Fairy and the others were very interested in visiting the City of Shadows right now, but it was obviously a bit unrealistic. We had to arrange their accommodation first. It seemed that the Void hawkers were not going to leave the City of Shadows in a short time. Phyllis had even begun to ask me about the housing prices in this place.
Obviously, the hawker queen had a much longer plan than I had imagined.
So, Lin Xue and I first arranged hundreds of Phyllis' subordinates to the "visitor area" of the City of Shadows. This was a large area near the Basilica of the World Tree. It was specially used to temporarily accommodate large groups of visitors who came to the City of Shadows for the first time. The area had an environment suitable for the survival of various life forms and supported temporary customized ecological pods. In the middle of this area, there was an "Alien Adaptation Transformation Center". This facility with a very tongue-twisting name was for visitors from another world whose life forms were too special. Often, visitors from another world could not adapt to the ecological environment of the City of Shadows. The ecological environment here was based on Earth. Obviously, not all races could withstand the oxygen-rich atmosphere and an average temperature of 25 ° C. You could not let them wear protective suits or sit in landing pods all day long in the City of Shadows. So, we built this transformation center.
Through a simple and rapid biological reconstruction, the otherworld races could obtain the ability to survive in the City of Shadows. This reconstruction would not change their body structure, nor would it make them feel the slightest discomfort. It would only bestow some adaptive functions to the modified, usually increasing the endurance of the living organism's cells or adding additional material circulation pathways to their bodies. When the modified people decided to leave the City of Shadows and return to their hometown, they could also apply to change back to their original appearance. But generally, no one would apply because the transformation center carried out a broad spectrum of adaptive transformation. This process ensured that the modified life form could adapt to a variety of environments. Unless you had obsessive-compulsive disorder and wanted to change back to your original appearance, most people preferred the new body after the transformation.
This transformation facility was a civilian facility. It could be seen as the most special "medical unit" in the City of Shadows. They were distributed in many places in the city, and the one in the visitor area was just one of them. Those who wandered around the Macro World, such as inspectors and envoys from various worlds, were usually senior clients of the Modification Center. Their bodies had been modified to be as tough as the servant soldiers to ensure that they could carry out missions in any world.
As soon as Phyllis saw this facility, she immediately thought that she had found another opportunity. Pointing at the three connected buildings in front of her, the queen with long black hair asked in high spirits, "Is this free?"
"Of course... What do you want?" I squinted at Phyllis.
"Of course, I want to sharpen my chin and then pull up my eyelids," Phyllis answered without hesitation. She then patted her chest and said, "Well, a D cup is enough for this body. I don't have any other requirements for now."
I almost jumped up and pointed at Phyllis's nose. "This is the Creature Adaptation Transformation Center! It's not a beauty salon! "
"Oh, then there's no need for plastic surgery. You can transform me into Superman. Then, when we go to some planets to do business, we won't have to wear protective suits …"
I was speechless. "So this is your original purpose, right?"
Lin Xue and I left most of Phyllis's subordinates in the visitor area. Phyllis, along with her adjutant and a few of her cronies, followed us around. Fortunately, except for Phyllis, the rest of the Fairy people were quite normal. At least, they cared about things other than doing business, such as exploring the other worlds.
The original intention of the Fairy people when they left their universe was to explore the unknown world. At least, the more normal group of them set out with this purpose. There was nothing more suitable than the Empire's database and the City of Shadows to explore. Several scholars who came with us seized the opportunity to make a request in this regard. They wanted to see the database of the Macro World and asked if there were any libraries and research facilities open to the public.
"Oh, this kind of place is everywhere," I agreed readily. Since the civilian database was open, it could be found anywhere in the City of Shadows. "I will get someone to get each of you a temporary identification card for the capital. You can use the identification card to activate the public data terminal here. If you want to read through everything, the information on it will be enough for you to read for a lifetime." There are other places like libraries and public research facilities, but they are institutions set up by the various races in the Macro World. The similar institutions set up by the Empire do not allow ordinary citizens to enter. They are only open to students of the Imperial Army Academy and employees of the Empire such as inspectors. If you are interested, I will introduce you to the enrollment program of the Imperial Army Academy in the future. "
This answer was enough to satisfy the curious guests. I believed that they could find all the knowledge they wanted here, and they could not learn it all in a lifetime. The City of Shadows was known as the Capital of Worlds, and was also known as the 'Ultimate Temple of Wisdom' by scholars from various worlds. All the knowledge and wisdom of the multiverse were gathered here. The most elite and wisest members of every race were happy to share their knowledge here, and they were also happy to learn the mysteries of other worlds. In the streets and alleys of the city, there were data ports everywhere. They were connected to a civilian database that was established in the New Empire and never existed in the Old Empire. This database stored knowledge from the Macro World and also for the Macro World. From the mysteries of the operation of the stars to the amount of oil people in a certain country in a certain world on a certain planet, almost everything that could be understood and absorbed by intelligent beings was recorded in this database. In the City of Shadows, the brilliant mortal scholars used this database to calculate the ultimate formula of the universe. The busy housewives used the same database to learn how to bake small round cakes without adding water.
