Chapter 178
Chapter 178: The Twenty-First Stop, Entering Solomon City
Different people will get different answers to the same question.
Zhao Xi seemed unenthusiastic about the card sequence, or even dismissive of it.
This could actually be seen from how she didn’t put in much effort to stop it back when the Order Card was being seized.
Ye Qiyan did not continue to press the issue.
He and Zhao Xi were not very close.
Being able to ask about these was merely because of the Hunting Mechadragon, nothing more.
The destination for the next stop was finalized.
The Train moved forward, arriving at the twenty-first stop, Solomon City.
Entering the city.
The Crossroads of Fate was triggered.
Unlike last time.
Aside from the main gate for entering the city, the name of the other option had changed.
[The Crossroads of Fate has been triggered. Please choose the entrance from the following options.]
[1. Solomon City Main Gate.]
[2. Ground Floor of the Groundless Tower]
The Groundless Tower was yet another place he had never heard of.
Ye Qiyan silently memorized it in his heart and then chose the main gate.
The Train stopped.
He used the storage Matrix to pack away the Train.
He walked out of the Platform.
The scene before him felt unexpected.
Unlike when he came last time.
An inexplicable restlessness could be felt in Solomon City.
People did not trust one another and were even avoiding each other.
Why was this?
He didn’t quite understand.
As usual, he went to the exchange office to trade for Solomon Coins worth two Train Coins.
There weren’t too many people here, so he simply asked the indigenous young lady hiding behind the thick bulletproof glass in passing.
“I haven’t returned to Solomon City for quite a while either. Why does it feel so weird here?”
Bewitchment quietly manifested.
That indigenous young lady sighed, looked around, and seeing there was no one else anyway,
opened her mouth to reply:
“Sigh… Who knows what on earth is going on. A while ago, a terrorist organization seemed to have stolen something and angered a big shot up top. Then, in order to get that item back, that big shot had many blocks in the city destroyed, which even included the encampments of some major guilds in the city.”
“After that day, quite a few people even ran to the Train exchange to try and seize Trains. Who knows where those people who gave up their Train Captain identities got their strength from, but they actually broke through the exchange… and robbed many Trains…”
A trace of imperceptible envy flashed across the depths of the indigenous young lady’s eyes.
Clearly, she felt in her heart that if she had also gone that day, she might have already stepped onto the wilderness right now and become a distinguished Train Captain.
Ye Qiyan furrowed his brows slightly.
They succeeded?
No way?
Solomon City’s security forces were this weak?
Solomon City had two armed factions.
The first was the Inquisition.
The Inquisition had Zhao Xi as the Grand Judge, and beneath her should be quite a few high-end combat powers, so much so that people everywhere could always be seen fearing the Inquisition.
The second was the Inspectors, similar to the City of a Thousand Stars.
Both belonged to the official military.
They controlled the security of Solomon City.
Most of them joined after passing assessments given by Train Captains who had given up their identities.
Logically speaking, just the Inspector faction alone should have had a greater advantage when facing those other identity-abandoners, considering they possessed weapons provided by the upper echelons.
How could it be that it was truly breached?
Could it be that that missing Order Card could really cause such a huge impact?
No more information could be obtained from this indigenous young lady’s mouth.
After the other party expressed her desire to board the Train with him and become an assistant, and was rejected by Ye Qiyan, he walked out of the exchange office.
He headed toward the location agreed upon with Zhao Xi.
That was a cafe.
It was located on the most prosperous street in Solomon City.
However, compared to when he came last time, it appeared much more desolate here.
Entering it, he ordered a cup of coffee. Zhao Xi had not arrived yet, but he wasn’t too anxious. He added milk to the bitter coffee until not much bitterness remained, and only then began to slowly taste it.
Clang——
The door was pushed open.
Hearing the sound, he looked over.
And he saw a young girl wearing a mask and a hat that completely obscured her appearance walking straight over.
However, Ye Qiyan could roughly tell who she was.
The Grand Judge, one meter five tall.
“Mhm… Over here.”
He waved his hand.
Zhao Xi quickened her pace and walked straight over.
Glancing at the cup of coffee in Ye Qiyan’s hand that had even turned somewhat whitish due to the milk, this short Grand Judge took off her mask.
“When did their place launch this new product? White coffee?”
“No, I just added a bit more sugar and milk than usual, Zhao… Miss Zhao?”
Since she wore a mask to obscure her face, she presumably didn’t want others to see her face and know she had come here.
Ye Qiyan hesitated for a moment. Although Zhao Xi’s age should be older than his,
to actually make him call Zhao Xi older sister was something he really couldn’t bring himself to say.
“It’s fine, just call me Zhao Xi. I’m not the only person in this world with this name.”
Zhao Xi, having removed her mask, stretched lazily. Looking at the menu in the cafe, her gaze was suddenly drawn to an event written on it.
“Can you get this doll by spending two thousand Solomon Coins?”
A gleam of joy flashed in her eyes.
Without hesitation, she walked to the bar counter to place an order.
Then, she walked back from over there carrying a white plush bear.
“Humph humph, I couldn’t buy it before, yet I actually got the hidden version here.”
“…”
How should he put it.
Why did Ye Qiyan increasingly feel that Zhao Xi was completely like a little girl?
Whether judging by height or by the things she liked.
Cradling that doll affectionately, Zhao Xi suddenly remembered the purpose of this trip.
She handed out a card from her pocket.
“Here you go, this is the Guild Invitation Card. Oh right, did your friend say anything else about the City of Eternal Night?”
The City of Eternal Night, a city that sounded not so friendly, seemed to have attracted the attention of this short Grand Judge..
“Nothing much, he only told me this much.”
“Oh~ Then I can probably also guess what the people in that city are up to.”
Zhao Xi yawned, cupping her cheek with one hand, while gently stirring the sugarless coffee with a coffee spoon using her other hand.
“I’ve given you the item, but do you still remember saying you wanted to help me do something?”
“I remember. Just tell me what needs to be done.”
Zhao Xi smiled mysteriously and took out another map—it was a map of Solomon City.
She extended her finger and pointed to a location on the map.
“Go to this place once. Use your Hunting Mechadragon, activate Transcendence, and bomb this place once.”
“Ah?”
Ye Qiyan thought he had misheard.
Because the location she was pointing to was called the Groundless Tower.
It was precisely one of the two options when Ye Qiyan entered this world.
“What is this place used for?”
He asked like this.
“The Tower Council. Inside is the headquarters of the Solomon City Inspection Bureau.”
Zhao Xi answered nonchalantly.
