The group from Jianhua City quietly entered the base city.
Under the recommendation of Meidisha, they visited several areas, experiencing the local customs and culture of Shuize City. By the end of the day, Dean Rose, Dean Zhange, and the others had all gained something.
"People on Blue Star have a lot of artistic talent. Many clothing designs are innovative and interesting, quite good."
Dean Rose emerged from a clothing store, having changed her attire.
A black, one-piece long dress outlined the Dean's nearly perfect figure. Although she was aging, to onlookers, the Dean was in her prime, like a ripe peach, a beauty worthy of obsessive admiration.
The burly Dean Zhange carried shopping bags, his eyes occasionally glancing sideways.
This Dean had also changed into Blue Star-style clothing, a casual outfit. He wasn't picky about clothes, and the reason he bought and changed into them was at Dean Rose's suggestion.
--This way, they could better blend into the city and wouldn't seem out of place.
--This would also help them study and investigate Blue Star's customs, the situation of Awakened individuals, and so on. Dean Rose had even assigned Meidisha and the other three students to each write an evaluation report.
Their evaluation of Blue Star was crucial for the next stage of cooperation.
After all, to cooperate deeply and invest more, besides sufficient world potential, they needed to investigate and understand all aspects, such as the world's modus operandi, detailed information about its leaders, and so forth.
Many things couldn't be understood in a short time.
However, based on their current observations, Dean Rose's evaluation of Blue Star was very positive.
Dean Zhange agreed.
"The music on Blue Star is also very beautiful. Some of the melodies made my blood boil and stirred my emotions, even giving me some inspiration."
The core inheritance of Zhange Academy was related to music.
Their commonly used mysterious weapons were "war drums." The academy mainly recruited and trained young boys and girls who had awakened sound-type abilities. Only they could utilize their core inheritance knowledge and better align with the inheritance ritual during their awakening, thus achieving a higher success rate.
Sword, Zhange, and Rose were the mainstream factions of Jianhua City.
There were naturally many other Awakened individuals outside these mainstream factions, but very few had the ability to awaken to higher levels—fourth awakening or above.
Zhange Academy's inheritance involved the deep development and application of sound-type awakened abilities.
When using war songs to empower teammates, the amplification effects could vary depending on the chosen melody. The strength of the amplification depended not only on the Awakened individual themselves but also significantly on the war song.
Upon initial understanding, the burly Dean had discovered some treasures that could be used as "Soul War Songs." Of course, it wasn't enough for a song to be shocking and rousing to be usable. Integrating it into their combat system still required significant time and effort to modify it to fit their own inheritance techniques.
"In times of peace, Blue Star's music industry was also very prosperous. It's a pity that now, Blue Star has entered an apocalyptic era, although..."
Dean Zhange gazed around.
Being able to shop, eat and drink, and enjoy massages and other services, at first glance, truly didn't seem like an apocalyptic era.
This was also the root of their favorable impression of Blue Star.
Cooperating with a world that was orderly and protected its ordinary people was much better than cooperating with a world that was primarily focused on plunder and advocated for the law of the jungle.
However, favorable impressions were one thing, and interests were another.
The Blue Star world indeed seemed full of potential for deeper cooperation, but the extent of that cooperation would depend on what conditions Blue Star could offer to entice them.
Dean Rose looked at Meidisha and said, "This time, you will still be the one to negotiate with Blue Star. Report any progress immediately."
Meidisha and the other three quickly departed.
The two Deans continued to explore Blue Star's customs and culture.
As Deans of Jianhua City and top-tier experts at the sixth awakening level, they possessed their pride. Therefore, negotiating with a new world like Blue Star was sufficient for Meidisha and the others to handle. They would merely oversee things from behind the scenes with a little control.
In reality, if Blue Star's act of tearing through the gray fog hadn't been so astonishing, if Meidisha hadn't strongly advocated for it, and if they hadn't been idle and curious, the two Deans wouldn't have personally descended.
Even if they had descended, they would never have shown themselves.
They were the reputation of Jianhua City.
