Space-Time Inspector

Harry Wilson was highly skeptical about whether Raven 12345 was truly a member of the Stellar Empire's Time-Space Administration Bureau. He simply couldn't believe that a super civilization could be made up of such unreliable individuals. 

Unfortunately, he hadn't yet had the chance to meet other members of the Time-Space Administration Bureau or high-ranking officials from the Stellar Empire. As Raven 12345 had explained, this small, remote place was too insignificant in terms of administrative level, and it was entirely possible that no one had visited for years...

That said, Harry no longer doubted Raven 12345's identity or the authenticity of the super civilization. If nothing else, the massive house located in another dimension and the high-end, sophisticated yet understated and luxurious facilities inside were definitely not something humans could create! For example, the room he was currently in, called the New Employee Enhancement Center, looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

Raven led Harry through the mansion, winding through numerous rooms filled with crystals and strange equipment. Harry, feeling like a country bumpkin, gaped at everything until he was almost convinced the house had no end. Finally, Raven brought him into a hall that stood out starkly from the rest.

The hall was filled with a technological vibe, shaped like a perfect hexagon. Each wall shimmered with a metallic silver sheen, with blue-white light streams pulsing like veins. The ceiling was incredibly high, with glowing crystals floating above, bathing the room in a soft blue light. 

Along the walls, Harry saw many incomprehensible devices that looked like control panels but lacked buttons or levers. Above each "control panel" hovered holographic images, and the only possible control component was a hexagonal crystal plate-completely different from any machinery on Earth.

"This is the Enhancement Center, a miniaturized version," Raven 12345 said, pointing to the equipment with a proud expression. "In the early days, all Examiners had to undergo enhancement and assessment at the Empire's capital, Shadow City. Back then, the Time-Space Administration Bureau wasn't as large, and the Multiverse wasn't as busy, so it was manageable.

 But now, with the increased workload, the assessment, initial training, and enhancement of new Examiners have been delegated to various nodes and even basic worlds. Our place is quite remote, and the nearest Void Node requires several jumps to reach, so I just applied to have this facility set up in my home. I originally wanted to apply for magical equipment, but I'm not great with these tech-side devices... I messed up the application report..."

Harry listened, feeling utterly lost. Raven 12345 had a habit of rambling on without caring if her audience understood. Right now, Harry was completely clueless about the basics of the Time-Space Administration Bureau, and this white-haired sorceress was spouting a bunch of jargon that made no sense to him.

"So, what exactly is this enhancement thing?" Harry finally asked, still maintaining some level of caution. The atmosphere of the place reminded him of those research centers that were always cutting things into slices, and the Stellar Empire still felt like an "alien group" to him (after all, he had been a staunch atheist for over twenty years, and the concept of "gods" was far less understandable than aliens). 

Let's put it this way: an Earthling, dropped into an alien biolab, about to undergo enhancement... If this were a Hollywood movie, there'd be blood splattered all over the screen by now!

Someone who would happily agree to let aliens enhance their body clearly didn't have Harry's level of foresight. Of course, if you wanted to say Harry was just being overly cautious, that was fair too...

"It's just a routine physical adjustment. Don't worry, it won't feel strange or harmful," Raven 12345 said, pushing Harry toward the center of the hall. "Hundreds of new Examiners undergo this every day, and there's never been an accident. Relax! Our standards are always humane... Stand still! I'm bringing up the adjustment pod."

Harry stood nervously in place as Raven pressed a few invisible buttons in the air. The ground beneath him trembled slightly, and a high-tech device slowly rose from a rectangular opening in the floor.

It was a silver-white metal box, over two meters long, roughly rectangular but wider at one end. It was intricately designed, with a lid that had a crystal cross embedded in it...

The lid of the metal box slid open, and Harry grew more and more puzzled. "...Why does this thing look familiar?"

Raven 12345 glared at him. "Impossible! This is the latest model of the Universal Adjustment and Enhancement Pod. It was just unpacked a couple of days ago. Where could you have seen it before?"

Harry thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "I remember now! This damn thing looks like a coffin!"

Raven 12345 smacked Harry on the shoulder. "Did you forget the employee handbook? No swearing in front of your superiors! If you must swear, wait until your superior is done speaking first!"

Harry leaned back, trying to distance himself. "Are you seriously asking me to lie down in this thing? I'm a man of principles, and just the shape of this is creepy enough... Hey, don't push me! I'm not going in! Don't think just because it's silver-plated it's not a coffin! It even has a cross on it, you..."

Raven 12345 effortlessly picked Harry up and tossed him into the "coffin." "Stop being such a baby, man! In you go!"

Harry couldn't resist the crazy white-haired sorceress. After a dizzying moment, he found himself lying inside the large box. At the same time, a transparent barrier extended from the walls of the metal box, completely enclosing him.

Harry resigned himself to his fate, but after waiting for a while, nothing happened. He craned his neck to look around and saw Raven 12345 engrossed in a data terminal. He banged on the walls of the metal box. "What now? What's next?"

Raven 12345 didn't look up. "Stop yelling, I'm looking for the manual... Why do tech-side things have to be so complicated? Where's the damn switch on this thing?"

Harry: "...Screw this! I quit! I'm breaking the contract! I'm out! You're completely unreliable! I..."

"Oh, found it!" Raven 12345 slapped a spot on the side of the "coffin," and Harry's loud protests were abruptly cut off. The last thing he saw was a blinding white light searing through his retinas.

Darkness, cold, endless chaos-space seemed to lose all meaning. Harry felt his soul detach from his body, drifting in an ethereal, indescribable dimension. He tried to find even a hint of familiar sensation, but there was nothing-no sound, no light, no temperature, no touch. His mind was trapped in a tiny bottle, floating alone...

Well, it felt like about ten seconds, and then Harry heard a "click" beside him. He was yanked up by the arm, and his vision gradually returned.

The light and lines in his vision coalesced into a figure-Raven 12345's beautiful face and her signature silver hair. She patted Harry on the shoulder, looking pleased. "All done."

Harry jumped up, realizing he was still standing in the coffin-shaped metal box. He nearly lost his balance and fell but managed to steady himself and carefully stepped onto the ground. "That's it? It felt like just a moment."

"Yep, twelve seconds," Raven 12345 said, waving the data terminal. "Just like the manual says: press the switch, select idiot mode, wait twelve seconds, hear a 'ding,' the red light comes on, the lid pops open, and you take the user out-though you jumped out yourself."

"Is this thing a microwave?!"

Raven 12345 shrugged. "The process is pretty much the same. Idiot-proof devices all work like this."

Harry was stunned by the white-haired sorceress's calmness and shamelessness. He could only console himself: at least there were no accidents, and all his body parts seemed to be intact.

He clenched his fist, wanting to check if the alien enhancement technology was reliable and if he had truly embarked on the path of a white-clad, wind-like master. But when he checked, he was surprised to find-well, that's for the next chapter.