The Dawn Plan meeting... cough, the Blue Star World Conference concluded successfully.
The vast majority of countries began preparing for the construction of base cities. Whichever side could complete migration, resettlement, construction, and other tasks earlier would have the opportunity to activate the Dawn Lighthouse sooner and establish a true Dawn base city.
Thus, everyone was putting in their best effort.
"But my Everbright Stone is out of stock!"
"Madam Snake, Dean Jian Hua, as well as White Tower, Scorching Flame Great Oasis, and others, are too slow."
Preparation takes time.
Creating an avatar takes time.
Landing and traversing takes time.
Going back and forth, it takes at least a few days. This time, though seemingly short, is enough for Blue Star to establish a Dawn base city. He, Blue Star, has no time to waste.
Fang You tilted his head back, gazing at the gloomy sky in the distance.
The erosion continued to intensify, and Blue Star's barrier was constantly cracking, with more and more fissures appearing.
"Other countries can't wait, but... why am I any different?"
"Although I've contacted many great oases, it's still not enough... Perhaps I need to find a way to open another line myself, instead of passively waiting for envoys from the oases to arrive?"
He wanted to take the initiative, but that required delving deeper into the Anomalous Realm, entering the dangerous depths where he might encounter entities of the seventh, eighth, or ninth tiers.
Could An Jianyou's evolved Nether Eye avoid the notice of the evil gods' subordinates during a 'deep dive'?
He believed it was highly probable.
Mythology also had many limitations, and the Anomalous Realm was not the exclusive playground of the evil god faction. As long as he avoided the 'entrances' where shallow and deep layers intersected—those few or dozen spots—and bypassed the surveillance of high-level existences, the possibility was quite high.
However,
Even if this "quite high" probability was 80%, 90%, or 95%, if he made a mistake and was discovered by the evil god faction, then several high-level existences might descend and surround them.
There would be no chance for regret.
This was what Fang You was worried about.
Even if he had to go deeper, he would need life-saving treasures and more intelligence regarding the high-level existences of the evil god faction.
Going in circles, he returned to the known great oases.
These oases were too slow!
...
...
The shallow layer of the Anomalous Realm was geographically located in a certain area within the current Water Marsh Base City.
The gray mist was sparse, and rarely did aberrant evils intrude into this 'paradise.' Although this 'paradise' showed little greenery, a plain high tower built of black stone stood there.
It seemed unchanged for ten thousand years.
From within the high tower, a figure clad in a black cloak emerged. The hood was pulled up, concealing her flawless face in the shadows. Only a hint of silvery hair and a pair of silver boots beneath the cloak were visible.
"Preparations are almost complete~!"
"This way, I can finally enter Blue Star and personally taste all those delicious foods. This is too wonderful~!"
She murmured, but with a hint of worry.
Had Blue Star, during this time, become a land of disaster and famine, making it impossible to taste those delicacies anymore?
"It must be due to the influence of that day's mythological descent. Although I don't know why that terrifying being stopped halfway through its descent, the erosion of Blue Star has been intensifying ever since that day, and it quickly entered the phase of the Tide of Gray Mist."
Originally, according to her estimation, the Tide of Gray Mist was still a long way off.
But now, it had arrived at least a year early. If not for this, she wouldn't have been able to truly enter Blue Star.
That world, Blue Star, must be riddled with holes by now.
Perhaps...
Buildings were reduced to ruins, flames raged upon them, and monstrous, roaring creatures pounced on the tiny humans.
Disaster and despair, like the dark clouds and gray mist that shrouded the sky, and the scattered corpses and limbs, permeated the entire world.
These were worlds she had visited before, worlds being devoured, gradually sinking, and reaching their end.
The scenery of the worlds might differ, but the disaster and despair were strikingly consistent.
Facing a world gradually descending into the abyss, individual strength seemed utterly insignificant. All one could do was save a very small number of people, and only temporarily. Having seen too much, Yi Yueluoxi began to learn to be indifferent.
Because she was powerless.
"However, when An Jianyou came a while ago, she also brought a large batch of food for trade. Since they can still produce food, it means Blue Star hasn't fallen into utter misery... right?"
She thought.
No matter how much she thought, it was just speculation.
Yi Yueluoxi shook her head, collected her thoughts, and then extended her hand. A silver imprint appeared on her palm. The imprint seemed to be connected to the black stone tower. The tower emanated a silver glow and vibrated with a humming sound.
