The sun was rising, and the morning light shone into my eyes.
Li Nuo sat on the speeding motorcycle, squinted his eyes, raised his hands to block the dazzling sunlight, and looked at a black line on the horizon.
In a certain anime about giants, there was a huge wall surrounding the city.
Li Nuo saw the real thing at this time.
The black line rising on the horizon gradually turned into a city wall spanning dozens of kilometers.
It is as tall and thick as a dam of a large water conservancy project, towering into the sky and covering the sky.
The city wall extends several kilometers underground, surrounding the entire aberration lair in the Great Rift, forming a semi-enclosed container.
Such a huge alchemical project is not to protect the residents within the wall from the invasion of things outside the wall, but to monitor and restrict the aberration nests in the big rift in the city.
The landmark building of Gathering City is the arc-shaped city wall that surrounds the entire city.
In essence, the alchemy workshops, alchemists, and ordinary people in the city, every building, and every person are all contributing to containing the aberrations in the Great Rift.
What’s interesting is why are people and buildings placed inside the wall?
Li Nuo threw this question to Fals.
Fals shook his head and said like a storyteller:
"In the beginning, Gathering City was not called Gathering City, it was called Gathering Abnormality Merger Control Area. In the open space within the wall, except for the big crack, there were no buildings or humans. Only people would enter the crack regularly to clean up the aberrations and maintain them. It's just underground plumbing facilities.
"I told you before that the feces of aberrations contain high-purity universal metal powder.
“While the Alchemy Temple was building the wall, it also installed a complete set of alchemical devices in the underground aberration lair to collect the feces of the aberrations and extract universal metal powder.
"Every three months or so, the underground alchemy device will use strong airflow to eject the collected universal metal powder to the ground, forming a metal powder rain that lasts for about a day. We call this day ' Powder Day'."
Fals sighed:
"Human greed is the driving force behind everything, Li Lei.
"Originally, according to the original plan, only on the day of powder spraying, people outside the wall could enter the wall and collect all-purpose metal powder. But later, some people violated the rules and built strongholds inside the wall, occupying advantageous positions for a long time. This is a trend among many An internal strife arose among the alchemical forces.
"The Alchemy Temple intervened and united all parties to discuss and decide to allow all alchemy forces to develop the area in the city. The Alchemy Temple divided the city into more than twenty plots and sold them to the alchemy forces at auction. The specific ownership of the plots belongs to them. , determined by the results of the auction. After that, there is the Convergence City you see now."
Li Nuo nodded slowly after hearing this, "In that case, if we feel that the city is too crowded, we can still move out, right? Isn't it the same if we enter the city before the dusting day starts?"
"No, no, no." Fals's head shook like a rattle:
"You don't know something. After the land ownership issue is resolved, everything in the land belongs to the land holder, including the air directly above the land, the universal metal powder that has not fallen to the ground, and the land. All underground areas below. You cannot collect universal metal powder in the plot without the authorization of the plot holder."
"So that's it." Li Nuo thought for a while and said:
"So, the so-called division of land is actually to divide the area for collecting powder, right? If there is a lot of metal powder falling in that area, the price of the land will be high, and vice versa, it will be cheaper. "
"That's pretty much what it means." Fars looked at the wall blocking his view, and his tone became excited:
"I'm finally back! After I sent the spring water to the alchemy workshop, I took the reward to pay the rent of the laboratory, and then I soaked in it for ten days and a half before I came out... Ah, no, no , Mark, when is the next dusting day?”
Mark had been riding his motorcycle all night.
He raised his hand, covered his mouth, yawned, and counted on his fingers:
"Let me do the math... there are probably seven or eight days left. I'm not sure."
Mark turned his head and looked at the captain:
"Head, do you know the date of the next powdering day?"
"Powder spraying day will be in seven days. Don't leave Gathering City in the near future, lest you miss the trip. If you want to make money, powder spraying day is the most critical thing."
Kante smiled at Li Nuo:
"If you're lucky, you can collect the 100,000 yuan for the ID card in seven days. Our security company is not directly involved in collecting the powder, but we must protect the alchemy facility where the powder is collected. If the alchemy facility is intact, then the collection Naturally, there will be more powder, and the company will definitely remunerate us."
