The Long Journey to Immortality

Chapter 187 Visit, Disappointing Return

Although the network quality in the subway was generally poor, Han Lu was not an impatient person.

Take a look around, then quietly ask Qiu Bin a few questions about the points you don't understand.

On the way to the ancient human civilization site called "Hemudu", Han Lu solved most of the questions she had raised by flipping through a "world map" and made more practical plans for the future.

"Qiu Bin, do you think the world is really a sphere?" After looking at the map, Han Lu asked the question she most wanted to ask.

Qiu Bin knew that breaking down this issue into detailed explanations would be quite complicated, so he simply replied, "According to the observations of our scientists here, it should be so."

Han Lu had heard the word "science" at least ten times in this world, so she naturally knew the authority of these "brain-cultivating cultivators" who didn't follow the laws of cultivation. So she didn't ask any more questions and simply accepted the unbelievable fact that the ancient cultivation secret realm was spherical, and that the Central Plains world she was in might also be spherical.

By consulting a world map, Han Lu learned that this world, with several cities as fixed settlements, has a total of thirty-two cities that can be considered megacities.

Han Lu felt that if she used her flying artifact to fly east or south in this world, she could complete the circumnavigation of the globe in about two and a half days.

Among them, Shanghai, where Han Lu is currently located, is in the southwest of the map and barely ranks in the top ten of these thirty-two cities.

Of the thirty-two megacities, the largest is Hans City, where the headquarters of the Hans Company is located.

It was a city completely controlled by the Hans Corporation. Even the judicial and law enforcement agencies, which were relatively independent in other cities, were replaced by the Hans Corporation's internal judicial department, labor union, and security department.

There, the top executives of Hans Corporation held absolute power, and even the so-called mayor was merely an employee of Hans Corporation.

Even though that city was so special and full of authoritarianism, Qiu Bin still longed for it.

In Qiu Bin's words, it would take another three hundred years for Shanghai to develop into what Hans City is today.

Qiu Bin's words of longing for developed cities convinced Han Lu to make a trip to Hans City within the next thirty days to see what this future metropolis was really like.

Besides cities, undeveloped areas are also a key focus for Han Lu.

Thanks to technology, the world map of this world is quite accurate and complete.

If the version found online hadn't been just the most basic civilian version, Han Lu would have known exactly how many scattered islands there were in the ocean, and how many places in the primeval forests on the edge of the mainland, which were considered protected areas, were worth exploring.

After reviewing the map and gaining a lot, but also having many regrets, Han Lu decided to find a more detailed map to carry with her so that her remaining 29 and a half days of adventure would go more smoothly.

Without hesitation, Qiu Bin offered his suggestion: "Hans Company must have a more detailed version."

Therefore, going to Hans City and visiting the Hans Company became a certainty in Han Lu's itinerary.

As the subway churned and stopped beneath Shanghai, Han Lu's initial praise for this novel and convenient mode of transportation turned into complaints.

The crowded environment, poor network quality, and even worse air quality than on the ground all gave Han Lu reasons to complain.

Compared to the subway, traveling by Pegasus is an incredibly free and pleasant experience.

An hour after boarding the bus, the two finally arrived at the station closest to the Hemudu Site and began to walk again towards their destination.

During the journey, Qiu Bin, who had done his homework in advance and had visited the site at least three times, actively acted as a tour guide. When the two could only see the museum from afar, he began to talk incessantly about the Hemudu Site to Han Lu.

Qiu Bin tried to be a good assistant and wanted to make a good impression on Han Lu.

Han Lu didn't stop Qiu Bin, but she just listened casually.

As an expert standing at the top of this cultivation field, Han Lu did not take the opinions of scientists and historians, who were not authorities in the field, to heart.

On a weekday afternoon, there were few tourists at the Hemudu Site Scenic Area, located on the outskirts of Shanghai.

Qiu Bin purchased two e-tickets online, and the two easily passed through the museum entrance where there was no queue, entering this place full of historical significance.

In the empty museum, the two walked side by side like ordinary friends of the opposite sex.

