Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

The moment the pure white space completely dissipated, the air of the ancient hall, carrying the scent of the sea and a faint smell of rusted metal, enveloped them once again.

The two walked out of the passageway where the seawater had parted, and the crowd waiting outside was very excited to see them.

"Congratulations to you both on successfully passing the trial of the 'Ninefold Corridor'." The Deepwater Matriarch's voice echoed melodiously. "You have proven your strength and virtue."

"You're too kind, Madam." Shi Ri glanced at Liu Nian and said, "Brother Liu Nian has contributed greatly to this trial. Our Demon Bear Clan will remember this kindness!"

The Deepwater Matriarch nodded slightly, her gaze falling on Liu Nian with even greater respect. The Naga race revered strength and wisdom, and Liu Nian's demonstrated power had already earned them respect.

The Deepwater Matriarch slowly said, "The Silverscale Naga will grant you some access. Lord Liu Nian, as an ally and trial companion of the Sun-Eating Chieftain, you will be regarded as a VIP of the Silverscale Naga, enjoying the right to travel within the safe zone of the Rust Dynasty and to use some of our service facilities."

Seizing the opportunity, Shi Ri said, "Mistress, you have witnessed Brother Liu Nian's strength and potential. I think we can offer him a deeper symbol of friendship. For example... granting him access to the teleportation array? This would facilitate future communication and mutual assistance, and if the dynasty encounters any trouble, we can also get help from Brother Liu Nian."

The Deepwater Matriarch pondered for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Yes. The Naga are willing to establish closer ties with truly powerful beings."

Liu Nian was overjoyed by Shi Ri's suggestion and immediately granted him the teleportation permission to travel from the floating city to this location.

With this teleportation array, the connection between the floating city and the Rust Dynasty is much closer, making things countless times more convenient, whether it's exchanging supplies, sending people around, or providing support at critical moments.

"Thank you for your trust, Madam," Liu Nian said.

"This is what you deserve," the Deepwater Matriarch smiled. "Now, you can look around the Rusty Dynasty. Chieftain Sun Devourer, you also need time to digest the gains from this trial, don't you?"

Shi Ri nodded. He did need to sort out his attributes, the newly acquired [Heart of Truth], and his insights from the battle.

Although his growth path wasn't as "simple and brutal" as Liu Nian's, it was still the type that allowed him to grow through battle. The continuous high-intensity life-or-death battles, especially the final fierce battle with Liu Nian's mirror image, gave him a new understanding of his control over his own power and elemental fusion. He wanted to further enhance his talent.

The two parted ways temporarily. Shi Ri went to the quiet room that the Silverscale Naga had arranged for him. Liu Nian, on the other hand, decided to wander around the Rust Dynasty.

He first arrived at the trading district established by the Silverscale Naga. Unlike the bustling gnome capital, this place had the unique coolness and order of the Naga race.

The items displayed in the shop do indeed have a strong Naga style. On the weapon rack, there are mostly various beautifully designed longbows and crossbows, as well as long-handled battle blades and tridents suitable for Naga to wield with multiple arms. The materials are mostly deep-sea alloys, magical corals, and water-quenched metals, and the additional attributes are mostly things like "tidal power", "water flow acceleration", and "deep-sea pressure".

For Liu Nian, who was used to using his fists and at most had a handy weapon on hand, there was indeed nothing that particularly appealed to him.

The same applies to armor, which is mostly scale armor and soft armor that fits the streamlined body of the Naga. The style is gorgeous and complicated, and the defensive performance is good, but the weight and shape are not suitable for human body size. The additional special effects are mostly water-related.

There were some interesting things in the apothecary and the scroll workshop, though.

For example, there's the "Sea Spirit Potion," which allows one to breathe freely underwater and enhances naval combat capabilities; the "Tidal Scroll," which summons small water elementals to assist in combat or repair equipment; and some rare materials extracted from metal minerals and deep-sea plants unique to the Rust Dynasty.

Liu Nian purchased a batch of materials, intending to bring them back to the floating city for the dwarf craftsmen to study, which might be useful for the repair of the floating city.

The biggest finds came from the area of ​​architectural drawings and engineering manuals.

The Silverscale Naga seemed to have unearthed and restored many ancient technological blueprints from the ruins of the Rust Dynasty. Liu Nian saw blueprints for items such as the [Automatic Repair Tide Shield Generator], the [Hydraulic Heavy Ballista], and the [Integrated Platform for Deep-Sea Exploration and Smelting].

While these technologies require certain deep-sea resources or techniques unique to the Naga race to be fully utilized, the underlying concepts of combining mechanics and energy offer invaluable insights for the floating cities currently under large-scale construction.

Liu Nian used the gold coins he had just acquired to buy all the blueprint rubbings he could find.

After touring around, Liu Nian gained a more intuitive understanding of the technological level of the Rusty Dynasty and the Silverscale Naga. They were following a different technological path than Ascalon and the Floating City—the "hydraulic and bio-alloy" approach—a unique and promising one.

Finally, he remembered the "Tidal Core" that Devourer of the Sun had mentioned before.

Liu Nian believes that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this thing should also be an "eternal core".

The Heart of Terra leans towards the earth and creation, while the Psionic Core leans towards space and Psionic energy. Therefore, the Tidal Core is likely to dominate water element, life, and repair.

The main structure of the Rusted Dynasty is relatively well preserved, and the Silverscale Naga can still maintain so many workshops, thanks in no small part to the "Tidal Core".

So, is it possible to repair the psionic core by using the power of the tidal core?

Once this thought arises, it is difficult to suppress.

The Psionic Core is the power center of the floating city. Its repair means that the floating city will restore a series of important functions and unlock more powerful abilities.

He approached the Deepwater Mistress, who was handling some business, and proposed the idea.

"You want to use the power of the 'Tidal Core' to repair another damaged Eternal Core?"

The Deepwater Matriarch looked at Liu Nian with some surprise: "Do you know how important the 'Tidal Core' is to the Rusty Dynasty and our race? It maintains the balance of this sea area, protects the dynasty's structure from being completely crushed by the deep sea, and is also the energy source for many of our technologies."

"I understand its importance, Matriarch," Liu Nian said sincerely. "That's why I believe it might possess powerful restorative properties. The eternal artifact I own, called the 'Psionic Core,' is the core of another ancient floating city, and it's now severely damaged. Restoring it would not only be beneficial to me, but it might also become a powerful asset to the Silverscale Naga in the future. I'm willing to pay an equivalent price for it."

The Deepwater Matriarch fell into deep thought.

The resonance and mutual assistance among eternal creations are not without precedent in ancient records.

Liu Nian's demonstrated strength and potential, as well as the reputation and friendships he gained through the trials, all added weight to this request.

More importantly, a fully restored floating city ally with an eternal core is of great strategic significance to the Silverscale Naga, who have just taken root in the Rust Dynasty and still have to face other threats from the deep sea.

"This matter is of great importance, and I need to discuss it with the elders." Matriarch Deepwater did not immediately refuse. "If the assessment results are optimistic, and you can provide sufficient guarantees and conditions that satisfy our tribe, further cooperation is not impossible."

This was better than Liu Nian had expected! He immediately expressed his gratitude: "Thank you for your trust, Madam! I will bring my technical advisor as soon as possible."

After leaving the palace of the Deepwater Mistress, Liu Nian did not delay and immediately returned to the Floating City.