Chapter 108: Silver Moon City
After Laira’s slap, the atmosphere on the airship changed completely.
No one took the initiative to cause trouble for Ethan anymore. The members who had previously been curious and sizing up the three of them also knew to withdraw their gazes whenever they passed by. Even the person in charge of the trip only appeared when he needed to announce the route, distribute food, or arrange resting cabins. He absolutely did not ask another question about Laira and Ruo Yan.
Eron woke up after nearly two hours.
One side of his face was swollen badly, and his cheek and neck were wrapped in healing bandages. When the door to the medical cabin opened, he was still frowning from the pain, but the moment he raised his head, he saw Laira sitting at the end of the corridor.
The metal chair, which had originally been designed for ordinary people, looked pitifully small beneath her nearly two-meter-twenty body. Laira had to stretch her long legs to one side to sit comfortably. In her right hand, she held a piece of dried meat, while her left hand rested very naturally on Ethan’s shoulder as he sat beside the window.
The two looked at each other.
Laira did nothing. She only raised her brow slightly.
Eron reflexively reached up to touch the bandaged part of his cheek, and his expression instantly stiffened. He stood still for about a second, then turned his head and walked in another direction, his pace visibly faster.
Ruo Yan, who was sitting opposite them, saw everything, and the corner of her mouth curved slightly. "It seems your slap was very effective."
Laira took another bite of meat, her voice full of satisfaction. "I already said so. Some people only need to be hit once, and after that, they will know how to speak."
Ethan was checking the surface of the Primordial Armor on his left arm. Hearing that, he only glanced at her. "Do not turn everything into a reason to hit people."
"But it worked this time."
"I did not say you were wrong this time."
Laira immediately turned to him, her orange-red eyes lighting up. "So you are praising me?"
Ethan looked at her expression, which was far too obviously expectant, then curved his lips slightly. "You can consider it that."
Laira was immediately satisfied, and the arm resting on his shoulder tightened slightly. Ruo Yan looked at the two of them, shook her head, then continued wiping the three old Puppet Cores in her hands.
From then until the end of the journey, the airship truly became peaceful.
Ethan ate, rested, checked his physical condition, and spent most of his time stabilizing the energy that had grown too quickly over the past few days. The Void Fire in his left arm still occasionally sent him a faint burning sensation, but as long as he did not activate the Thunder Wings or absorb too much energy at once, it remained quiet under the suppression of the Sunfire.
As for Laira, she practically slept through half the journey.
The resting cabin had a fairly large bed arranged inside, but with her height, it was still not enough. Every time she lay straight, her feet almost touched the end wall of the bed, so in the end, she had to lie on her side with one leg slightly bent. Ethan woke up twice in the middle of the night, and both times he saw Laira unconsciously taking up more than half the bed, while Ruo Yan was squeezed close to him.
The second time, Ruo Yan opened her eyes just as Ethan looked over.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, then pointed lightly at Laira.
"When we arrive tomorrow, the first thing we do is find a bigger bed."
Ethan looked at the Red Dragon sleeping soundly, with one long arm still wrapped across his body, then nodded seriously.
"I think so too."
Nearly a day after departure, the airship began to slow down.
The person in charge’s voice rang out through the announcement system. "We will arrive at Silver Moon City in ten minutes. Everyone, prepare yourselves."
Ethan opened his eyes.
Ruo Yan immediately put the three Puppet Cores into her storage space. Laira also sat up, her long crimson hair sliding off her shoulder and falling nearly to her knees. She adjusted her clothes, lowered her head to avoid the low doorframe, then went with the two of them to the observation cabin at the front.
The scenery outside had changed completely.
The vast wastelands had disappeared. In their place were giant stone pillars rising straight from the earth. Some were thousands of meters tall, with nearly vertical cliffs and peaks submerged in the clouds. The airship constantly changed altitude, weaving through narrow mountain gaps as if moving through a forest made of stone.
