Chapter 77

Grassily treating the wounds on his body, stopping the bleeding, Zheng Chen stood up and looked into the distance. The tornado outside still existed. After arriving here, no one would believe that it was a natural occurrence; it was clearly related to the Sky City.

That tornado existed specifically to guard this place!

Able to influence the weather and sustain for centuries, one could imagine how advanced the technology here was.

Of course, apart from the technological factors, there was another important factor: the energy issue. The Sky City had been floating for so many years, and there must have been some special energy source supporting it; otherwise, this place wouldn't have remained in a floating state.

"Let's go and check out other places," Zheng Chen said. He had no intention of occupying this place. He had his own things to do. What good would it do to occupy it? How many times could he come back in the future?

"Rei, the little bird likes me again." Xi Ya stretched out her hand and gently waved it, looking with delight at the bird that had landed on her finger.

Rei smiled with a hint of regret. If only Xi Ya could always maintain this stable state.

Noticing the forced smile in Rei's expression, Xi Ya's delighted look faded considerably. She gently lifted her finger, letting the bird fly away, and her tone became somewhat dejected, "Rei... I must have some problem, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't have been hurt, would he?"

"..." Rei opened her mouth slightly, at a loss for words.

"I'm very sorry." Xi Ya lightly tapped her forehead, "I've thought about this before, but I wasn't sure. Now..."

"My mind is full of chaotic, vague memories. I seem to have turned into a monster."

"You're not one now." Zheng Chen, who was walking ahead, stopped, glanced at the speechless Rei, and said to Xi Ya, "Don't overthink it, and don't waste Rei's persistence."

Then they entered the greenhouse garden of the Sky City. Plants grew abundantly, and small animals darted around, curiously examining Zheng Chen and the others. When Zheng Chen looked at them, they quickly ran away. Compared to the unstable Xi Ya, he was even less welcome by these wild animals.

At the center of the greenhouse was a massive tree, its branches piercing through the top of the greenhouse, extending to the outside, covering the top of the Sky City.

Now they were directly facing the resilient life Xi Ya had mentioned. Glancing around, they saw a gardener robot standing motionless next to a tombstone on the ground. This wasn't the one they had encountered; its feet were buried in the grass, and it had been standing there for a long time.

The inscription on the tombstone wasn't in a common language, and Zheng Chen couldn't recognize any of it. Elsewhere, they could see gardener robots lying dormant in the roots of the giant tree, either broken or not activated.

Soon, the sound of footsteps came, and Zheng Chen turned to see the gardener robot they had encountered earlier approaching with a few flowers, which it gently placed on the tombstone next to Zheng Chen.

After doing this, the gardener robot looked at Zheng Chen, turned, and left, continuing its daily repetitive garden maintenance work.

Xi Ya stared at the giant tree, lost in thought.

"... Rest here for a while, don't wander around," Zheng Chen said to Rei, "I'll go check out other places."

Saying this, Zheng Chen walked away. The greenhouse garden was just a small part of the Sky City. Beyond it was the city area where the Laputans once lived. When he arrived, Zheng Chen encountered players scattered around. They greeted him briefly and then hurried off to do their own things.

They had very little information. After arriving here, they could only treat this place as a ruin to explore and excavate.

If they were lucky, they might find the control center of the Sky City; if not, they would have to settle for other rewards.

Shaking his head lightly, Zheng Chen thought the players' chances of obtaining the Sky City were slim... at least for now!

He had met Hilda when he first arrived on this continent and was deeply impressed by the flying stone with a mosquito net around her neck. During a brief chat while resting in the mine, Zheng Chen deduced from her words that the item was a crucial core object.

The position of the Sky City wasn't fixed. Compared to where he first encountered it, it had already shifted. If more time passed, it would be difficult to find it by heading in one direction.

The Laputans who had left here wouldn't have left without a way to return. To come back, the most important thing was to find the Sky City's location.

Moreover... since this was a technological marvel of the ancient Laputans, how could it be easily controlled by outsiders?

If things went as expected, not only Chen Kai but also those who came later would leave disappointed. Occupying an uncontrollable Sky City wasn't very meaningful. They couldn't come here every time and cross that tornado.

