"Teacher, don't be anxious."
Lin Xia suppressed a smile as he stood up to reassure him.
"The Soul Guidance Telephone isn't anything strange. It's simply a compact Soul Guidance Device developed by our association for long-distance, real-time communication."
Lou Gao calmed down slightly, but the confusion in his golden eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
"And just how far can this 'Soul Guidance Telephone' communicate?"
Lin Xia smiled faintly, his tone filled with confidence.
"In theory, as long as you're somewhere within the signal coverage on the Douluo Continent, you can communicate instantly."
"The entire continent?!"
Lou Gao sucked in a sharp breath. He had barely sat down before half of him sprang back to his feet, his molten-gold pupils contracting violently.
That range had already far exceeded the limits of his imagination!
"That's right."
Lin Xia nodded affirmatively. At the same time, the storage Soul Guidance Device on his wrist flashed with a faint glow.
The next moment, two palm-sized, exquisitely crafted objects appeared in his hands.
Lou Gao's attention was immediately drawn to them.
They were two flat, rectangular devices forged from deep dark gold, with smooth, rounded edges and a finely brushed metallic finish that reflected an understated yet luxurious sheen beneath the lights. Their fronts were covered by a flawless sheet of obsidian crystal, crystal-clear and as profound as the night sky.
Beneath the crystal was a row of tiny Soul Guidance buttons that glimmered with different colored lights, along with two circular grille-like sections, each about the size of a fingernail and made from a peculiar material.
The back of one device was clearly engraved with the Blacksmith Association's anvil-and-gear emblem. At the center of the emblem was a tiny grain-sized crystal that emitted a gentle starlike glow, symbolizing Lin Xia's status as the City Lord.
The back of the other device was much simpler, bearing only the association's emblem.
"So this is the 'Soul Guidance Telephone'?"
Lou Gao leaned in close. As though examining a priceless piece of divine metal, he carefully extended a finger and gently touched the cool dark-gold casing and the smooth obsidian crystal screen. It felt cold and solid.
"This crystal, what's it for? And what are these little glowing squares? I don't see any sound-transmission Soul Guidance array engravings. How do you use it? Do you just shout into it?"
He lowered his voice experimentally toward one of the circular grilles.
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"
He looked exactly like a child who had just received a new toy but couldn't figure out where the switch was.
Seeing this, Siyu nearly burst into laughter.
Even Lin Xia was amused by his teacher's "country bumpkin" behavior and quickly explained,"Teacher, that's not how you use it. This obsidian crystal is the display screen, used to show information and the image of the person you're communicating with. These small buttons are the function keys. As for speaking."
He pointed at the circular grille.
"When you talk, your voice is naturally picked up. There's no need to deliberately shout into it."
"An image?!"
Lou Gao's voice shot up another octave, his eyes widening until they were perfectly round.
"You can actually see someone from thousands of miles away?! How is that even possible?! That's even more outrageous than some Soul Skills!"
He felt as though his entire worldview had just been struck by another heavy hammer.
"The principle relies on Soul Power resonance crystals to establish an ultra-long-distance connection through energy fluctuations. The encrypted Soul Power signals are then transmitted through a specialized Soul Guidance network before being reconstructed and projected as light images on the receiving end."
Lin Xia did his best to explain it in terms his teacher could understand.
"The detailed technology is extremely complicated. It involves new-generation Soul Guidance circuits, signal amplification and stabilization arrays, as well as miniature light projection cores. Another day, I'll have Senior brother Siyu take you to the Communications Research Institute for a detailed tour. For now, let me demonstrate how it works."
As he spoke, Lin Xia picked up the Soul Guidance Telephone with the tiny starlight crystal embedded in its back.
His slender finger gently pressed a nearly invisible recessed button on its side.
Instantly, the previously mirror-like obsidian crystal screen lit up!
A soft white radiance spread across the display like flowing mercury, illuminating the entire screen.
A gentle white radiance spread across the screen like flowing mercury. Clear, elegant icons appeared, a gear overlaid with sound waves representing communication and beneath them, a line of small text displayed the current time and date.
As the screen illuminated, the tiny starlight crystal embedded in the back also lit up with a faint but steady glow, highlighting its extraordinary nature.
Lou Gao's eyes widened. His mouth hung slightly open as the miraculous display was reflected in his molten gold pupils.
Lin Xia gently swiped his finger across the screen, causing the icons to shift accordingly. Finally, he tapped the icon labeled "Association Central Control Room."
Then he pressed the green call icon on the screen.
Beep... Beep...
Several short, crisp electronic tones rang out from the Soul Tool phone.
Only three or four seconds later, the obsidian screen, which had been displaying "Calling...", suddenly changed.
The soft glow stabilized, and a clear, bright image like a miniature mirror appeared in the center of the screen.
The image revealed a brightly lit control room filled with futuristic technology.
In front of rows of Soul Tool displays flashing with lights of various colors sat a middle-aged man wearing the Association's standard work uniform and a pair of glasses. He was intently studying the streams of data before him.
The moment Lin Xia's call connected, a notification sound caught his attention. He immediately turned toward the source, his face instantly filling with respect and nervousness.
"Ci... City Lord!"
A perfectly clear voice, without the slightest delay, came from the image. Even his breathing could faintly be heard. It belonged to the middle-aged man.
"This is Zhang Xuan, the duty steward of the Central Control Room! What are your instructions, City Lord?"
His voice echoed clearly throughout the living room through the Soul Tool phone's speaker.
Lou Gao: "!!!"
The Divine Blacksmith was completely petrified.
With his own eyes, he had just witnessed a metal box no larger than a palm instantly connect to a control room several floors below or perhaps in another part of the building.
Not only was the sound as clear as if the person were standing right in front of him, but he could also clearly see the man's expression, movements, and even the details of the control consoles behind him.
This was simply unbelievable!
Although Si Long and the others were already accustomed to it, every time they witnessed this real-time communication across space, admiration still appeared in their eyes.
Lin Xia smiled faintly at the duty steward on the screen.
"Steward Zhang, there's no need to be nervous. I'm simply demonstrating the functions of the Soul Tool phone to Chairman Lou Gao. Please report the current operating parameters of the Association's Core Energy Furnace."
"Yes, City Lord!"
The obvious tension on Zhang Xuan's face eased. He immediately straightened his back and began his report in a clear, steady voice.
"Reporting to the City Lord and Chairman Lou Gao! Core Furnace No. 1 is maintaining its standard operating temperature. Soul Power output is at 78%, and energy reserves stand at 92%. Core Furnace No. 2 is on standby and operating normally..."
Lin Xia listened quietly. Throughout the report, Zhang Xuan occasionally glanced subconsciously in Lou Gao's direction.
After the report was finished, Lin Xia spoke warmly.
"Very good. Thank you for your hard work. Continue your duties."
"Yes, City Lord! Chairman Lou Gao!"
Zhang Xuan respectfully bowed. The projection then disappeared, and the screen returned to its standby interface.
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