Chapter 452 and 453

Chapter 452: Mingdu

Suddenly, the person who had been slandering Old Yang seemed to remember something, and his expression became very interesting.

He looked at the middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and subconsciously said, "You're not really thinking of doing that, are you?"

Lunatics act entirely on their whims. Even though Old Yang was only a level 7 soul engineer, if he really had such an idea, given time, he could actually do it.

Hearing this, Old Yang was slightly stunned. After coming back to his senses, his eyes flickered.

"No!" No matter how you looked at it, the man with thick eyebrows and big eyes seemed very guilty.

"Your eyes make it hard for me to believe you."

"Really, I don't!"

Old Yang said decisively, but it was too late to mend the fold after the sheep had already been lost.

"Since childhood, whenever you lie, your eyes start to flicker. It seems the royal family's approach was correct. Otherwise, you could have blown us up at any moment."

The two had grown up together, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were brothers from different parents.

The reason they had become like this was due to their different philosophies. One believed that explosions were art, while the other was more conventional, thinking that becoming a strong person step by step was the way to live a fulfilling life.

When their ideologies clashed, it was inevitable that they wouldn't get along.

To reduce the number of "lunatics," he often visited Old Yang and "slandered" him a bit, especially when young people were around.

He would rather share his research with these young people than see another "explosive genius" appear in the world.

"Before I take action, I haven't done anything!"

"You've thought about it!"

"No!"

"You're talking nonsense!"

Seeing this, Lumine blinked, feeling a bit confused.

She felt that the relationship between these two wasn't as simple as it seemed. They seemed a bit off.

Not knowing how long they would argue, the reserved Lumine quietly withdrew behind them and left.

She had more important things to do. If she had time in the future, she would come back to visit.

After an unknown amount of time, the two finally stopped bickering and realized that Lumine had disappeared, leaving them stunned.

"A child who doesn't like to watch the excitement and doesn't talk much means she doesn't have much social interaction. In the future, she will definitely have a place among the level 9 soul engineers."

"Are you so sure she can cultivate to the level of a Titled Douluo?"

The prerequisite for becoming a level 9 soul engineer is to become a Titled Douluo. Otherwise, the soul power wouldn't be enough to support the creation of level 9 soul tools.

For soul engineers, the creation and application of soul tools are the most important. As for soul power, if it could be boosted with medicine, they wouldn't put in the effort.

"To be honest, I can't see through her strength, but she doesn't seem like an ordinary person."

Old Yang said with a serious expression. When he first met Lumine, he felt she wasn't an ordinary person, which is why he questioned her.

Not hearing her speak, he thought she might be mute.

Suddenly, Old Yang's old friend's eyes lit up, and his expression changed wildly.

He remembered something!

"If I'm not mistaken, this girl came to me and those guys a few days ago to ask for directions!"

Yes, at that time, he was with a group of soul engineers discussing the Cloud Retailer.

This girl said something...

She was a friend of the Cloud Retailer!

Hahaha...

What the hell!

This girl might really be a friend of that person!

Hearing this, Old Yang was stunned.

The two looked at each other, feeling a bit of a headache.

It was well known that as long as a Titled Douluo was willing, they could use their soul power to rejuvenate themselves, maintaining a youthful appearance as long as their soul power didn't run out.

But only a few female Titled Douluo would waste their soul power to maintain their youthful looks.

The Cloud Retailer looked to be in her twenties or thirties, with a deep and vast strength and terrifying mechanical skills.

But who would dare say she was a young girl?

"No wonder, no wonder when I called her a yellow-haired girl, she was stunned and looked at me in confusion..."

Old Yang swallowed, saying in a daze.

"You've been so restrained, but your nature still leads you to seek death."

Old Yang was used to his old friend's teasing.

This guy always liked to mock him a bit.

"Alright, don't overthink it. The things you gave her are enough to form a good relationship. Since she accepted them, she won't mind your breach."

"Moreover, a powerhouse like her should have reached the stage of returning to simplicity."

Calling her a yellow-haired girl and she didn't get angry, it shows she has truly returned to simplicity, immersing herself in the role of a young girl.

