6kv Chapter 118 Yaoyan City
Chapter 118 Yaoyan City
Chapter 118 Yaoyan City
Flame Shield stepped forward, mimicking the syllables he had heard before, and responded with a few words in a low voice, while gesturing with his hands to indicate the meanings of distant places, wandering, fighting, and seeking a place to rest.
At the opportune moment, Rolin released a disguised energy fluctuation with mutated characteristics.
The guard frowned, then looked at the three men's simple weapons and travel-worn appearance, seemingly accepting the explanation that they were wandering warriors from afar.
He pointed to a small hut next to him with some kind of charred animal hide sign, and said a few syllables, roughly meaning "Go there to register, pay the city entry fee, and get a temporary residence permit."
Flame Shield nodded, indicating that he understood.
The guard waved, indicating that they could pass.
There is no danger!
The three felt a slight sense of relief and followed the guard's directions to the small house.
An older native sat at the entrance of the hut, his soul fire glowing a dark yellow, holding a stone slab engraved with runes and several rough metal pieces in his hands.
He looked up at the three of them, asked in a slower, clearer tone, and pointed to several patterns on the stone slab, which appeared to be symbols of different animals or minerals.
This is a request for entry fees or proof of identity.
Rolin quickly recalled the odds and ends he had found on the leader during their ambush. From the dimensional pouch disguised as a leather bag at his waist, he took out a few pieces of dark red energy ore of average quality, common in this world, and a small, relatively intact piece of carapace he had obtained from a lava scorpion, placing them on the stone platform in front of the old native.
The old man looked at it, seemed fairly satisfied, and nodded.
He made a few marks on the stone slab, then took out three rough black metal pieces engraved with simple flame patterns and numbers, handed them to the three men, pointed to the city, and said a few syllables, roughly meaning something like "This is temporary residence, no trouble allowed, periodic renewal fee required."
I took the metal plate; it was warm to the touch and carried a faint energy fluctuation of identity verification.
The three nodded their thanks again, then stepped into this otherworldly lava city.
The streets are lined with low but sturdy stone houses, housing shops for various purposes:
The blacksmith's shop jingled and sold crude weapons and tools.
The butcher shop had charred chunks of meat from an unknown animal hanging on the walls.
The general store displayed ores, crystals, animal hides, bone artifacts, and other items.
The natives on the road hurried along, and occasionally a small squad of soldiers wearing metal armor and with burning soul flames would patrol by.
The air was filled with a rugged, fiery, yet orderly atmosphere.
The level of civilization here is clearly far lower than that of the wizarding society in the material world, but it already possesses complete urban functions, social division of labor, and rudimentary rules.
"Let's find a place to stay first and observe the situation."
"Flame Shield said in a low voice."
Following the flow of people, the three found a stone house that looked like it offered simple accommodations in a secluded area near the edge of the city wall.
In exchange for a few small pieces of ore, I rented a small room with three stone beds.
The room was extremely simple, with only a stone bed and a stone table, but at least it provided a temporary base.
After closing the door and setting up simple soundproofing and warning talismans, the three of them finally relaxed.
"The first step was a success."
Nightingale took off her hood and rubbed her temples.
"But the situation here is more complicated than expected."
"This civilization has city-states, armies, and administrative systems."
"It's very difficult for us to conduct an in-depth investigation and even contact high-level officials to obtain information about the stellar core embers."
"Take your time." Luo Lin sat on the stone couch and began to organize the various data he had recorded since entering the city.
Energy distribution in building structures, average energy levels of residents, patterns of social activities, collection of language syllables, etc.
"We need to figure out the city's operating rules first, and understand their power structure and resource flow."
"If the stellar core embers exist, they will either be kept as sacred objects or treasures by the higher-ups, or they will be strictly controlled as special minerals."
"We need to find relevant clues."
"We can split up and act separately."
Flame Shield made the suggestion.
"I went to the blacksmith shops and the area near the military camp to learn about their forging skills and military strength."
