CHAPTER 992: CHAPTER 991: A SMALL REQUEST

The speed of Iona’s warship was undoubtedly much faster than that of the White Tower’s. In less than half an hour, the girls felt the warship begin to descend, slowly coming to a stop. Then the hatch opened, and Iona walked over once more.

"Follow me."

Iona still maintained a calm expression, seeming indifferent to anything. Yet, this time, no one complained about Iona anymore. In the Main World, strength reigns supreme, and before they knew about Iona’s strength, a few complaints were trivial. But now, having witnessed Iona’s combat prowess firsthand, these girls wisely kept silent.

Compared to ordinary people and nobility, Mages have an extraordinary tolerance for quirks. Look at a certain Chief of Transmutation who spends his days groping girls’ butts and peeping at them showering without being beaten to death, which already speaks volumes. Or perhaps, powerful Mages might differ from others in various ways.

As for the girls, they are White Tower elites, having received elite education in the White Tower since childhood, having seen their share of peculiarities. And when it comes to dislike of social interaction, Mages could count for more than half. So, for ordinary people, Iona might seem cold and unapproachable, but for these girls, it’s not unacceptable.

However, after leaving the warship and looking at the Heavenly Dao Palace ahead, the girls were utterly stunned.

Floating castles themselves aren’t particularly surprising; several Legendary Mages within the Magitech Nation have their own floating castles. Of course, in terms of area, those floating castles and Mage Towers certainly aren’t as big as the Heavenly Dao Palace. But, at least the girls have seen them, and some have even toured one personally.

Yet for them, the Heavenly Dao Palace was more than just "big."

Filled with exotic streets, bustling crowds moving to and fro, gigantic warships visible intermittently among the clouds, and distant Psionic Crystals and Star Spirit structures floating in the air, as well as various information and images displayed on massive screens, all dazzled them.

Strictly speaking, nothing in the Heavenly Dao Palace exceeded the Mages’ understanding. For example, screen images—they didn’t understand what large electronic LCD screens were. Yet, they could grasp the concept of projecting images here for display through some means. Understanding this concept posed no problem for them.

The crux lies in the degree to which these things are applied in real life.

The Magitech Nation is the birthplace of Magitech Civilization and initiator of the Magitech Industry era. However, even internally, industrial use in daily life is only just beginning. Things like cars, TVs, while they’ve appeared in the Magitech Nation, haven’t become widespread.

This somewhat parallels the Industrial Revolution era, when people could see 8-inch black-and-white TVs, send telegraphs wirelessly, and drive four-wheeled cars around recklessly.

But what will happen in the future? No one knows.

Verne is considered a god-level figure of science fiction novels. Many things he envisioned have become reality: submarines, manned moon landings, spaceships. Yet, his works were merely based on products already existent in his own era for imagination and conception. Even for such a genius, there were things he couldn’t foresee.

For example, in one novel, he depicted the news industry in 2889. The most "science fiction" scene he could envision was transforming the news industry into a massive telephone service system where users, spending a few cents, could use phone booths to converse with editors, journalists, and scholars to acquire knowledge they’re interested in.

He even imagined writers no longer using pens, but directly speaking to their readers via phone, recounting stories they devised.

Yet, Verne certainly didn’t predict the rise of the information age and the advent of the internet, as such things were unimaginable in his era.

And now, many people live lives that are more "science fiction" than those of past science fiction novels.

These young Mages of the White Tower, arriving at the Heavenly Dao Palace, were like 19th-century scholars traveling to the 21st century. The scenes before them filled them with excitement and awe. Whether the flashing images on the walls, the peculiar tools used by children on the streets, or the metal warships in the distance and the Tanji running everywhere along the streets—they were mesmerized and elated.

After all, they are young, having envisioned the future development of the Magitech Nation. But now, they finally see their dreams come to fruition.

This is the future!

At this moment, the girls had completely shed their initial anxiety and unease. When they first learned they were going to the Heavenly Dao Palace, they harbored some doubts. After all, due to Fang Zheng’s blockade, the Heavenly Dao Palace is closed to outsiders; no outsiders have entered its interior. So they only knew of Fang Zheng and his metal fleet and a group of rather capable little girls.

As for what the Heavenly Dao Palace is like, no one knew.

But now, they finally witness it all with their own eyes!

After this, Iona led everyone through teleportation to leave the port area, then took an unmanned bus towards their target location.

