Chen Nian and Shafulai went back to the private room together.

He originally wanted to flirt with Chen Nian, but accidentally flirted with Shafla. Antonio became completely obedient. In the second half, the three of them finished their meal and prepared to go home.

Shafley sat in the car without saying a word.

He didn't really want to talk about Antonio's problem. That was a friendship that lasted for more than ten years. They had been attending classes together, training together, and traveling together since they were young. But in just one short morning this day, an irreparable rift had been created between them.

Maybe it's the same for any relationship. It takes a long time of careful cultivation together to maintain it, but it only takes a few small things to destroy it.

The other instigator was sitting next to him, humming a little tune in a happy mood.

Chen Nian was indeed very happy.

Antonio thought he was a hunter, but he was fooled by him. Chen Nian loved watching this kind of drama where he was kept in the dark.

Perhaps Antonio will never know the truth, immersed in the illusion created by his own imagination and his performance, or maybe one day the truth will be revealed, and he will show a shocked expression as if he was struck by lightning.

Either way, it's fun to think about.

Chen Nian didn't feel guilty at all. The fact that Antonio had the guts to plot against him and cheat on his best friend proved that he was not a good person.

Perhaps there had been many royal secrets like this before, which was why Antonio was so bold and free of psychological burden to hook up with him.

Only Shafley was growing increasingly irritated.

Shafley couldn't get angry with Chen Nian. On the contrary, he had to thank Chen Nian for making him see the true face of his good friend.

It's just that he can't get over this hurdle in his heart for the time being.

That was his best friend for more than ten years. More than ten years! How could it become like this!

Chen Nian certainly knew that Shafulai was in a bad mood. Anyone with eyes could see the gloomy look on the eldest prince's face.

He stopped humming, so as not to inadvertently annoy the other party. After half a minute of silence, he asked, "What are you going to do this afternoon?"

Shafley: "I have some important things to do this afternoon, so I can't accompany you. Can you find something to do by yourself?"

"Okay." Chen Nian agreed. He was eighteen years old, not eight. He was already past the age where he needed someone to accompany him.

Besides, Schafflei was busy, which meant he couldn't leave the palace, but he could ask his friends to come over and play.

"By the way, what kind of school did you go to before?" Shafley asked Chen Nian, thinking of the question he had been thinking about after class.

"Just finish high school normally."

Jiang Dai had often moved with Chen Nian before, and they would basically only live in each area for two or three years before leaving. Chen Nian kept changing schools and had no sense of belonging to the school.

For the vast majority of people living in the underground city, if they are not cut out for research, it is normal for them to start working after graduating from high school and realize their labor value.

But Chen Nian is now using the identity of the prince's consort. Even if there is no exchange in the future, she is still a child of the Chen family and should have the opportunity to continue her studies.

"I'll find you a tutor and give you some lessons."

When Chen Nian heard that he had to go to school again, he was a little unhappy: "Why?"

Getting an education and improving oneself is never a bad thing. Chen Nian obviously still holds on to the ideas he developed in the dungeon and only cares about the present.

Shafley patiently explained to him: "Any family with a little power will let their children receive as much education as possible. You are the child of Marshal Chen Weiyuan. If it weren't for the accident that year, you would definitely continue your studies."

"But there is no such thing as if. The reality is that I have lived in the underground city for 18 years. I have graduated from high school and can go to work."

"So can you go to work now?"

Chen Nian blinked and said, "Didn't I come to the top floor just to enjoy life? Isn't it miserable to go to school again?"

Shafley: "Chen's words probably don't mean that you should just eat, drink and have fun. He wants you to take back your own identity."

Chen Nian: "What about my brother? He is no longer on the top floor and doesn't have to go to school."

Shaflay: "Chen Ci has completed university courses. He has been receiving the best education in the White Tower."

Chen Nian was shocked. Chen Ci was just like him, only eighteen years old. How could he have already finished college?

"Of course, I'm not forcing you. You can choose to study in the direction you like. Otherwise, I'll often be busy and won't be able to accompany you out. Wouldn't it be a bit boring if you can't find anything to do in the palace?"

Chen Nian thought about it and felt that what he said made sense.

"What major did my brother study?"

"Marine science."

