Although the massive metal remains and the temporary modern houses make the scene resemble something from a post-apocalyptic work, their actual life is quite decent. They can go to the city to buy supplies, and aside from the slightly oppressive metal ceiling, their life seems more lively than some of the barren mechanical structures on the surface of the City of the Ship’s Rudder.

It’s dinner time now. Most people are wearing work clothes, some with their outerwear removed, or wearing undershirts or going shirtless, gathered in groups of three or five, either feasting heartily, or already drinking, playing cards, and chatting.

When Li Ang and his group arrived, they attracted some curious glances, which were quickly averted after noticing Morales.

“Are all the people here from the Shadow Factory?” Andasu asked.

“Yes,” Xiaomo smiled, “Did you imagine this as a gathering place for bitter and resentful people or a cult-like gang?”

“No, it just feels somewhat familiar,” the beast-eared maiden looked around.

“Familiar?” Xiaomo was surprised.

Li Ang explained: “She herself is a Mechanical Engineer.”

“Oh? This young lady is also a Mechanical Engineer?”

Xiaomo took a surprised look at Andasu. Now, in her Nether Lamp Shadow Suit, combined with her magic power fluctuations and racial talents, Xiaomo could tell she was a fellow agile-type warrior, but her Mechanical Engineer trait was entirely undetectable from the outside.

“Everyone seems like good people,” ALulu said, looking at these people busy with their lives.

Are you readying to uphold justice assuming they aren’t good people? Li Ang thought.

Passing through the community built within the underground ruins, the group reached the underside of an Ancient Giant Ship. Its length was similar to a modern aircraft carrier on Earth, but merely observing the data doesn’t resonate. Only standing beneath it can one feel its overwhelming presence.

“Wow! Such a huge ship!”

Zoe spread her arms, turning her head side to side, then turned back to jump in front of Li Ang.

“We can’t build something that big.” “Let’s build one that big too!”

Li Ang had already predicted her words.

The people nearby laughed; Zoe’s ruby eyes widened at Li Ang: “How did you know what I was going to say?”

“You’re too easy to read.” Li Ang placed his hand on her head.

“But, but wouldn’t steering a ship like this be really cool?”

“Indeed, but a Flying Airship that’s just enough is fine. Although it shouldn’t be too small, if it’s that big, we’ll struggle to gather enough Demon Materials to reinforce and fortify it. You wouldn’t want to spend all your time sourcing materials and miss out on adventures, right?”

Zoe seemed convinced by Li Ang, nodding slowly despite her reluctance.

Xiaomo led the group toward the boarding steps, explaining as they walked: “The houses beneath the ship don’t look good because they’re temporary shacks for some repair and investigation work that needs to be done below. They’re temporary warehouses and rest points. All the Shadow Factory members live on the ship along with their families.”

The group ascended the towering steps to reach the platform on the edge of the Ancient Ship, where they could see children and women.

They weren’t idle either, the children evidently having just finished classes, holding books and notes, and the women either transporting supplies or distributing meals, with female workers also inspecting some mechanical structures on the ship.

The young girls curiously observed the ship, Li Ang was no exception.

Even having seen many science fiction works on Earth, now being amidst one, such a massive ship couldn’t have been built with just large metal plates. Its internal space must be filled with mechanical devices.

Xiaomo and the engineer next to him introduced, saying that many of the devices here have had their purposes discovered by the Shadow Factory people, and they are trying to replicate and repair them. However, some complex ones are still being understood.

This ship can self-clean, compressing magic power and elements into the metal wall’s pipes and distributing it throughout the ship, which is truly miraculous.

[Hint: Ancient Civilization “Island Founder” remnants discovered, analyzing their structure]

The system issued a long-awaited new discovery notification.

Island Founder? It’s the first time Li Ang had heard of this ancient civilization.

Nebis’ history is long enough with many civilizations perishing; this is known to all. Civilizations like Bailong Civilization and Stargazers are well-known due to abundant ruins and guild promotion.

The Deus People’s magic-guided civilization’s ruins are limited to scholars’ speculation in Thousand Tower City. However, with Sisyphus’ information and Meimei’s experience, they’ve now been confirmed, known to be closely related to Star Souls.

Combining with how the City of the Ship’s Rudder feels entirely like a giant Metallic Sky Island crafted with metal and machinery, “Island Founder” is a fitting name.

Meanwhile, old information was also reminding.

[Hint: City of the Ship’s Rudder exploration rate reached 90%, hidden location: Mechanical Creation Furnace has been unlocked. Hidden locations are filled with dangers and rich rewards; please prepare before cautiously exploring]

This is getting interesting.

First, is the issue of exploration rate. The underground space is vast, and Li Ang felt if he excluded the unexplored gigantic circular area in the middle of the Metallic Sky Island that Xiaomo mentioned, this space accessed by the fourteenth Machine Core Tunnel covered a significant portion of the underground space.

Including this, the exploration rate only reached 90%, implying that without discovering this place, one would need to at least explore the majority of the previous thirteen tunnels to meet the exploration requirements.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep