at the new function of the data terminal, feeling that he could now conquer the world of languages. If he weren't so lazy, he might have pretended to be a big-tailed wolf at various foreign language colleges just with this. However, he didn't know that this was already the most basic function of the most basic equipment in the Temporal Administration, and it was about to become outdated. Language barriers were a common issue for grassroots officers patrolling different timelines. Unlike the Xilin apostles, who could directly understand all knowledge through the mental network, human officers (inspectors and various "sons" and "bishops") often relied on various devices to handle problems encountered during their missions. The Temporal Administration was working on improving this situation by integrating some functions of the data terminal into the body adjustment projects of the inspectors. The first project was to add a translation mechanism to their brains, allowing them to communicate seamlessly with all races without any equipment, just like the Xilin apostles—unfortunately, Hao Ren, being unlucky, missed the good times and would have to go through the "coffin" again in a few days...

Putting aside future troubles, Hao Ren and Vivi thoroughly studied the data terminal in the room—don't think wrong, they were just studying the data terminal to see if it had any other functions. Hao Ren had already experienced how unreliable Raven 12345 was; the white-haired witch couldn't even figure out the basic equipment of the Temporal Administration. Calling her mechanically challenged was an understatement. He didn't know if she was an exception, but to avoid being tricked again in similar situations, Hao Ren had to carefully study whether his equipment had any other issues. As a result, he did find a problem: the data terminal had a set of "Comprehensive Guide to Pregnancy and Calming for 37 Races," which was categorized under "weapon classification"...

Hao Ren's expression was: O_o!!

Could that five-digit neurotic goddess even work properly? If he requested support in a future battle and two baby strollers parachuted down, who would be responsible?