New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 169 Metropolis

"Light! Thank goodness, it's the sun! We're saved!"

"Quickly, open the curtains! Hurry!"

"It's so warm, so beautiful, I actually feel like crying!"

Meanwhile, Yuan Zhu was still intently organizing the new knowledge that was wriggling around in his brain like maggots, with his eyes closed. With the help of Xiao Latiao, he used the light of his soul (the light radiation of the [Soul Crystal]) to illuminate and fix these transparent 'knowledge' pieces one by one. Then, he materialized the 'soul light' into a palm, caught each worm, and threw it into the 'soul space' to seal and suppress it.

In addition to these seven fattest and most valuable "knowledge worms" with zero barriers to entry, he also selected 13 more and sealed them away, intending to find an opportunity to sell them.
As for the remaining dozens of miscellaneous 'knowledge fragments,' he was worried about polluting his 'knowledge base,' so he chose to destroy them all without the slightest hesitation or reluctance.

At the same time, he heard a continuous stream of exclamations, tearful cries, excited shouts, and passionate releases of fear... turning what was originally a completely 'silent' journey into a noise mode.

Yuan Zhu, who was severely disturbed, also opened his eyes.

Just then, through the windshield at the front of the car, a beam of golden sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and shone straight down to the ground, cleverly mixing with the surrounding fog, creating the "Orion Retribution".

No, it's the Daliyuan effect. It allowed these country bumpkins living in a rainy city, where sunlight is scarce year-round, to experience a fantastical feeling of being in a fairyland. Instantly, they were moved to tears, their tense nerves, worn down by the 'fog', were completely released.

The bus was now entering the final leg of its journey, gradually leaving the outer edge of the 'Misty Mountains' and entering the maritime climate of the west coast.

As the first rays of sunlight appeared, the 'mental pollution and erosion' brought by the cold, misty fog completely dissipated. The 'coldness' could be clearly felt receding, and a new sense of 'warmth' enveloped the car's interior.

Those window passengers who were most affected by 'mental pollution' quickly regained their sanity under the warmth of the environment (sunlight), and eagerly opened the curtains to feel the warmth of the outside world and appreciate the clouds pierced by the sunlight.

Yuan Zhu did the same, drawing back the curtains and even opening the windows to let the moist sea breeze rush in and dispel the gloom in her heart.

The vehicle was still traveling through the mountains, but the outside world was no longer shrouded in an impenetrable fog. The majestic green mountains were clearly visible, and further west, the undulating coastal plains, which were gradually flattening out, began to emerge.

Looking into the distance, one sees straight, thin lines, their outlines blurred and almost disappearing, standing haphazardly on the ground. At first glance, one might mistake them for a malfunctioning display screen, with rows of straight black lines appearing on it.

Yuan Zhu rubbed his eyes and looked again. In the distance, on the coastal plain, there were indeed long, thin 'things' standing irregularly. Some were near, some were far, and because of the distance, they looked like thin lines. But judging from their height, if observed up close, they must be enormous.

Yuan Zhu gazed at the motionless black lines, lost in thought: "This... seems familiar, like I've heard it somewhere before?"

Little Spicy Strip quickly scanned its predecessor's memories and soon found the relevant content: "Yes, it's a [Construction]! It's recorded in your middle school geography textbook. It's a 'geological wonder' that can be seen everywhere on the planet Duling. It seems to be a solid geometric structure that naturally rises after the movement of some continental plates and the excessive accumulation of internal stress and material. Similar to Earth's [volcanoes], it's a natural phenomenon and also represents the activity of a certain region."

"Compared to the violent and intense eruption of a volcano, the growth of a [Construct] is much more gradual and safe. The appearance and growth of a [Construct] is the release of internal stress within a planet. Its material is very special, usually grayish-white, and indestructible. Therefore, [Constructs] often appear in geometric shapes that defy common sense, such as a standard 'cubic prism,' which can grow to a very, very tall size without breaking or collapsing."

Yuan Zhu thought back carefully. It seemed that his predecessor had learned about this in class? However, there was no such thing as a "construct" in the Misty Mountains where Runing was located. Having hardly ever seen the sun or the moon since childhood, he had no chance to witness such a thing, so he had long forgotten about it.

"So, those black lines are actually 'cubic structures' that are countless times taller than the highest peak of the Misty Mountains? Because they are so tall, they look like line segments?"

