The Path to Immortality: Starting with an Analysis of Basic Concepts

After Zhu Yu left, he did not choose to enter the "Iron Giant City" in his true form, but instead split off a wisp of his spirit to go in and take a look.

Upon entering the desertified area.

He felt as if he were a fish washed ashore. Not only was there no spiritual energy in the surrounding world, but his connection with the world was also severed. The spiritual energy contained in his body was like water, constantly evaporating under the scorching sun.

"A land devoid of spirits, huh...?"

Zhu Yu was not surprised and looked up at the sky.

High in the sky, a bright sun, like a light bulb, hangs in the sky. Although it emits light and heat, in the perception of the divine, it is not warm at all, but rather has a steely coolness.

Withdrawing his gaze, he used his divine sense to seal the spiritual energy within his body from dissipating, took a step forward, and his figure instantly appeared several feet away.

Not long after.

He then crossed a hundred miles of desert and arrived at the gates of the "steel behemoth".

Looking at the deep passage, Zhu Yu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if it were not a city gate, but a gaping maw with fangs leading to the belly of a giant beast.

He knew this was not an illusion; this "steel behemoth" was alive, a terrifying entity that had wounded "True Lord Qingping," making it something that even though it occupied most of Yanzhou, it dared not easily provoke.

"Is this the 'Noble Phantasm' from Gensokyo...?"

Suppressing my discomfort, I stepped into the city gate passage, and after passing through the dimly lit steel tunnel, my vision suddenly brightened.

Thousands of neon lights.

It illuminates the buildings of varying heights.

A wide road led straight to a dark end.

The scene was both familiar and strange to him, with shops lining both sides, cars coming and going, piercing metal music, the roar of engine revs, and all sorts of incomprehensible horn sounds.

"call…"

Zhu Yu took a deep breath. The exhaust fumes from the vehicles, the aroma of fried food, and the lingering stench filled his nostrils, giving him a fleeting feeling of being transported back to his past life.

After a while, he came to his senses, looked around, and his gaze fell on a fried chicken shop on the corner of the street. He then walked over.

The shop owner was a bald, middle-aged man with a Western-looking appearance. He was flipping the fried chicken in the pot with his prosthetic limb, which was charred black from being exposed to boiling oil. When he saw Zhu Yu standing outside the window, he didn't think there was anything wrong with his clothes or appearance. He opened his mouth and rattled off a string of words that Zhu Yu couldn't understand.

"******…".

"Is it a real resident, or an image manifested by a 'Noble Phantasm'...?"

Fearing something might go wrong, Zhu Yu didn't probe out with his divine sense, but instead said, "Give me a serving of fried chicken."

Upon hearing his voice, the shopkeeper's face stiffened, his emerald eyes flashing with code like a waterfall, and then he opened his mouth, uttering a slightly awkward "Immortal Tomb Spirit Ruins" in common language.

"Young out-of-towner, Old John's fried chicken is big and cheap, only two pence a serving..."

"Aren't they real residents...?"

Zhu Yu immediately noticed something was wrong with Old John, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he took out a low-grade spirit stone from his sleeve and said:

"I don't have any pennies, will you take this?"

moment.

Zhu Yu strolled down the street, eating crispy fried chicken, and then went in and out of several shops to confirm that the "Iron Giant City" had no local inhabitants, but was full of "Treasure" derivative consciousness.

And it truly lives up to its reputation as a treasure from the legendary Gensokyo.

Although the person is fake, the things they sell are real, just a bit pricey.

The fried chicken he ate contained no energy whatsoever; it was just ordinary food, yet he was charged two spirit stones.

After browsing through several shops and eating some familiar foods from his previous life, and even packing some for the gluttonous Xiao Qing, Zhu Yu was about to head to the "Exchange Office" in the Mechanical City when a huge shop with sci-fi decor and robots standing guard at the entrance caught his eye.

He paused slightly before stepping towards the shop door.

The robots outside the store, which looked like sculptures, turned their heads, raised their hands to their chests, bowed slightly, and a metallic synthesized sound rang out.

"Welcome, distinguished visitor from afar, Raul Prosthetics..."

Zhu Yu nodded slightly and stepped into the shop.

At this moment, a man with a European face, wearing a tuxedo and monocle, was already waiting for him in the store. He had a polite smile on his face and uttered the somewhat awkward phrase "Immortal Tomb and Spirit Ruins" from his mouth.

"Distinguished guest from afar, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Raul Henderson, the owner of Raul Prosthetics Shop, and also one of the members of the House of Representatives known to strangers as the Mechanical City."

