Xyrin Empire

Chapter 464: Chapter 464: The Newcomer

Mounting was an incredibly complex process, and even the Ravens carrying out the task didn’t fully grasp its principles; perhaps only Dingdang, who controlled the World Tree Temple, and designers of the entire plan like Taville and Bubbles, could explain everything. Anyway, our job was to stay within the protective force field of the shuttle, ever vigilant to prevent any accidents: not accidents that threatened us, but rather those that could affect Artemis and the others.

Before the whole process concluded, they could not leave this world, nor could they take refuge inside the shuttle. Consequently, throughout the three-hour-long world fusion, these fragile ‘ghosts’—even more vulnerable than humans—had to remain on the world fragments, which were undergoing tremendous shock. Their only protection was a newly retrofitted, untested transparent shield, made from an old information barrier. Even though this shield was theoretically capable of withstanding the stabilizing force of an information storm, we didn’t dare to let our guard down.

As for those under protection, Artemis and her companions seemed blissfully unaware of the danger they were in. Whether they would remain unharmed or reduced to bones depended entirely on that two-dimensional plane which had no thickness to speak of, a thought that left me on tenterhooks.

Ling Yin was a girl who blushed easily, but she had a curiosity and recovery power to match Qianqian’s (Is it really a strength if it’s synonymous with being heartless?). Having overcome her initial unease, she was now curiously observing the hexagonal mechanical structure above, glowing faintly in the high sky. It was the force field generator at the rear of the shuttle, and since the shuttle was standing vertically in the air, from the ground it looked just like a mechanical disc several dozen meters in diameter, resembling a UFO straight out of a cliched sci-fi novel.

“I’d advise you not to stare at the force field generator,” Lin Xue said, glancing at Ling Yin who had already taken out her phone, ready to snap a picture of the shuttle’s ‘rear.’ “The light emitted when it switches to secondary stance could fry your brain to eighty percent done.”

“Waaaah!” Ling Yin exclaimed without a stutter and then quickly crouched down and covered her head, while Hu Wen shrugged innocently at us.

“Anyone up for playing cards?”

Seemingly out of boredom, Qianqian suddenly suggested, and then with a whoosh pulled out an enormous table from her personal space, followed by a snowfall of playing cards descending from the air, covering the entire table.

“Ah Jun, Ah Jun! We’re free anyway! Let’s play!!”

Um, Qianqian, your method of lightening the mood isn’t bad, but don’t you think it’s a bit too bizarre to play a card game with twenty people, where after discarding you need to brew a cup of tea before it’s your turn again, and those on the opposite side of the table have to climb up just to see the cards thrown by others?

“Information network established, Mother Nest transmitting… Preparing to implant World Tree vines…”

And look, it seems we’re not entirely without things to do after all, we can watch a movie!

As that gentle female voice echoed once more, a notable change began in our surroundings—buildings, streets, trees, everything in sight was slowly undergoing a subtle transformation, losing realism.