Chapter 368 – Searching for the City Lord
Tu Ran was looking for Li Rui.
In the Threshold, Li Rui had once said she wanted to become the wealthiest person in the entire universe.
“Li Fupo (Li the Tycoon)” was a name that seemed fitting for her.
With little hope, Tu Ran sensed Li Rui’s location.
She really was in the Ruler’s World!
Her exact position… the sky?
Tu Ran frowned and looked up.
In the blood-red sky, a massive airship was approaching from afar. Hanging from the side of the airship was a banner so large it nearly covered the entire vessel. The words “Li Fupo” were written in bold characters using special paint. Even from a distance, those three words stood out.
As the airship drew closer, the crowd erupted in cheers.
“Yeah! She’s here!!” Behind her, the deafening cheers of the Jian Star citizens echoed.
Tu Ran rubbed her ears and, grabbing Tang Ying’s sleeve with one hand, began slowly moving toward the edge of the crowd.
It wasn’t easy for them to make progress, especially when countless paper slips started fluttering down from the sky. The crowd surged forward, and the two of them were even pushed back a few steps.
Left with no choice, Tu Ran activated her [Immense Strength].
Immediately, everyone near her felt an inexplicable force pushing them away, causing their bodies to tilt aside.
When the money-throwing frenzy began to subside, Tu Ran finally managed to drag Tang Ying out of the crowd. The two slipped into a sparsely populated alley, leaning against a wall, gasping for air.
A single piece of paper floated down from the sky. Tu Ran instinctively raised her hand and caught it.
The paper landed in her palm, and a line of text came into view.
“3,000 Star Coin Voucher – Redeemable at Four Allies Trading Firm.”
Tang Ying glanced at it casually and immediately noticed the amount.
“3,000? If the sky is full of vouchers like this, this extravagance must easily exceed a billion.”
Tu Ran folded the voucher carefully and tucked it into her pocket, muttering almost to herself, “Someday, I should pay my respects too.”
“Pay respects to what?” Tang Ying caught her words and asked, confused.
“Pay respects to a god from my hometown,” Tu Ran peeked outside to assess the situation.
The vouchers floating in the sky were almost gone, and the airship hadn’t left yet. The crowd on the ground was still frantically grabbing the money. She pulled her head back and added, “The more you pray, the wealthier you’ll become.”
She had been poor in her first world, and now, in the Ruler’s World, she was still worrying about money… Though, it seemed she hadn’t had much money when she was in the Federation either.
She apparently had never really had money.
She definitely needed to pray more.
However, she was a bit curious—if she ever got the chance, would she visit a mythical world, meet the legendary god, and ask him why she was always shadowed by poverty?
With her gaze returning to the alley, she leaned against the wall again and spoke, “Let’s wait a little longer. When the crowd thins out, we’ll head to the City Lord’s mansion.”
She didn’t want to look for Li Rui just yet.
She suddenly felt that money could wait for now. She’d take advantage of the chaos today to sneak to the City Lord’s mansion and find a way to convince Wuma Fenghua to willingly take her to the tribute ceremony in twelve days.
The crowd in the streets was beginning to thin, and the massive airship in the sky was also turning around.
A loud booming sound caused everyone still lingering to turn their heads.
A blazing fireball shot toward the airship. In an instant, it collided with the vessel, but it was deflected by an invisible golden shield.
The explosion went off the moment the fireball hit.
Sparks flew in all directions, like a fiery tree of silver flowers, set against the blood-red sky, resembling twinkling stars, a dazzling display of fireworks.
The fireworks continued to burst around the airship.
The golden shield surrounding the entire airship was shrinking rapidly.
The airship was desperately trying to find a way out.
Unfortunately, the fireballs were too numerous, and what had started as a beautiful firework display had turned into a terrifying barrage of artillery.
And the flames—whatever material they were burning—didn’t seem to extinguish even when falling from such a great height. A tiny spark landing on fabric was enough to ignite the entire garment.
