Book 3, Chapter 2.1: Arcane Palace (Part One)

Qi Gao let out a wistful sigh before his eyes focused on a certain point. “It’s already 3:42 p.m.? It’s late. We need to hurry.”

Turning around, he said, “Where are your student card and admission notice? Take them out.”

Chen Chuan reached into his breast pocket and took out his student card and admission notice.

Qi Gao pointed at one of the pillar foundations. “That’s a Domain Link Node, also known as a Realm Node. Stand on it while wearing the Yin-Yang Device. Then, show your student card so that the Fu-Mu Entity can identify you.”

“The Fu-Mu Entity?” Chen Chuan asked.

“It’s the largest biofield administrator in Central City. It’s not a person, but a biosentient entity that oversees public operations. Anyway, leave it for later. If you want to understand it, you can take your time reading up on it after the Fu-Mu Entity verifies your identity. This isn’t confidential information.”

Chen Chuan walked over to one of the pillar foundations and put on the bone mask. The two worms crawled out once more and entered his ears.

The pillar foundation wasn’t made of stone, as he thought it was. Instead, it was something resembling wood. It also wasn’t smooth. Instead, the foundation was made of an amalgamation of many tiny, dense, tentacle-like things that felt somewhat tough.

Chen Chuan patted the mask twice.

In an instant, the cacophony of noises entered his ears again, but this time, he didn’t look at Central City. Instead, he trained his eyes on the foundation. There was a sheen of rapidly flowing light on its outer layer, and he felt a tingling sensation, as if he was experiencing light electrical shocks.

“Remember this: Focus. Sense the Realm Node. Let the Yin-Yang Device become compatible with you. These old things are a lot of trouble…” Qi Gao explained.

Chen Chuan’s attention immediately shifted to the pillar foundation. As a martial artist, he could easily control his attention. Soon, all the noise around him faded away. The rapidly flowing light also slowly became steady and formed a pillar of light around him.

Looking around him, Chen Chuan saw that each of the pillar foundations beside the road had a pillar of light that reached into the sky. They were like real pillars that supported something unknown up high.

Just then, he heard a gentle, friendly voice of a woman. “Thank you for using Posuo, the public service platform of Central City, Jibei Road. Greetings, user. Do you need to verify your identity?”

“Yes,” Chen Chuan said.

“One moment, please.”

The voice then continued, “Name: Chen Chuan. Identity: Student of Martial Valor University’s main campus. Age: Seventeen years old. Current status: Not yet enrolled.

“According to the joint management agreement between Central City’s government and the companies, you are permitted to obtain temporary citizenship, valid for fifteen days.

“Chen Chuan, please register at Martial Valor University as soon as possible to renew your status and obtain long-term residency rights.

“You have a savings account at Grand Prosperity Finance. According to the agreement between the platform and Grand Prosperity Finance, you are allowed to unlock unrestricted trading rights. Would you like to unlock it?”

A thought crossed Chen Chuan’s mind, and he asked, “What are the risks and benefits of the trading platform?”

“Apologies, but you are currently a temporary citizen and don’t have the right to check these things. You may ask about the service after renewing your status,” the voice said.

“Thank you. I won’t need it for the time being,” Chen Chuan answered.

“Alright. Do you need any other services?”

Chen Chuan turned to Qi Gao. “Mr. Qi, I’ve verified my identity. Is there anything else?”

“That’s enough. The important part was for Fu-Mu Entity to verify your biofield,” Qi Gao said. When Chen Chuan was about to get off, he said, “Hang on. Let’s form a link.”

He put a finger on his neck and looked at Chen Chuan.

“Citizen Qi Gao is connecting with you through the platform. Will you allow the connection?”

“Granted.”

“Connection established…”

The next moment, Qi Gao’s voice reached his ear.

“It’s done. As long as we’re in Central City, we’ll be able to contact each other. But you’re using an old model, which can only transmit audio. It can’t do anything else. It also gives you a truckload of annoying ads all day long and requires a Realm Node to use any public services.