Who knows which senior likes to play such jokes...

Perhaps, like the Cloud Retailer, she appeared suddenly.

As time passed, Lumine walked and stopped, occasionally asking for directions, and finally arrived at the gate of a particularly large main city.

The main city had only two words on its signboard: Mingdu.

The sun and moon are Ming, and the capital of the country is Mingdu.

"This should be the capital of the Sun and Moon Continent."

Lumine moved her gaze from the signboard and murmured.

Unlike the walls of the Heaven Dou Empire, although Mingdu was also majestic, it was only tens of meters high and ten meters thick.

The walls of the Heaven Dou Empire were a thousand meters high and a hundred meters thick.

The walls of Mingdu were mostly made of special metal, showing its wealth and strong defensive capabilities.

Even a level 9 soul engineer wouldn't be able to do much to the walls in a short time.

Of course, a level 9 soul engineer wouldn't want to damage the walls, as they are treasures!

"Little girl, is this your first time in Mingdu?"

At this time, a guard nearby said with a smile.

Hearing this, Lumine nodded, encouraged the guard.

"Everyone who comes to Mingdu for the first time, whether young or old, is shocked by its grandeur!"

"You're not the first, nor will you be the last."

"After entering the city, take your time to experience the different prosperity!"

The guard said with a confident smile.

As a guard of Mingdu, his pride was hard to hide.

He wore a level 3 standard armor and held a level 3 standard spear. How many people envied these things?

Becoming a guard means you could have them.

"Okay, thank you."

Lumine nodded. Although the guard was showing off a bit, it was understood, and he didn't have any ill intentions.

"Alright, you're welcome."

"A friendly reminder, after entering the city, don't go to the west gate!"

"Why?"

Lumine asked, puzzled. Earlier, he was talking about the prosperity of the city, but now he was warning her not to go to the west gate. Could there be something shady there?

Hearing this, the guard looked around and, not seeing the person he feared, whispered, "A big shot has come to the west gate. More than a dozen level 9 soul engineers have been defeated there. Due to the competition, many level 9 soul tool fragments have been left behind."

"Even the fragments are not something we weaklings can touch..."

###

Chapter 453: The Cloud-Retainer Sovereign is Even Harder to See Now!

Even fragments of a Level 9 soul tool are invaluable, representing the life's work of a Level 9 soul engineer.

When the Level 9 soul tool shattered, the Level 9 soul engineer couldn't accept the outcome and left without collecting the fragments.

Thus, many fragments remain scattered across the battlefield, waiting for "fated individuals."

If one could gain some insight from them and achieve improvement, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?

For low-level soul engineers, this temptation is irresistible.

Even Level 7 and Level 8 soul engineers can't avoid such allure.

However, these fragments belong to the spoils of war of the Cloud Retailer. Until the Sovereign speaks, no soul engineer dares to make a move.

Of course, the timid starve, while the bold feast.

There are always "reckless adventurers" willing to take the gamble.

Once one takes the lead, others follow.

When people realized the Cloud Retailer didn't care about these fragments, they went wild!

A chaotic battle erupted!

As the chaos unfolded, being a Level 6 soul engineer became the entry ticket. Those below Level 6, even if just observing, risked their lives.

The guards' warnings were not without reason. Some young people, overestimating their abilities, sought to gain some benefits but never returned.

The royal family was powerless to stop these frenzied soul engineers, as they might become targets themselves.

Of course, the royal family issued regulations: such chaos could only occur in the West City and not in other areas, effectively turning a blind eye.

Hearing this, Lumine felt a bit dazed. Combining this with the news she heard in Moonwheel Town, the "great deity" of the western region should be the Cloud Retailer.

She didn't expect the Sovereign's arrival in the Sun and Moon Continent to cause such a stir.

Touching her chin, Lumine felt it made sense...

The Cloud Retailer truly is such an immortal.

"Thank you."

Lumine nodded, expressing her gratitude but saying no more.

Too much talk leads to mistakes. Even if she spoke, the other party might not believe her, so it was better to say less.

"If Paimon were here..."

Lumine recalled the petite figure in her mind, who always had endless things to say and was known as the "Divine Mouth."