"However, Blue Star's living standards are good. Coming here is not a loss. Moreover, to engage in deeper cooperation, we need to make decisions and conduct detailed investigations of Blue Star."
Dean Zhange sighed, "It's just that, there are probably no other Throne-level powerhouses like us who are so leisurely— no, so seriously conducting investigations in a new world."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed a subtle change in Rose's eyes. Her gaze was warily fixed on a figure walking gracefully not far away.
Her waist was slender, her figure alluring, and in some aspects, she surpassed Rose by a notch.
No wonder Rose's expression was so tense. Had she encountered a rival?
Just as Dean Zhange thought this, he saw the alluring figure turn and look at them. Subtly, he detected a threat from this person.
A not insignificant threat!
Was this a top-tier native expert of Blue Star? No, that's not right!
As the thought arose, Dean Zhange dismissed it. He noticed that this alluring woman had similarities to them—an awkwardness, a slight incongruity with the city and the world.
This was a powerful individual from the world of anomalies.
And not someone at the fourth realm of non-human, but a higher level, a top-tier expert who, like them, had used some means to arrive on Blue Star.
"Madam Snake?"
Dean Rose tentatively asked.
The alluring woman smiled gently, not denying it. "So it's Dean Rose of Jianhua City. And this one must be... Dean Rose's attendant, I presume."
Dean Zhange: "???"
But he was not someone who would be swayed by a few words. Let alone being mistaken for Rose's attendant, he wouldn't frown even if mistaken for Rose's dog.
A man wouldn't fail to distinguish the occasion.
"Vixen, don't try to sow discord!"
Dean Rose raised an eyebrow slightly. "I didn't expect Madam Snake to come to Blue Star herself, and without anyone to command by your side. Oh dear, how pitiful~"
The two six-awakening Throne-level experts began a verbal spar filled with veiled barbs.
Dean Zhange could only stand by innocently, like a bodyguard.
He couldn't interject, after all.
However, this was on the street of Blue Star, with people coming and going. It hadn't escalated to a full-blown confrontation. Perhaps because there were two of them, Madam Snake left behind a string of "hehehe....." laughter, then turned and departed.
Dean Rose immediately regained her composure.
Back in the Jianhua·Blue Star World temporary residence—a presidential suite—Dean Rose rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
"That bitch Madam Snake has also personally come here, and if I'm not mistaken, she's using a non-human body."
The descending avatars they used, 'dolls,' were at most comparable to non-human combat power. That was the advertised description, but in reality, they were at the bottom rung of the non-human level. Even with their own experience and skills, they couldn't significantly improve them due to the limitations of the dolls themselves.
Furthermore, doll avatars were like water without a source; the more intense the battle, the faster they would wear down, becoming weaker as they fought.
"Legend has it that the Myriad Snakes possesses a unique bloodline possession secret technique. Madam Snake has likely possessed a fourth-awakening non-human descendant of hers to descend to Blue Star."
"She is inherently a true non-human, and with her compatibility with Madam Snake, she can exert immense power. Even if this child Meidisha is already at the fourth awakening, she is far from a match."
"Even with the six of us combined, our victory rate might not be high."
Dean Rose's brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed.
After all, this was Blue Star.
Madam Snake's actions were unpredictable, but since she was here, she wouldn't easily clash with them.
Dean Zhange said at this moment, "Is there a possibility that Blue Star is being supported by the Myriad Snakes?"
The Myriad Snakes had always been mysterious, seemingly not large in scale, yet possessing many powerful individuals.
Dean Rose shook her head. "Blue Star's methods for maintaining dawn are not something the Myriad Snakes could possess. If anything, it would be more likely that Fallen Star City is supporting it."
"But firstly, maintaining the dawn zone is meaningless. Secondly, if Fallen Star City were supporting it, their envoy would certainly be present on Blue Star, and they wouldn't be so low-key."
Complete support and nurturing would mean cultivating their own proxy forces.
They wouldn't allow people from the Oases like them to interfere in cooperation.
They would undoubtedly consider Blue Star their territory.