Above, the bombing raged on, while below, the scene was a hellish nightmare.
Tu Ran pulled the hood of her black robe lower, leaving behind a quick “I’ll be right back,” and charged straight into the fiery chaos.
Tang Ying wanted to stop her, but it was too late. She could only calm herself, standing in place and touching the mecha inside her robe pocket. Her mind settled slightly as she watched Tu Ran head off, trying to understand why she suddenly acted this way.
Tu Ran had been acting strangely ever since her conversation with those two Jian Star citizens.
Tang Ying reviewed all the little clues.
The deafening roar of the fireball colliding with the shield grew less frequent.
Tang Ying noticed this and quickly moved closer to the exit, peeking outside. The fireball launch points that had been nearby were now eerily silent.
Had they been drained of ammunition?
The thought flashed through her mind, but she dismissed it. She almost certainly believed it was Tu Ran’s doing.
But why would Tu Ran save that airship?
Tang Ying looked up at the sky. The previously beleaguered airship, under the diminishing fire, was now getting a breather. If the firepoint on the eastern side weakened a little more, the airship might just slip through a gap and escape.
As she thought this, the firepoint indeed started to wane.
The airship seized this rare opportunity and immediately fled.
Tang Ying gazed at the airship’s pure white tail, still not understanding why Tu Ran would do such a thing.
It wasn’t until she saw Tu Ran’s swift return, her black robe half-burnt, that a sudden thought crossed her mind.
For money!
The “Li Fupo” aboard that airship was undoubtedly wealthy.
Later, when Tu Ran found out what she was thinking, she could only respond with: “……”
If it were really for money, Tu Ran should have at least waited until the airship was about to crash, then made an appearance in front of them, letting them know who was helping—wouldn’t that be better?!
Now, Tu Ran, completely unaware of Tang Ying’s thoughts, just turned her head to glance at the tattered remnants of her black robe. She was relieved that her quick reflexes had allowed her to use [Space Cutting] to separate the part that had been scorched by the spark. However, she also felt a pang of regret for losing a piece of her robe.
Taking another black robe from her spatial storage, Tu Ran carefully pulled it over her head, not bothering to explain herself to Tang Ying. She adjusted her clothes, ensuring her face was properly concealed, then said, “Let’s go.”
Tang Ying didn’t press further and followed her out.
…
The City Lord’s Mansion.
Although it was called a mansion, it was actually just an ordinary-looking magic cave building, blending almost seamlessly with the other surrounding structures.
Tu Ran had heard that the City Lord’s Mansion was mobile, meaning wherever the City Lord went, the mansion would follow.
This indeed made it easier to avoid assassination attempts.
Wuma Fenghua was leaning against the window, casually greeting the merchants across the street through the window grilles.
Even though the merchants ignored her—no one knew who she was—rather than flirting with her from across the street, they preferred to greet other customers in hopes of earning more money.
After amusing herself for a while, Wuma Fenghua grew bored, turned around, and looked at the corner where the Hundred-Eyed Elf was stationed.
“I really want to know what they asked,” she muttered, resting her chin in her hand, the lower half of her face slightly distorted from the pressure.
“You know the only thing the Hundred-Eyed Elf can’t see is their own kind.” The Hundred-Eyed Elf, which was stuck to the wall like a pancake, flickered twice before its voice, muffled and distant, came through.
“I know,” Wuma Fenghua said, standing up and lazily walking to a floating hammock in the center of the room. She half-lay on it and asked lazily, facing the flickering Hundred-Eyed Elf in the corner, “Where are they now? Still underground?”
“Behind you.”
The Tu Ran who had just crawled up from the window: “…”
And Wuma Fenghua, still leisurely half-lying on the hammock: “…”
“Don’t move!” This command was shouted by Tu Ran, empowered by the hallucinogenic mushrooms.
“I’ll help you! Don’t be rash!” This was Wuma Fenghua’s reaction, not yet having seen the situation with Tu Ran’s back. She raised her hands and froze in place, calling out.
