While watching him being confused was great, I still had to explain how some of these machines worked.
The problem was that I did not know where to start, so I waited for him to ask a question so I could get the ball rolling.
Elder Xei did exactly that and asked me while pointing at the steam engine and generator, "Then how do those things function?"
This made me smile as I responded, "Which one would you like me to explain first, the steam engine or the generator? I recommend the steam engine first, though."
The Elder looked calm even after seeing my smile and said, "Then let's start with the steam engine first."
"Alright then. The first thing we have to go over is how steam is generated and how it works in an enclosed space." I then started my explanation by going over the principles of how the steam engine works and then how it could be converted into an electric generator through various methods. This then led me to explain how the generator next to it was made using one such method.
While explaining that, I got a message from the system.
[New information was given and relayed to the administrator for the V1 update!]
With that message sitting there, taunting me and causing me to get somewhat distracted before Lou Xia tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to jump.
Turning around, I saw her laughing her head off as I brought my tail in front of me and started to smooth it out from its bristled state.
While I was doing this, Lou Xia calmed down and asked me, "You seemed pretty distracted at the end there. What was that about?"
Since I had already told them about the system, I did not need to keep it a secret, so I explained, "The System sent me a message about the version one update."
The Elder looked a little confused after hearing that and asked, "Why would that have distracted you so much?"
"Because most things like the system are not released in their pre-version one state, combined with the fact that I could be considered one of its creators, it is quite a shock to me and something I have been anticipating. Especially with the tease it just gave me." I expressed with a bit of anticipation, which was apparent from my twitching tail and ears.
The Elder seemed surprised by my words, expressing his admiration of the system, and asked probingly, "Well, with all that said, it seems that this system has quit the potential on its own. So, would you like to come back to the sect with us to get tested and see if you can become a cultivator?"
That made me laugh slightly, causing the Elder to get confused, to which I stated, "I already know that I can become a cultivator, so I don't need to be tested to see if I can and don't think about trying to take the system either. I helped make it, so I know the countermeasures in place for its use,"
Unlike what I thought, the Elder did not have much of a reaction to that besides his complexion losing some color as he quickly said, "I wasn't going to try and take the system as that might end up angering the goddess behind you, but if you wouldn't mind humoring me. What are the safeguards?"
That question made me grin as I slowly explained, "The first safety measure is that the system is split into two different parts, The hardware, and the software, and it can't run without both. The second is that the system confirms the identity of the person based on their soul signature. The third and last measure is that for system start-up, the system must first confirm with the goddess for authentication. Also, whenever the system leaves a person, even if temporarily, the system gets completely wiped and needs to be booted and go through the authentication process again."
The Elder seemed to be slightly impressed by that and gave some more words of admiration before stating, "That is indeed a good set of safety measures. Now, you still haven't given me an answer on whether you want to go to the sect with me or not."
That last part made my smile disappear as I had slightly forgotten about that, so I quickly clarified, "Sure, I'll go to the sect with you. I just need to pack up first."
With that said, I moved over to the house and held out my hand, willing it to enter my inventory.
Instead of just disappearing as I thought would happen, the whole building started to disassemble itself before taking it and everything inside it into my inventory.
Standing there, I was momentarily shocked that it didn't do what I thought it would before getting over it and placing the water pump and heater in my inventory as well.
Jumping over the creek, I place the Machines I built into my inventory, followed by the benches and even the small starter shack I built, leaving only the cistern and waste tanks behind.
With the clearing now decidedly empty, I walk back to the group before remembering something important. Looking at the bird sitting next to the group, I thought of how we would be leaving and opened up the tech tree to look for a parachute.
Eventually, I found it and began unlocking it by first getting the combustion engine, followed by aviation, and then the parachute/glider tech itself. Now, with the tech in hand, I open the crafting menu to try to have one built only for the system to reject the craft with a shake of the screen.
This was the first time the system rejected me from crafting something, and looking at the requirements showed me the reason.
"Do any of you have a spare backpack I could use?" I asked while rubbing the back of my neck markedly as I felt my tail drop and my ears flatten towards the top of my head.
