Chapter Forty: Priceless

In the comics from the era of ancient civilizations, there was a cartoon pet from the future named Dingdang. Its pouch could always produce a variety of strange items, each impossibly large for the space they seemed to come from. As a child, Dr. Xiao was particularly fond of Dingdang, and it was thanks to this character that he developed a keen interest in spatial science.

“This Dingdang pouch,” Nicole explained, “is your own private space!”

“Even though the spatial pouch appears here, in truth it exists parallel to this world. It never intersects with others, so no one else can see it,” Nicole continued.

Luo Chen was startled. “But why can I see it?”

“Master, because it belongs to me, and now it belongs to you as well. Your brainwaves and thoughts are the key to open and connect with the spatial pouch. The Divine Emperor’s ring you wear is crafted from a very special alloy and serves as the vessel for this space. I’ve lived inside it all this time. The space is perfectly sealed, so energy never escapes. That’s why I, a being of pure energy, have been able to exist in this world for hundreds of years. And you never have to worry about losing anything you store inside!”

Luo Chen’s curiosity was piqued. “That sounds fascinating!”

Nicole smiled. “It’s not just fascinating, Master. This is a truly remarkable invention! Try putting some money inside. Just reach your hand into the translucent container, and imagine dropping something into a box.”

Luo Chen pulled out a copper coin, reached his hand into the transparent vessel, and with a thought, felt his palm suddenly empty—the coin had vanished. Looking inside, he saw the coin floating quietly in the vessel, as if by magic, gone without a trace.

Nicole continued, “Master, try walking a distance and see what happens.”

Luo Chen took a few steps, and saw that the translucent vessel, along with the coin floating inside, moved with him. Eastward, the vessel followed east; westward, it followed west—just like his own shadow.

“Do you see, Master? No matter where you go, you can always retrieve items from the Dingdang pouch, because it is always by your side. Furthermore…” Nicole paused for effect, “Why don’t you try putting a brick inside?”

Luo Chen frowned. “What’s the use of a brick to me?”

“Oh, just try it!” Nicole’s tone was almost coquettish, and Luo Chen couldn’t refuse. Grumbling to himself, he wondered if something strange would happen once the brick was inside. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—could this Dingdang pouch turn stone into gold? With Dr. Gates’s genius and eccentricity, it was not impossible.

Thinking of gold, Luo Chen was suddenly more enthusiastic than ever. He dashed into an empty alley, picked up a brick, and impatiently tossed it into the Dingdang pouch with a thought. To his disappointment, the brick was still a brick, floating in the vessel, unchanged no matter how wide he opened his eyes, as if they were microscopes. There was not the faintest glint of gold.

“Hey, Nicole, it didn’t turn to gold!”

Nicole was a bit dizzy—this greedy master really was obsessed with money. She replied, frustrated, “The doctor never developed a way to alter the molecular structure of objects!”

Luo Chen’s dream of instant wealth was dashed. He sighed. “Then why did you have me try?”

“Master, haven’t you noticed?”

“Noticed what?”

“If you were carrying a brick around, how would you feel?”

Luo Chen thought for a moment, then realized, “It would be heavier!”

Though with his current strength, a brick felt as light as a pebble, there would still be some weight. But now, with the brick inside the vessel, he felt nothing at all. This was truly remarkable.

“Hee hee, that’s right. Objects stored in the alternate space are weightless, no matter how many sandbags you put in, they won’t weigh you down. You can store anything you want—food, for example. Since it’s completely sealed, nothing will spoil for years as long as you don’t constantly open it to let in air.”

Luo Chen was overjoyed. Amazing! This Dingdang pouch was the perfect companion for home, travel, or even for less reputable activities like burglary.

Nicole offered another reminder. “Master, you must remember not to put people or animals inside. Their brainwave emissions could interfere with the spatial password, and the consequences could be unpredictable.”

Luo Chen nodded. “Understood. But how do I retrieve things from inside? Can I just reach in and grab them? The space inside is vast—how do I get to items stored far away?”

He reached into the pouch to grab the brick, but couldn’t get hold of it—clearly, his method was wrong.

Nicole laughed. “That’s not how it works, Master. Just put your hand inside and imagine taking the item you want.”

“Oh, I see!” Luo Chen reached in again, focused his intention on the brick, and with a thought, the brick flew into his hand—it was solid and real this time.

He tossed the brick aside, satisfied. “Very convenient. This will be my piggy bank from now on. Nicole, I’ve read many books about the history of ancient civilizations, but I’ve never come across any mention of the Dingdang pouch.”

“That’s because there is only one in the entire world,” Nicole explained. “The alloy used to create the spatial vessel was extremely rare and expensive, refined from meteoric materials scattered across the globe. The United Nations had to mobilize massive resources and manpower just to gather enough for research. It was the most advanced technology of its time, and until costs could be lowered, it was impossible for public use. After the Great Catastrophe, the project was abandoned, and the technology lost. So this is likely the only one in existence.”

“Oh, I see.” Luo Chen’s ears pricked up at the word “expensive”—it meant money. He casually asked, “Nicole, do you know how much the United Nations spent to acquire the materials?”

“I do. The doctor stored that information in my memory. It was over thirty billion US dollars. In gold, that would have been more than six hundred tons at the prices of the time.”

Six hundred tons of gold?

Luo Chen held his breath. Not six hundred gold coins, nor six hundred pounds, but six hundred tons of gold!

This trinket was worth six hundred tons of gold?

Dear heavens, my delicate heart can't take such a shock!

His heart pounded fiercely—six hundred tons of gold! Forget sleeping on a pile of coins, being buried alive in gold would be more than enough!

Calm down, Luo Chen, stay calm! It’s only six hundred tons of gold!

But even his own reverse-psychology self-hypnosis was useless now. To use the words “only” and “six hundred tons of gold” together made no sense at all.

At that moment, Luo Chen gazed at the trinket in his hand with new eyes. What he saw was no longer a crude ring, uglier than the shoddiest work of a novice blacksmith, but a small mountain of gold, so dazzling its radiance nearly blinded him.