Ray looked at Ryan and Grace, his fingers idly tapping against the wooden armrest beside him. The faint glow of runes carved into the walls pulsed softly, illuminating the quiet room. After a moment, he leaned back and asked casually,
"So… why did you come to meet me before knowing who I am?"
Ryan and Grace exchanged a brief glance. There was hesitation there—uncertainty mixed with expectation. Ryan inhaled, then spoke frankly.
"We wanted to make a deal for the wristwatch and crystal vision. But the plan changed. You are not good at internet and other usage at all. You have not created any web browser, you have not created any software, and you have not created anything that can be used for social media, instant communication, or endless information. People sharing their own information, currency, and whatnot."
Ray looked at Ryan, and instead of being offended, the smile on his face only widened. It was calm, confident—almost amused.
"Why the hurry?" he said lightly. "I am going a bit slow, man. You are a computer engineering student who wants to create, and I am a business student who wants to get profit. So of course I want all of them—but I want to do it at a pace where I can earn money as well."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp now.
"I want to make the gaming enter in this world as well. But if I do all of them in a hurry, we won't be able to make profit. People don't even know what a telephone was, and I am going to create every one of them—but slowly, so I can gain more profit for each invention."
Ray lifted his hand, as if weighing invisible coins.
"If I create social media, I will need to earn money using that platform, get it? I need money to invest in other big projects. And each new invention I make, I can earn tons of money at an early stage. Because at a later stage, I will not get that much money, as people will copy it."
His smile turned knowing.
"Like, I made an inventor create a hot air balloon, but now people from different countries or places are copying us and making their own. Do you understand?"
Grace frowned slightly, her brows knitting together as she processed his words. She spoke carefully.
"So you want to earn as much money as possible for each invention at an early stage. But in tens of thousands of years, no one has created the internet. You are the first—will people not create their own internet soon?"
Her gaze sharpened.
"Like you and us who are reincarnated, there must be many more reincarnated in this world."
Ray chuckled softly, the sound echoing faintly in the room.
"There are many, indeed. But what they are most into is sword and sorcery. Not boring internet and wasting time."
He shrugged, unconcerned.
"They can use those powers to be a superhero or a supervillain. Why would they bother wasting time creating such things? Most reincarnates were not engineers or into creating magic. So what they might do is wait—and use their power to forcefully take what we have created."
The air seemed to grow heavier.
Ryan's eyes widened, shock flashing across his face.
"Then how do we protect our inventions?"
Ray's lips curved upward again, confident and steady.
"By becoming stronger while being an inventor as well. Simple!" Ray shrugged. "Firstly, you are children of sect leaders, and I am a child of a duke and a formation master. We're not exactly defenseless."
Ryan frowned.
"That will take a long time."
Grace sighed, half-joking but half-worried.
"We will become old and grow our hair white."
Ray looked at them, his expression turning serious for once.
"You are forgetting—you guys are cultivators. The more powerful your cultivation becomes, the more years you can live. You will not remain mortal forever."
Ryan and Grace exchanged a glance, then nodded slowly, understanding dawning in their eyes.
Ray continued, his voice firm.
"I am an inventor in this life, but I am no engineer. I am a sorcerer who uses magic and runes to create internet and technology."
Ryan suddenly stiffened, as if remembering something important.
"I forgot to tell you… but some of the reincarnated are born with a system."
Ray's smile faded just a little.
Ryan went on, more seriously now,
"They feel special that they were born with the system. But now that you've created a wristwatch that almost works as a system for everyone—you might be targeted. Be careful."
Ray exhaled softly, then smiled again—though there was steel behind it this time.
"I have personally faced an attack already from a reincarnate. I knew he was greedy for my invention. I almost got killed in that attack."
Ryan slammed his hand against the table, anger surging instantly.
"Who is that?"
Ray smiled at Ryan's reaction, clearly touched yet unfazed.
"You do not need to worry. I will take care of it."
Grace clenched her fists, shaking her head.
"You have done so much for us, Brother Ray. Please let us help you."
Ray sighed, rubbing his temples before nodding.
"Fine!"
His voice dropped slightly.
"It is a man called Jack. He possessed someone and wanted to take over all the inventions of great inventors. He found out that I was the inventor that created the wristwatch, so I had to fight back."
Ray paused after saying that. His fingers tightened briefly, then relaxed, as if he had weighed whether to say more. There was something he chose not to reveal—how that possession had reached far higher than he was willing to admit, how it had brushed against the very throne itself. In the end, Ray left out the part about Jack having possessed the king and nearly taking control of the entire kingdom.
A faint chill crept into the room.
"He threatened me, saying there are other reincarnates in this world like us, and they will avenge him or something."
Ryan and Grace looked at each other, then shook their heads.
"We don't know who Jack is," Ryan admitted, "but we will find out anything related to the person named Jack that is famous."
Ray shook his head slowly.
"There could be thousands of Jacks in this world. Many could be famous."
He thought for a moment.
"Try to find anything related to inventors. Maybe you could ask your people to find it for us from your sects. You might find clues about him."
Ryan nodded, already committing it to memory. He would contact senior students from his academy—and send a message to his mother as well.
Ray's expression turned serious once more.
"Anyway, regarding other computer and crystal vision related things that you mentioned earlier."
He stood up slightly, as if laying out a grand blueprint.
"I will let you create website browsing related to information. If everyone wants to buy items, they will need to select them from their wristwatch system."
His eyes gleamed.
"Anything that can be bought or sold—items, information, anything. We can act as the middleman. It would be like an auction."
He continued calmly, as if stating something obvious, "They can also sell their items or information through us, or we can buy them as well."
He paused, letting it sink in.
"I was planning on making an inventor group, but instead I am planning on making an auction club instead," Ray said calmly. "Since an inventor group already exists, I am changing it to an auction club instead—something that doesn't exist yet. Where everything can be bought and sold."
Ray continued,
"The auction is the club that will cover our inventions that we will make in the back. If we get contribution points and money, we can use that money for other good uses for our invention and creating websites."
His tone softened slightly.
"Slowly, we will allow people to create their own websites for certain payment. We cannot hog all the fun—but I will allow you to create the first few websites."
He looked at them.
"What do you think?"
Ryan and Grace's eyes widened in shock at Ray's ambitious plans. For a moment, they were speechless. Then Ryan broke into a grin and agreed immediately, excitement burning in his eyes.
Ryan asked one last question, and Ray smiled even wider.
"So about the network thing… Can you help us build it in our sects?"