Conte rubbed his head and sighed:
"But I'm afraid that someone will come to cause trouble. Iron Thorn Shield offends a lot of gangs on weekdays. During the three days of powder spraying day, there is no sky, and the gangsters will come out like rats to cause havoc. Then there will be a bloody storm. ”
Li Nuo asked in confusion:
"Why does the Alchemy Temple allow gangs, a force that fights and kills, to exist? In the empire, such groups are treated as illegal forces. Why is the situation in the Golden Federation completely different?"
"Who knows... Anyway, it was like this when I came here." Conte shrugged.
Mark was also confused. Apparently as a local, he had long been accustomed to the existence of gangs and had not considered this issue.
Fars shook his head slightly and clicked his tongue:
"I asked you to study hard, but you didn't study hard. I don't know now. This part is mentioned in the book."
Fals raised his finger and shook it from side to side, and said show off:
“We alchemists pay attention to one energy, two directions, three states, and four elements.
"Yi Qi refers to the Qi of nature, which represents all alchemical materials, alchemical runes, and alchemical formulas. In the final analysis, they all come from nature.
"Two directions refer to the two directions of movement, upward and downward. The trend toward chaos is upward, and the return to order is downward."
"The three states refer to the rising state, the stable state and the falling state, which represent the state of things.
“There’s nothing much to say about the four elements, they are nothing more than the four basic elements of fire, wind, earth, and water.
"Your security company corresponds to the declining state of returning to order, and your gang corresponds to the ascending state of pursuing chaos. If you are regarded as a whole, your hostile relationship is a stable state.
"Of course the Alchemy Temple knows that gangs are not good things. But, the sages in the Temple pay attention to this. They believe that only the coexistence of the three states is the most perfect state.
"That's why you and the gang are at odds with each other, and no one can do anything to the other. If you think about it carefully, every time you had a violent quarrel, it wasn't someone from the Alchemy Temple who came to mediate."
Conte sneered at the stinky Fars:
"Where are you showing off? What's the use of these dry theories? In the end, you don't want me to help you out."
Mark next to him covered his head and frowned, as if he was trying to grow a brain:
"Ah... it's so complicated. It seems that I'm really not suitable for studying. I'd better try my luck in the ruins of the ancient dynasty. Boss, take me with you next time you enter the ruins."
Li Nuo glanced at the other team members around him. They all looked at Fals blankly as if they were listening to a book from heaven...
Sure enough, the high literacy rate in the Federation does not mean the high level of knowledge of ordinary people.
I heard that the locals of the Federation had no problem reading and writing, but if they really wanted to understand the profound alchemical theory, it would be better to pull the trigger and fight with others.
Fals pretended not to hear Conte's sarcasm, shook his head, and said in narcissism:
"You can say whatever you want about me, Conte. Anyway, after this dusting day is over, you don't want me to come out of the laboratory. You beg me to help you identify things, but I won't pay attention to you."
"Then don't expect me to help you fight next time..."
"Do you want to help or not~"
The closer we get to Gathering City, the more active the atmosphere within the team becomes.
After a long day and night of trekking, smiles began to appear on the tired faces of the team members as they were about to be relieved of their burden.
Li Nuo watched Kante and the others bickering and laughed secretly in his heart.
The people in this Fission Wilderness are tough and there are constant gun battles, but overall, it's much better than the oppressive Empire.
…
…
Approaching the city gate, the car slowed down.
The plots in the city are divided into fan-shaped areas around the large crack in the center of the city. The gates connected to the fan-shaped areas are guarded by the holders of the plots.
Iron Thorn Shield is a subsidiary company of the Gold Chamber of Commerce.
The Gold Chamber of Commerce controls sector No. 7 in Xiacheng District.
Correspondingly, Doorway No. 7 on the fence is guarded by Iron Thorn Shield Security Company.
Li Nuo now finally understood how the clean ID card came about...
Daqing was issued by the security company and gangs who guarded the gates themselves...
Whoever prints a clean ID card and who receives a clean ID card are all controlled by the security company and the gang leaders, and they have a clear conscience.