The next moment, the stone tower lifted from the ground... no, it rose into the air, gradually shrinking mid-air, like a bundled silver scroll, and fell into Yi Yueluoxi's hand.
She held it like that.
One by one, silver runes emerged from the ground around her, as if they were already etched there, connecting to form a strange ritual array that faintly resonated with the silver scroll in Yi Yueluoxi's hand.
Ten seconds.
Thirty seconds.
Sixty seconds.
The silver runes flared brightly. The next moment, Yi Yueluoxi felt as if she was falling from a great height. When she regained her senses, she was already standing on the ground.
She had arrived on Blue Star.
...
This was not Yi Yueluoxi's first time descending, she was very familiar with it and knew what the first step was—vigilance!
If she was unlucky and landed in the middle of aberrant evils upon arrival, she could die.
Her muscles tensed, and her mental power diffused outwards, stirring an invisible wind.
She suddenly froze.
Before her lay streaks of golden sunlight, shining directly down. White clouds drifted in the sky, beautiful and peaceful, and a blazing sun hung high above.
Such a scene...
"This is the kind of sight you get before the Tide of Gray Mist descends, when the world hasn't been eroded much."
She had actually never seen it before.
When she entered outer-world dimensions, the worlds were already severely eroded, with disaster everywhere and the sky completely dark. She had only seen landscapes from before the apocalypse in paintings, comparing them to the scenery of the Black Stone Alliance's oasis and imagining them.
Standing on the sun-drenched land, Yi Yueluoxi was somewhat bewildered.
She doubted herself several times.
"An illusion? Did I go to the wrong place?"
None of this was possible.
She also saw the dark line at the edge of the horizon, beyond the azure sky, a line woven from dark clouds and gray mist.
That kind of environment was familiar to her, but, but...
As she stared blankly at the horizon, passersby also turned to look, with a slight hint of surprise.
Of course, their surprise was minimal. Dressed in a cloak and hood was not particularly strange nowadays; some aberrant evil hunters favored such attire, and even more eccentric outfits were not uncommon.
It was just that this hunter girl looked a bit silly?
Ah, dealing with monsters like aberrant evils every day could indeed lead to mental instability over time. Hunters, like investigators, were admirable people.
Yi Yueluoxi was unaware of the passersby's thoughts. She simply inquired about some basic information from the people around her.
After receiving pairs of increasingly pitying gazes, Yi Yueluoxi was shocked.
"This is unreasonable!"
"And not mysterious!"
"Blue Star has actually torn through the shroud of the Tide of Gray Mist?!"
This shocked Yi Yueluoxi for ten thousand years.
Dazed, she walked through the city streets, passing through the surging traffic.
Shouts and car horns could be heard incessantly.
She had never seen such a scene. In their Black Stone Oasis, it was far less lively. As she walked, Yi Yueluoxi was mesmerized.
"What exactly happened on Blue Star?"
"Why are there no aberrant evils here?"
"Why can the sunlight penetrate the dark clouds?"
She had a hundred thousand questions in her heart, but couldn't figure out a single one.
While conflicted, Yi Yueluoxi's nose twitched, smelling an alluring aroma. Instinctively, she turned and walked towards a barbecue shop.
She couldn't move her feet.
Her original intention was to continue observing the city, to see its landscape and inquire about what had happened before, but her legs were a little disobedient. It must be that she was too tired.
Following the choice of her legs, Yi Yueluoxi walked into the barbecue shop.
She glanced at the menu above, smelled the aroma wafting from around her, and couldn't help but swallow. She then began to order food familiarly.
That's right, she was very proficient, ordering a large pile of dishes as if she were a regular customer.
When the food was served, the grilled meat, Yi Yueluoxi devoured it like a storm.
The only thing limiting her was her speed of eating grilled meat.
Empty plates piled up. After more than an hour, Yi Yueluoxi patted her flat stomach, estimating she had eaten about fifty percent full. It was definitely not enough, but she had important matters to attend to on Blue Star. She couldn't just indulge in eating.
Well, it had nothing to do with saving some space to try other Blue Star delicacies.
But when she was about to pay, Yi Yueluoxi froze.
"Donghuang Country... currency?"
Seeing the waiter's gaze change, it seemed to say: "Another freeloader?"
She, Yi Yueluoxi, the seventh Tower Master of the Black Stone Alliance, a super young commander-level awakened one, how could she possibly eat for free? She couldn't afford to lose face like that!
But she didn't have that currency called Huangyuan, nor the other item, a device called a mobile phone, which could be used to pay with a 'drip.'
