Chapter 340: It's Not So Bad to Be Dead
Chapter 340: Chapter 327: It’s Not So Bad to Be Dead
Deng Yuan was dead.
The Ghost Scholars and Physicians tried every method to save it: they filled Deng Yuan’s body with All-Purpose Stones and used Magic Oil to extend the burning duration of its Life Spine…
But its Life Spine was too depleted. All that remained within its spinal column was a small fragment encased in carbon ash.
In the end, Deng Yuan could not be revived and died.
However, it soon rose again as a Ghost.
Deng Yuan slowly opened and clenched its Finger Armor. The Ghost Armor had opened the door to a new world for it. It could feel that its strength had increased, and it now had better resistance to damage.
It had become just like the other Ghosts around it.
“Dying isn’t so bad.”
Deng Cheng consoled it from the side. “The Lamp Race’s original physiology had major limitations. After some discussion, we decided to give up on treatment. Even if we repaired and sustained a Lamp Race body, the degradation is irreversible. Both maintenance and endurance would have been long-term problems.”
“The Ghost form is actually a simpler, healthier way to exist.”
“As long as you wear Ghost Armor, there’s no difference from when you were alive, and you’re free from the limitations of life-fuel. If a Ghost gets injured, they can just go to the Ghost Physician, Binn Jiao, and get healed.”
Meeting someone from its homeland in a foreign land, Deng Cheng was extremely enthusiastic.
It was only then that Deng Yuan could confirm that it had indeed ridden the Celestial Lantern, falling from the sky of that other world.
As its creator, it knew very well that the fuel loaded into the Celestial Lantern wasn’t enough to sustain it at high altitudes for long, let alone allow it to continuously ascend and enter another world.
This had to be the power of a God.
That Yao God had brought it from the skies of Fog Harbor to this city in Yunzhong Temple.
Hearing Deng Yuan’s story, Deng Cheng grew excited.
“Lord Yao God has found Fog Harbor! The God’s Divine Power will once again shine upon all of Fog Harbor! With the Yao God’s arrival, the Lamp Race is saved!”
Deng Yuan felt both awe and curiosity toward this unfamiliar God who possessed such a vast Divine Kingdom.
The Yao God could effortlessly bring it to another world, which was proof enough of His unimaginable Divine Power.
“Why did the Yao God save me?”
Deng Yuan wondered, “Even before the Firefly God entered the World Pot, She rarely paid any attention to Fog Harbor. As an Outer God, why would the Yao God want to save the Lamp Race…”
“I know! Is it because of the Sun? I heard an Outer God once took the Sun made by the Lamp Race. But the Sun is actually still fine, up in the sky… though it doesn’t look like this place is lacking a sun either.”
Deng Cheng raised a hand, gesturing for it to look outside.
Standing atop this marvel called the Ghost Tower, Deng Yuan gazed out at its surroundings.
Below the tower was a massive settlement with many meticulously constructed stone buildings.
Unlike the cramped caves the Lamp Race inhabited, the structures in Sand City were tall and magnificent. They stood side-by-side, like standard iron ingots placed in a giant box.
Many green, fuzzy, multi-branched tools stood erect both inside and outside the city, seemingly serving as some kind of landmark. Surrounding the city walls were exquisite sculptures with a brass-like sheen, possessing a unique kind of beauty.
“Those are trees and Desert Roses. They’re all living things.”
“Living things?”
Deng Yuan was astonished. “Life created by a God?”
“No, they are trees and roses planted by the residents here. Outside, there are also Cacti—Backpack Cacti. They’re the best guides and long-distance companions.”
Deng Cheng chattered on, introducing its fellow countryman to this new world.
It spoke of living trees, water that could make flowers bloom, Earth Traveling Boats and Fire Steam Carriages that resembled massive Fog Beasts, and residents of all different Races, so much that Deng Yuan’s mind struggled to keep up.
“In this world, Sand City is like a single grain of sand on a dune. But even the boundless Yunzhong Temple is just one of the Divine Kingdoms under Lord Yao God’s rule.”
Compared to this place, Fog Harbor seemed so small and desolate.
Deng Yuan’s heart filled with both envy and unease.
In the past, it had longed to ride a Celestial Lantern and leave the death-qi-shrouded Fog Harbor to see what lay outside.
But now that the day had actually come, seeing the abundance and vastness of the outside world with its own eyes, Deng Yuan only felt a pang of sorrow.
The things the Lamp Race dreamed of were merely the everyday life of the Yao Race. They were born with it all: the Sun, land, hope, and the protection of a God.
Deng Cheng told it, “Look forward.”
In that instant, the person before it merged with its memory of the Deng Gu of old.
Deng Yuan was momentarily dazed.
“When I first arrived, I felt like a rusty piece of scrap iron that had been tossed into a brand-new, fully stocked tool warehouse… I felt useless.”
“But we of the Lamp Race have our own advantages.”
Deng Cheng’s voice was muffled and booming from within its Ghost Armor.
“The Lamp Race has lived a life of hardship unimaginable to the residents here. We constantly walk the line between life and death. We never rest, always honing our lamp-making skills. It’s the only way we could survive.”
“The residents of the Yao Race have a very diverse and rich reserve of knowledge, but their lives are too comfortable. So, they get frustrated and disheartened even if a road is a little rough or their food isn’t varied enough.”
“But we don’t.”
Deng Cheng flexed its arms. “This is a habit Fog Harbor instilled in us. Labor and creation are our skills and our life.”
“In this Ghost Lighthouse, the other Ghosts rest. I don’t.”
“Because I know this might be the only chance in my entire life. If you give the others enough time, they’ll be able to make Hanging Lamps just like me.”
It said calmly, “That’s why I never stop. I constantly make Hanging Lamps. This is proof of the Lamp Race’s ability. Even if I’m the only one here, the Lamp Race still exists in this city.”
“I’m a mediocre Lamp Maker; I can only increase my output through constant repetition. You’re different. You created a Celestial Lantern by yourself. Your skill far surpasses that of your peers, and your value is far greater than mine.”
“The Yao Race doesn’t discriminate against outsiders. They revere knowledge and Wisdom, especially skills they don’t possess themselves—those receive even more attention and investment. In this city, the stronger your ability, the more resources you get. If you’re skilled enough, even a Lord Apostle would be willing to assist you!”
Deng Cheng stressed, “Whether it’s for yourself or for the Lamp Race, you must continue to build Celestial Lanterns here!”
“…”
Deng Yuan looked outside. The sun was dazzling, casting a brilliant reflection across the entire world.
The Lamp Race hadn’t given up in the darkness; they certainly wouldn’t shrink back or fall behind in a world of light and fire.
“I understand.”
Deng Yuan also said seriously, “Then let’s start building Celestial Lanterns right now!”
“Excellent! Excellent.”
Deng Cheng rubbed its hands in excitement. “Let the others see that Celestial Lantern of yours that can carry a passenger! One day, maybe we can even ride it back to Fog Harbor.”
Deng Yuan hesitated. “But what about Fog Harbor…?”
“That’s not something for us to worry about. What we need to do is prove our own worth. The better we do, the more favorable treatment the Lamp Race will receive,” Deng Cheng said in a low voice.
“I understand… It’s just, a Celestial Lantern requires a lot of materials, including whole sheets of metal, high-purity fire oil, large pieces of intact leather, tough fabrics, and at least one All-Purpose Stone. Back in Fog Harbor, it took me half a lifetime to barely gather enough, and that was only thanks to the voluntary donations of several hundred of my kin.”
“That’s not a problem.”
Deng Cheng let out a cackle and waved a hand, gesturing for it to look to the side.
A dozen large wooden crates were neatly arranged against the wall.
Deng Cheng opened them one by one, revealing them to be filled with uniformly sized lumber, square ingots of Refined Iron, disc-shaped copper blocks, whole sheets of tanned leather, roll after roll of linen and cotton cloth, and various oils stored in transparent containers…
…and a whole crate of All-Purpose Stones.
Deng Yuan stood before the crate of All-Purpose Stones, stunned for a moment, before carefully reaching out with its Finger Armor to pinch one of the precious, rare materials inside.
Every single one was perfectly full, completely unused and undepleted.
“As long as you’re skilled enough, you can have as many of these as you want…” Deng Cheng’s voice seemed to carry a magical charm. “For the future migration of the Lamp Race, we have to create something amazing.”
Deng Yuan’s body shuddered.
It slapped its helmet hard, entering a creative state. “First, I’ll repair the Celestial Lantern that crashed.”
…
Luh Yao watched the entire process of the Celestial Lantern’s landing in the desert.
Yan Jiu had ascended to the Ghost Realm in the form of a Sand Walker, becoming the first Cross-Borderer and relying on its own transcendent body to escape the pull of Rule Power.
Essentially, it had used Rule Power as a springboard, but once in the outer space, it had no control and had to rely purely on luck.
The Celestial Lantern, however, demonstrated a new method.
Special lifeforms like the Lamp Race could use the Celestial Lantern to drift through the World-Dimension Space. Of course, the prerequisite was being able to break through the boundary in the first place.
Currently, only a God could act as the pushing force behind it.
Though it was riddled with problems, this was a very good start to the experiment.
Luh Yao widened his perspective to observe the Celestial Lantern.
The thing was basically an oversized lantern-orb filled with some kind of gas. In the World-Dimension Space, it was tugged about by various Rule Powers, making it seem very difficult to control its direction.
Below the orb were several thin ropes connected to a bucket-shaped flight cabin.
The God of Sun Casting Bay had used the Celestial Lantern to send a letter of surrender. Whether it was intentional or not, there was also a little Lamp Race person attached to it.
…
[Celestial Lantern LV2]: A fine Artifact made by the Lamp Race. It can fly at high altitudes, carry Lamp Language, and provide a stable source of light.
Life Value: 671/671
Mana Value: 21/62
[Flying] (1 Mana/second)
Allows for flight in the air.
[Lamp Language]
Allows for Lamp Language to be applied to the Celestial Lantern and displayed via its light.
…
Luh Yao used the world’s rules to bring the Celestial Lantern into his domain. The Artifact quickly ran out of fuel and crashed into the desert.
Deng Yuan, who had arrived on the Celestial Lantern, was severely injured and taken away by its kinsman, Deng Cheng. Before long, it became a Ghost and didn’t seem to reject its new environment.
Luh Yao observed and scrutinized it repeatedly, confirming that Deng Yuan was indeed just an ordinary little Lamp Race person.
Threat eliminated.
Luh Yao then double-clicked on [Sun Casting Bay].
As soon as he entered, he found the body of this place’s God.
Its name was [Ju], and it was shaped like a Tier Three pyramid-style Rubik’s cube. This tetrahedral body was constructed from some kind of grayish-white stone. It floated amidst the clouds, like some sort of city in the sky.
This reminded Luh Yao of the Eye of Providence on the back of the US Dollar bill.
The difference was, this tetrahedron hadn’t grown any eyes or a nose.
Sensing the gaze upon it, a dialogue box appeared above Ju’s head.
“Greetings, powerful Conqueror. I am [Ju], the God of this place. I offer you my resources and my freedom.”
“I possess excellent computational abilities. No matter how you choose to dispose of me, I hope you will allow me to continue my calculations. Calculating is the skill I am best at.”
What an attitude—forthright and clear-headed.
Luh Yao’s first impression of Ju was quite good.