Laira stood close to the window, having to bend slightly because the cabin ceiling was not much higher than her.
"The city is here?"
The person in charge of the trip stood behind them and nodded. "Right ahead. You will see it in two minutes."
The airship circled around a massive cliff.
Light immediately flooded into the cabin.
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.
In the middle of a vast basin surrounded by towering stone pillars, a city appeared.
Looking down from above, the first impression was truly beautiful.
Thousands of neon signs in red, purple, blue, and white covered the streets. On the surrounding cliffs, dozens of silver energy pillars had been erected, and lines of light connected the defensive points, forming a network that surrounded the central district. The neon light in the city was so bright that it almost overwhelmed the silver glow of the defense system, making the entire basin look like a giant mass of light hidden among the mountains.
Laira leaned a little closer to the glass.
"Quite beautiful."
Ruo Yan stood beside Ethan, her gaze still looking downward. "From this distance, yes."
The airship continued descending.
A few minutes later, the differences began to show.
The lights were still there, but the streets beneath them were now clearer. Houses were packed closely together, and many structures had been assembled from containers, old steel plates, and cracked concrete. Some three or four-story buildings even had extra metal rooms stacked on their roofs, looking as though one strong gust of wind would be enough to make them tilt.
Energy cables stretched across the houses.
The narrow alleys were crowded with stalls, repair workshops, and pedestrians. Dirty water flowed along the drains on both sides of the road, yet right beside them, people were sitting and eating as if they had long since grown used to the sight.
A huge neon sign shaped like a silver moon hung brightly on the building ahead, but directly beneath it was a row of cramped, old sheet-metal houses.
Ethan looked for a while longer, then turned to the person in charge.
"This is Silver Moon City?"
The man’s expression stiffened slightly, but he still nodded. "Yes."
Laira also turned back. "I thought a city would at least be like Safe Zone Number Seven."
The man was silent for a few seconds, his gaze shifting outside. "This city was built from nothing. The Council did not provide resources, and the major families did not invest either. Most of the people who come here are those with nowhere else to go. The population grew faster than the City Lord could build houses, so in the end, it became like this."
Ethan said nothing more.
He began to understand why Xue Ji was always short on people and resources.
There were many people here.
But a large population did not mean a city was already strong enough.
On the way down, Ethan also saw areas with extremely clear contrasts. Near the center, the roads were paved more smoothly, and the buildings were sturdier. There were shops, warehouses, and several relatively complete structures. But only a few hundred meters away, the messy rows of houses began to appear again, like a giant slum surrounding a city core that was struggling to develop.
Ruo Yan looked down at a street full of people.
"At least this place is crowded."
The person in charge replied, "The City Lord does not drive away the refugees who come here. As long as they are willing to obey the rules and work to support themselves, they can stay. Too many people came too quickly, and we could not build fast enough."
Ethan nodded slightly.
This approach was indeed very much like Xue Ji.
.....
The airship landed on a platform near the central district.
The moment the engines shut off, the cabin door slid open to both sides.
Ethan stepped down first. Laira followed behind him and had to lower her head through the doorway before she could straighten up again. Ruo Yan was the last to leave the airship.
Ethan had only walked a few meters before he stopped.
Someone was already waiting ahead.
Her silver-white hair was very easy to recognize.
Xue Ji stood less than twenty meters away from them, wearing only a simple white-gray outfit. Two subordinates stood quite far behind her, enough to show that she had no intention of creating a grand welcoming ceremony.
Ethan was truly somewhat surprised.
"You came in person?"
Xue Ji raised a brow and walked toward him. "That sentence sounds like you do not want to see me."
"I just remember you said you were busy."
"I am busy." Xue Ji stopped in front of Ethan, her gaze sweeping over him from head to toe. It paused a little longer on his left arm covered by the Primordial Armor before she said, "But since you finally changed your mind and came to Silver Moon City, coming out to meet you for a few minutes will not make the city collapse."
Her gaze shifted to Laira.
