City 0123 didn't occupy a large area, but from afar, one could see an arc-shaped tower hovering in the sky like a giant dragon.
This mega structure directly suppressed the scenery of all the surrounding buildings. The 50th floor of the towering tower was equivalent to the roof of the other mega structures. Layer upon layer, one couldn't see the end of it.
There were many metallic waterways around the giant tower, upon which all kinds of airships were taking off and landing. At the very center was a long vertical waterway that resembled a drop tower. There were no protective devices on either side of the waterway, and there were even rotary-type acceleration mechanisms. There was only one kind of airship that could board this special waterway.
"Aokiji 2-7, the latest super airship model. It costs at least five billion Blue Star Coins to build, and the annual cost is over a hundred million. If the interior is equipped with various offensive and defensive mechanisms, then the price will continue to rise." Li Xiang looked at the super airship in the shape of a tower ship. There was a white mast above its giant airbag, and a pure white sail pulled up. Above it was a blue python sculpture, looking incomparably domineering.
Even an ordinary aristocratic family wouldn't be able to afford such a super airship. At this moment, it was quietly parked on a circular helipad, with white steam spraying out all around it. There was a giant screen flashing on the airbag, and on it was a countdown: 240 hours, 36 minutes, and 15 seconds.
This was the remaining time before the airship took off.
"Every once in a while, the Sky Arena will bring a group of mechanical geniuses to travel through space for a day. The transportation they use is the Aokiji 2-7. If you want to obtain this rare ticket, you must break through to the 50th floor of the Sky Arena before the countdown ends." Zhang Xixi also looked up at the super airship on the helipad and said to him, "What mission did that woman give you?"
"Obtain a ticket to travel through space." Li Xiang took out the mechanism that he had already deciphered and casually manipulated it. A row of gorgeous steam characters suddenly appeared.
Mission Type: Private
Mission Difficulty: A
Mission Details: Obtain a ticket for the "Galactic Voyage" provided by the Sky Arena.
Mission Reward: Complete Winged Chariot blueprint.
Mission Publisher: Ross Maria.
Mission Time Limit: No time limit.
"What a lunatic." Zhang Xixi sighed. It was fortunate that Li Xiang could still face it so calmly.
The Sky Arena was divided into 99 floors, and the 50th floor was the dividing line. Thus, the starship tickets were also given out on this floor. As long as one reached the 50th floor and had not experienced a starship tour before, they would receive a free ticket.
The problem was that who knew how many mechanical enthusiasts't reach the 50th floor in their entire lives.
In the Sky Arena, there would be a qualitative leap every ten floors. Only after reaching the 50th floor would one be recognized by the Wesaix technology company..
"The rules of the Sky Arena should be posted everywhere, so Big Sister Xixi won't accompany you to play. Let me give you a piece of advice: there are a lot of messy people in the machinery industry, so don't mess with them." Zhang Xixi cupped his cheek and kissed him hard, swaying her hips as she returned to the Red Tiger.
Li Xiang shrugged helplessly. He carried his backpack and walked toward the towering white tower alone.
There were some old lighthouses on the outskirts of City 0123. Apart from the central area, which was a super building, the other areas were similar to Seawatch City and Houcheng City. Most of them were places where civilians lived.
It was now the beginning of September. It had been exactly two months since the end of the unified recruitment exam. Those who didn't make it into university would enter the adult education institute set up by the military to learn some basic skills. Four years later, they would enter society and do some basic work. This was also a benefit given by the military to ensure that every social class could have a stable life.
Walking on the streets, one could occasionally see some energetic young people pointing at the Sky Arena and talking excitedly. There were also couples holding hands and praying to the white tower hovering in the air.
Here, one could clearly feel the sense of belonging and pride that ordinary people had toward this special building.
Because of its existence, the annual income from tourism raised the standard of living of the entire city. They were grateful, and they gave enough respect and blessings to every mechanical enthusiast who came for a pilgrimage or challenge.
Li Xiang quickly found out a lot about the Sky Arena in a small restaurant. It wasn't much different from the information Zhang Xixi had given him. To enter the Sky Arena, one had to at least obtain a mechanical apprentice certificate.
Speaking of which, he hadn't obtained a certificate even though he had studied mechanical and steam technology for two months. From the information Old Ghost had given him, there were hundreds of official certificates, from basic to advanced. The most basic one was the mechanical apprentice certificate.
"Eh? Brother, you want to take the mechanical apprentice exam? " The middle-aged owner of the small restaurant was very enthusiastic. As he cleared the table, he pointed out the direction to Zhang Heng. "That triangular building over there is the Civic Center Building. You can get all the basic certificates there. Do you have a citizen card?"
