Chapter 317 - 215: Sights and Sounds

Chapter 317: Chapter 215: Sights and Sounds

The primordial energy of the Abyss was denser and more volatile.

The red sky was oppressive and somber. The clouds were mostly gray, and the ground was a dark, ashen color. Vegetation grew thick and wild, and strange beasts often roamed the land.

The road beneath their feet was paved with crushed, dark-purple crystals held together by an unknown, milky-white adhesive.

Chi Yu drove an oddly-shaped vehicle, carrying Yu Fei and the others as it sped along.

The vehicle emitted no exhaust as it moved. Yu Fei watched for a good while, only voicing his confusion after Bayan opened a furnace and tossed in half a bag of white crystal fragments.

Hengji cheerfully explained from the side.

"Many border realms produce these kinds of energy Crystal Stones. They contain a vast and stable amount of energy. For some reason, none of our electronics or combustion engines work in the border realms. Only these locally produced Energy Crystals are usable.

That’s why transportation costs are so high here. Renting a beat-up vehicle like this costs over 500 merit points a day! Conditions are harsh, so just try to bear with it!"

Jiang Nianwei pointed to a transport vehicle up ahead that had an enclosed cabin and proper seats. "How much does it cost to rent one of those for a day?"

Hengji’s expression immediately turned animated. "Oh, that? That’s a dedicated troop transport. It’s an essential asset if you plan on staying in a border realm for any length of time."

"Oh, then I understand." Jiang Nianwei said no more. Hengji’s animated expression faltered. She had been ready to keep talking, but Jiang Nianwei didn’t ask the follow-up question. ’What does she understand?’

After waiting a moment and seeing that Jiang Nianwei remained silent, Hengji couldn’t hold back any longer. "Aren’t you curious why we’re not in a troop transport, and are in this cargo truck instead?"

The members of Meteor Pavilion and the Iron-Blooded Divine Guard had been driven off in a troop transport by Qingshan’s and Zhang Hu’s men, just ahead of them.

Meanwhile, the Salted Fish Assault Team had procured an open-topped truck from who-knows-where. It hadn’t been properly cleaned and still carried a faint, strange odor. The shock absorption was terrible, making for a constantly bumpy ride.

Jiang Nianwei smiled faintly and said with sincerity, "Of course I know the reason. It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it!"

Hengji flushed with embarrassment at her words. After all, the Yulin Army had defeated them in a direct confrontation, so this little prank did seem a bit inappropriate. She had only meant it as a joke and was about to laugh it off when she heard Jiang Nianwei’s sympathetic tone.

"The Salted Fish Assault Team probably isn’t as strong as the Puppy Patrol and the others, huh? You must have it rough. Poor Fenghua... Mr. Yu, once we’ve had a few successes, let’s gift the Salted Fish Team a troop transport to help them out!"

Yu Fei suppressed a laugh. "Sure, no problem."

Hengji’s face flushed red as she retorted, "Bullshit! How could we be weaker than that dog team? We’ve always been the strongest among the top second-years!"

Jiang Nianwei teased, "Oh, is that so? Then how come we don’t have a troop transport?"

Hengji was at a loss for words. "Er... well, right! Our boss had a mission today. She took the team and our vehicle and went out. That’s why we had to find a temporary ride. Haha, just bear with it, everyone. When we get there, we’ll drink until we drop, haha..."

Yu Fei wasn’t too bothered by it. After all, he didn’t sense any real malice from them. He had defeated them with superior skill during the military exercises. For them to resort to petty tricks now, when their skills had already been found wanting, would only invite ridicule.

As they chatted along the way, they arrived at Lin Yuan City.

Lin Yuan City was the main support base for the front lines. In its design, the city resembled a fortified version of an ancient city, surrounded on all four sides by towering, wide walls that stood a full hundred meters tall and looked indestructible.

By evening, Hengji had led the members of the Yulin Army to collect their personal ID tags and basic supplies. Afterward, she took them to the military registry to be officially enlisted.

This was another thing covered in their general education: Enrolled students of Shenhan were under military jurisdiction. Before being deployed to a battlefield for the first time, they had to register their personal information, the main purpose of which was to leave behind their aura signature.

"Come on, it’s right here. Just ahead."

Yu Fei and the others followed Hengji’s gesture. Ahead of them stood a massive stone tower engraved with countless inscrutable, mystical patterns. The patterns flickered at varying frequencies, creating a fantastical sight.

Yu Fei was reminded of the Micro-Flow Particle models inside the warheads of the super-powered bullets. ’This is clearly knowledge from a completely different system,’ he thought, ’a field I know nothing about.’

Hengji explained, "None of our electronics work in the border realms. In the early days, that made things extremely inconvenient. Later, our predecessors reverse-engineered the Magic Towers of the alien races and developed our own Celestial Secret Tower. You can think of it as a server for Martial Artists."

"By leaving our aura signatures in it, the tower can determine our approximate location and vitals anywhere in the border realm. More importantly, it helps us tally our battle merits."

"Battle merits?"

"That’s right. We earn battle merits for killing members of the alien races, with the amount depending on their rank. Battle merits are extremely useful. You can use them to increase your military rank or exchange them for special equipment and supplies. You can also convert them into merit points. Simply put, in the border realms, battle merits are more valuable than merit points."

After Hengji had them confirm their identities in front of the Celestial Secret Tower, staff members guided Yu Fei’s group inside. The first thing they saw was a floor of green jade that rippled like the surface of a lake. They walked to a massive jade wall, where they offered a drop of blood and left their aura signature.

When they came out, a staff member updated the information on their ID tags.

[Shenhan, 838th Class, Yulin Army, Yu Fei]