Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
There was blazing sun shining brightly in the summer, there was a warm but hazy orange sun in the winter.
Between the two suns, there was a scene of dark clouds, lightning, and thunder.
There was also a large area where the blue sky and white clouds could not be seen at all. Instead, it consisted of the dark night sky and vast sea of stars.
In the seemingly unreachable but chaotic sky, there was even a large area that was riddled with holes. It was like a beehive. It was as if an invisible giant beast had opened its bloody mouth and gnawed at the sky until it was full of holes.
Through the ugly holes, one could vaguely see the dim metal dome, and even the shattered rock layers.
Meng Chao’s mind raced.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
As expected, although he seemed to be standing in the middle of the wilderness.
The air that he breathed into his lungs was not refreshing at all.
He did not smell the fragrance of flowers and plants.
Nor did he smell the unique smell of Earth when the thunderstorm came.
Instead, he smelled the lingering stench of decay and the faint smell of disinfectant in the air.
Even the blazing summer sun in the sky did not feel hot when it shone on his face and hands.
It was as if everything — the blue sky, the white clouds, the blazing sun, the thunderclouds, the wilderness, the mountains, the city, and the abyss — was not hot at all.
It was as if the paintings hanging on the walls were not real scenery.
“Ah!”
Meng Chao roared toward the horizon.
The sound waves that were supposed to be transmitted to the distance like waves crashed into an invisible barrier and rolled back, it turned into layers of echoes. “AH… ah… ah… ah… ah…”
This was enough to show that the Space Meng Chao was in was not as vast as it looked.
It was not surrounded by real mountains and rivers, and naturally, it was not the real sky above them.
Instead, it was an ice-cold wall. It was the outer shell of the spaceship that had brought the Tulan civilization to this planet.
“What I saw should have been projected onto the outer shell of the spaceship, something like a holographic projection.
“The space in the spaceship was destined to not be too large. Living in such an iron coffin for a long time, floating in the vast sea of stars, from a home that had long been destroyed, to an extremely slim hope — in such an environment and state, the crew members could easily suffer from claustrophobia and go insane.
“If we can install a lot of screens on the inner walls of the cabin, or use holographic projection technology to create the effect of nature, and make people mistakenly think that they are in the vast world, it will greatly comfort the crew’s homesickness.
“It’s the same in Dragon City. I heard that in the cruelest years of the Monster War, two-thirds of the main urban areas were burnt to the ground. Many citizens lived in the residential buildings that had been transformed into fortresses for years. In order to relieve their frustration, fear, and even despair, the windows were transformed into electronic screens, which simulated the effect of a sunny day, the chirping of birds, the fragrance of flowers, and the gurgling of water.
“Since there isn’t much difference between the Turan people and the Earthlings in terms of physiology, everyone’s spiritual needs should be the same.
“However, it has been over 10,000 years since this spaceship crossed into the depths of the outer world’s crust.
“Even if the Turan civilization had advanced technology in the field of materials science, they wouldn’t be able to stop this spaceship from slowly corroding, damaging, and collapsing.
“Thus, the natural scene that should have been surrounding the inner wall of the spaceship became mottled, riddled with holes, and messy.
“Speaking of which, these holographic projections still exist, which means that this spaceship hasn’t completely lost its functions.
“And even though the air here is thin and stuffy, it still barely meets the needs of large carbon-based intelligent life forms to breathe. There aren’t too many toxins and impurities in the air, and Earthlings with body fitness above average don’t even need to carry an oxygen tank and can directly enter this place. As a spaceship that has fallen for 10,000 years and hibernated for 3,000 years, to be able to maintain its internal environment to such an extent is already very impressive.
“All in all, this spaceship, or as the Tulan call it, ‘Falling Star City’, has great value for development.
“However, from another perspective, since the holographic projection has always existed, and the temperature and oxygen content here have always been maintained at a level where carbon-based intelligent life can survive, then there is a high possibility that there is something ‘living’here, just like the totem beast we found on it.”
Meng Chao was silently calculating in his heart.
Suddenly, he heard the shouts of ‘Jackal’kanus coming from somewhere not far away that seemed to be empty.
He was slightly startled. He raised his vigilance and took a few steps forward.
It was as if he had just crashed through the curtain of a movie theater. The holographic projection that he had seen earlier, which was high in the sky, wide in the clouds, and the wind blowing on the grass, had all disappeared. All that was left were thousands of mirage-like afterimages that were still struggling to survive.
Without the cover of the holographic projection, the so-called ‘city of falling stars’had revealed its true colors in front of Meng Chao.
The real ‘city of falling stars’was a metal jungle made of intersecting, winding, and complicated giant tubes.
Even the thinnest tube was thicker than the waist of a barbarian elephant warrior.
The thickest tube could even accommodate an armored airship of Dragon City, and it could run amok inside.
There were also handrails and ladders on the pipe, which allowed people to climb up and down and pass through the gaps between the pipes.
