Poverty makes me capable of anything.

Two wooden puppets were guarding the gate.

The green-headed puppet is currently level 165, and the red-headed puppet is currently level 170.

"..."

Perhaps this is what true depth and heritage are all about.

The red-headed puppet's mouth started making a rattling sound, followed by an unexpectedly youthful voice.

"Welcome to Silent City, I am Puppet Mangrove Forest."

The green-headed girl also introduced herself: "I am the puppet green leaf."

The mangrove and green leaves said together, "The ruler has been waiting for you at the Star Gazing Tower for a long time. Please come with us."

"Please lead the way."

Anran said.

Next, Anran experienced what the most interesting "amusement park" in the world is like.

As she and Ella stepped into the float-like vehicle, ethereal music began to play in Silent City.

Whenever the heavy notes in the song sound, ribbons, fireworks, and countless tiny stars are scattered into the air.

The floats raced along a track filled with natural elements, a track suspended in mid-air.

Below, on a street with a steampunk vibe, thousands of steam-powered robots walk and dance, while a mechanical red dragon hovers in the air, and colorful lights illuminate the festive atmosphere.

When welcoming guests from afar, the Silent City transforms into a city of wonders filled with fantasy.

When the enemy breaks through, Silent City will let them experience what true silence and coldness are.

Of course, these are all stories that have been passed down for a long time.

Since Virginia became the ruler of the star field, she has rarely taken action.

She did not join any faction and had no need to get involved in the friction between the Exiled Empire and the Eternal Star Road.

Starfield rulers will not fight each other unless things get to the point of no return.

The Stargazing Tower is a spire that stands in the very center of the Silent City.

The float stopped at the station set up outside the spire. Following behind the mangroves and green leaves, Anran got off the float and immediately found herself being stared at by dozens of eyes.

Without making a sound, she was led by two puppets to a five-meter-high gate.

"please!"

The mangrove tree bent down and extended its right hand, gesturing for people to come in.

After taking a few deep breaths, Anran and Ella exchanged a glance, and then walked forward hand in hand.

squeak-

The door opened automatically.

The sudden burst of firelight took An Ran several seconds to adjust and regain her senses.

She was now standing in a circular room.

At the very front of the room, sitting in an ordinary chair, was a "young" woman with stunningly bright red hair—young in appearance only.

If we're talking about real age, Virginia is almost two thousand years old.

However, compared to the ancient gods with their long lifespans, Virginia's age is not surprising. This is why the Wanderer thought the Silent Lands were located within the Exiled Empire. The Silent Lands have only become truly famous in the last thousand years or so.

Virginia's clothes resembled burning flames, and her ample bosom was as flamboyant as her hair color.

She doesn't look like a human being, but more like an exquisite sculpture.

She sat there, yet it was as if she wasn't there at all.

She exuded a scorching heat that was almost unbearable to look at, but the next second she seemed to turn into an eternal iceberg, making people shiver and hug their chests.

Virginia (Binary)

【grade】:???

[Extremely Dangerous]

"Binary?"

An Ran frowned, at the ambiguous suffix.

After she and Ella stood firm.

Virginia put down the cup in her hand, and gently lowered her left leg, which had been resting on her other leg.

Hey.

The sound of heels hitting the ground instantly livened up the stiff air.

Only then did An Ran have the energy to observe the other people standing in the room.

The two rows on the left and right resembled the officials who paid homage to the emperor in ancient times.

An Ran also saw Tan He, who had disappeared for some time, at the end of the right side.

Tan smiled at her, but quickly suppressed his smile.

Although Tan He was standing at the very back, his rank was not the lowest in the room.

The lowest level is Ella, who is standing next to Anran, currently at level 168.

Besides that, the lowest level is the person standing in front of Tan, level 174, an unnamed demi-human with a short tail.

Virginia's alluring red lips moved.

However, her first words were not addressed to Anran and Ella.