If clean identity cards appear on the black market, the higher-ups of the force will definitely be able to quickly find the person who is selling the identity cards privately.
The person who sells it can't run away, and the person who prints it doesn't like the money.
This is probably why clean ID cards are no longer available on the black market.
With Conte, the security captain, Li Nuo passed the review without any danger and entered Sector 7 controlled by the Gold Chamber of Commerce.
Walking through the bustling streets, smelling the smog in the air, and looking at passers-by wearing work clothes, windbreakers, and dresses, Li Nuo seemed to have returned to urban life.
The buildings in the city are not very high, with the highest being no more than five floors, but because they are arranged close to the roads, they feel overcrowded.
Sewers for sewage discharge, manhole covers, and street lights for night lighting are all available, which is very close to the modern living environment before time travel.
But there were no wires or poles, no transformers or anything.
The lighting used here comes from alchemy lamps. The built-in luminous alchemy array stably converts the energy in the coal into light and waste gas.
Similar alchemical daily necessities include alchemical stoves, alchemical washing machines, alchemical kettles, etc.
They are all powered by alchemical formations.
Comparing the products of alchemical civilization and the products of information civilization, Li Nuo feels that each has its own merits and advantages and disadvantages.
Just as Li Nuo was shaking his head from side to side, immersed in observing the scene of the alchemical society, the convoy stopped in front of a building.
Conte got out of the car shouting:
"Okay, guys, it's done! It's still the same old rule, rest when you need to, and go to the hospital when you need to. Tonight, our 'money dreams' will never end. I will bring the reward to the celebration banquet, and you will be indispensable. ... Mark, you take people to take care of the corpse and the loot. I will report the mission and talk to the president. Fals, go to the alchemy workshop by yourself."
"Okay, boss! We're withdrawing!"
"Oh ho~ Girls from 'Money Dreams', here I come~"
"Someone help me, my leg is injured and I can't get out of the car..."
"Hey, don't leave in a hurry, come here and help me take the body bag to the morgue." Mark greeted several team members and took away the body bag in the car.
Fars thanked everyone and left in a hurry, talking about his alchemy laboratory.
Li Nuo wanted to see where the morgue was so that he could prepare materials for his "death spell" in advance.
He picked up the body bag and walked into the building with Mark and others.
After arriving at the morgue on the third underground floor and placing body bags, Li Nuo briefly walked around and confirmed that it was not a large place with only a few corpses, and then lost interest.
After returning to the ground along the same route, the team members couldn't wait to leave and go play in the "Money Dream".
Mark yawned and waved to Li Nuo:
"Come, Li Lei. I will take you to your dormitory. If you are not satisfied with the dormitory, you can choose to rent a house outside. You can go to the captain to apply for accommodation subsidy. But, I don't think you have this need for the time being. So come with me."
Follow the stairwell to the fifth floor.
At the door of a small room covering an area of five square meters, Mark opened the door and threw the key to Li Nuo:
"Okay, we're here. This room is yours. You can clean it up yourself. The bathroom and shower room are shared, at the end of the corridor. Oh, by the way, the captain asked me to advance you some money to buy some clothes. and daily necessities and so on.”
Mark grabbed a handful of crumpled bills from his pocket, stuffed it into Li Nuo's hand, and then rushed towards the stairwell:
"If you have any questions, come to 'Money and Good Dreams' to find me. I've been delayed for so long, and I don't know if my little cutie is still waiting for me..."
The sound of "thump thump thump" footsteps gradually faded away.
Li Nuo looked at the money in his hand, then at the stairwell, and smiled dumbly.
When Mark thought about women, he even forgot about borrowing books.
I don’t know what kind of woman can be so obsessed with these people who lick blood from their swords.
Li Nuo shook his head slightly, walked into the room, and locked the door.
He pushed the table, chair and bench to the corner, turned up the bed and leaned against the wall, making space in the room.
He has been coveting the Twilight Giant's "Soul Casting Technique" for a long time, and has never had the private space or time to practice it.
Now I finally have the chance.
Li Nuo took off his backpack, took off his dirty coat, and piled it on the table in the corner.