He took off his hat and nodded slightly.

"It's an honor to meet you."

"Huh..."

Zhu Yu looked at the man who claimed to be a member of the House of Representatives with surprise in his eyes. His gaze shifted slightly, and a smile appeared on his face as he nodded in reply:

"Hello, Mr. Raul."

"Please come with me, Zhu."

Raul smiled and gestured for him to join in.

Led by him, the two arrived at the shop's reception area. After they sat down, two steaming cups of coffee were brought up from the recessed center of the coffee table.

"please."

Raul gestured for it, then picked up the coffee and took a sip as if he couldn't wait, a contented look on his face as he waited.

"interesting…"

Zhu Yu glanced thoughtfully at "Raul," a being clearly not derived from the will of "Mechanical City," then picked up his coffee and took a sip. It was bitter at first, but as it went down, a cool sensation washed over him, invigorating him.

"Huh..."

"This coffee was ground by a second-tier spirit creature?... "

At this moment, Raul snapped out of his reverie, reluctantly setting down his empty cup. His gaze fell upon Zhu Yu, who looked surprised, a hint of arrogance in his expression. He coughed lightly, and seeing Zhu Yu looking at him, said:

"Best wishes, I think we can talk about a deal now..."

Zhu Yu nodded, put down his cup, looked around at the empty space, and smiled, "Could you introduce me to him?... "

"Of course, it's my honor."

Seeing that he was indeed willing to buy, Raul's smile deepened. He raised his hand and tapped the table, and a light screen appeared. As he tapped the screen, it magnified several times, displaying a list of items.

The most common of these is prosthetics.

There are humanoid and animaloid prosthetics, some with a mechanical feel, some with anthropomorphic skin, and others that resemble tentacles, snakes, and so on... all kinds of different shapes of prosthetics.

Besides prosthetics.

There are also robots, armor, exoskeletons, and more...

Each image is accompanied by its parameters and price…

Zhu Yu was dazzled by the sights. After a quick glance, he looked at Raul, whose expression held a hint of expectation, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"I need to build a laboratory for biological experiments..."

He paused, then added:

"This laboratory needs to be able to imprison second-tier cultivators. Second-tier, do you understand what I mean, Raul…"

Upon hearing this, Raul's face lit up with barely suppressed joy, and the following words made his eyes light up with excitement. He immediately nodded and said:

"Of course, Zhu, I completely understand what you mean. The 'Dawn' has traveled to more than one plane, please believe me, Zhu, I understand what second-order is."

After explaining several times, Raul tapped the screen lightly, and soon only a few pictures remained on the screen.

Raul pointed to one of the pictures of a white humanoid robot and said, "'Selya' L11 medical robot, made of LV2 alloy, strong enough to withstand a certain amount of second-tier energy attacks. It is equipped with an independent 'AI intelligent brain butler' to assist its owner in various experiments and has a certain degree of individual combat capability."

After saying this, he pointed to a silver-white sphere and said:

"The 'Multi-functional Safety Chamber' is made of LV3 alloy, and its hardness allows it to withstand large-scale second-order energy attacks..."

"And this bloodline separator, made by..."

Raul went on and on, explaining everything from the laboratory to the specific experimental equipment, leaving nothing out...

Zhu Yu was initially very happy, but as she listened, her eyelids started to twitch. She raised her hand to interrupt Raul, who was introducing the bacterial culture dishes, and said, "Raul, tell me about their prices first..."

Raul paused, nodded apologetically to Zhu Yu, pointed to the picture of the white robot, and said:

"The 'Serya' L11 medical robot has a complex manufacturing process, and the alloy materials used to make it are scarce; 'Dawn' has no reserves of it..."

Zhu Yu raised his hand again to interrupt, "Its price..."

Raul paused, then said seriously, "If you want to take it away, you'll need to pay 20 million resource points."

Zhu Yu's eyelids twitched; he knew this thing wouldn't be cheap.

20 million resource points.

According to Cao Kun, the exchange ratio between resource points and spirit stones is one to ten.

In other words, purchasing the "Serya" L11 medical robot requires 200 million spirit stones, which translates to 4,000 Dao of "Spiritual Ruins Origin".

However, if it is really as Raul said, the price is a bit high, but it is still worth it.

Instead of answering whether to buy or not, Zhu Yu asked, "Raul, you should also be aware that the rules of each plane are different. After this robot leaves the Dawn, will it be able to adapt to the rules of the outer realm?"