In an era when seawater is flooding the entire earth, marine science is definitely the undisputed ace profession.

Chen Nian stroked his chin and fell into deep thought. Not only had his brother completed the most advanced university courses, mastered many skills such as flower arranging, cooking, and playing musical instruments, he also had mental strength strong enough to move objects with his mind.

Compared with Chen Ci, he is indeed far behind, and it seems reasonable for him to continue studying.

He asked Shafley, "What profession do you think is suitable for me?"

Shafley: "You need to choose it yourself. You can think about what you are most interested in, or ask someone to introduce you to the contents of various subjects first, and then make a choice after you understand them."

"Okay, let me first find out what subjects there are."

Seeing Chen Nian agreed, Shafley secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Most of the time, Chen Nian was still very reasonable: "I will find a tutor specifically for you. Do you have any special requirements?"

"Alpha, preferably a male, young and handsome." Chen Nian said without hesitation.

Shafley was stunned and couldn't help but remind him: "Teachers are invited to learn, not to fall in love."

"I know. But if I have a teacher who meets my aesthetic standards, I will feel better during class and learn faster."

Shafley: …………

What Chen Nian said was so righteous and so natural that Shafley reluctantly agreed.

After returning to the palace, the two went into their rooms to take a nap.

Chen Nian originally had no habit of taking a nap at noon, but during the days in the White Tower, he needed to arrange his activities according to the time provided by the smart butler, and slowly began to take a nap.

Perhaps it was because he could see the sun at the top floor and noon was the hottest time of the day, Chen Nian also felt it was very comfortable to take a nap.

He woke up an hour and a half later, curled up in bed and watched some videos, and didn't get out of bed until three o'clock.

Chen Nian waved his hand, and the curtain hidden in the wall immediately became transparent, and the whole room returned to the darkness that was most suitable for sleeping.

The afternoon sunlight shines in obliquely through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bringing with it the gentlest warmth.

It was almost the time he and Gui Zhiqi had agreed upon, so Chen Nian changed his clothes and waited for her at the gate of the palace.

Yesterday he told the waiter who was taking care of the goose not to feed it anymore. Now he and Gui Zhiqi went there together to let the goose know who is the master.

And in Shafley's bedroom, just across the wall.

Shafley got up an hour earlier than Chen Nian. He only took a 30-minute break at noon, which was the optimal length for a lunch break.

Alpha was sitting at the table, with twelve virtual screens unfolding one by one, surrounding him in an arc.

Lines of code were being displayed on the virtual screen. The light reflected on the goggles, illuminating Shaflay's face and making his expression even more serious.

The largest screen on the right side displays a huge database.

This is what Shaflay does every week - checking the core process of cinnabar.

As a supercomputer, Cinnabar can perform self-repair and adjustment, but it still requires some manual maintenance. After all, even the most sophisticated computers can make mistakes, and at this time, human judgment is crucial.

Only members of the royal family have such authority.

Among the three Shaflay siblings, the other two princesses have no interest in computers. Afro and Yelena have also studied related subjects, and this will not change because they are Alpha or Omega.

Unfortunately, one of his two sisters gets upset and loses her temper when she sees the code, while the other can only type out "hello, world" so far.

Afro and Yelena both have their own areas of interest. Afro prefers aerospace engineering to boring code, while Yelena shows an amazing talent for chemistry.

The emperor also felt that it was a bit cruel to force them to study a profession that they had no interest in. Fortunately, Shaflay had been a genius in the relevant field since he was a child, so he was able to pass the responsibility to his eldest son.

Schaffrey spent two hours making sure that the table code was running without errors and that the database was basically normal.

But this is just the first step in the inspection.

Schafflet opened a drawer and took out a special neural adapter.

This silver-gray neural adapter may look ordinary, but it actually uses the most advanced technology and requires strong mental power to drive. There are only seven of them in the world.

And he only uses it at this time of week.

Shafley pressed a button on the side of the table, and the chair fixed to the wall popped open. He sat on it, and the restraints immediately extended and fixed his entire body tightly.

Shafley was tied up with leather and couldn't move at all. He took a deep breath and said, "Let's start."

The robot arm of the smart butler picked up the neural adapter and put it on his head.