“But that’s how it is when it comes to university-issued stuff. High-class Yin-Yang Devices don’t have such problems. If you have the money, get a new one.

“But the best is still an implant. It allows an even closer connection to other biofields. Your reaction will also be much faster. You’ll know after trying it. How should I put it? It’s like getting your decades-long short-sightedness cured. Yes. That’s exactly it. Hey, Chen Chuan, you can get down now.”

Chen Chuan got off and looked at Central City again. The chaotic scenery had disappeared. The rays of light had been bound in an orderly fashion around each building, and everything appeared organized. Despite it, the city was still much more colorful than the monotonous scene from earlier.

It was like a black-and-white painting splashed with bright colors, making it more vivid while hiding its dark and gloomy side.

At that moment, the city no longer looked like a silhouette on the horizon, but the connecting point between dreams and reality, the point between heaven and earth.

Chen Chuan finally understood why the place was known as Central City.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? That’s why only a handful of people are willing to leave Central City after coming here. But if you live here without the Yin-Yang Device, you won’t be able to see all these things, much less get in touch with them. You won’t be able to enjoy all the conveniences either. Instead, you’ll have a hard time buying and selling things. You’ll only be able to take certain paths and be unable to transfer money easily. Some people will even refuse to communicate with you. That’s right. It’ll be like living in a different world,” Qi Gao said while pointing at the implant behind his ear.

“Are there people who don’t use them?” Chen Chuan asked.

“Yes. There’s a group who rejects all of it and refuses to enter the real world. We call them Skeletons. They form the Skeleton Gang. Some crazy lunatics also say that the Yin-Yang Device is a nefarious government scheme to control everyone and wants us to stop wearing them.”

Qi Gao observed Chen Chuan. With the mask on, Chen Chuan could see one of his eyes flashing with an orange light.

“Yup. You only have temporary citizenship right now, and it’s only effective for fifteen days. You need to go to Martial Valor University to get your student ID and renew your status. Then, you’ll become a proper citizen.”

Qi Gao walked to his SUV. “Let’s go. We’ve been here for twenty minutes, and it’s already past 4 p.m.. It’s best to enter the city before dark.”

Chen Chuan followed him, but after some thinking, he decided to have his second self absorb the damage from the mask. Then, he cast a glance at Central City. In an instant, all the light disappeared. Once he stopped his second self from absorbing the damage, the light returned.

While pondering over this, Chen Chuan got into the SUV.

Once Qi Gao got into the driver’s seat, he reminded Chen Chuan, “It’s best to wear the Yin-Yang Device at all times. With it on, you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want in Central City. You can also get access to all sorts of information and services. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult for you to do anything at all.

“But if you get an implant, just remember not to connect with any random stranger…”

As he continued giving Chen Chuan instructions, they drove for ten minutes. Suddenly, they heard a piercing screech. Qi Gao’s expression changed. Since Chen Chuan hadn’t removed the bone mask, he saw a blood-red cross on the road ahead.

Qi Gao cursed under his breath and slammed his palms on the steering wheel. “Damn it! A roadblock! Which crazy bastard is causing trouble in the city this time?”

He turned to Chen Chuan. “The inspection can take a few hours. We might need to wait until night. I think we should go around. What do you think, Chen Chuan?”

“Didn’t you say there will be trouble if we do that?” Chen Chuan asked.

“It’s better than waiting here like idiots. Who knows when they’ll lift the roadblock? It can last as long as two days. Are we supposed to just wait outside all that time? We have to get past somehow.”

“You’re more familiar with the place than I am. You should make the call,” Chen Chuan said.

“Nice!”

Qi Gao acted decisively. He turned the steering wheel a few times, and the SUV turned around to get off the main road. They then headed south. After they left the road, he started watching his surroundings carefully. He was no longer as relaxed as before.

After around fifteen minutes, they heard a shrill sound, along with a cold, mechanical voice. “SUV ahead, pull over for inspection. I repeat, SUV ahead, pull over for inspection.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep