Chapter 183: Archean City
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
With their bags and belongings, Lu Ming, along with Chengcheng and Wei Lan, hit the road.
The three of them were exceptionally fast on their feet, and by late afternoon, they had already caught up with the small group of people at the front of the convoy—Bai Tianyu, Duan Mei, and the experts of the Spirit Clan.
Lu Ming was no longer in a hurry to travel. After meeting up with them, he set up camp right there.
After dinner, he rested early.
On the 128th day of the Black Mist Calendar.
Early in the morning, Lu Ming woke up. He did not even do his daily exercises yet, and was about to prepare to set off when he was stopped by Velo.
“Take my granddaughter with you.”
Velo smiled and brought Fala over to Lu Ming.
“We need a guide, right?”
Looking at Fala’s slightly shy face, Lu Ming did not think too much about it. He simply nodded and said, “Indeed, we should bring a guide.”
So, Fala joined Lu Ming’s team.
The Black Mist Zone was vast and boundless, and its landscapes varied.
The Bear Mountain area was barren and desolate, with rugged boulders.
However, after walking out of the Bear Mountain area, they entered a vast and boundless grassland.
Black grass-like plants grew on the ground, emitting a peculiar scent that could not be described as either pleasant or foul. In addition, there were dark-colored herbivores that looked like sheep and cows roaming the grassland.
The significance of a guide was manifested at this moment.
“The Black Grass Plains, while not a desolate wasteland, is not a dangerous place. It’s just purely barren and lacks resources. It can’t support the survival of intelligent species.”
Fala explained and then added, “The black grass growing here is a crop without any value. It’s inedible and is rich in a type of chronic poison. The creatures who eat it will experience a slow but irreversible decline in strength.”
Fala pointed at the cows and sheep in the distance. “These creatures consume black grass for a long time, causing their strength to be weak and they can’t even enter the level. Moreover, because of the black grass, their flesh is also filled with that slow poison.”
To put it bluntly, they could not be eaten.
“The same goes for water sources.”
Lu Ming nodded in understanding. “Then let’s speed up.”
Everything was as Fala had said.
Although the Black Grassland was vast and gloomy, it was not particularly dangerous.
The dim sunlight of the Black Mist Zone seemed to cast a thin veil over the plains.
The creatures living here seemed to understand that they were considered detestable by others—they were not afraid of other creatures.
On the contrary, when some unique-looking small animals saw Lu Ming and the others, they intimately stuck close to them. Their ugly appearance caused the three women to scream, but it made Lu Ming smile as he found them interesting.
Truth be told, Lu Ming had never ventured far from home.
Traveling and sightseeing were completely unrelated to Lu Ming at any point in his life.
He had never longed for the beauty of the outside world.
However, because of this relocation, Lu Ming had left home and was now heading to a distant place. The company of the three women gave him such a feeling…
Perhaps, the outside world was not as bad as he had thought….
That night, lying on the Black Grass Plains, Lu Ming rested his head on his hands and looked up at the night sky.
The dim and gloomy sky, tinged with black and gray, was not particularly pleasing to the eye, but Lu Ming was somewhat intoxicated.
The fragrance of cooking wafted into his nose, mixed with the smell of the black grass, and it relaxed him, dispelling his fatigue.
After dinner, the few of them all settled down in their tents and fell asleep.
On the second day, they continued their journey at the same steady pace towards the direction of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Day 130 of the Black Mist Calendar.
Lu Ming and the other three crossed the Black Grass Plains.
After crossing the Black Grass Plains, they were already getting closer to the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Looking into the distance, they could already clearly see the boundless mountain range stretching out before them.
The mountains formed a continuous line, and as they looked further into the distance, they could see the hazy mist swirling within the mountains, like a veiled maiden, leaving room for endless imagination.
“Over there is the Hundred Thousand Mountains.”
“Once we enter the mountains, we’ll be in the territory of the Hundred Thousand Mountains,”
Fala said.
“I wonder how vast the Hundred Thousand Mountains is. The dangers and opportunities inside are endless. Not only is it a paradise for exotic beasts, but it’s also a paradise for explorers.”
“Someone once said that the supreme god spirit created the Black Mist Zone. In the beginning, the ruler of the Black Mist Zone was an exotic beast.”
“Later on, because of the appearance of the tribulation transcenders, conflicts occurred between the foreign tribulation transcenders and the exotic beasts. The outcome of the conflicts ended with the tribulation transcenders winning. Under the lead of the beast king, the exotic beasts moved into the Hundred Thousand Mountains in large numbers.”
With that said, Fala tilted her head and pursed her lips in thought. Soon, she said, “I think this statement might be made up. This is because we’ve already confirmed that the exotic beasts in the Hundred Thousand Mountains don’t have a decent organization. They’re no different from the exotic beasts in the outside world.”
“Therefore, beast kings clearly don’t exist.”
“Of course, in view of the environment in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the exotic beasts inside are generally stronger than those outside. However, if you only live in the periphery, the strength of the exotic beasts there is also limited.”
As soon as Fala finished speaking, Cheng Cheng continued, “But you just said that other than exotic beasts, there are also explorers here, right?”
Fala nodded.
“This also means that if we walk deeper into the Hundred Thousand Mountains, we’ll encounter danger from exotic beasts. If we stay at the edge of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, we’ll similarly encounter danger from explorers.”
The danger brought by intelligent creatures was not much weaker than natural danger.
Fala thought briefly and nodded, “Indeed.”
“However, how can there not be dangerous places in this Black Mist Zone?”
As the girls chatted, Lu Ming looked into the distance with a deep gaze.
After Fala finished speaking, Lu Ming raised his hand and pointed. “There’s a city over there.”
Fala was slightly stunned, as if she did not expect Lu Ming to be able to see so far.
Then, she nodded gently, “Yes, that’s Archean City.”
“The only city outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains.”
“Archean City doesn’t belong to any race or faction.”
Previously, it had been said that some races that could not survive outside would burrow into the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
It was also said that there were many opportunities in the Hundred Thousand Mountains that attracted many explorers.
The origin of this Archean City could no longer be traced. It might have been built by a race that had entered the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
As time passed, the races and explorers who came and went used Archean City as a resting place. Over time, the city had become a thriving hub, serving as a trading center for adventurers who returned with loot and for the local inhabitants living in the Hundred Thousand Mountains who needed a bridge to the outside world.
As time passed, Archean City became so prosperous.
Fala continued, “Although Archean City doesn’t belong to any racial faction, it does have its rulers inside. I heard from my grandfather that it’s very chaotic inside. Therefore, our route doesn’t include a stop at Archean City.”
Due to the existence of the Mother Tree, it was unlikely that the large clans would have any interest in the Tribulation Transcenders.
However, some solitary travelers and small clans, upon seeing the Tribulation Transcenders would not let them off easily.
In short, there was no reason for them to have any dealings with Archean City during this relocation. It was best to avoid it altogether.
Lu Ming understood and retracted his gaze, no longer looking at Archean City.
He said softly, “Let’s go into the mountains..”