All she had was...
"Uh, well, can I pay with these?"
She took out a few shiny anomalous crystals, paused for a moment, and then took out more than a dozen.
To compensate for her inability to produce Huangyuan.
However, the 'waiter' was not buying it. Shiny anomalous crystals, in the eyes of ordinary Blue Star people, were just ordinary glass crystals, worth very little.
Who would have thought that this pretty young lady was a freeloader.
"Wait, then... then what about these?"
Seeing this, Yi Yueluoxi took out gold and silver jewelry from her storage anomalous artifact.
This was some of her personal belongings she had brought when she went out, and it was quite valuable in some worlds.
After taking out a handful, she looked at the waiter expectantly.
The server was also stunned.
His gaze fell upon this pile of gold and silver jewelry, and his face became blank.
Boss, I can't handle this situation.
As the server called for his boss, and Yi Yueluoxi's toes curled up in embarrassment, a figure walked into the barbecue shop and glanced sideways.
The person wore a beige top, a short skirt, and black stockings.
Her dark, lustrous hair fell to her shoulders, and her large eyes seemed to hold a deep divine light.
The moment Yi Yueluoxi saw this figure, her eyes lit up, as if she had seen a savior. But just as she was about to call out, she suddenly stopped.
She suddenly remembered that even if it was a savior, wouldn't she be completely embarrassed in front of an acquaintance?
As she debated whether to call out or hide her head, An Jianyou was already walking towards them.
"She's my friend. She forgot her phone when she went out."
"Yes, yes, I'll pay."
An Jianyou didn't even glance at the prices above. She skillfully took out her phone, scanned the code, and paid.
Then, she pulled the blushing, speechless Yi Yueluoxi away from the barbecue shop.
They arrived at...
A beverage shop.
Yi Yueluoxi, whose face had been red all the way, felt a little less embarrassed. She opened her mouth, but her words got stuck. After a long while, she managed to blurt out, "...The barbecue on your Blue Star is really delicious."
After saying that, she couldn't help but cover her face.
An Jianyou chuckled, "Just eating barbecue will get monotonous. Let's try something else. Whatever you want to eat today, I'll cover it all."
The wealthy An spared no expense.
She never cared much for money. Let alone money, she had never paid much attention to contribution points within the organization, as they weren't difficult to earn.
According to her mentor, if she could use food to win over Yi Yueluoxi and gain even a slight advantage in future business negotiations, it would be a huge profit.
Yes, she naturally hadn't just run into her by chance. The Water Marsh Base City was so vast; how easy could it be to run into someone? The probability was too low.
She had only rushed over after receiving a tip.
Otherwise, if Yi Yueluoxi had come into conflict with the shop owner, she would have been worried.
She still hoped that Yi Yueluoxi would always be an important customer of the Torch.
From morning to noon, then to afternoon, and finally to evening, Yi Yueluoxi's eyes curved into crescents. She patted her smooth abdomen, which had also become slightly rounded.
Can't eat anymore today.
"Cough~ I didn't expect you on Blue Star to build such a large city and gather all the survivors. Impressive."
Although she couldn't understand it, she had long learned not to dwell on problems she couldn't figure out, converting all the 'whys' in her heart into appetite.
She was full.
"This time, besides buying delicious food, I also want to purchase some ordinary grain, in large quantities."
Those Blue Star delicacies, when truly calculated, were not large in quantity. It would be too wasteful to eat them to fill up.
She sent a small portion to other high-ranking officials of the Black Stone Alliance to try, and most of it she sold through a merchant guild to the distant Falling Star City. The process involved middlemen taking a cut, but she still earned a considerable amount.
She wanted to continue this business. With small amounts accumulating, her wealth would eventually catch up to that of the veteran powerhouses.
Purchasing large quantities of ordinary grain was for her own Black Stone Alliance.
The Black Stone Alliance had only been established for over sixty years. Although its strength was not weak, with her grandmother and the second Tower Master both being Sixth-Awakened Throne powerhouses, they were at the pinnacle of the mortal realm.
However, compared to other great oases like Jian Hua City and White Tower, the Black Stone Alliance's foundation was somewhat lacking.
This was specifically reflected in grain production, living standards, types of rituals, and mysterious facilities, among other aspects.
Upon hearing Yi Yueluoxi's words, An Jianyou pondered for a moment.
"The previous food business can continue. However, if it's large-scale ordinary grain... This Water Marsh Base City has a population of two to three hundred million. Our own food pressure is very high. Ordinary grain... at most, we can sell you a batch, considering we are close partners."