Yuan Zhu made a simple visual estimate but couldn't determine how high those black lines were. From certain angles, some of the blurry black lines seemed to connect the ground with the clouds in the sky.

Judging by common sense about Earth, wouldn't these structures be 2000 meters, 8000 meters, or even 1 meters high?
Spicy Strip responded, "It doesn't necessarily have to be a cube; it can also be a regular hexahedron or a regular octagon. The [structures] commonly seen on the West Coast are usually giant monoliths, huge cuboids... In some geologically active areas, [structure groups] will be pieced together to form Brutalist architectural complexes similar to [concrete cores], looking like cities inhabited by ancient giants. However, most [structure groups] only have an outer outline; the interior is solid and uninhabitable... but they can be excavated later."

Yuan Zhu felt increasingly uneasy as he listened: "You mean that a massive [structure complex] can naturally grow into a 'city shape' on the scale of a giant?"

Spicy Strips: "Yes, these are all things you remember from your textbooks. I'm sharing them with you. The [Constructed] wonders are mainly concentrated in the New World and some large islands in the open ocean. The [Eternal Continent] only appears occasionally in the Evernight Zone near the Arctic."

Little Spicy Strips unearthed a pair of black-and-white photos from Yuan Zhu's early memories. They were pictures from a geography textbook about "super-giant structural complexes," a total of six, each one incredibly awe-inspiring.

The exact dimensions are distorted due to the lack of comparison, but you can still feel how 'big' it is, how incredibly huge! In Earth's language, it's 'Brutalism, Futurism', the Russian architectural style, made of poured cement and concrete.

However, while the local structures show no signs of human intervention, the products are full of traces of human intervention, unlike anything that could grow naturally.

The problem is that in the past few centuries, there have been tens of thousands of observable and recorded [Construction Growth] events in the New World, so many that it's almost numbing.

It can be confirmed that these completely natural 'supernatural man-made structures' are purely natural products, with no indication of any human intervention.

Today, structural engineering has become a popular and widely studied discipline. Humans are attempting to research and utilize these highly regular 'giant geometric shapes' to participate in urban construction and the transformation of nature.

For example, the ever-growing structures can be used as a continuous source of materials; the ever-growing structures can be transformed into skyscrapers; the internal space can be hollowed out to create special facilities with different functions; and the growth of the structures can be combined with urban planning to create mega-scale infrastructure projects that are in harmony with nature and benefit the people.

They even combine [Constructs] with rituals, formations, and extraordinary systems... turning [Constructs] into 'miracles and wonders' of different gods.

After hearing the description of the spicy strips, Yuan Zhu exclaimed, "I've learned something new! But I seriously doubt their 'all-natural' nature; there must be something wrong with them!"

Spicy Strips agreed: "This planet, Spirit Star, is shrouded in an eerie atmosphere. There's even a giant 'Buddha's head' floating in near-Earth orbit, so it's reasonable that these [structures] aren't purely natural phenomena." During their conversation, the vehicle had already left the mountain range. The view became increasingly expansive: blue sky, white clouds, sunshine, a moist sea breeze, green fields, forests, and farmland… Small [structures] appeared from time to time, the smallest of which was more exaggerated than a building on Earth.

The strange geometric shapes resemble grayish-white concrete. Some look like ancient temples, with rows of extremely regular 'rectangular' window recesses naturally weathered out, but the inside is solid.

Some resemble towering stone tablets, but the tops and surfaces are not smooth and even. The rough areas are covered with soil, and vines or plants like welcoming pines climb and grow, making them look vibrant.

"The scenery is amazing!"

Mr. Yuan, a country bumpkin with limited experience, was amazed by the scenery along the way, even before reaching Taixi. He felt as if he were on another planet, or in a post-apocalyptic era of an ancient civilization, witnessing the distant ruins of the past.

Not only was he in high spirits, but the other passengers also became excited, gazing at the scenery outside and whispering among themselves. Even passengers who had traveled between the two cities multiple times continued to praise the [structure] outside.

……

At 4:00 PM, the natural scenery along the roadside became increasingly scarce, replaced by densely packed detached houses and two- or three-story buildings—a style completely different from Running.

Running is located in a mountain basin. Due to its limited area, the buildings are piled up together, making it crowded, dilapidated, and giving off a sense of outdated old industrial style.