He called up "Soul Casting Technique" in his mind, and while comparing it with the diagram, he performed the movements.
As soon as he stretched out his hand and took a side lunge, Li Nuo discovered a place that he had never noticed before.
He has used the deconstruction technique to put "Soul Casting" into his mind, and he has completely mastered it.
But when it comes to actual operation, a feeling of physical and mental disharmony arises spontaneously.
He knew how to perform the movements, but his body just refused to obey him, constantly losing shape and shape, or his center of gravity was unstable.
It's like he knows how to build an airplane but can't screw in the screws.
This feeling was very strange, and it made Li Nuo feel that what he thought in his heart was different from his actual actions.
"Is it because my soul has not completely integrated with this body?
"Or maybe I used the deconstruction technique to memorize the "Soul Casting Technique", but it was just engraved into my mind and did not transform it into the instinct of the body?"
Li Nuo nodded slowly, feeling that the second scenario was more likely.
He calmed down and rehearsed the first set of movements in "Soul Casting Technique" completely.
Sweat beads fell to the ground, and a layer of water appeared on the skin. Li Nuo panted heavily, lowered his raised arms, and completed the last movement.
[System message: You have tried to practice the first set of actions of "Soul Casting". 】
[The action completion degree is 31%. 】
[You failed to unlock the relevant passive skills and attribute rewards, please try again. 】
"The system gives me the degree of completion of the action... which is a good feedback and saves me the trouble of correcting my actions in front of the mirror."
Li Nuo raised his eyebrows, secretly happy in his heart, and practiced the first set of moves again.
He didn't sleep well in the second half of the night, which made him feel a little dazed, but the exercise training made him very excited.
This is something that could only be seen in the past!
There are countless male protagonists who have reached the pinnacle of martial arts and achieved immortal bodies by relying on martial arts secrets, body-building techniques, breathing techniques and the like!
Which man can resist the temptation of this thing.
Li Nuo can’t do it anyway.
Although he already has death spells by his side, but as the saying goes, if you have more skills than you have to worry about yourself, if you train your body well, doesn't it give you an extra trump card?
Others think he is a "death experiment", but hey, he is actually a bad guy who masters death spells.
Others thought that his trump card was the death spell, but Li Nuo immediately turned into a Super Saiyan on the spot and used his iron fist to show the opponent what a real loser is.
A necromancer without huge muscles is not a good time traveler!
This picture, tut, is exciting just thinking about it.
Affected by fatigue and excitement, he practiced the movements over and over again. Finally, at the moment when he was so tired that he sat down and his muscles were trembling, the system sent a congratulations.
【system information:】
[You successfully practiced the first set of actions of "Soul Casting"! 】
[Action completion is 60%. 】
[Based on this completion level, you have received the following rewards:]
【1.You have obtained an active skill:】
[Power burst, level 1, number of uses per day 1/1. 】
[After activating this skill, your "Strength" attribute will temporarily +1. Every 10 seconds the skill lasts, it requires 1 energy point. It can last up to 1 minute. 】
[2. You have unlocked the "Strength" attribute, which is only related to your physical destructive power. The current attribute value is 1 point. 】
[3. You have unlocked the "training progress bar" of the first set of actions in "Soul Casting", and the current training progress is 0.6%]
[After the progress of the training progress bar reaches 100%, you will receive attribute value rewards. 】
Training progress bar?
Wow~
Not bad~
Visible progress bar growth is the easiest way to motivate people. This is effective positive feedback.
Li Nuo stood up holding on to the wall, put the bed board back in place, and lay on his back.
While resting, I was thinking about future plans in my mind, and my future schedule gradually became clear.
First of all, a certain amount of energy and soul strength must be kept in stock.
The energy value continues to be at an all-time high, so you have to find a way to spend it so as not to affect the automatic recovery of the energy value.
Keeping the upper limit of -1 energy value and 200 points of soul strength, you should be able to cope with emergency situations.
Secondly, the top priority is to improve the "spirit" and raise the upper limit of energy value.
Finally, your free time should be used to practice "Soul Casting". Li Nuo wanted to see what the specific attribute rewards would be after the training progress bar was full.
