There was little disparity between the items offered in the taverns in Lost Valley and those in the Main City. In fact, there was a single additional type of food and drink, which were the specialty of the Bats, surpassing even the rations processed in the Main City. Taking a closer look at it, Lian Chuan assumed it was a mixed product of the outdated processing equipment from and the raw material production techniques developed by the Lost Valley’s technological department. Overall, describing its visual appearance proved challenging, and he had no interest in further assessing its taste.
The atmosphere in the Lost Valley’s taverns was much more intense as well; even the night bars in District D couldn’t hold a candle to the… chaos that pervaded this place.
The dim red light was permeated with the smell of alcohol. People stood, sat, or even lay on the ground—some crying, some incessantly talking, some arguing, and more still laughing. It was hard to tell what was so funny, but they all roared with a hearty laughter that left them breathless and coughing…
Lian Chuan wasn’t accustomed to a collective frenzy like this. As he walked the dozen steps from the entrance to the counter, four or five people grabbed his legs, and he inadvertently stepped on someone’s hand, prompting an outburst of hoarse curses.
Ning Gu, on the other hand, was no stranger to scenes like this and looked left and right, his face filled with curiosity.
“Booze!” He shouted and slapped the metal bar counter.
Although Lian Chuan had never ventured into the Lost Valley or had a close encounter with a Bat before, he was aware of this abundant resource of the Black Iron Wasteland. Anything crafted from it was typically solid inside and retained a rough appearance after crude shaping. It served no specific use; if something was placed on it, it became a table, and if someone lay upon it, it became a bed. However, this bar counter was different. When Ning Gu slapped it, it resonated with a loud, lingering sound that reverberated amidst the clattering and chaotic clamour of voices.
A hollow metal counter. That was quite fancy, so the owner of this tavern had to be a high-ranking Bat. Feeling a bit uneasy, Lian Chuan lowered his head and pulled the hat from his coat over his head. It was quite big, covering half of his face.
“How many drinks?” A Bat waitress, with a half body embedded with dark-red metal plates, leaned the counter and asked.
“One,” Ning Gu replied, “Do you have any beverages?”
“Yes. Sweet or savoury?” The waitress’ gaze was constantly shifting, making it hard to determine what she was looking at.
“Sweet,” Ning Gu said, “Make it two drinks. I want to try it as well.”
“Hold on.” With the same absent expression, she turned and walked away.
There was a commotion at the entrance. Lian Chuan turned his head slightly to see a metal frame staggering its way inside.
“Zhuangzhuang—!” Someone shouted from within the tavern. Everyone joined in the cheer, clinking their cups together, and soon the air was thick with the smell of alcohol. This must’ve been one of the frameworks that previously fought on the stage, and from the looks of it, he emerged victorious. However…
The metal frame responded to the cheers by raising his arms, but before he could fully lift his head, he collapsed to the floor with a clang. He didn’t get broken on the stage, but ultimately met his end on the tavern floor among the cheers. The crowd surged forward, and Lian Chuan swiftly stepped back, uncertain of their intentions.
The first person that got to the metal frame grabbed his arm and pulled, tearing it off before the second one twisted off his leg.
After that, Lian Chuan couldn’t make out what was happening. Half of the Bats in the tavern swarmed forward, completely dismantling Zhuangzhuang on the floor, while the vagabonds and Travellers cheered and whistled from the sidelines.
“Lunatics.” Ning Gu stood beside him, visibly shocked, his mouth hanging open. “Whoever says we Travellers are crazy clearly hadn’t seen this. I don’t think we can even come close.”
“Your drinks and alcohol,” Came the waitress’s voice.
Three black iron cups got placed in a row on the bar counter. It was impossible to discern which contained booze and which held beverages, as the black iron walls stained both liquids the same shade of pitch-black.
Ning Gu reached out for one of the cups to have a taste, but the waitress swiftly smacked his hand with her metal fingers. “You thought it’s free to drink?”
Ning Gu, used to always having his way in the Ghost City, momentarily forgot about paying or trading for it.
“Three common coins,” She stated.
“Pay her.” Ning Gu nodded toward Lian Chuan.
“I don’t have any.” Lian Chuan said.
Ning Gu was taken aback. “Are you for real?”
“Yes.” Lian Chuan replied. He rarely carried any common currency with him, relying on his ID for most purchases. Common coins were mostly for off-the-grid transactions, so as someone who apart from a mission would only leave a house to buy a toothpaste, the only coin he had was from a bet won against Li Liang during a previous mission.