Standing in front of the metal jungle made of endless pipes, Meng Chao felt like a tiny ant that had mistakenly entered the giant’s palace and saw the pillars supporting the palace.
Despite the erosion of ten thousand years, many pipes still seemed to be rumbling. It was as if there were a mysterious giant beast moving at lightning speed inside the pipes that were more than three to five meters in diameter, or even more than ten to twenty meters in diameter..
Meng Chao noticed that the outer walls of almost all the pipes were densely engraved with countless mysterious and complicated runes.
Even through a few sections of twisted and broken pipes, he could see that the inner walls of the pipes were also covered with similar runes.
He inexplicably felt that these runes were somewhat familiar.
As his mind raced, he quickly remembered that he had seen similar runes on the ‘planetary surface short-distance jump device’of the Dragon City Relic Research Institute.
The “Planet surface short-distance jump device”was a by-product of the relic research institute’s “Transmigration Technology Research and development project.”.
The source of its technology was the power that instantly transferred Dragon City from Earth to another world.
“Could it be that the huge system formed by these giant pipes is the legendary ‘Transmigration Engine’that can transform billions of tons of material into astronomical amounts of pure energy, permeate the four-dimensional space through the space ripples, and then recombine to form 100% of the same material — using this method to carry out the almost impossible interstellar travel in the three-dimensional universe?”
Meng Chao couldn’t take his eyes off him as he clicked his tongue in wonder.
It wasn’t until “Jackal”kanus called out to him again not far away that he reluctantly averted his gaze.
His gaze towards the Wolf King was filled with a strong thirst for knowledge and anticipation.
The wolf king frowned and said, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m Waiting for your explanation. What exactly is this place and what are these huge pipes for?”
Meng Chao said, “Also, what exactly are we looking for in the depths of the Sacred Mountain Temple? What should we do next?”
The Wolf King’s face was solemn as he fell into deep thought.
He folded the index and middle fingers of his hands. First, he gently rubbed his temples. Then, he carefully pinched them from the bridge of his nose to the center of his brows. The corners of his eyes kept twitching, as if he had fallen into a distant memory.
In the end, the Wolf King suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes were shining brightly.
“I don’t know,”he said apologetically.
“Are you kidding me?”
Meng Chao was in disbelief. “How can you not know?”
“The sacred mountain temple has been sealed for three thousand years. Before you and I, no one has ever stepped on the top of the sacred mountain. So, how can I know what the inside of the Sacred Mountain Temple is like? And how can we find the huge legacy given by the ancestral spirit?”The Wolf King said calmly.
“But, but –”
Meng Chao was about to go crazy, “You know the fatal weakness of the fusion beast. You know how to follow the cracks in the ground to find the huge hole that leads to the sacred mountain temple. You know how to pass through the magic storm in the huge hole. You even know that when facing the ‘Totem pillar’statue at the entrance of the temple, you have to fight it instead of kneeling down and surrendering. You know so many secrets, which means that you have been here long ago and even opened the entrance of the Sacred Mountain Temple.
“Then, how could you not know the truth about the inner structure of the sacred mountain temple and the ancestral spirit inheritance?”
“Because…”
The wolf king frowned and seemed to be pondering for a long time, not knowing how to explain what had happened to him. In the end, he could only force himself to say.., “Alright, you can take it that I have indeed been here before. However, the last time we came, we only climbed to the top of the Sacred Mountain and met the fusion beast. We found the huge hole that led directly to the sacred mountain temple, analyzed the form of the magic storm, and sacrificed dozens of lives to find a way to pass the test of the totem pillar.
“But at that time, we… lost everything and didn’t enter the Sacred Mountain Temple.”
“Wait, we?”
Meng Chao sensed a secret. “Who is ‘we’?”
“It’s another exploration team.”
The wolf king said, “You know, in order to help Lion King explore the way forward, I have already led people to enter Tulan sacred mountain many times.”
“That’s not right, right?”
Meng Chao stared at the Wolf King and said, “You have indeed gone deep into Holy Mountain Tulan many times, but no matter which time, you have never climbed to the top of the Holy Mountain. Otherwise, the huge war remains on the ancient battlefield are so fragile, your exploration will definitely leave traces behind.
“Also, you have definitely never seen that fusion beast before, otherwise, you wouldn’t be in such a sorry state. It was as if at the last moment, you suddenly remembered its fatal weakness.
“As for passing through the magic storm and cracking the totem pillar, it doesn’t make any sense. If you really led the exploration team and landed at the bottom of the giant hole, on the outer shell of the sacred mountain temple, and even passed the test of the totem pillar, with your ambition, would you just stay outside and not go in and report to the Lion King?
“I really want to believe you, too, but there are so many suspicious points that are simply contradictory.
“If you really want to ‘cooperate sincerely for mutual benefit’, you should at least give me a reasonable explanation. Even if it’s a lie, you should at least make it more logical and more technical, right?”