“Senior Han,” Qiu Bin looked at the display board at the museum entrance and suddenly had a somewhat terrifying thought. He asked Han Lu, “Are cultivators all long-lived? With your current cultivation level, how long can you live… how many years do you have left?”

"I probably have a lifespan of about a hundred years now, but if I want, I can advance to the Foundation Establishment stage at any time. Then I can live for more than two hundred years. As my cultivation level improves, my lifespan will also increase."

"Senior Han, do you think there might be cultivators who have lived for 40,000 years in the Hemudu Ruins?"

Han Lu didn't ridicule Qiu Bin for asking the same foolish questions she had asked before. "If that's true, that cultivator must have reached the legendary immortal realm."

"Do you know? Those ancient cultivators I mentioned to you before are still a long way from the immortal realm."

Qiu Bin listened, finally dispelling his wild thoughts that there might still be cultivators in the ruins, who would fly out and fight Han Lu three hundred rounds later upon smelling her scent.

After walking around the ruins, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon when the two left.

When she left, Han Lu looked rather unwell.

In the vast museum, there wasn't a single artifact that could possibly have even the slightest connection to cultivation.

She was greatly disappointed by the rusty, broken, and mundane artifacts in the museum.

The initial plan failed. Qiu Bin, who had suggested visiting Hemudu, fell silent on the subway ride back, racking his brains to think of any oversights or other ideas to help Han Lu.

Qiu Bin murmured, "Senior Han, do you think it's possible that the museum has simply hidden the magical artifact you're looking for and hasn't displayed it to the public? After all, those things are quite extraordinary."

These words gave Han Lu an idea. "It's very possible. So where do you think they would hide those cultivation treasures?"

"Museum vaults, bank vaults, or Hans Corporation? As far as I know, almost every museum and archaeological team has the shadow of a super company behind it. The company that used to actively sponsor these institutions and organizations was Roman Company, and now it's Hans Corporation."

"Okay, then I'll go to these places tonight." Han Lu felt that she had probably grasped the key to the problem.

Chapter 188 Night Raid on Hans

On the subway ride back, Han Lu remained silent. Qiu Bin, being sensible, knew that Han Lu was thinking and didn't disturb her. However, taking advantage of Han Lu's ignorance of the phone's "photo" function, he secretly took a few photos, planning to show them off thirty days later.

Han Lu found Qiu Bin's speculation to be reasonable.

Even she, a cultivator who had only stayed in this world for less than half a day, could sense the power of Hans Company from every little detail.

These archaeological institutions and historians sponsored by Hans Corporation or the former Super Corporation are capable of anything for Super Corporation.

Those top-tier magical artifacts left behind by ancient cultivators but not stored in restrictive formations stand out among numerous dilapidated relics. Even if one doesn't know how to use them, it's only natural to uniquely collect and treat those "strange relics" that remain brand new even after being sealed for tens of thousands of years.

As for whether Hans Corporation and other super companies that once existed in this world had researched these highly probable top-tier magical artifacts, Han Lu had no way of knowing and was not particularly concerned.

Han Lu thought it was somewhat possible to find secret manuals among cultural relics and glean some rudimentary cultivation methods from them.

"But there's nothing to worry about."

"Compared to the other twenty-eight competitors who entered the ancient cultivation realm with me."

"The spiritual energy in this world is too scarce, and there are also interface limitations."

"Even if there are cultivators in Hans Company, they would definitely be the lowest of the low."

"Being able to reach the second or third level of Qi Refining is considered quite impressive."

“Besides,” Han Lu said, sitting on the subway, subconsciously reaching into her handbag to touch the storage bag hidden inside, thinking to herself, “I still have so many handy magical tools. Even if there are cultivators in this world, they might still be fighting with pistols.”

She didn't think that the secrets of those top-tier magical treasures would be fully discovered by technology. After all, only cultivators at the Golden Core stage or above have enough spiritual power to drive magical treasures.

Could ordinary people or low-level cultivators possibly use electricity, oil, or machinery to power these ancient treasures from the cultivation era? Han Lu thought the probability of this was low.

She could hardly imagine a scene where a spirit sword had an engine and a fuel tank attached to its back, and someone was directing its use with a remote control similar to a mobile phone.