Lou Xia was an angel, though, as she flicked her hand, causing a backpack to appear in it while handing it over, saying, "Here, I have one you could use."
For some reason, I felt my face heat up as I timidly took it from her hands and immediately used it to craft a parachute, causing it to disappear.
Lou Xia looked shocked when the backpack disappeared and asked with a slightly raised voice, causing me to flinch, "What did you do with it?"
I once more felt that strange timidness crawl up my spine, although now that I was paying attention to it, it felt muted as well, before explaining, "I used it to craft a parachute."
Zhuan Jiahao was the one who asked this time, shocking me a little as I forgot he was there again, "What is that used for?"
I still felt that timidness from earlier trying to stop me, but it was almost like it was being forcefully removed as I explained to him, "A parachute is used as a safety measure when flying on or in something in case you were to fall or otherwise find yourself plummeting towards the ground with no way to continue flying."
Zhuan Jiahao looked confused when I said this and asked with his head tilted to the side, "Why don't you just use your Qi or rely on your body cultivation?"
I could not hold back from looking at him like he was an idiot as I curtly said, "I'm still a mortal, remember?"
"Oh..." was his only response.
Soon, the parachute was ready, and I put it on, ready to leave this place.
Seeing that I was ready, the Elder and the two disciples jumped onto the back of the eagle, leaving me on the ground looking up at them.
Looking back at me, the Elder said impatiently, "Hurry up; we don't have all day."
After he said that, Lou Xia turned into an angel once more as she looked at the Elder and said, "Elder, mortals can't jump this high."
At the reminder, the Elder had the decency to look embarrassed before waving his hands as I felt myself lift off the ground before landing on the back of the eagle.
With me on board, the Elder made a signal, and the eagle took to the skies, soaring in a particular direction.
The ride itself was fairly calm, but that was not to last as, after a couple of hours of flying at this pace, the Elder urged the eagle to go faster.
The eagle was trying to ignore the Elder's constant urging until he brought out a whip from his spatial storage. Once this happened, the eagle jolted and instantly sped up, leaving me in a cartoonish situation where I was left floating in the air for a second before plummeting toward the ground once gravity remembered I existed, like I was some sort of Wile E. Coyote look alike.
Now that I was in the middle of my impromptu skydive, I flattened myself out to increase drag as I looked at the surface of the planet to see roughly where I should land.
Spotting a village not that far off from me, I closed my arm and legs, making my drag much smaller, and angled myself towards the town.
As I was falling, I saw some kids looking up and pointing at me before rushing off to tell their parents or someone about what they saw.
Getting closer to the ground, I estimated the distance and then opened the chute.
Pulling the cord, I heard the rustling of cloth and the tugging on my backpack that slowed my fall down to manageable levels.
The specific type of parachute I made didn't let me control my fall, so I would hit the ground wherever the winds took me, but at least it was better than going splat against the ground as I was not that similar to Wile E. Coyote.
After all, I am a fox, and he is a coyote.
Then, about a hundred feet off the ground, a strong gust of wind blew me toward the center of the village, and soon, I landed in front of a larger courtyard house with two separate courtyards and my parachute falling over me, covering my world in a sheet of white.
Attempting to get out from under the parachute, I heard the door to the courtyard open as the parachute blew itself off me and pulled me to the side, knocking me off my feet.
Learning my lesson from that, I took off the backpack and willed the parachute to be stored in my inventory.
Once that entire thing was gone, I looked up at the person who had exited the courtyard.
In front of me was a woman with sharp facial features, blazing red hair, and a balanced figure that made her age indistinguishable. She was wearing a robe like that of the Elder Xei and the two Disciples, but hers was violet, and she had a sword strapped to her waist.
"Mind telling me what you are doing here and why you fell from the sky, young lady? Or do I need to kill you for invading forbidden land?" The unknown woman asked as she placed her hand on her sword like she was about to draw it.
This made everything in my mind scream danger as I felt the same strange fluctuations that appeared when the elements helped me, but this time, it was coming from the woman instead.