Alfred was somewhat surprised by Chu Chuyan's beauty, but he quickly regained his composure and gave an impeccable noble greeting: "Welcome, Young Master Zu and Miss Chu, to the Chamber of Commerce."
Chu Chuyan's face flushed slightly. The reason why the other party recognized her was obviously because Isabella told her, which proved that she had already recognized her identity back then.
Oh dear, this is so embarrassing, it's all Grandma's fault...
Anger from Chu Chuyan: +55 +55 +55...
Zuan chuckled, realizing that Chu Yan was probably thinking about that time again.
"Alfred looks much better now that I haven't seen him for a while."
"Thanks to you, young master, if it weren't for you, I would probably be sleeping soundly in that spider's cave long ago." Alfred still feels lingering fear when he recalls the scene.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zuan casually asked, "By the way, where is Isabella?"
Alfred explained, “The Chamber of Commerce has recently encountered some extremely important matters that require the young lady's personal attention. She is too busy to handle them herself and has had to entrust me to pick you up. I hope you will not take offense.”
Zu An laughed and said, "Of course, important business is more important."
His heart sank. During the voyage, Isabella had excitedly told him several times that she would come to pick him up, but as time went by, he had not been able to contact her for quite some time.
Given their relationship, even if there were something important to deal with, it's impossible that they couldn't find the time to pick each other up.
Did something happen to Isabella?
Alfred did not speak of it, nor did he show any sign of his doubts.
Next, Alfred led the two to a luxury car—more like a low-flying vehicle than a car, as it had no wheels.
The car was luxuriously decorated, with all sorts of high-tech gadgets on display. However, Chu Chuyan sat upright, completely devoid of the excitement and curiosity she had felt on the starship. She didn't want to appear like a country bumpkin in front of Isabella's subordinates.
Zuan silently observed his surroundings. Along the way were all kinds of skyscrapers, but those skyscrapers seemed to be "alive". He had seen those buildings change shape and position several times.
Seeing this, Alfred explained, "They are made of liquid metal or memory crystal, and they can change at any time according to their own needs. Of course, the biggest need is... advertising."
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the skyscrapers, along with various magical artifacts on their rooftops, projected all sorts of holographic advertisements into the air.
Zuan looked at him strangely, never expecting that advertisements were so ubiquitous.
The streets are filled with various automatically transported light strips, on which beings from all over the world walk.
For example, a cultivator riding a crane is arguing with an octopus-shaped mechanical life form, and it looks like they might end up fighting.
The colossal creatures, tens of meters tall and carrying mountain-like loads, docilely walk on specific tracks.
...
The sky was filled with low-altitude flying vehicles, including various anti-shock shuttles, cultivators flying on swords, and great demons soaring with outstretched wings. Ion tail flames, spiritual light, blood energy, and other elements intertwined to create a colorful radiance.
They were moving incredibly fast, but unlike in my previous life, they didn't have to wait for traffic lights. The whole process was orderly and there was no danger of collisions.
Looking at the blue sky above, the striking golden Milky Way, and the fluctuating data on various cosmic commodity transactions, Zuan said in a deep voice, "This shouldn't be the real sky, right?"
I noticed it as soon as I entered the spaceport; it felt as if the sky above me was a false one.
"As expected of the young master who resolved the crisis in the Dreamland, it's hard for ordinary people to realize this. This was originally a secret, but since the young master is a great benefactor of the Merchant Guild, it's alright to tell you." Alfred opened an interface, and Zuan and Chu Chuyan felt their vision change. The previous blue sky disappeared, replaced by three dazzling fireballs, each much larger than the sun.
Below is not the actual earth, but a ring-shaped aggregate woven from data streams, energy, and various physical materials, which is constantly reorganizing and expanding itself at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This formed a huge ring-shaped survival zone around those three stars.
Zuan could sense that the vast ring-shaped world seemed to be imprisoning the three stars within it.
“The Chamber of Commerce requires a huge amount of energy to operate, so we built the Palace of Wealth around three stars to mine their energy at any time. The golden galaxy you passed by earlier is actually similar to some kind of stellar energy plate, ensuring that all the energy of the stars does not leak out and is utilized to the maximum extent,” Alfred explained. “Of course, due to the habits of various creatures, we created a starry sky and land using a method similar to holographic projection, and also created an atmosphere.”
In his previous life, Zuan had heard some scientists propose the concept of a Dyson sphere, which coincided with this one. However, back then, human civilization was far from being able to achieve this, while the Universal Chamber of Commerce had already taken it a step further.
Chu Chuyan's expression changed slightly. In the cultivation world, humans are grateful for and worship the blessings of the sun, and there are even many sects that worship the sun.
But here, stars much larger than the sun are treated as if they were slaves. Is this the cruelty of advanced civilization?
Zuan asked curiously, "These three stars are large, but their energy will eventually run out. What will happen then?"
Although the energy of stars is enormous, it seems that the energy consumed by the entire world of the Temple of Wealth every moment is also astronomical. The energy of these three giant stars will eventually be exhausted.
“When we run out of resources, we can just move on to another star to mine. The Temple of Wealth is a mobile world, and we can always find new stars,” Alfred replied naturally. “Of course, for now, these three stars can support us for at least tens of millions of years.”
Zuan and Chu Chuyan were silent for a moment, realizing the insignificance of their individual power compared to the entire advanced civilization.
Looking at the three enormous stars in the distance, an absurd thought suddenly arose in his mind: "I wonder if my Sun-Shooting Bow can shoot them down?"
However, given the strength of the Global Chamber of Commerce, countless defensive weapons would likely intercept the Sun-Shooting Arrow as soon as it was fired...
Soon the sky and earth returned to normal, and the luxury shuttle came to a stop at a quiet yet luxurious manor.
"This is a villa that the master likes very much. Please stay here for a few days. If you need anything, please feel free to ask the maids and servants." Alfred led the two of them around the manor and introduced the place.
"When will I be able to see Isabella and the Third Elder?" Although the manor is indeed magnificent, Zaun is not here for a vacation.
Alfred looked troubled: "The master and young lady are probably busy these days, but you don't need to worry. Once they finish what they're doing, they'll ask you to meet them as soon as possible."
Zu An and Chu Chuyan exchanged a glance, both sensing the unease in each other's hearts.
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