Perhaps there are more advanced power tools in this world, but Han Lu only knows about these few power-related machines from Qiu Bin and has seen them online.

Lost in his own thoughts, he occasionally glanced around, using his superhuman hearing to eavesdrop on the gossip of the surrounding passengers.

When we got back to Qiu Bin's little house, it was already dinnertime.

Qiu Bin originally wanted to order takeout to solve his meal problem.

However, Han Lu took the initiative to treat Qiu Bin as a guest, taking out the food from the Central Plains region that she had prepared in her storage bag and sharing it with him.

Having prepared for the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm for two years, the Zhengyi Sect naturally considered everything before Han Lu and the others departed.

Not only did they prepare enough consumables for treasure hunters like Han Lu in their battles and cultivation, but they also specially prepared enough food and fasting pills to prevent their favorite disciples from fighting against all the heroes in the battles, only to fall into the ancient cultivation secret realm due to hunger.

The storage bag's food storage capacity was only average, so only about ten meals over five days were put into the storage bag.

The Bigu Pill, a type of elixir that is worthless to major sects, was naturally provided in abundance.

Five bottles, more than a hundred pills in total. Han Lu estimated that with just these fasting pills, she could easily survive for a year in the ancient cultivation secret realm without eating ordinary food.

By placing the delicacies of the Central Plains and fasting pills that even ordinary people could use on the dining table, Qiu Bin made a choice that any adult would make.

All.

After eating a few bites of delicacies from the Central Plains region, and feeling half full, Qiu Bin asked Han Lu for a Bigu Pill. He examined the green pill with curiosity for a while before swallowing it.

"What does it feel like?" Han Lu asked curiously, inquiring about the experience of mortals who had consumed the fasting pill.

Qiu Bin patted his stomach. "It has a strong vegetable smell, which is not bad, but it doesn't feel very filling."

Han Lu had never heard the word "satiety" before, but she could understand its meaning.

She put the fasting pill back into her storage bag, then picked up her chopsticks and, while eating, said, "One fasting pill can keep you from eating for three days."

Qiu Bin wasn't particularly concerned about food. "That's good. It saves time spent eating, so we can help Senior Han with more things."

The last half of the sentence was a bit superfluous, but Han Lu found it quite pleasant to hear.

So Han Lu told Qiu Bin about her plan to raid Hans Company's Shanghai branch that night, and asked him to make another trip that night to act as a tour guide.

"So direct?" Qiu Bin suggested, "How about we wait until tomorrow? Anyone can go in and visit Hans Company. Let's scout things out first before taking any action, okay?"

Qiu Bin has a natural sense of awe for the behemoth that is Hans Corporation.

Although he knew that Han Lu was a cultivator, Qiu Bin felt that Hans Company's security department was not to be underestimated.

He didn't think that Han Lu, who was not yet twenty years old, could withstand heavy firepower, achieve her goals, and escape from Hans Company smoothly.

Han Lu had already considered everything while riding the subway. She did not accept Qiu Bin's suggestion. "It's okay, it's a small matter. Besides, what I'm looking for may not necessarily be in Hans Company in Shanghai."

"Moreover," Han Lu pointed at Qiu Bin, "you don't need to risk your life. You just need to take me to Hans Company and then wait here for my good news."

Han Lu joked, "Maybe I'll have already returned home before you even get there."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Bin adjusted his role as an assistant and stopped trying to persuade Han Lu. Instead, he took the initiative to help Han Lu look up information.

As Qiu Bin said, each Hans company in every city is a tourist attraction, and naturally there is relatively detailed travel information available online for tourists to consult.

All he had to do was tell Han Lu the general layout of Shencheng Hans Company and let her work freely.

As he investigated and talked, Qiu Bin acted like a coach, and he felt that his role next to Han Lu was becoming increasingly strange.

"By the way, Senior Han, do you know the way back?"

"Of course I remember. A cultivator's memory is several times better than that of an ordinary person." Han Lu didn't have the characteristic of being directionally challenged.

Qiu Bin nodded and continued, "Then, Senior Han, when do we set off? I remember that Hans Company doesn't close until 11 o'clock, handing over all the work to artificial intelligence and the staff on duty."