But that wasn't the case.
Perhaps, as Meidisha had said, no Oasis was supporting it, but Blue Star had stumbled upon its own opportunity.
"Is Madam Snake here for that reason?"
"According to Meidisha, Blue Star also has several non-human experts. Madam Snake might not have an easy time if she makes a move."
"However, Madam Snake is not a reckless person. It's more likely that her objective is the same as ours—to cooperate with Blue Star. In that case..."
They would have a competitor!
They, esteemed six-awakening Throne-level powerhouses, had personally descended to a new world like Blue Star at great cost, only to encounter competitors?
This was incredible.
Dean Rose's expression gradually became serious.
...
...
The next day,
In the presidential suite's conference room.
Dean Rose looked at the reports written by the students and tapped her finger on the table. "Blue Star possesses many treasures. Do they intend to exchange some with us?"
"That is correct."
Meidisha reported, "Dean, this sheet lists the items Blue Star desires, and this one is a list of items Blue Star can offer in exchange. It includes quite a few precious treasures."
When Dean Rose took them and looked, her expression changed slightly.
Longevity treasures?
She had never heard of a treasure that could extend lifespan by sixty years and repair some hidden injuries.
"Wait..."
"Yesterday, no, the day before yesterday, a major event occurred in the Black Stone Alliance. The First Tower Master, who single-handedly supported the alliance, regained his youth under the gaze of countless people."
Witnesses at the time included not only the hooked-nose group but also countless people from the inner city.
Jianhua City and the Black Stone Alliance were not geographically distant. The two Oases had connections, and there were liaison personnel from Jianhua within the Black Stone Alliance. Although two days wasn't enough time to walk from the Black Stone Oasis to Jianhua Oasis, the liaison personnel had their own mysterious communication rituals.
Dean Rose and Dean Zhange had naturally learned of this news.
They were somewhat surprised.
The First Tower Master of the Black Stone Alliance had not regained a youthful appearance; she still looked like an old woman, but there was a hint of health and vitality in her age, teeming with life force.
Perhaps she could borrow a few more decades from heaven.
"Did the First Tower Master of Black Stone regain youth because she purchased 'Longevity Fruits' from Blue Star?"
The possibility was high.
After all, where could so many lifespan-extending treasures come from, and precisely at this time?
Could such treasures be born in Blue Star's shallow world of anomalies?
Dean Rose pondered.
She didn't need Longevity Fruits herself. Perhaps Dean Sword had a need? She read on.
Besides the Longevity Fruits, the other treasures were of lesser quality, but relative to a new world, they were still very abundant. This alone indicated that Blue Star was not weak—without strength, how could they venture into the world of anomalies to acquire these treasures?
However, this meant that Blue Star's demands had increased significantly.
And they were no longer interested in "common knowledge information."
Initially, selling such information was a favorite of various large Oases. Why? It was risk-free and profitable. It didn't matter if they sold a lot or a little; they still made a profit, and the information didn't depreciate with dissemination, as it was merely common knowledge.
But Blue Star was no longer interested.
Therefore, they could only offer truly valuable materials in exchange. As for "uncommon knowledge," it was even more impossible to sell, as these were the core foundations upon which Oases developed.
"Blue Star also mentioned that we can invest and build factories here."
Meidisha said.
Before the two Deans could ask, she explained, "My mentor... Mentor Xin Huo said that human resources are also a resource, and Blue Star happens to have a very large number of humans. I think this statement is very reasonable."
"As long as we invest in building factories here, we won't lack workers to hire."
Dean Zhange seemed tempted.
Especially after seeing the population statistics of Blue Star, or rather, of the Eastern Huang alone.
"The processing and manufacturing of many materials require a large amount of labor. Some low-end tasks can be done by ordinary people."
"But there is a problem..."
Dean Rose took over, "Blue Star has a large population, but we don't know how long it can be sustained, as Blue Star's 'lifespan' is running out."
"Yes..."
"Although the base cities are prosperous and lively, they are merely the last rays of the setting sun. There is no future. Investing in building factories here also carries significant risks."