"Nightingale, go to the markets and places where information circulates, and gather news and rumors."
"Luo Lin, you're in charge of recording and analyzing the overall energy environment. See if there's anything unusual."
With the plan set, the three rested briefly before splitting up again to begin their infiltration and investigation in this lava city.
The Ashes Squad's otherworldly infiltration operation has officially entered its second phase.
In this burning land, they will not only face the challenges of the environment and the threat of enemies, but also have to carefully deal with a completely unfamiliar intelligent civilization.
Every step requires caution, and every discovery could affect the final outcome of the mission.
Inside the stone house in the lava city, time slipped away amidst tension and anticipation.
Luo Lin sat cross-legged on the cold stone bed, but his mind was unusually active.
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The "Otherworldly Echo Containment Unit" acts like a sophisticated receiver, continuously capturing and analyzing energy fluctuations emanating from various parts of the city.
These fluctuations are chaotic and varied:
The residential area has a stable but weak source of life.
The periodic bursts of heat and the vibrations of metal forging in the blacksmith's shop.
A unified and solemn energy resonance emanated from the direction of the military camp.
The tall buildings in the city center emanated a deep and powerful pulse, like a heartbeat.
There are also subtle ripples of energy flowing through the streets, representing transactions, conversations, and work.
Lorin compared this information with the energy maps of the cities in the prime material world that he had recorded, attempting to understand the unique energy sociology of this otherworldly civilization.
He discovered that the energy distribution here was more concentrated and hierarchical.
The energy radiation range of powerful individuals is very wide, while the energy of ordinary residents is like fireflies, clinging to those powerful light sources.
A strong pulse in the city center likely indicates the ruling class or important buildings.
At the same time, he also paid attention to the special fluctuations that might be related to the description of the star core embers, extremely stable and restrained energy with a sense of stellar order.
Not yet discovered.
Flame Shield returned before nightfall.
He disguised himself as a wandering warrior interested in forging and spent a long time observing the area outside several blacksmith shops.
"Their forging techniques are primitive, but very practical."
Yan Dun reported to the leader in a low voice.
"It mainly relies on the world's natural high temperature and unique fire energy."
"The furnace uses geothermal vein guiding technology, which is somewhat similar to the Ash Ring stronghold we destroyed, but it's more rudimentary."
"The metal is mainly iron and some kind of dark red alloy, mixed with a large amount of local minerals. It has good hardness, but average toughness. The enchantment level is almost zero. At most, a few simple fire amplification runes can be engraved on the weapon."
"Weapons and equipment were standardized, mainly consisting of spears, battle axes, and machetes, while armor consisted of thick leather armor inlaid with metal plates or simple plate armor."
"The equipment of ordinary soldiers is similar to what we captured, but the weapons and armor of officers and elite troops are obviously better, with higher metal purity and more complex runes."
"I saw a small squad of soldiers guarding the palace; their armor even had simple energy flow patterns that could provide weak overall protection."
"The class distinctions here are very clear."
"The blacksmiths in the blacksmith shop have a high status, and those who can stably control the flames in the furnace are especially respected."
"The military has a lot of power and patrols frequently."
"I've learned that this city is called Yaoyan City, a major mining and military stronghold on the western border of the Molten Empire."
"The ruler is a Forge Lord who is directly under the command of the Fire Court at the heart of the Empire."
The nightingale returned a little later.
Using her disguised pale blue mutated soulfire and taciturn demeanor, she lingered around the market and several noisy stone houses resembling taverns.
"Language learning is progressing slowly, but by combining gestures and observation, I can understand some basic meanings."
The nightingale speaks very quickly.
"Trade here is mainly based on barter, and also uses a metal coin that is uniformly minted by the empire and contains a trace of fire element."
"The most valuable goods are high-quality energy ores, rare crystals, powerful fire-type beast materials, and—slaves."
"Slaves?" Rolin and Flame Shield frowned simultaneously.