If you believed in horoscopes, you could go to the first entry of horoscopes to find out your horoscopes luck. If you believed in science, you could go to the second entry of horoscopes to find out when the horoscopes would perish. If you were a student's parent, you could go to the third entry of horoscopes to find out which student from the Imperial Army Academy designed these crappy space landscapes. The Empire's civilian database was such a magical thing. In order to manage this huge amount of information, the Bubble had even arranged for two mass produced mainframes to serve as the database's servers.
Apart from this database, the City of Shadows also had various museums, public laboratories, libraries, and other facilities. These facilities were basically set up by the elite scholars of each world. Of course, they were all highly developed, had sufficient technological strength and self-confidence, and were among the more senior members of the Empire. They hoped to display the achievements of their civilization, export their culture, and improve their reputation in the macro world or the servant army. Their positioning was roughly similar to the billboards placed by major travel agencies …
"I think the Fairy Empire can also put up a billboard nearby … Err, I mean, build a museum or something," Phyllis said as she was led by us past the 'Ecological Technology Pavilion' opened by the New Eden Federation. She was obviously tempted. "Chen, in your opinion, what level of technology does the Fairy Empire have?"
She sounded a little uncertain when she said this. I knew that she was stimulated by the starting line of the Empire's science and technology. It was as difficult as a slacker asking a top student, "What rank do you think I am in the elite class with my grades?". But after thinking for a while, I gave her a relatively high answer. "As long as you can control the full set of technology for cross-world navigation, you can be classified as an advanced civilization. There are actually not many civilizations in the macro world that have this kind of technology. Maybe only one race in a hundred universes knows how to jump out of the womb. So, you're not bad. If you look at it purely from the perspective of 'cross-world civilization', your technological level is even higher than theirs back then — "
I pointed at the pavilion built by the New Eden Federation and then changed the topic. "But you can't judge a civilization just by its technological standard. Cross-world navigation technology is just a branch of mathematical technology. The specific evaluation of a civilization depends on its culture, history, overall beliefs, and even the level of awareness. If it's a smart race with potential, even if they can't jump out of the world, we will still favor them and even promote them. If it's a stupid race, even if they jump out of the world, we will delete their technology tree every few days and let them evolve again from the Stone Age. "
Phyllis suddenly shrunk her neck and cold sweat came out. "… Actually, you have a good impression of me, don't you?"
I was speechless.
It seemed that this girl also knew that she had no integrity?!
Felicia's adjutant, who had been following the queen in silence the whole time, couldn't help but sigh. "Your Majesty, please be more dignified."
"By the way, where is our spaceship parked?" Phyllis suddenly asked when we were almost out of the Southern District. "If we want to go somewhere else, do we need to apply for an access permit or something?"
I looked at Phyllis in surprise. She had only just remembered to ask such an important question. I was quite curious about what this sister had been thinking about for the past few hours. Could it be that other than making a lot of money, her mind was only filled with Wang Zhi and fermented tofu?!
"Don't look at me like that." Phyllis noticed my gaze and waved her hand nonchalantly. "There are some things that the Queen doesn't need to worry about personally. Military affairs will be handled by military officers, science will be handled by scientists, and culture will be handled by cultural experts. I am only responsible for letting them do their own work. How would I know where my spaceship is parked? Speaking of which, you should be more professional in this area than I am. Your Empire is so big … "
I immediately chuckled dryly. So it turns out that this seemingly unreliable fellow is actually a queen who knows the way of a ruler. It seems that she is even more of an expert than me in the field of rulers. I really thought that she didn't care about anything else other than making a lot of money from her business.
"Spaceships need a permit to enter and leave the capital world. Apart from that, you can directly apply for a civil route. It will be approved in a few seconds. Civil spaceships here are as common as bicycles. But to be honest, you don't have anywhere else to go in this space. Other than the Shadow City, the other places are basically military zones, planetary battleships, and spaceports. If you dare to go there to sell your stones, I guarantee that you will be shot down by the anti-aircraft cannons within three seconds. "
Phyllis shrunk her neck again. She had definitely thought of that!
"By the way, speaking of stones, I intend to buy all the stones on your merchant ship." I changed the topic to the possible treasures hidden in the Fiat's merchant ship. "Remember what I told you before? I'm buying all the goods on your ship."
"What do you want those things for?" Phyllis frowned. "According to my observation, you are so rich that you have almost lost your humanity. Why would you be interested in my three ships of stones … gems?"
