Chapter 226 - 182: Chu Bamboo, Compiler of the Dream World’s Modern Mathematics?

Jinghai City’s Fourth District. Its area exceeded the combined total of the First, Second, and Third Districts.

The electric scooter glided smoothly out of the city gate, revealing vast expanses of cultivated farmland. This was the north gate, hundreds of miles away from the south gate that led to the nuclear facility.

Unlike the primeval forest outside the south gate, the Fourth District beyond the north gate, though far more sparsely populated than the Third District, still had the occasional farmer carrying a hoe, and low-thatched huts could be seen dotting the landscape.

Finally, the sound of voices grew into a clamor.

"We’re here!" Zhang Hai hit the brakes.

...

Chu Bamboo gazed at the gate of the Moisture Teaching, a nostalgic look in his eyes.

The Moisture Teaching headquarters was a world apart from the lavish style of the God Worship Church or the solemnity of the Police Chief Bureau. It was more like a union hall... just a plain, unremarkable concrete building.

Many peasants in dusty gray work clothes were squatting by the roadside, eating their dinner.

These were followers of the Moisture Teaching.

The reason Chu Bamboo called the Moisture Teaching "Brother Tu Mu" wasn’t because its members repaired Ancient Relics. When he first gave them that nickname, he didn’t even know about Transcendents yet.

The main reason for the name was that the followers of the Moisture Teaching specialized in civil engineering.

Building houses, paving roads, and so on... it was all them. These followers were clearly not Transcendents. This meant that in both the Extraordinary and Mortal World, the Moisture Teaching had basically cornered the market on the promising work of pouring cement!

Zhang Hai hoisted the killer wrapped in blood-red silk onto his shoulder and followed behind Chu Bamboo.

"Folks, what’s all this?" a construction worker in a yellow hard hat asked, quickly standing up as he saw them walk through the dilapidated gate. He eyed the person bound in blood-red silk, suspicion in his eyes.

"Well, I..." Wall Announcements opened his mouth, his face a mask of conflict. If he revealed his identity as a disciple of the Mo Family, he could get in directly. But because he’d joined the Police Chief Bureau... and with Zhang Hai right there... he...

"I’m looking for Mo Ban," Chu Bamboo said, his voice flat.

"We have an appointment!" Zhang Hai chimed in. "We made it yesterday. You should have a record of it."

"Is that so? Well, I’ll go check!" The construction worker fiddled with his hard hat.

...

In the main hall of the Mo Family.

Compared to the noisy outer hall, this place was deserted, giving it the lonely feel of a haunted house.

Chu Bamboo’s group waited for about ten minutes before a burly man carrying a large iron Hammer emerged from the inner hall.

He nodded at the group, his gaze flicking past Wall Announcements before finally landing on Zhang Hai. "Host Zhang, it seems you’re already an hour later than the appointed time!"

Zhang Hai’s eyelid twitched. "Traffic, there was traffic... We took the inner ring road through Zone One, so it was unavoidable..."

"Alright! Stop putting on a show." Chu Bamboo slapped the back of the bowing Wall Announcements and glanced sideways at the burly man. "Mo Wen, since you’re Wall Announcements’ master, we can be considered acquaintances. Is there really a need to pick a fight?"

Wall Announcements: "?!"

’Wait, he just sold me out like that?’ Wall Announcements’ eyes bulged. ’Weren’t you supposed to help me keep this a secret?’ He subconsciously glanced at Zhang Hai... only to find Zhang Hai merely shot him a look before turning his attention back to Mo Wen, clearly not paying him much mind.

Wall Announcements: "..."

’Oh no, am I just being self-important?!’

As if sensing his strong reaction, Chu Bamboo belatedly slapped his own forehead. "Lao Zhang, it seems their master-disciple relationship is a secret! Remember to keep it for me. If you don’t... your little secret..."

"..." Zhang Hai nodded stiffly, a deep sense of sorrow and frustration welling up inside him. ’Are they planning to hold that secret over my head for the rest of my life?’

"Hmph! Acquaintances?" Mo Wen just sneered.

He said, "I don’t recall having any acquaintances from the God Worship Sect! Let’s keep this professional. State your business! And don’t give me any nonsense about just dropping by to foster goodwill!"

After a brief silence, Chu Bamboo looked at Zhang Hai again and sighed, "Your God Worship Sect is as universally loathed as ever."

"...It’s only because we’re too strong!" Zhang Hai muttered in defense. "The strong are often misunderstood..."

"Shut your mouth!" Mo Wen snapped, his face dark. He had actually been prepared to handle whatever official business they had, get it over with, and send them packing... but he simply couldn’t stand the Host’s shameless audacity.

He took a few deep breaths, swallowing the curses that had risen to his throat, and ground out, "You’re too strong, so you delay paying public funds? Your repayment speed is the second-slowest among all the teachings... If it weren’t for... I wouldn’t have even let you in the door!"