Before you have enough ability to protect yourself, everything should be based on improving your strength.
Not only do you want to be a top student, a master of martial arts, but you also want to be a big muscle powerhouse!
Um!
That’s it!
Li Nuo regained some strength while lying on his back, then reluctantly sat up and began to clean up the room.
Ten minutes later, he walked into the public shower room holding the security uniform he found in the closet.
After washing herself, put on clean clothes, put on a scarf and sunglasses, covering her entire face and neck, Li Nuo came to the lobby on the first floor.
The main customer of Iron Thorn Shield Security Company is the Gold Chamber of Commerce, but it also takes some orders from outside, so a female receptionist is arranged in the lobby.
Li Nuo chatted with them for a few words and found out where they could buy alchemy books.
"After you go out from the door, turn left and keep walking. At the third alley entrance, turn right and enter the alley. There is a bookstore inside. You can buy all kinds of books there. The bookstore owner has a cooperation agreement with us and will I’ll give you a discount.”
The female receptionist who spoke blinked and looked curiously at the faceless Li Nuo, her eyes full of curiosity.
The colleague next to her also had the same look...
Li Nuo waved his thanks and turned to leave. The two of them were whispering behind him, speculating on how good-looking he looked...
Li Nuo twitched the corner of his mouth and sighed silently.
It seems that the effect of the attribute "charm", just like the literal description of the system, is not only related to "appearance", but also related to "temperament".
Although he has covered his face, his walking posture, tone of voice, speaking habits, body contours and other details have not changed, and they still reveal his temperament...
Forget it, let's let "charm" do the work.
…
In front of the bookstore called "Time Makes People".
Li Nuo pushed open the glass door and walked into the bookstore amidst the jingling of the bell.
The bookshelves on the left and right sides are filled with books.
In front is the cashier counter.
A bald old man wearing glasses was lying lazily on a recliner, holding a colorful atlas in his hand.
When he saw a customer coming into the store, he put down the book in his hand without blushing, coughed slightly, took out the plain-covered book from the counter and read it, and at the same time greeted:
"Oh, welcome, feel free to take a look."
The old man raised his glasses and glanced at the customer with thick lenses:
"Are you the new armed security guard of Iron Thorn Shield? Why are you wearing a scarf? It scared me. I thought my shabby store had been robbed."
Li Nuo thought this old man was quite interesting and said casually:
"I'm so handsome. I'm afraid of being kidnapped by a woman, so I can't do it without wearing a hijab."
The old man said disdainfully:
"Tch, you glib young man...what book do you want to buy? A pleasure book? It's at the bottom of the bookshelf on your left. Look for it yourself."
"I'm here to take a look at the books for the self-taught alchemy exam." Li Nuo glanced around and threw deconstruction spells continuously.
"Mark has it. You can just borrow it from him. There's no need to buy it from me. Anyway, those of you who use knives and guns can't stand it. It's a waste if you buy it."
"You don't do business anymore. It's rare for a customer to come over, but you still don't suggest him to buy it." Li Nuo touched the bookshelf, and there was a layer of dust on his fingertips, and he seemed to have some realization in his heart.
He looked towards the old man, threw out the deconstruction technique, and immediately his eyes trembled slightly.
Without waiting for the old man to reply, he said in his usual tone:
"Mark went to 'Money Dreams' to find a woman. He agreed to lend me a book, but he forgot all about it as soon as he entered the city. Why don't you give me a book to read first? If I can read it, I'll pay for it. Buy books.”
"Oh, well, poor little Mark is going to be squeezed out of his pocket by women again." The old man shook his head, put down the book, held on to the armrest of the chair, and stood up shakily:
He groped around on the counter, took out a hard-covered alchemy book from the drawer, and put it on the table.
"Here, take a look. "A Brief History of Alchemy of the Golden Federation", "Basic Alchemy Theory", "Basic Alchemy Array Principles", "Basic Encyclopedia of Sage Particles", "Common Types of Sage Manuscripts"..."
The old man muttered the name of the book.
There was soon a half-person-high stack of books on the counter.
Li Nuo swept across the spine of the book from bottom to top, throwing deconstruction spells continuously.