"Nonsense. Do you think that I really want the stones? I suspect that you have dug up something that you shouldn't have dug up, "I said angrily. There was no need to keep it a secret anyway." How do you think you were chased by the Fallen Apostles for four quadrants?! There are sensitive materials in your warehouse! Do you know what sensitive materials are? Once the Fallen Apostles caught a whiff of it, they would chase after it to the ends of the void! You bunch of people who value money more than your life! "
Phyllis finally revealed a truly frightened expression. This fellow who values money more than her life actually has times when she is afraid. She grabbed my sleeve and her face turned pale. "You will definitely pay me, right?"
"… You only thought of that?!"
"Yeah, I am most afraid of people going back on their words. Moreover, it seems that the things you mentioned are related to shady deals. These kinds of shady goods are the easiest to go back on their words. It's too scary to go back on your word."
I couldn't remember how many times I had been rendered speechless by this peddler. "You … Can't you think normally for once?"
The aide-de-camp by the side also had a stormy expression. "Your Majesty, please be more dignified!"
Phyllis exhaled and revealed her true expression. She smiled evilly. "I am just trying to liven up the atmosphere. You can take everything on the ship and don't leave anything behind. After hearing what you said, I am a little scared. I was almost killed by those unlucky things. Aide-De-Camp, go and inform the warehouse guards that all the goods have been handed over to the Xiling Empire. Our people won't touch those unlucky things anymore. "
"For free?" I looked at Phyllis as if I had seen an alien. The word "for free" coming out of her mouth was as strange as Liliana announcing that she believed in truth, goodness, and beauty. "I thought you would at least ask me for …"
"Letting go temporarily is for long-term benefits." Phyllis winked slyly. "Making money from you is the stupidest thing to do. The real place to make a lot of money is over there —"
Saying that, she raised her arm wrapped in a black silk glove and pointed in the direction of the Dimensional Hub Square.
"In that square, there are mobile wallets with two legs, four legs, and no legs everywhere. I want to have a good relationship with you, a wallet wholesaler …"
"Your Majesty, please be dignified!"
Then, the Fairy Void Empire's ship of stones was transferred to the Xiling Empire's warehouse.
At noon, we took Phyllis and her adjutant to the Shadow City's Specialty Food Street for a simple meal. Before we parted ways, Phyllis successfully asked me for an unlimited food supply permit that allowed her to eat as she pleased in the Shadow City. Afterwards, I successfully sent away this extremely shameless Queen. Phyllis went to the visitors' area to meet her subordinates and plan her great business. I was ready to go to the headquarters again. Although there was endless work there, I was almost used to this kind of busy life.
"Why don't you go home and rest first?" When we set off for the headquarters, I glanced at Lin Xue who was walking beside me. Although Lin Xue was in a good mood, she was obviously a little tired. She kept yawning along the way. Obviously, it was caused by lack of rest.
In the past few days, as a prophet guarding the Empire, she had consumed a lot of energy. Perhaps even Sandora, who was commanding the front line, did not consume as much energy as she did. In addition, she did not have a good rest last night. Now, Lin Xue was a little listless.
For someone who was close to the level of God, physical fatigue and injuries could be quickly recovered, but the consumption of energy and mental power was a problem. Not to mention that her ability relied on mental power.
"I'm not that weak, okay?" Lin Xue stared at me stubbornly. There was a sudden sense of shyness in the depths of her eyes. Now, she was a bit of a conditioned reflex. As long as she was indirectly reminded of what happened last night, she would accidentally become shy. After softening the hard and prickly skin of this little hedgehog, I faced the real side of Lin Xue. She was very soft and cute, but her venomous tongue did not seem to change much.
I shrugged my shoulders. Lin Xue could be very stubborn sometimes, especially when she was trying to be brave. No one could stop her.
Hand in hand, we slowly walked towards the center of the city, immersed in a tranquil atmosphere that rarely appeared between the two of us. Missy seemed to hesitate for a moment, then she suddenly leaned over and pecked me on the cheek: I was stunned.
I pinched the tip of her nose. Usually, I was the one who took the initiative, but this time, it was this shy fellow who took the initiative. It was quite surprising. "What's wrong?"
"It's fine," Lin Xue giggled foolishly as if what she did just now was unintentional. Then, she turned her head and muttered softly as if she was talking to herself, "Blockhead, let's be together forever, okay?"
"Are you thinking about that nightmare again?"
"I can't control it. I keep thinking about what I saw. Now, I almost don't dare to let you leave my sight. I'm afraid that if I blink, you will really disappear like the prophecy …"
"So that's why you agreed to it last night?" I smiled and pinched Lin Xue's cheek. "Just to confirm my existence? To give yourself a sense of security? "
Lin Xue did not say anything. She only squeezed my fingers tightly, as if she was afraid that there would be a sudden force that would loosen them.
Looks like I really can't put aside that inexplicable mental journey and that unknown voice …
I looked up at the clear sky of Shadow City and made a decision in my heart.
If there's a chance, I'll try … to contact that voice again.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