“We don’t have any,” Ning Gu informed the waitress, turning to her. Lian Chuan couldn’t help but admire his confident tone.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Can we trade instead?” Ning Gu persisted.
“What ability do you have?” The waitress inquired, tapping her chin, “Let’s see if I would have some use for it.”
“I don’t have any.” Ning Gu replied.
The waitress waved her hand and placed the three cups back on the tray, then turned and walked away without saying a word. Just as Lian Chuan was about to turn and leave, a man wearing a top hat intercepted the waitress, taking the tray from her hands. “Allow me,” he said.
The waitress rolled her eyes at Ning Gu and walked away.
“Follow me,” Top Hat gestured with the tray, indicating for them to follow him inside the tavern.
“Why would I?” Ning Gu asked, cocky as always.
“Because every Black Ring of the Lost Valley is looking for Lian Chuan.” Cocked his head slightly as he spoke.
Ning Gu swiftly turned his head to look at Lian Chuan who didn’t even look up, still in the same position as before.
“You really are one hell of a trouble. I shouldn’t have asked you to follow me.” Ning Gu whispered with a frown.
“Then run.” Lian Chuan said.
Ning Gu glared at him. He didn’t know how much longer it would take for his pent-up frustration to finally reach its breaking point. As long as he doesn’t die today, even if he has to push his luck, he needs to force his power to work and then beat the living…
“Let’s go with him.” Lian Chuan said.
“Isn’t that too reckless?” Ning Gu whispered, “Is your brain smooth? He knew that the Black Rings are all looking for you, yet you still want to go with him. What if he traps you to claim the reward?”
“In that case you may be able to claim half of it.” Lian Chuan said.
“Fine by me.” Ning Gu gave him a thumbs-up and turned to follow behind the Top Hat.
There was no modification on this guy’s body, so it was hard to tell whether he was a conservative Bat, an outlaw from the Main City, or maybe a past Traveller. But for now, Lian Chuan didn’t resist the idea of further contact with the people of the Lost Valley. The powerful psychic power that had made him lose consciousness, along with what Lei Yu had told him before, slowly coalesced into a vague yet unsettling conclusion.
A psychic force too powerful for him to handle.
Ning Gu emerged from it unscathed.
Ning Gu could activate a second-generation Main City weapon.
The weapon that belonged to Qi Hang.
Qi Hang vanished.
The Main City showed special interest in Qi Hang.
They also showed special interest in Ning Gu.
With all those connections put together, they formed an answer. But what worried him was his uncertainty: was this answer a product of his own judgement, or had it been implanted in his mind by some power within the Lost Valley?
Lian Chuan and Ning Gu followed Top Hat through the messy tavern, entering the inner part of the establishment through a small, closed door.
To their surprise, the interior was more than twice the size of the outer area. What astonished them even more was that the inner chamber wasn’t completely enclosed but rather half of it, like a massive terrace cut into a wall of a larger cave. The view outside provided Lian Chuan with his first tangible sense of the Lost Valley’s scale.
Looking up, he could see the dome of the Lost Valley, which was the surface of the Main City and Black Iron Wasteland. Looking down, there was a cavern that extended deep into the earth like a vast well. Countless similar ‘terraces’ adorned the surrounding walls, each glowing with varying shades of dim or bright red light, pulsating slowly as if breathing.
“This is different from what I saw the last time,” Ning Gu remarked, “Last time, the entrance I went through led to layers of caves, with larger ones one the top and smaller ones below.”
“That was Jiu Yi’s nest,’ Top Hat explained, “There are four pits like that.”
“Then whose nest is this one?” Ning Gu asked, then without waiting for Top Hat’s response, he added another question, “And how do we go deeper down?”
“There’s a minecart.” Top Hat said.
“Where is it?” Ning Gu asked again.
Top Hat glanced at him, “Travellers usually don’t venture into the depths.”
“But I’m not your average Traveller,” Ning Gu insisted. I’m the No.1 Hottie of the Ghost City.
Top Hat remained silent, then turned his head to look at Lian Chuan.
“Why did you bring us here?” Ning Gu recalled the main point, his voice suddenly becoming serious.
“To have a drink.” Top Hat said as he bent down to place the tray on the ground, then sat down slowly.
Observing his movements, Lian Chuan estimated that this man was quite old. If they were in the Main City, he would probably already be queued up in the standard automatic retrieval system.
Top Hat removed his hat, revealing his forehead full of unkempt hair that obscured his eyes. Despite this, it was evident he was in his fifties or sixties, given the wrinkles on his face.