Chu Bamboo fell silent for a moment, then instantly switched sides, pointing an accusing finger at Zhang Hai, his face filled with disgust. "...You even default on public funds owed to Brother Tu Mu. You people are monsters!"

’No wonder!’

’That explains why the ’Brother Tu Mu’ crowd, a bunch of simple, honest folk, hate the God Worship Sect so much...’

"...Th-that, at least in my Third District! That sort of thing doesn’t happen," Zhang Hai stammered, his neck stiff. He was genuinely innocent. Although he had heard rumors, it wasn’t his doing... In fact, he’d only realized after arriving here just how terrible the God Worship Sect’s reputation was with the Moisture Teaching!

’But... back in the Celestial Capital, it wasn’t like this at all!’

’What in the world has Bishop Hu been doing?!’

"Alright, Mo Wen," Chu Bamboo suddenly turned his head, crossing his legs and studying the burly man with interest. He used to think the man had gotten those muscles from blacksmithing, but now it seemed he was most likely a Body Cultivator. "It’s been three or four years. It seems you don’t recognize me anymore?"

"?" Mo Wen froze for a second, looking at Chu Bamboo in confusion.

"Nine-Nines Multiplication." Chu Bamboo just lightly uttered three words. Mo Wen’s body stiffened. He stared at Chu Bamboo with a mixture of shock and disbelief, made a small gesture as if confirming something, and his pupils dilated. His expression changed drastically, and he snapped to attention, his back ramrod straight. "Could it be! Wait, it’s, it’s, it’s... it’s you?!"

Mo Wen strode over to Chu Bamboo in a few steps, his attitude completely different from before. He was flustered with excitement, as if he’d just met his idol, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

He stammered, "I-i-it really is you... Um, Master, Master has mentioned you many times over the years! But you never came back... I, I’ll go get Master right now! Wait here! Just wait a moment."

Mo Wen turned and left without a second’s hesitation.

"?!" Zhang Hai was completely baffled. Based on his past experiences, he could have understood if Chu Bamboo had dropped a name to pull some strings. But those three words didn’t sound like a name!

And then...

"Nine-Nines Multiplication... what does that have to do with you! Wait, three or four years ago... don’t tell me..." Wall Announcements’ voice was also filled with astonishment. A terrifying thought flashed through his mind, one he didn’t dare believe was true, but he couldn’t think of any other reasonable explanation.

In response, Chu Bamboo just gave a slight nod. Wall Announcements was silent for a long, long time, looking Chu Bamboo up and down as if seeing him for the very first time.

"...What’s with all the riddles, huh? Nine-Nines Multiplication! Wait..." Zhang Hai finally put it together, his expression one of disbelief. "No, I remember Nine-Nines Multiplication. Wasn’t that part of a revolutionary math reform in Jinghai City three years ago? There was a book of arithmetic published then! What does that have to do with you?"

"...You still don’t get it?" Wall Announcements looked at Zhang Hai with disdain. He hadn’t actually had anything against the man before... but since his master had made his stance crystal clear, he was definitely going to follow his master’s lead and despise the guy with a passion!

"The Nine-Nines Multiplication, and indeed the entire book of arithmetic, was the work of young friend Chu Bamboo." A gentle, calm voice suddenly drifted over.

Chu Bamboo looked up to see an old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in simple work clothes and walking barefoot, totter into the room.

He stared at Chu Bamboo, pausing in place for a long moment before a smile finally broke across his face. His voice was full of nostalgia. "It’s been a long time... Mr. Chu!"

"It’s been a long time, Old Mo," Chu Bamboo returned the greeting warmly.

Nine-Nines Multiplication. In the Real World, this was something so simple that almost everyone who had ever gone to school had learned it.

In the eyes of anyone from the Divine Continent in the Real World who studied mathematics, it was practically a prerequisite! It had all but become a part of common sense.

However, this was merely an illusion created by the education system of the Divine Continent!

In reality, even in the Real World, Nine-Nines Multiplication was only prevalent in the region of East Asia.

Naturally, in the original Dream World, mathematics had no such useful tool!

"So, what brings you here this time?" Mo Ban asked with a chuckle, sitting down across from Chu Bamboo.

Mo Wen, along with several disciples of the Mo Family dressed in black fitted uniforms, now stood respectfully behind Mo Ban.

The disciples, besides Mo Wen, looked at Chu Bamboo with a mixture of shock, reverence, and confusion... Shocked that Chu Bamboo was the mysterious author of the arithmetic book, and confused as to why he was so young!

’How old could he have been three years ago?’

If Mo Ban hadn’t personally stated that Chu Bamboo was the author of that book of arithmetic, some of them would have spoken up to question it.

"Can’t I drop by if I don’t have business?" Chu Bamboo raised an eyebrow. Seeing Mo Ban’s face tighten in obvious speechlessness, he quickly added, "I was just wondering how the promotion of the arithmetic book is going!"

’Even though I came here to ask them to forge a weapon for me... I can’t just come right out and say it! Better to build some rapport first.’