Chapter 84

The multi-tool is a quality effect plane's almost ubiquitous implantable smart device. It can function as a mobile phone, computer, GPS, radar, and even as tweezers, a soldering iron, and a screwdriver. Essentially, it is just a chip implanted in the hand along with some components, not much larger than a watch. When in use, it activates through neural sensing, projecting a set of transparent orange virtual keyboards, operation rings, and displays onto the arm, clearly indicating the technology of the space age.

Another technology that left Qi Feng speechless was the automatic real-time translation capability for the main languages of all the major races in the universe. This real-time translation is different from the concept in the real world; it can coordinate the brain's nervous system to allow the wearer to communicate directly in their native language. The most impressive part is that it can analyze the other party's language, thus achieving real-time translation of an unknown language. For someone living in the early 21st century, this technology is simply unimaginable.

However, when Qi Feng learned about the storage capacity of this so-called multi-tool, his surprise at this technology diminished. According to the game's introduction, the storage capacity of the multi-tool is measured in zettabytes (ZB), which is ten trillion gigabytes. In real-world terms, it would take about a billion hard drives to match the storage of a single civilian-grade multi-tool. The total capacity of the entire internet in the early 21st century was only about 1 ZB, which is just a fraction of the storage capacity of the most basic multi-tool.

This is truly black technology.

However, Qi Feng was not worried about causing any chaos or trouble by bringing such a device back to his time. The technological gap was too large. As long as he did not demonstrate its functions in front of them, even if he handed the actual multi-tool to the experts of the current scientific research institutions, it would not arouse their slightest interest. With the pitiful technological level of humans in the early 21st century, it would likely be seen as just a piece of plastic—this is easy to understand; if you took a CPU back a couple of hundred years, no one would think much of it.

This god-like device is just a common item here, not hard to obtain, and in this plane, it is an essential tool for daily life, travel, and even criminal activities. Qi Feng had no doubt that if he joined Sister Xue's team, he would definitely get a much more advanced multi-tool. However, for a bumpkin from the 21st century like Qi Feng, a civilian-grade multi-tool was enough to make him happy for a long time. Upgrades? He would think about that after connecting with Sister Xue.

Therefore, Qi Feng listed the multi-tool as his top priority resource to obtain in the quality effect plane, with no other considerations. But the reason was quite frustrating. The poor, unambitious guy's only thought at the moment was: "...I've been messing around in another world all semester, and I'll have to rely on this for my final English exam... Hmm, I wonder if it can do advanced math?"

Following the directions of a passerby and with his quick pace, it didn't take long for Qi Feng to reach the nearby commercial district. The stores here were almost all semi-open, more like bars than shops. Above the bars were displays using so-called virtual projection technology, showing screens full of characters that Qi Feng couldn't understand at all.

"What are these characters...?" Qi Feng looked up a few times and gave up in frustration. It was genuine Martian script.

"Oh?! A human who can't even understand the common 'trade language'..." A voice with a strange intonation mocked him.

Although the words were harsh, they were true, and Qi Feng wasn't particularly angry. He turned his head and saw an alien standing in the "bar." The alien had two pairs of eyes, one above the other, and four pairs of nostrils arranged vertically on a bald, hairless head.

"Hmm..." Qi Feng pointed at him, scratching his head for a while before suddenly remembering, "I know! You're a Batarian!" The names of these alien races were hard to remember, but fortunately, their features were quite distinctive.

The alien seemed to be greatly insulted, tilting his head to the right (Qi Feng later learned that this race tilts their head to the right to show contempt and to the left to show respect) and said angrily, "Ignorant human with only two eyes!"

Qi Feng couldn't understand why the alien was proud of having an extra pair of eyes. However, he interpreted it as a cultural difference and didn't take it to heart. Looking down at his Daoist robe, Qi Feng decided to be old-fashioned and smiled, bowing and clasping his hands, "I am Qi Feng, passing through your esteemed place, causing much disturbance. I hope the boss will forgive me. May I ask for your esteemed name?"

Actually, Qi Feng was deliberately trying to test the real-time translation ability of the multi-tool.

However, this did not stump the universal translator. The Batarian furrowed his four eyebrows and said, "Why does your language sound like the Hanar? Hmm... I am Mash, the owner of this shop. What do you need? I have many good things here."