Raul had clearly heard this question more than once, and answered without hesitation, "Of course." He smiled and said, "With the blessing of the 'Dawn,' the 'Serya' L11 medical machine can adapt to all rules."

Zhu Yu nodded. "May I take a look?"

"certainly."

Raul nodded, tapped the screen, the desktop dented, and soon, a robot about two meters tall, covered in silver-white metal, emerged.

He gestured for Zhu Yu to check without worry, and then explained from the side:

"The 'Serya' L11 medical machine is also equipped with a mimicry system, which can change into various physical forms and appearances according to the owner's wishes. The 'AI brain' is imprinted with a steel seal and will never betray the owner. It also has dozens of interfaces containing information about medicine, witchcraft, poison, pills, medicine, etc..."

Zhu Yu didn't seem to care much about what he said earlier, but his eyes lit up when he heard what he heard next.

After confirming that its material was of the second tier and its hardness was comparable to that of a spiritual weapon, and that its internal energy fluctuations were also of the second tier, and after checking the "AI brain" and other functions, he made up his mind to buy it.

Zhu Yu first took out a spirit stone and handed it to Raul, asking, "How many are needed for this transaction?...

Raul gave it a quick check and said, "Blessed, the energy quality of this thing is too poor; we need two hundred million of them."

Zhu Yu nodded, then flipped his hand and took out a mid-grade spirit stone radiating from the power aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, handing it to Raul.

Raul examined it and was clearly more satisfied, saying, "Blessed, the energy quality contained in this thing is very good; only two million pieces will suffice."

Zhu Yu nodded, still saying nothing, then took out another "Spiritual Ruins Origin" and handed it to him, asking, "What about this?"

Zhu Yu nodded noncommittally, retrieved the "Spiritual Ruins Origin," and without mentioning what the transaction would entail, chuckled lightly:

"Raul, could you please tell me the prices of the other items..."

Raul reluctantly returned the "Origin of the Spirit Ruins," composed himself, and introduced each item to him one by one.

Among them, the "multi-functional safe compartment" is the most valuable, requiring approximately "five hundred" spiritual origins.

Other instruments, such as blood separators, bacterial culture dishes, microscopes, crushing and purification equipment, were not as expensive as he had imagined, costing no more than a thousand or so "Spiritual Ruins Origin".

After Raul finished introducing everything.

Zhu Yu stood up and said, "Raul, please wait a moment. These things are too valuable. I need to go back and get some money."

Raul wasn't surprised; his smile widened, and he stepped forward to lead the way, asking, "Would you like me to send you a car?"

Zhu Yu didn't stand on ceremony and nodded, saying, "Then I'll trouble you."

"It's my pleasure."

Raul returned the smile.

As soon as the two stepped out of the shop, a black vintage car slowly pulled up in front of the door, and Raul politely stepped forward to help open the car door.

After I sat down, before leaving, I looked at Raul, who was smiling and watching me intently, and suddenly asked:

"Raul, do you possess an independent will?... "

Raul was visibly taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course, Raul is a member of the House of Representatives."

Zhu Yu nodded with a smile, "See you later."

The car windows were closed.

"House of Representatives…"

Zhu Yu smiled, closed his eyes to concentrate, and said, "Go to the exchange office."

"Yes, esteemed guest."

A mechanical voice sounded, the vehicle started, and slowly moved forward.

Zhu Yu looked out the window. Cars shuttled back and forth, people came and went, and neon lights flickered. It should have been lively, but he only felt empty and terrifying.

"I can't come back after the deal with Raul..."

Not long after.

The vehicle was parked in front of a small white building.

Zhu Yu pushed open the door and got out of the car. He looked up and looked at the small building, sensing a faint power of fantasy permeating the place.

After pausing for a few moments, I stepped inside.

No one greeted him, but the moment he entered the building, he knew the rules of the "Exchange".

Everything containing energy can be exchanged for "resource points." You can imagine what you want or view the exchangeable items at the counter.

The latter has a clearly marked price, while the former varies in the number of resource points required depending on the value of the item.

"Gensokyo..."

Zhu Yu sighed inwardly and took out the crystal ball he had obtained from Bai Meng from his sleeve, a second-tier artifact from "Gensokyo".

That was his purpose in entering the Mechanical City, also known as the "Dawn".

His thoughts scattered, and he asked:

"How many resource points are needed to repair it..."

The exchange quickly provided the price.

Three million resource points.

It's not expensive, but it's not cheap either.

Upon receiving the information, Zhu Yu pondered for a moment, imagining the "underworld" in his mind. When he learned of its manifest price, he turned and left.

"It's so dark..."