It was safe but troublesome.

Zheng Chen wouldn't feel regret about this place. He only saw it as a beautiful place to admire. After seeing it, he would leave, taking away an impression without leaving anything behind.

Moreover... it seemed better that no one was here.

On his way, Zheng Chen saw various special small animals in the city. These animals had long replaced the Laputans and lived here. After seeing everything worth seeing, Zheng Chen returned to the greenhouse garden.

Unexpectedly, Xi Ya was resting against the giant tree. She rarely slept. On one hand, her monster-like constitution allowed her to avoid the need for rest, and on the other, she always had nightmares when she slept!

It was better for her to daydream than to sleep. Now, she was actually asleep, and from her peaceful face, it seemed she wasn't having nightmares and was sleeping very soundly.

"You're back?"

Seeing Zheng Chen return, Rei, who was sitting next to Xi Ya and gently stroking her hair, quickly stood up, looking somewhat uneasy. Previously, Xi Ya's sleep wasn't a good thing; nightmares could easily trigger her to go berserk.

Nodding, Zheng Chen walked to Xi Ya's side, half-squatting and responding.

"Xi Ya is sleeping very soundly this time." Worried that Zheng Chen might wake Xi Ya, Rei quickly explained.

"I understand." Standing up, Zheng Chen reached out and gently touched the trunk of the giant tree. Even though it had pierced through the top of the greenhouse, the climate here hadn't changed. The giant tree was like a new protective umbrella.

Sitting here, one could feel the tranquility of nature, making the mind relax. Even Zheng Chen felt a rare sense of ease, which he quickly suppressed.

The experience was enough; feeling too much could lead to addiction...

Just wanting to forget troubles and have a good sleep here?

His gaze moved from the giant tree back to Xi Ya. Shaking his head, he thought she was a pitiful woman.

After about half a day, Chen Kai and the others returned from their exploration. They could be said to have left empty-handed but returned with a full load. The players were all excited, but Chen Kai was somewhat dissatisfied. They had found many treasure rooms in the middle layer of the Sky City, and the treasures inside were so valuable that they could be described as rivaling a nation's wealth.

Just the treasures they had brought out were enough to make this expedition more than worthwhile, but it wasn't enough. Treasure was important, but if they could control the Sky City, would the treasures run away?

After piling up the treasures they had brought out, the players noticed the sleeping Xi Ya and the indifferent Zheng Chen, and the noise died down. Zheng Chen's presence was quite intimidating.

"Hey, is there anything you like?"

Feeling the atmosphere was a bit stiff, Chen Kai stepped forward and said to Zheng Chen in a low voice, "Take whatever you want; there's plenty here."

He was right. Otherwise, the players wouldn't have used the brick-throwing method to stack the treasures.

Zheng Chen picked up a small golden statue and walked to the side. It was always good to carry some money. Due to the distribution of patterns, this small amount of gold was enough; carrying more would be a burden.

"When are we leaving?" Zheng Chen asked.

"Uh, we might have to wait a bit longer," Chen Kai said hesitantly. Finding these treasures was their biggest gain during this exploration. Even after half a day of exploration, they had only reached the middle layer of the Sky City. The lower layers were inaccessible, and they had found a suspected entrance but were powerless to open it.

A sharp-eyed member had discovered the entrance.

The control center of the Sky City was most likely in the lower layers, which was why he was so troubled. They had found a treasure mountain but were blocked outside. What was the point of that?

"Then hurry up; the wind outside has weakened."

Zheng Chen said, and Chen Kai was slightly taken aback, immediately sending two members to check the situation. As Zheng Chen said, the tornado surrounding the Sky City seemed to have weakened significantly.

"... Do we have to leave so soon?" Chen Kai looked even more troubled. When they found the suspected entrance to the lower layers, he had discussed with Wang Xiaohu. It might require a special key to enter, and the most likely person to have the key was the girl named Hilda!

The emblem on the suspected entrance matched the one on the gem she carried, making it hard not to connect the dots.

"Regardless, let's take the treasures first!"

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