"Paimon, you must be in this world too, right?"

"Do you... miss me?"

Meanwhile, on Zhongli's side.

"Oh my, this is so delicious!"

"Zhongli, Guizhong, Xiao, and Azhdaha, you must try this!"

Paimon exclaimed excitedly. She never expected such delicacies in a small village!

Wrapping an entire Kun fish in lotus leaves, sealing it with mud, and then roasting it, she thought it would just be a lump of dirt, but Zhongli said it should taste good, so she gave it a try.

To her surprise, it was incredibly delicious!

Hearing this, and with Zhongli's endorsement, the group began to taste it...

Though "the group" didn't include a single human...

"Wow, this really is tasty!"

"Human ingenuity should never be underestimated."

Back in the Sun and Moon Continent.

Lumine took out a Sweet Flower from her bag. She had stocked up on many of these.

When she needed to replenish her sugar levels, she would chew one.

Although Mingdu was the capital, the questioning here was less strict than in smaller cities, there was none at all.

This made Lumine feel slightly uncomfortable.

Thinking about it, it made sense. After all, it was the capital. Who would dare to cause trouble?

After entering the city, Lumine didn't hesitate and headed straight for West City.

About half an hour later, she arrived at the edge of West City. The buildings here were noticeably different from those in the East, North, and South Cities, with more ruins and debris.

The area was heavily guarded, with each soldier looking grave, as if on high alert.

As Lumine was about to step into West City, a soldier quickly shouted, "Young lady, you can't just enter West City. That's no place for you!"

Though the soldier's voice was loud, it was out of concern for Lumine.

While the outskirts seemed calm, the center of West City was a battlefield where mid to high-level soul engineers were fighting to the death!

A single area-of-effect attack could easily kill low-level soul masters or engineers.

"Young lady, you're still young. Go back!"

Clearly, the soldier mistook Lumine for a young "treasure hunter," but this was not something someone her age should be involved in.

Entering now would be nothing but suicide.

"Don't bother. Good advice falls on deaf ears."

The soldier at the front shook his head, speaking with a sense of resignation.

He was the first to try to dissuade young people, but none of them listened.

Not a single person who entered had come out alive.

He had become numb to it.

"But, Captain, she looks only fifteen or sixteen..."

"At that age, they should take responsibility for their actions."

The captain waved his hand dismissively.

Lumine: "???"

Did she really look that young?

"Um, I'm not here for the fragments..."

Lumine said with a straight face. Her goal had never been those fragments.

"I wanted to ask, is the Cloud Retailer inside?"

At first, everyone thought this blonde girl had taken the wrong path.

Since she wasn't here for the fragments, she wouldn't be entering to seek her death.

But Lumine's next sentence left them stunned for several seconds!

After recovering, everyone gasped.

Good heavens, was this girl out of her mind?

Even the continent's top soul engineer lost a few days ago. What could a little girl like her do?

"You're not planning to challenge her are you?"

"I have some business with the Cloud Retailer. It's not a challenge or anything else."

If she said they were friends, no one would believe her.

If she said it was a challenge, everyone would think she was seeking death...

Too difficult.

The Cloud Retailer is even harder to see now!

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it wasn't a challenge, that was a relief. It was too terrifying.

"Hmm, you must want to become the Cloud Retailer's disciple, right?"

"She probably doesn't take disciples..."

The captain stroked his chin, as if recalling something.

Lumine: "..."

She just wanted to ask if the Cloud Retailer was here. Why were these guys so good at making assumptions?

Forget it, she'd just go and see for herself.

With that thought, Lumine stopped pretending and revealed her true self!

With a single step, her figure appeared ten meters away.

At first, the soldiers didn't react.

When they did, they were all stunned!

"Was that... teleportation?"

"No, it wasn't teleportation. She didn't use any soul bones, soul tools, or even soul power!"

Everyone exchanged glances, then fell into a state of panic.

This was a mysterious woman hiding her true strength!

Her encounter with the Cloud Retailer might lead to a fierce battle!

"Quick, call for reinforcements!"

"Try to contain the aftermath of their battle within West City!"