Concentrate your mental strength to firmly protect your thoughts and maintain your consciousness.

The moment the neural adapter was turned on, everything stopped.

Time stopped passing, sound waves stopped vibrating, photons stopped jumping, electrons stopped circling, and electrical signals impacted the brain nerves.

The strong stimulation that is enough to make a person stupid instantly is buffered by the mental force layer by layer, and it is mild enough when it actually touches the consciousness level.

His eyes lost their ability to see, but his "vision" soon became bright again. That was not what he really saw, but the product of electrical signals directly acting on the optic nerve.

It is like a box being opened, unfolding from a cube into a plane, with the six faces each extending infinitely in the surroundings. Space emerges from under Shafle's feet and leads to an endless end.

Shafley took a few steps forward and wrote a line of code in the air.

The "door" was created and appeared in front of him out of thin air, a layer thinner than paper.

Shafla pushed it open and stepped inside.

Water flows from the ground to the sky, and the reverse rain curtain is faintly red, reflecting crystal light, like some precious mineral.

Shafla stepped into the water, and ripples spread out. The data was disturbed, and finally turned into particle effects, floating transparently and returning to the surface of the water.

In the center of this still water of data, sits a faint figure.

Shafley approached step by step. The rising rain soaked his legs, but his shoulders and hair were dry.

He did not feel cold or damp. He was just a string of signals in this virtual space, and his body was made up entirely of pixels.

As I got closer, the figure became a little clearer, but still faint, like a layer with adjusted transparency, floating outside of this world.

Shaflay stopped three meters behind it and said softly, "Good day, Cinnabar."

The too short figure finally moved and turned around.

It looked like a little girl of about three or four years old, with soft black hair that just reached her shoulders and a scarlet robe.

The dress was too big for her, and the cuffs and hem of the dress hung down and swept into the water.

On her forehead, there was a vertical eye painted with red cinnabar, quietly closed.

——You came earlier than I expected today.

She pursed her lips tightly, but the voice echoed in Shaflay's consciousness, and he couldn't identify the timbre.

"Let me run a procedural check on you."

She nodded slightly, still sitting in the air, but her whole body continued to stretch to both sides like taffy.

The head was deformed, the eyes were separated, the neck and shoulders were getting wider and wider, but the pair of eyes as clear as glass still stared at Shafla in front of him.

Finally, at some point, she was torn apart.

However, no blood flowed out. The girl was split into two, violating the law of conservation of mass and becoming two identical individuals.

Shafla was no longer surprised by such bizarre sights.

The girl in front of him was the core of Cinnabar. When Shaflay was fifteen years old, she was brought here by her father for the first time. It has been nearly ten years since then. During this period, she has always looked like a three or four-year-old girl and has never changed.

Cinnabar finished backing up the core program, and one of them reached out to Shaflay.

Shaflay took the little hand.

Countless codes flooded into his mind like a tsunami.

Shafley saw a lot, but also seemed to see nothing. The only thing that could keep him focused was the program composed of those boring letters and symbols.

The rain stopped for a moment in the air, but soon resumed its reverse flow, bypassing Shafley and Cinnabar and pouring into the endless false sky.

The backup is being checked by Shafley, and the other Cinnabar still sits at the center of this world.

The sky is black, the water is black, but in the middle there is a blend of empty white, eventually blending into a delicate gray.

The boundless sky and ocean surrounded her.

There was only nothingness reflected in her red eyes. Apart from endless calculations, all Cinnabar could do was to communicate with other beacons through the cloud arrays in the sky, but she didn't like talking very much.

The beacon channel was filled with Blue Alum and Star Leaf's banter, Sanshui and Yanjing would interject from time to time, Cinnabar would silently peek at the screen, and Moonlight's last message was sent nine years ago.

The prince, who comes every week, and his more senior father are the few humans that Cinnabar has access to.

I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly, the tightly closed red pupils on Cinnabar's forehead moved slightly.

She raised her head as if sensing something, and looked through the rising rain curtain to a place farther than the sky.

Chen Ci looked back.

Behind me was a vast expanse of dilapidated ruins. The buildings had been abandoned for many years and had long lost their original shape due to the wind, sun and rain.

Chen Ci narrowed his eyes slightly, not missing any corner.

