15. Distinctive Logic of This New World [Modern Warship in a Cultivation World]

“I think having a meeting right after lunch is a bad idea, personally,” Pax said, punctuating his point with a massive yawn as he slumped into his chair in the meeting room. Everyone who had previously gathered to discuss their situation was present, save for Jessica.

“I will keep that in mind next time when we are not stranded in another world, Pax,” Imogen jabbed, her tone dry but lacking genuine heat. She then shifted her attention, giving the floor to Officer Nolan. “Officer Nolan has something important to share with all of us.”

“The boy, Lu Mingfe, has finally shared some information with us, though he still seems to be very guarded,” Officer Nolan began, as diagrams and unfamiliar concepts were projected onto the screen.

“Ah… Officer Nolan, where is Jessica?” Pax interrupted, noticing her absence.

“Since the boy won’t leave her alone, and given that we still desperately need to build trust with him to extract crucial information, she decided to stay back with him at the sickbay,” Officer Nolan explained. He quickly added a reassurance, knowing Pax’s protective nature over her. “Don’t worry, the medical division and Lieutenant Sarah are there with her, keeping a close eye out for any suspicious movements.”

“I don’t feel great about that arrangement,” Pax stated, folding his arms with a grunt. “I’m getting her from there the second we finish this briefing.”

“Now, from what the boy told us,” Officer Nolan began, bringing up the first diagram on the screen. “The extraordinary superhuman strength and agility he showed is a product of something the natives call Xiu Zhen.” He paused, ensuring everyone absorbed the foreign term. “That translates roughly to Cultivation: a systematic process in which they refine, store, and use an energy called Qi in their bodies.”

“So that was what the slight glow and weird energy was?” Imogen asked, referring to the security footage they had reviewed.

Officer Nolan nodded. “Yes. According to Lu Mingfe, Cultivation is a fundamental part of martial arts training here. The extraordinary abilities, enhanced speed, strength, durability, are inherent products of this practice.”

Nolan continued as the shaky footage of the battlefield played on the screen, showing distant humanoid shapes flying through the sky. “According to him, and as we have witnessed from a distance, high-level cultivators can fly, shoot tangible Qi attacks like fireballs, invisible spears, and other forms of controlled energy.”

“A Distinctive Logic of this world?” Pax commented, his voice flat with disbelief. “It’s practically akin to magic.”

A heavy silence descended upon the room for a full minute as they processed the information. They were not just in a foreign world; they were in a world where forces akin to "magic" were a demonstrable, tactical reality.

“There is a structured hierarchy of cultivator ranks,” Officer Nolan said, breaking the silence, “but Lu Mingfe didn’t divulge the specifics to me. He is being cautious.”

Nolan explained the difficult truth: “Frankly, I think he believes we are one of his enemies acting like complete idiots, unaware of common knowledge, to try and siphon real military information from him.”

That was a highly reasonable assumption. In this world, knowledge of Qi and Cultivation was clearly common sense. The Event Horizon crew's genuine ignorance was, to Lu Mingfe, hardly believable, leading him to conclude they were somehow trying to con him. 

“The only way we are getting any more out of him is if he knows the truth... that we are from another world,” Officer William interjected, cutting straight to the core of the problem. “Keeping him in the dark long enough for him to come to his own conclusions is simply not a viable strategy.”

He reiterated the logical necessity: “Right now, even after witnessing our battle, Lu Mingfe might believe this is an elaborate plan to trap him. The moment we reveal the true, genuine extent of our ignorance, it will confirm our ‘alien’ status. That may be the only concept believable enough to explain why a military vessel can kill his world’s creatures with ‘fireworks’ yet not understand the simple concept of Qi.”

“I agree,” Imogen added, her gaze sweeping the room. “If we are to find the information we need, and if we are to find a way to locate the Anomaly to get back home again, we might have to tell him the truth of how we ended up here.”

A tense silence returned to the room as everyone weighed the risk of revealing their desperation to a hostile native.

Pax finally broke the silence, his reporter’s instinct sensing the high-stakes narrative potential. “I agree. We also know he is some sort of a messenger carrying crucial information, so he is justified in being so careful. Only by revealing our extraordinary circumstances will he open up to the idea of sharing basic information with us about this world.”

The senior officers had reached a dangerous consensus: they had to trade their secret, the truth of their origin for the fundamental knowledge they needed to survive.

_______

Jessica led the way into the ship’s bustling kitchen, her recorder held discreetly aloft. Lu Mingfe followed like a silent, curious shadow, his eyes wide as he took in the industrial stainless-steel galley. The three seamen on duty, their name tags labeling them as Carter, O’Malley, and Jenkins. looked up from their mugs and cleaning duties.

“Alright, gentlemen,” Jessica began, her voice soft but professional. “Just your thoughts on everything that’s happened. Anything at all.”

“I’ll tell you what’s weirdest,” Carter declared immediately. “The plumbing. The water pressure’s the same! You’d think in a world with three moons, the toilets would flush with, I dunno, rainbow light or something.”

O’Malley scoffed, scrubbing a pot with unnecessary vigor. “That’s what you’re stuck on? The plumbing? What about the fact that our guest here,” he gestured with a soapy thumb at Lu Mingfe, who watched the gesture with polite, confused interest, “can apparently bench-press a truck with broken ribs? That’s the headline!”

Lu Mingfe, noticing he was the obvious subject of discussion, offered a small, tentative smile and a slight, bewildered bow of his head.

Jenkins chimed in from behind a stack of canned goods. “It’s the food chain I’m worried about. If the little fishies here are basically organic torpedoes, what’s at the top? A kraken that spits lightning? We’re sailing in deepsea documentary nightmare.”

Seeing Lu Mingfe’s eyes linger on the large, humming refrigerator, Carter noticed the interest and immediately tried to bridge the language barrier. “It’s a… cold box,” he said slowly, miming shivering. “For food.”

Lu Mingfe’s eyes lit up with understanding, and he nodded enthusiastically, pointing at the fridge and then giving a thumbs-up, a universal sign he seemed to have just instantly learned.

“See? He gets the important stuff!” Carter exclaimed, completely misinterpreting the gesture. “He agrees about the plumbing!”

“He does not!” O’Malley retorted, flexing a bicep at Lu Mingfe. “He’s clearly agreeing with me about the super-strength! Right, mate?”

Lu Mingfe, looking back and forth between the two arguing seamen, simply offered another polite, bewildered smile.

“You’re both idiots,” Jenkins sighed, slamming a can onto a shelf. “The real question is, if this is an isekai, who’s the harem protagonist? It’s definitely not the Captain, too busy. Is it you, Jessica?”

Jessica laughed, shaking her head as her recorder captured every word of the absurd, deeply grounding debate. Amidst the cosmic dread and the terrifying reality of Cultivation, the crew’s ability to argue past their completely mystified guest was, in its own way, the most reassuring thing she’d documented all day. Lu Mingfe watched the exchange, a small, confused smile playing on his lips, clearly trying to piece together the logic of these very strange, very loud people who seemed to be having three different arguments at once.