Although Batarians generally dislike humans, the saying "no one hits a smiling face" applies. Qi Feng's attitude softened the boss. Besides, the Batarian boss couldn't afford to lose business; human money is still money, and not earning it would be foolish... The problem was that Qi Feng actually had no money!

"Uh, do you have multi-tools here? I want to buy one. Can you install it for me?" Although he had no money, asking was not illegal, and there were no laws here.

The Batarian boss, Mash, was clearly surprised, "What? You don't have a multi-tool?" Then he tilted his head to the right again and muttered, "Looks like another penniless smuggler? Oh, Omega is getting harder to survive in... You don't even have a multi-tool, so you must be broke? Don't waste my time."

This world had long since eliminated paper and physical currency. Within the Citadel Council's jurisdiction and the adjacent civilization circle, the Citadel's credit electronic currency—star credits—was almost universally used. It exists in personal accounts or on portable binary files, and for transactions, regardless of the amount, the multi-tool is almost always used.

"Hey, wait a moment," Qi Feng quickly said, "Although I have no money, I have many good things. Can you trade a multi-tool for them?" Qi Feng had already decided to trade the items from his games for money, at least enough to buy a multi-tool.

Mash shook his head, "I don't have multi-tools here, and I can't acquire your items, let alone transfer money to you... Hmm..." Mash put one hand on his chest and the other on his chin, thinking for a moment, and pointed to the opposite side, "That's Harlot's store, an Ecorian. He's the leader of this market. The multi-tool you need should be available there."

"Thank you!" Qi Feng bowed and turned, heading to the other side of the market. This store was clearly several times larger than the others and had a glass wall separating it. Qi Feng walked in and saw an alien... This couldn't be a human, right?

The creature in front of him, whether the owner or the owner's pet, looked like a baby elephant without a nose or ears. A round, two-meter-tall body connected to a head, with no visible neck, and four limbs supporting it on the ground, looking at him with small eyes.

"Welcome, human. What can I do for you?" The elephant suddenly spoke, startling Qi Feng. This thing was also an alien "person."

Qi Feng reminded himself twice that this was the space age and not to be surprised, and he managed to adjust his worldview, "Oh, you're Harlot, right? Mash from over there introduced me. I want to get a multi-tool installed."

The noseless elephant owner, Harlot, spoke in a deep, slow voice, "You don't have a multi-tool? So you don't have any money? No problem! Help me manage the new store downstairs, and I'll install the multi-tool for you."

"Ah? Help you manage the store?"

Harlot gently shook his head, "A few days ago, a human woman tricked me into taking over a poor Quarian's second-hand store downstairs. Only after buying it did I realize I had no one to manage it."

Cough, can this be considered a trick? It's clearly just your own lack of intelligence. Qi Feng found it amusing but didn't show it. "Hmm, no, I don't have the time to manage your store."

Harlot continued, "Managing the store is easy. There's a sales computer connected to the multi-tool. You just need to make sure no one causes trouble. When you go out, close the store. We'll pay you based on your working hours, 3 star credits per hour, plus 1% of the sales. But I must warn you, you have no money, and it's hard to live without earning 50 star credits a day."

Qi Feng didn't know if 3 star credits per hour was a lot or a little, but since it was so flexible, he decided to agree to get the multi-tool. As for needing to earn 50 star credits a day to live, Qi Feng found it laughable. With his ability to travel between planes, he wouldn't starve here.

"Alright, let's do it." Qi Feng agreed after some thought.

Although it was hard to tell what expression Harlot had, his voice sounded relieved, "Good... Please come this way. Um, are you left-handed?"

"No."

"Then please place your left hand on the workbench..."

Qi Feng thought the implantation surgery would be complicated, but the mechanical arm on the workbench gently implanted a chip the size of a thumbnail into his wrist. He felt a slight tingling, but no pain.

"Is that it?" Qi Feng lifted his left hand in disbelief, and suddenly a set of orange virtual projections of the multi-tool enveloped his entire left forearm. At the same time, an electronic voice in his ear said, "System initialization... starting..."

This effect—so sci-fi! (To be continued. Please search for Piaowen.com for faster updates and better reading experience!)