Fu Tianhe beside him noticed his vigilance, turned his head and asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"

In the end, nothing was found. Chen Ci retracted his gaze, shook his head, and continued walking forward without saying a word.

It was their third day in the abandoned suburbs.

During the three days they explored everywhere, walked through abandoned buildings, and discovered many unexpected things.

The food and drinking water were being consumed, but Fu Tianhe's backpack was getting fuller and fuller.

Near the coast, there are quite a few mechanical bodies left behind by primitive creatures. Most of them are various machines left over from human cities. They are all top-notch stuff, and Fu Tianhe had a great time dismantling all the parts.

The area of ​​abandoned suburbs was not particularly large, but they had not yet finished their journey.

The reason is simple. After the sun sets, all areas on the outer wall of cinnabar will be shrouded in endless darkness and will be unsuitable for travel.

The midday sun is too hot, and without the protection of the gel layer, the ultraviolet rays can easily burn people.

Therefore, the two of them could only travel in the morning and afternoon and explore around, so their pace was of course very slow.

Fortunately, there is nothing urgent to do. When traveling, it’s okay to take your time.

The whole journey was full of surprises since the first day. To be honest, Fu Tianhe was shocked by Chen Ci's behavior that day.

The usually aloof young man stood on the low wall, looking ready to ride a horse with a sword drawn. He faced the sea, pointed at the mirage that appeared illusory in the wind and snow, and said he wanted to go there.

His voice was calm but firm, as if he was just stating a fact.

It was the first time that Fu Tianhe saw Chen Ci like this. He was surprised, but also excited. The sky was overhead, and under the full moon, he was making bold statements. How grand and heroic it was.

But he soon calmed down.

Jiu Yue doesn't know much about Moonlight, but Fu Tianhe knows a lot.

The Moonlight beacon located on the Greenland Ice Plateau collapsed 19 years ago. The collapse process lasted for more than four months, and only 20,000 residents survived and were relocated to other beacons as refugees.

To this day, no one can explain the real reason for the collapse of the moonlight. The surrounding sea areas have become recognized forbidden areas because they gather too many primitive creatures.

Over the years, there have been many different speculations about moonlight, and that distant mysterious existence has even become a kind of legend.

Some people say that there are countless treasures and resources that are vital to mankind hidden there.

Some people say that Moonlight has secretly colluded with the original creatures and betrayed the human world.

Some people also say that the collapse of Moonlight is actually a pre-set program. In the near future, other beacons will also collapse one after another, and humans will eventually have nowhere to go.

There are many different opinions, but Fu Tianhe thinks they are all outrageous.

Now that Jiu Yue suddenly brought it up, Fu Tianhe told him everything he knew.

Fu Tianhe specifically emphasized how dangerous Moonlight's current condition was, hoping to dispel the boy's unrealistic idea.

The only way to get from Cinnabar to Moonlight is by aircraft, but the snow and wind are raging on the Greenland ice plateau, and it would be difficult to find a landing site, not to mention that there is no official route at all. They also need their own aircraft.

As for going there by boat, that is even more impossible. The primitive creatures in the ocean are enough to kill them ten thousand times.

But Chen Ci just nodded to indicate that he understood. From his eyes, Fu Tianhe understood that he was still firm.

Fu Tianhe couldn't persuade him for the time being, so he could only search for more information about Moonlight on the Internet as much as possible.

Fortunately, the matter was not brought up again after September, allowing him to slowly put his mind at ease.

Maybe it was just a passing thought? It won't be long before September forgets about it.

The sun was about to set, and the rosy clouds enveloped the coast. With the last rays of light, they hurried to find a suitable place to set up camp.

The roar of the tide never stopped. It was definitely not a good idea to rest near the sea. The two of them moved another three miles inland and stopped only when they were sure that they could no longer hear the sound of the waves.

Fu Tianhe took off his backpack and started to set up camp.

Chen Ci stood beside him and was about to lend a hand when the feeling of being watched came back again.

He turned his head quickly and saw broken walls and ruins everywhere, which appeared a warm color under the last rays of the setting sun.

Still nothing.

Even the mental power that was spreading out into the distance was unable to detect anything unusual.

But Chen Ci was very firm, it was not an illusion.