Currently, the population of the Heavenly Dao Palace is growing. To date, the entire Heavenly Dao Palace houses nearly a million Cursed Children, frankly speaking, reaching about half of the population capacity of the entire Heavenly Dao Palace. Fortunately, the Black World is gradually improving, and the number of Cursed Children migrating to the Heavenly Dao Palace is decreasing.

Otherwise, Fang Zheng would consider using the small HALO acquired from the Halo World as a new colony.

And for a city with a million people, transportation naturally poses a significant issue. For that, Fang Zheng exerted considerable effort to improve it. He placed Psionic Crystals in every major district to transmit energy and perform teleportation, replacing long-distance transport means like trams. For other places, unmanned buses are used as transportation, which finally resolves the transportation issues within the Heavenly Dao Palace.

When the group reached their destination, Fang Zheng was already waiting there.

"Welcome to the Heavenly Dao Palace."

Looking at the girls before him, Fang Zheng extended his hand, making a welcoming gesture.

"Forgive the lack of reception, please understand that I have many things to attend to... By the way, Iona, the previous attack... you weren’t injured, were you?"

"No, Captain."

Iona shook her head.

"But the enemy..."

"I know, we’ll talk about this later."

Fang Zheng interrupted Iona’s report. On the way back to the city, he had already contacted Iona, and then investigated the matter through "Ratziel". But clearly, now was not the time to discuss it.

"No need to be polite, we’re just here to do what we need to do, Your Excellency Fang Zheng."

Colette stepped forward, squinted her eyes, scrutinized Fang Zheng with a smile, and then spoke.

"But... Your Excellency Fang Zheng, before that, there is one more thing I need to trouble you with."

"Oh?"

Hearing Colette’s request, Fang Zheng was momentarily stunned. He carefully looked at the vampire girl in front of him, pondered for a moment, and then asked.

Looking at Fang Zheng in front of her, Colette’s smile became even broader.

"As long as you can satisfy my request, I will agree to transfer these children to the Heavenly Dao Palace to teach Magic. But conversely, if you can’t satisfy my request, we’ll just have to go back."

"Eh?"

Upon hearing Colette’s words, the girls behind her screamed, and Mary wanted to say something but had no choice but to shut her mouth. After all, the other party was the Chief Mage of the Necromancer Class, so even if she had opinions, she couldn’t say much.

"What request?"

Hearing Colette’s words, Fang Zheng was a bit surprised, but not overly so. When dealing with the White Tower, Fang Zheng had previously investigated everyone on the list through "Ratziel", clearly understanding their life experiences, thoughts, and goals.

It was precisely for this reason that Fang Zheng could decisively eliminate those unstable factors. He just wanted to find a few mages to help teach, not to let them cause trouble here. Those who planned on causing trouble should stay far away from the Heavenly Dao Palace.

As for Colette’s situation, Fang Zheng naturally knew well. Although she appeared young on the outside, this vampire was quite old. However... what she truly intended to do was not explained in "Ratziel".

Although on the surface, this Chief from the Necromancer Class was just leading the team, it was clear that if it were just a matter of leading, there would be no need for the Chief Mage of the Necromancer, one of the Eight Major Factions of the White Tower, to personally take action.

And very clearly, she had her own purposes in coming to the Heavenly Dao Palace.

"Very simple."

Colette’s eyes turned, and then she looked towards Fang Zheng.

"I’ve always been interested in the mysteries of life. I wonder, Mr. Fang Zheng, do you have any way to meet my needs?"

"....."

Upon hearing Colette’s words, the girls behind her gasped. The mystery of life was an extremely rare research topic within the White Tower, and the mages of the Necromancer Class focused even more on this. However, for various reasons, it’s challenging for a legitimate necromancer to study this.

It could even be said that the mysteries of life belong to the domain of gods, beyond what mortals can touch or acquire.

"The mysteries of life..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng frowned and pondered for a moment. Then he reached out, rummaged a bit in the inventory, and pulled out a book.

"I don’t know if this meets your requirements, but... at least it’s likely what you want."

"... What is this?"

Taking the book from Fang Zheng’s hand, Colette glanced at the cover’s pattern and text and asked curiously.

"Hmm... Third Grade Elementary Biology..."

Looking at the short Colette in front of him, holding that elementary biology book, Fang Zheng thought that adding a backpack would make her look totally in place...