Ultimately, Dean Rose only agreed to a small-scale trial, establishing an ordinary company to acquire some low-level, common materials from Blue Star that were used in many mysterious rituals, such as blood, urine, and cow tears, and then processing them roughly on Blue Star itself.
This was to save on transportation costs.
More advanced factories? Not a chance.
...
...
Xin Huo Secret Realm, Mentor Fang sighed in disappointment.
"Originally, I planned to persuade forces like Jianhua City and Myriad Snakes to establish artifact factories and standardized equipment factories on Blue Star, with major Oasis forces providing technical guidance, and Blue Star providing apprentice workers... This way, the manufactured equipment could be heavily purchased by Xin Huo or Eastern Huang, satisfying the equipment production needs that couldn't keep up with the increasing number of Awakened individuals."
"It would also cultivate a batch of qualified apprentice workers, and the major Oases could earn a large amount of anomalous crystals more easily."
This was a win-win situation.
Although he would win three times, and the major Oases would win once.
As expected, he was overthinking.
The high-level officials of the major Oases were very cunning; they all wanted to get something for free.
Though he also wanted to.
Perhaps this was human nature.
"The good news is that we exchanged two Everlasting Brilliance Stones from Jianhua City and bought one from Myriad Snakes."
The transactions were mainly based on Longevity Fruits.
They sold them at a slightly higher price than before, but to conceal Xin Huo's 'urgent need,' they not only bought Everlasting Brilliance Stones but also purchased some additional materials needed for future Mythic awakenings.
In short, Everlasting Brilliance Stones + 3, enough to build base cities + 3.
However, there were also problems.
"The Longevity Fruits are almost sold out. The second batch cannot be produced in a short time, and the Water of Life has not accumulated."
Thinking of this, Mentor Fang frowned.
Suddenly,
He turned his head, his gaze piercing through layers of space, landing on a base city in the western part of the Eastern Huang Kingdom.
The time had come.
He remotely controlled and lit the dawn.
Rumble—
As the fifth base city was built at a node, forming a closed small defensive circle with each other, an indescribable change seemed to occur on Blue Star.
...
...
Shuize Base City,
After discussing the main cooperation, Dean Rose and Dean Zhange, two big shots, did not leave. Since they were here, they treated it as a trip.
They were using a device called a 'television' to deeply understand Blue Star.
Commonly known as watching the news.
"Our country's fifth giant base city, 'Xuan Yan Base City,' has been largely completed. As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the last convoy heading to Xuan Yan Base City also arrived successfully, marking the basic completion of the national migration and resettlement work in our Eastern Huang Kingdom!"
"Only the final step remains: the ceremony to light the Dawn's Light, which will be held at exactly 9 a.m. this morning."
"...Now, let's follow our frontline reporter to witness this exciting moment."
Dean Rose and Dean Zhange's eyes widened.
But as expected, they didn't get to see the actual ceremony.
This was normal.
What they saw on the live broadcast was the pure white high tower's spire emitting brilliant golden light. Immediately after, the dense dark clouds covering the sky seemed to be torn apart by a pair of giant hands, and wisps of warm sunlight cascaded down, falling on the floor-to-ceiling windows, on the streets, on countless faces.
Quickly spreading outwards.
"This is the Dawn Ceremony of the Blue Star people?"
"The dawn jointly created by hundreds of millions of people is indeed deeply moving."
They exclaimed.
And they could only exclaim, like mere spectators.
But suddenly, their expressions changed. They felt the repulsive force of the Blue Star world suddenly intensify at this moment.
Dean Zhange's brow furrowed.
"We don't seem to have done anything?"
"No, it's not a problem with us; it's Blue Star!"
He abruptly stood up and walked to the window to look out.
At the end of his vision, the black line at the edge of the sky was slowly receding outwards.
The dawn light grew warmer.
But,
"Blue Star is... could it be..."
"Resisting the erosion?!!"
---Author's Note---
I'm a bit stuck in a writing rut, the word count is a bit low,呜呜呜~ ┭┮﹏┭┮