Xue Ji had to tilt her head up slightly.
Laira no longer had her horns and wings, but her height of nearly two meters and twenty centimeters could not be hidden. Standing beside Ethan, her tall body almost surpassed everyone present at the landing platform.
Xue Ji looked at her for a few seconds.
Then she looked at Ruo Yan.
The last time they met, Ruo Yan had still maintained a clear distance from Ethan. Now, she was standing on his left, her arm almost touching his.
Xue Ji looked at Laira.
Then Ruo Yan.
Finally, her gaze returned to Ethan.
The corner of her mouth slowly curved up.
"It seems that during the time we did not meet, your life was quite colorful."
The moment Ethan saw that expression, he knew what she was thinking. "Do not think nonsense."
Xue Ji immediately put on an innocent look. "Did I say anything?"
Laira bent down closer to Ethan and looked at Xue Ji. "She is thinking nonsense."
Ruo Yan also nodded calmly. "I think so too."
Xue Ji paused for a beat, then laughed. "Are the two of you on the same side now?"
Ethan did not want to continue this topic. He looked toward the city behind Xue Ji. "You came all the way here to meet me. It should not be just to say hello."
Xue Ji’s smile faded slightly.
"Of course."
Behind them, the crew members also disembarked one after another.
Eron walked near the end.
One side of his face was still wrapped in bandages.
As soon as he stepped down, he saw Xue Ji standing right in front of Ethan, with an attitude that could even be called friendly. His steps immediately froze.
He looked at the young man he had mocked yesterday.
Then he looked at the City Lord.
His face gradually turned pale.
And it was not only Eron.
The other crew members also began to exchange glances.
They all knew Xue Ji was very busy. Even when the leader of a hunting squad returned, she rarely came to the landing platform to welcome them personally. But this time, she had been waiting here in advance just to receive a young man who had only just entered Silver Rank.
The leader of the crew subconsciously glanced at Eron.
Eron swallowed dryly.
Only now did Xue Ji notice the bandage on his face.
"Injured?"
Eron’s body stiffened. "This subordinate... was careless."
Xue Ji looked at him.
Then she looked at Laira.
Laira was also looking at Eron.
Xue Ji’s gaze changed slightly. Clearly, she had already guessed part of what had happened, but she did not ask further. "Then rest well."
"Yes."
Eron lowered his head so quickly that he almost did not dare to look up.
Xue Ji turned to Ethan. "Let’s go. I have prepared rooms."
She walked ahead.
The three followed behind.
It only took a few minutes to get from the landing platform to the central building, but this short distance was enough for Ethan to sense Xue Ji’s status here.
The pedestrians who recognized her all took the initiative to move aside.
"City Lord."
"My Lady."
"Lady Xue Ji."
Xue Ji only nodded in response.
But after greeting her, almost everyone looked at the three people behind her. Laira attracted the most attention because her figure was too striking, followed by Ethan and Ruo Yan.
A few people even stopped and stared for longer.
A young man personally received at the landing platform by the City Lord.
Two female Partners accompanying him.
This scene alone was enough to create a great deal of speculation.
Ethan knew it clearly.
Xue Ji knew it too.
But she did not seem to care.
She led the three of them into a silver-gray building located in the central district. This place was not luxurious, but it was clean and much sturdier than most of the buildings Ethan had seen from the airship.
After going up to the third floor, Xue Ji opened the door to a private reception room.
"Come in."
Ethan stepped inside.
Laira looked at the ordinary chair by the table, then directly chose the long couch against the wall and sat down. Even so, her nearly two-meter-twenty legs still occupied a large space in front of her. Ruo Yan sat on Ethan’s left, while Xue Ji chose the seat opposite them.
A servant brought in tea and snacks, then quickly left the room.
The door closed.
Xue Ji leaned back in her chair.
The cheerful smile she had worn outside at the landing platform also disappeared.
"All right."
She looked at Ethan.
"Now, let’s talk business."