"Mark recommended that I start reading "A Brief History of Alchemy of the Gold Federation". What do you think, boss?"
The old man did not answer the question immediately, but moved his glasses and glanced at Li Nuo:
"Only people with rich reading experience will ask other people's opinions before formally coming into contact with a subject... Have you received a good academic education? Young man. How did you end up joining the security team as a desperate gunman?"
The old man waved his hand and did not require Li Nuo to answer the question:
"...If you want to learn alchemy systematically, I recommend you start with "Basic Alchemy Theory". Although this book is boring, it is a general outline of learning at the basic stage. Understanding it is equivalent to roughly understanding it. Understand the principles of alchemy. At this time, if you look at other reading materials, you will know what the book is talking about, instead of reading "A Brief History" as a story book like that kid Mark. The evolution of alchemy in "A Brief History" The journey is the main theme of the book, and those passionate plots of fighting and killing are just the dessert of the meal."
"That's a very pertinent suggestion. Thank you very much, boss. How much does "Basic Theory" cost?" Li Nuo smiled.
"The complete set of "Basic Theory" consists of three volumes: the first, middle and second volumes. You can buy the first volume first, it costs 1,500 aggregate coins."
1500 for a book?
hiss…
Li Nuo was slightly startled, and for a moment he didn't understand why alchemy books were so expensive.
Is it normal that in the Golden Federation, alchemy books are much more expensive than firearms, food, etc.?
Considering the relationship between the bookstore and Iron Thorn Shield, the bald boss probably didn't trick him.
Li Nuo rummaged around in his pocket, took out all the money in his body and handed it over. He didn't even keep the money Mark gave him to buy clothes, which was just over 1,500 yuan.
The old man pushed the first volume and change forward, bent down and put the remaining books back into the drawer:
"If you feel you can't stand it, you can return the book, but I can only return half of the aggregate coins to you. This is the rule in the city. You can ask around."
"Okay, boss."
Li Nuo picked up the book and left in no hurry.
He slowed down, his eyes hidden under the lenses swept quickly, and he unleashed a lot of deconstruction techniques.
After reading all the books in the bookstore, he nodded slightly and waved his hand towards the old man lying down:
"Let's go, boss."
"Oh, be gentle when you push the door. The door hinge is about to break."
After leaving the door, Li Nuo walked back while checking the system messages in his mind.
[You used the deconstruction technique to completely deconstruct 218 books, which consumed a total of 5575 energy points, and the current energy value is 15587/16 points. 】
"Hey hey hey. I'm a cheater, but you, the system, you are the real tool for free prostitution ~ wow ka ka ka ~"
Don't think that using energy points to search bookstores is a losing business.
Li Nuo had seen it. The most expensive book in the bookstore was on the wall behind the old man, protected by an acrylic cover and a velvet cushion underneath.
The cover of this book is shiny and has the words "limited edition" and the author's autograph on the cover.
Obviously, it is the old man’s treasure, a real treasure!
Although there is no price tag, it must be very expensive, otherwise the old man wouldn't show it off like this.
Of all the books deconstructed, this one probably consumes the most energy.
Li Nuo searched in his mind and quickly found this unique book:
"Alchemy Set: Supreme Calculation Power - The Most Outstanding Alchemical Invention of this Century".
Limited Deluxe Edition.
Limited edition of 100 copies throughout the Federation.
Comes autographed by the original author, Tower Manx.
The energy consumption of deconstructing it is:
4000 points!
You know, it seems that Li Nuo only spent 10 points to deconstruct "Basic Theory of Alchemy Volume 1".
If "Basic Theory Volume 1" is worth 1,500 aggregate coins, how much is this book that requires 4,000 points to deconstruct worth?
600000…
Wow, awesome.
I saved 600,000 at once.
Li Nuo gave the system a thumbs up again.
Thanks to Ye Jiangming for the 500 points!
Thanks to hvkjv for the 100 points!
Thanks to Li Lushan for the 1100 points!
Thanks to Changdaoan, Zhongerguangmao, Fengshui Sanren, Iron Agent Roaming Dragon City, and Suiyuanzhiyuan for their monthly votes!
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(End of chapter)