“Are you a Bat?” Ning Gu stared at him.
“He isn’t,” Lian Chuan replied.
“Hm?” Ning Gu turned his head to look at Lian Chuan.
“He’s from the Main City training department,” Lian Chuan walked slowly to the man’s side, examining the black mark behind his ear. “Or at least, he used to be.”
Top Hat chuckled.
“You were Qi Hang’s teammate.” Lian Chuan concluded.
“Aren’t you all supposed to get lost when entering the Lost Valley? How come nothing happened to you and Lian Chuan?” Curious, Ning Gu also squatted in front of Top Hat, taking a cup from the ground and helping himself to a sip.
It was the booze.
“Pfeh.” He spat out alcohol onto the ground. It tasted weird, so disgusting.
“I paid a price,” Top Hat chuckled again.
“What price?” Ning Gu took the second cup and took a sip. It was sweet water, with a much more pleasant taste than the previous drink. He took the other cup of sweet water and handed it over to Lian Chuan, but he didn’t take it. Irritated, Ning Gu looked up, about to curse him out, but he noticed Lian Chuan staring at Top Hat, so he followed Lian Chuan’s gaze.
Top Hat lifted the hair on his forehead, revealing two gaping holes where his eyes should have been.
“Does everyone have to gouge your eyes out?” Ning Gu was a bit shaken, then quickly looked at Lian Chuan.
“That’s not necessarily the case,” Top Hat covered his eyes back with his hair,.“It depends on what Poet’s demands from you.”
Ning Gu stood up, slowly retreating to Lian Chuan’s side. “Something’s not right…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Lian chuan caught his arm and ran to the entrance. But the doorway had vanished from the wall.
Lian Chuan abruptly stopped, the inertia causing Ning Gu to smash into the uneven cave wall and leaving him dizzy.
Well, that made it even…
Neither of them knew when the entrance had changed, but Lian Chuan hadn’t noticed it at all. Turning around, Lian Chuan looked at Top Hat.
That old man was quick—by the time Lian Chuan turned around, he had already leaped from the terrace into the pit outside. With a piercing, high-pitched screech coming from below, a huge black shadow emerged, catching falling Top Hat in a flash.
A dog-like head, a pair of wings as thin as paper.
“What is this?” Ning Gu asked from behind, shocked.
“A bat,” Lian Chuan said.
A living, giant bat.
Ning Gu picked one of the cups from the ground, hurling it at the beast’s head. The throw was remarkably precise, hitting the bat squarely in the centre of its head, causing it to startle and thrash about.
“Don’t bother,” Top Hat grabbed the bat’s ears, “I’ve been waiting for a valuable trade for so many years, I can’t possibly let you leave.”
“What trade?” Lian Chuan asked.
“For the Main City’s future!” Top Hat raised his voice, “You’ll never understand!”
Lian Chuan didn’t respond to that.
“But I really didn’t expect that I’ll get to meet you,” His voice carried a hint of excitement as he gestured, “When I left the Main City, you were just a baby… And now, over twenty years passed in a blink of an eye. What a pity…”
“To hell with your pity.” Ning Gu retorted.
“It’s a pity I won’t get to see you with my eyes,” Top Hat sighed, “The only one alive of the Main City’s ten thousand fully compatible Betelgeuse Synergisers.”
This statement left Ning Gu stunned, and he turned to stare at Lian Chuan. Betelgeuse?
Top Hat chuckled with delight before swiftly disappearing into the pit below.
Lian Chuan stood on the edge of the cave entrance, surveying his surroundings. Every cave on the wall was a long distance away. Their chances of leaving there weren’t very promising; even if he used his speed to jump towards one of the caves on the lower level of the opposite wall, he wouldn’t be able to take Ning Gu with him.
“You’re that Betelgeuse?” Ning Gu looked at him, voice slightly hoarse.
“Mhm,” Lian Chuan responded.
“When Betelgeuse fights, do rods poke out of body…?”
Lian Chuan turned his head to look at him.
“Those are bones.” He corrected.
“Then can I think of it like this,” Ning Gu stared at him, “Doesn’t it make every Bat a Betelgeuse? See, their bones are also always sticking out…”
Lian Chuan interrupted him, “That’s two different things.”
Ning Gu fell silent, looking pensive with a frown of his brows.
It was only when Lian Chuan started examining the surrounding wall that he spoke again, “I’ve dreamt of Betelgeuse.”
Lian Chuan’s hand on the wall stopped momentarily.
Thanks for the translation!❤
So many mysteries!
Thanks for the chapter ❤️❤️❤️