Citizen card? Li Xiang felt around for a while and shook his head regretfully. His citizen card seemed to have been taken away along with everything in his bag on the first day he entered the Polar night.
"That's difficult …" The middle-aged boss sighed. "Our security here is quite strict now. Recently, I heard that a group of people from the 'Mechanic Church' came and caused trouble everywhere. The military has given an order that no one can enter the Civic Center Building without a citizen card."
"Ah, then, brother, are you going to take the mechanical apprentice exam to go to the Sky Arena?"
Li Xiang lowered his head. The one who spoke was a young girl with two ponytails and a maid outfit. She was only about 1.5 meters tall. Her body was slender and thin. Her black hair hung down to her hips. Her cheeks were red as she rubbed the corner of her clothes and asked him embarrassedly.
"Yes, you are?" Li Xiang saw that her face was as red as a ripe apple. He couldn't help but smile. This girl was really shy.
She looked like she had just started high school and was very young.
"Oh, Xiao Ai, it's rude to ask people like that." The middle-aged owner wiped the table clean and hurriedly apologized. "Sorry, brother, this is my daughter. She's in her first year of high school nearby. She's always wanted to go to the Sky Arena since she was young. She always asks about it when she meets a customer. Please don't mind her."
"It's okay. Does Xiao Ai like machines too?" Li Xiang smiled. It was rare to see a girl who liked this kind of technology. Most of them were only willing to enter the industry because they were born with talent. After all, these greasy, dirty and cold things were not popular with girls.
Girls usually liked camouflage, ancient history, and other majors in university. Girls who liked machines were very rare.
"Yes, I like it very much!" Xiao Ai nodded. "Brother, if you want to go to the Sky Arena, Xiao Ai can take you to the Civic Center building."
"Xiao Ai can?" Li Xiang was stunned. He actually had a way to enter the Civic Center building, such as through the Polar night communicator. However, when he heard that Xiao Ai had a way, he couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Haha, brother, if you really don't have any other way, you can ask Xiao Ai to take you there. She's a volunteer in the Civic Center building and can take you to get a citizen card through the staff's private channel. Otherwise, if you go through the regular channel, you'll have to wait at least three days." The middle-aged owner smiled foolishly. He wasn't stupid. When Li Xiang came in to eat and casually took out a high-class communicator, he knew that this young man had a powerful background.
Such a person wouldn't make a move on ordinary people like him. If he could help him, it would be a kind of good karma.
Xiao Ai naturally didn't think as much as her father. She smiled and held Li Xiang's hand. "Brother, I'll take you there. It'll be done quickly."
"Then I'll have to trouble you." Li Xiang nodded slightly and followed her to the Civic Center building. At the same time, he could also ask Xiao Ai about the Sky Arena and City 0123.
Xiao Ai was very shy, but she couldn't stop talking about things related to machinery. The excitement in her eyes was very similar to when he was seriously studying.
The two talked about the city's scenery and the Sky Arena. For locals like Xiao Ai, the Sky Arena, which she had seen since she was young, was naturally the place she yearned for the most. Unfortunately, the threshold to enter was not something ordinary people could reach.
Although the Mechanical Apprentice Certificate was the most basic, it still had a terrifying 50% disqualification rate. Many of her seniors hadn't been able to get it even now.
"By the way, Xiao Ai, what's the Mechanical Church?" Li Xiang asked casually.
Xiao Ai paused for a moment, her body trembling slightly. After a while, she replied in a low voice, "It's a large mechanical organization. I heard from my teacher that their members are all over the seven continents. They believe in the supremacy of machinery and even dismember living people to transform them into robots! It's very scary and fanatical! It's very scary! "
"Transforming living people?" Li Xiang frowned. He had only heard of cases of people who had lost their organs and had no choice but to use machinery to replace them. He had never heard of people actively transforming or forcibly transforming people. It sounded like a fanatical cult.
Xiao Ai nodded and replied in a low voice, "Yes. I heard from the military that a group of fanatics from the 'Church of Machinery' have come here recently. They want to obtain tickets to travel through space. That's why the inspection has been so strict recently."
It seemed like the people from the Mechanical Church had traumatized her quite a bit.
Recalling the chaos in the mechanical circle that Zhang Xixi had specially mentioned, Li Xiang nodded silently and decided not to get involved in such muddy waters. He could be considered Old Ghost's disciple, but he didn't know which faction Old Ghost belonged to. Who knew if he had any conflicts with the people from the Mechanical Church? It was best to keep a low profile before he figured it out.
With that thought in mind, the two of them arrived in front of the triangular building. Xiao Ai led him through the side door, which was a passageway for employees. She seemed to be very familiar with the guard, and after a few casual words, she led Li Xiang in.
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