"You may leave."

It was still the same authoritative voice, which reminded An Ran of Virginia's action of throwing a flaming business card in the video.

As expected of the ruler of the star field, every move he makes is a show of bravado.

Without a word, the others standing in the room bowed and walked out from An Ran's side, though their eyes did not look very friendly.

This put An Ran under no pressure.

nonsense.

If it were possible to be killed by a look, An Ran would have died tens of thousands of times over.

After all those people left, the door was closed.

Virginia's gaze fell on Ella: "Long time no see, you've finally grown into a mechanical spirit."

"what?"

Ella stared at Virginia with a puzzled look.

She seemed to have some recollection of this place, yet it also seemed as if she had never been here before; she couldn't remember anything.

“I see.” Virginia nodded slightly. “Because you were damaged when you went through the portal, you lost the little bit of your spiritual imprint. But it’s not a big deal. You just have to start over. Besides, you’ve grown much better than I imagined.”

"Oh."

Ella nodded, bewildered.

Although this older sister seems more capable, prettier, and has a better figure than An Ran...

But it's best to stay safe.

Virginia then turned to look at Anran.

"How does the Silent City feel?"

An Ran hesitated for a moment before answering, "It's like a hodgepodge."

She felt she was such an honest person and should have been more tactful.

To everyone's surprise, Virginia smiled with satisfaction.

"It's like a hodgepodge, that's for sure. This is something I created before I even understood what I was pursuing. It's a hodgepodge of the wisdom of various craftsmen from across the star field. It looks impressive..."

Indeed, even if it's just a simple stacking, these high-level weapons look quite impressive when piled together.

“It’s actually quite powerful,” Virginia added.

"..."

Virginia, seemingly oblivious to the strange change in An Ran's expression, continued, "It's just not as amazing as I imagined. But once I figured out what I was pursuing, I realized it was nothing more than a failed product. And it's precisely this flawed concept that has led me into this predicament."

"A predicament?" An Ran asked in surprise. "Has someone set their sights on you, Lord Ruler?"

Virginia laughed and said, “Countless people are watching my every move every day, but that’s not a problem for me. The real problem is that there are obstacles on the road to further progress, and I don’t have time to clear them away.”

"?"

“I can’t leave here. Once I leave Silent City to pursue the path of becoming a Protoss, whether I succeed in the end or not, my old enemies will make me feel guilty for the rest of my life. And guilt, that kind of emotion that creates a flaw in my heart, cannot exist within me, do you understand?” Virginia said.

Anran nodded in agreement.

Isn't this the same mindset she has?

She disguised herself specifically because she was worried about some trouble.

"The path to becoming a Star Domain Ruler is fraught with hardship. It is the most crucial step to break free from constraints and reach the extraordinary. This vast universe is never short of geniuses, and there are geniuses who grow faster than you. But even so, after so many years, only eight Star Domain Rulers remain in the Time Sea Star Domain. Even in the more powerful Star Tree Star Domain, the number of Rulers is not large."

The path to becoming a Star Domain Ruler is like a single-plank bridge. Every moment, countless people try to cross this bridge, but they all fall off and can never climb back up.

"Of those people you just saw, two were geniuses I once greatly admired, but one has already failed, and the other needs to find a unique path among hundreds of thousands of possibilities. Tan He, who comes from the same star system as you, might still have a glimmer of hope if his development goes smoothly."

Anran listened to Virginia's story with a blank expression.

Being powerful can sometimes be a source of pain.

If you don't have talent to begin with, you won't think so much about it.

It is that meager talent, neither exceptional nor inferior, that can lead to despair.

“Each Star Domain Ruler selects people who are likely to advance to Star Domain Ruler and trains them. Each Ruler has different reasons, and my reason is that I need someone to help me take care of the Silent Land so that I have enough time to remove obstacles to my advancement.”

Virginia stared into Anran's eyes.

For a moment, nothing could be discerned.