Taixi, on the other hand, features sunshine, blue skies, green belts, uniquely shaped trees, villas, garages… small parks, bars, peculiar structures and totem statues, archways, temples…

Everywhere he looked, there was an air of refined sophistication, a strong religious atmosphere, and traces of the supernatural were everywhere. He even saw a 4-meter-tall humanoid skeleton with two legs, four arms, and three heads, stuck on a telephone pole, dressed up in finery, made into something that resembled a combination of an object of worship, a spectacular statue, and a living facility.

As the bus passed by this 'artistic skeleton,' the object actually moved its head and waved goodbye to the bus.

Spicy Strips: "That thing has a very strong 'extraordinary aura,' but the remaining 'pollution' has been erased. After being modified, it has the effect of continuously improving the neighborhood environment and driving away and suppressing evil spirits. Moreover, it has a high artistic element and should be an 'artwork' funded by the cult."

At 4:30, the bus arrived at Taixi East Station.

Yuan Zhu got off the bus smoothly and, with the Holy Light Registration Certificate issued by [Rain Academy], passed the inspection smoothly and entered the 'subway station' through an underground passage.

Taixi City boasts a sophisticated underground transportation system with a total of 42 subway lines. A map reveals that the city radiates outwards from a nearly circular central area, dividing it into 36 sectors, which can be simply labeled one, two, three, four, etc.

His negotiation target, 'Cat Street Temple,' operates in Ward 16. Furthermore, Mengxi Yue's [Taixi University] is located in Ward 3, close to the city center.

However, before that, he needed to find a place to stay. It was a bit late to come looking for someone at this hour, so he planned to rest for the night and experience Taixi's nightlife.

So, Yuan Zhu, who had no destination in mind, didn't rush to take the subway. Instead, he found the exit and started wandering around nearby.

As soon as he stepped out of the subway station, he was greeted by a dense crowd. The buildings on both sides of the street were not very tall, only about seven or eight stories, or even eleven or twelve stories. However, the street was wide and not as crowded as Running. The street was filled with a dazzling array of neon lights flashing in various colors, hanging photos, and glittering signs.

But what attracts the most attention are the three straight, sky-reaching superstructures and a circular floating island suspended high in the air.

The three structures, the thickest of which is located in the center, are quadrilaterals pointing straight up and piercing through the right side of the floating island. The view above is obscured by the 'island' base and cannot be clearly seen or judged.

The second structure, cylindrical in shape, is located below the island's 'center point'. Its height does not connect to the floating island, but rather supports a huge 'floating fragment', upon which a large, clearly visible complex of classical Eastern palaces is built. The landscaping is exceptionally well done; even just a corner exposed at the edge gives the impression of a celestial palace, clearly a high-class, affluent area.

The last structure is located on the outer edge of the 'floating island', in the direction of Zone 1. It also stands taller than the floating island and is connected to the island by a huge chain.

These three thick and massive structures give the illusion of being pillars supporting a floating island of unknown size, making them a landmark architectural wonder of Taixi.

As dusk approached, the surfaces of the structures, which had been shrouded in shadow at the bottom of the floating island, began to light up one by one.

The structure is a natural wonder, but its surface has been artificially carved, and both the interior and exterior are equipped with elevators. Furthermore, it is covered with 'illuminated light strips'.

Even the floating islands have been modified and upgraded, with 'reverse buildings' growing downwards from the bottom. At this moment, lights are lit up on each floor, and the exterior is made of pure glass windows, making it look fashionable and modern.

Yuan Zhu stared wide-eyed, gazing upwards. This style of art was at least 100 years ahead of Run Ning's. This wasn't cyberpunk at all; it was a feeling he had never experienced before, indescribable yet incredibly familiar. A cyberpunk palace steeped in Eastern aesthetics!

The streets were teeming with humans, but also with burly orcs, half-elves, monks, witch doctors, Taoist priests, and strangely dressed outsiders.

His [Soul Crystal] operates in the background and is not activated on its own, yet it senses one source of pollution after another, varying in strength, from the crowd.

As expected of a major city, the number of superhumans far surpasses that of Running City. On average, one in every 50-80 people is tainted by the 'polluted aura' and possesses at least one superhuman item.

"Is this the true value of a top-tier city on the West Coast?"

(End of this chapter)