"At most one batch. Long-term trade is not possible now."
"Two, two to three hundred million?!"
Yi Yueluoxi's focus shifted elsewhere.
Her mouth parted slightly.
No wonder she felt there were quite a few people when she was exploring today, but she hadn't expected there to be so many. Their Black Stone Alliance only had about three million people. Here on Blue Star... the population was a hundred times theirs!
This grain transaction was settled between An Jianyou and Yi Yueluoxi as they conversed.
Yi Yueluoxi was disappointed that long-term trade was not possible, but she knew she couldn't force it.
At this moment, An Jianyou spoke again,
"We also want to conduct some transactions involving high-level mysterious materials."
"High-level mysterious materials? What do you want? What kind of materials, or what category, or what special abilities? You can tell me, and I'll give you some advice."
After all, she was a commander-level powerhouse.
Although she was young, her strength and vision far surpassed that of the rookies on Blue Star.
She was super powerful~!
However, she didn't receive An Jianyou's description, only a picture.
The golden strange stone was irregular, yet it gave a sense of neatness and flawlessness. It had various patterns, and brilliant golden light emanated from it, illuminating its surroundings.
That light seemed eternal.
"This is... Everbright Stone!"
She actually recognized it?
An Jianyou was also a little surprised.
They were very familiar with each other and had traded many times with great satisfaction. Thinking of this, An Jianyou got straight to the point. "Do you have this kind of Everbright Stone there?"
Yi Yueluoxi glanced at An Jianyou, then at the photo.
"This is a legendary material!"
It wasn't a question of whether they had it, but why were they seeking a legendary material?
Was her knowledge too limited, or had times changed too quickly?
Yi Yueluoxi couldn't understand.
An Jianyou took small sips through a straw. "In short, if you have it and the price is reasonable, then we want to buy it. Don't worry about us not being able to afford it."
Yi Yueluoxi pondered.
"This kind of legendary treasure is not something that can be bought with ordinary food."
"Of course."
An Jianyou also waved her hand, wearing a ring on it.
A storage ring.
Seeing this in Yi Yueluoxi's eyes, she suddenly remembered that Blue Star not only had excellent delicacies but was also very wealthy. The first time they met, she had seen two high-level anomalous artifacts.
The actual number was clearly more than that.
High-level anomalous artifacts correspond to epic-level items and are epic treasures that can last for decades, or even centuries.
In terms of grade, they were naturally far inferior to legendary ones.
However, the value of an item, besides its grade, also depended on its type and function. A practical legendary anomalous artifact, which could serve as the foundation of a great oasis, would be worth several times, even ten times, the value of legendary materials.
Coincidentally, the Black Stone Alliance had Everbright Stone.
Yi Yueluoxi had seen it in her grandmother's high tower, and it had always been preserved... The reason it was always preserved was precisely because it couldn't be used, or rather, wasn't useful or needed.
She didn't even care about the ice cream in front of her. After pondering for a moment, she said,
"What kind of trade items can you offer? If it's high-grade anomalous artifacts or anomalous items, depending on their functional value, you would need at least four or five pieces, and more if it's ten or twenty pieces to exchange."
"You should also know that some anomalous items with impractical abilities and large side effects are actually only worth the equivalent of a fourth-tier epic material."
She explained a lot, treating it as free information for An Jianyou.
If that 'Everbright Stone' could be sold at a suitable price, well, grandmother would be very happy.
After rambling on, Yi Yueluoxi propped her chin on her hand and looked at An Jianyou, expecting her to back down, or perhaps, to scrounge up enough to buy the Everbright Stone.
She didn't know.
However, she saw An Jianyou take out another picture from her storage ring.
It was a photograph of some kind of fruit.
The fruit was greenish, with twisted spiral patterns on it, and looked very strange, yet it seemed to have... a mysterious attraction?
But what surprised Yi Yueluoxi was that she couldn't recognize what this strange fruit was.
"This is...?"
"This is a Longevity Fruit."
An Jianyou smiled lightly and said to Yi Yueluoxi word by word, "Its function is to repair physical damage and restore youthfulness. Specifically, it can extend... life by sixty years."
Her hand had fallen unconsciously, and her entire chin landed on the ice cream cup, covering her face with white, viscous substance, yet Yi Yueluoxi remained unaware.
She just stared intently at An Jianyou.
"Sixty years, is that true?"
--Interlude--
Two chapters combined, please vote~