Chapter 139: Sea Dragon Ancient City

Chapter 139: Sea Dragon Ancient City

The next day, Zhou Yun slept in until almost noon.

Guan Yuanfeng whipped up a pot of egg and sausage noodles. After washing up, Zhou Yun came over and sat down: "Did the Four Seas team take off?"

Guan Yuanfeng placed the noodles in front of him: "Yeah, they stopped by this morning to say their goodbyes. They mentioned that if we head to Sea Dragon City, we should hit them up. They also talked about how great Sea Dragon City is, suggesting that if we choose a base to settle in, we should consider this place."

Zhou Yun laughed: "They're still trying to rope us in, huh? That Miss Pan was quite talkative. She said she moved here because Tianfu Base was too crowded and taxed heavily, making life tough. It seems the situation at the Tianfu Base isn't great either?"

Guan Yuanfeng replied: "The nearby official bases are the Zhucheng Base and the Tianfu Base. Both were major cities before and now house millions of survivors. Handling such big crowds is no easy feat."

"Both base commanders are old hands, managing according to the alliance's conventions. Even if they play favorites, they won't go overboard."

Zhou Yun nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and gently bit into the poached egg on his noodles, letting the runny yolk mix into the noodles: "As a psychic, in such populous bases, public benefits get spread too thin. The advantages of being a psychic aren't as pronounced, so it's no wonder they feel out of place."

"Sea Dragon City's a small, privately-run base, probably with a population of just over ten thousand. It's easier to manage. Before the world went to hell, a university could have over ten thousand people. With fewer psychics around, they probably get the royal treatment."

He sighed: "Abyss City isn't easy to manage either. People need food, shelter, and supplies the moment they open their eyes. Fortunately, we have Zhu Zhuan and Qin Mu to help."

Guan Yuanfeng looked at him intently. Zhou Yun smiled: "Especially with General Guan at the helm, Abyss City's doing great."

Guan Yuanfeng finally looked satisfied and went to tidy up the bed. Zhou Yun said: "Hold off, let me handle the packing. You won't be able to fit everything back into the suitcase."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..."

Zhou Yun laughed: "You can take the drone out for a spin and scout the route, check the vehicle and equipment."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded and went out. Zhou Yun leisurely ate his noodles, watching Guan Yuanfeng inspect the car outside, his broad shoulders and long legs moving with purpose, a real treat for the eyes.

After finishing his noodles, Zhou Yun washed the dishes and packed the bedding and household items back into the suitcase and storage boxes, then loaded them into the car. They punched in the coordinates and hit the road to Sea Dragon City.

Sea Dragon Ancient City is built on Dragon Rock Cliff, water on three sides, mountains on the other. In the distance, the towering mountains are covered with snow. At the foot of the mountain, there is a dedicated parking lot, with psychics rotating shifts to watch the cars.

There are also inns and hotels at the foot of the mountain, but they make it clear that wild animals might be around. A few psychics crash down there to dodge the city gate fees, but most ordinary people prefer to live inside the castle.

Zhou Yun and Guan Yuanfeng parked their car and paid the parking fee. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, the narrow, twisty path up made Guan Yuanfeng's brow furrow: "It's indeed a castle that's easy to defend but hard to attack."

Zhou Yun glanced at him, noticing that his expression was less relaxed than before, and asked: "What's wrong?"

Guan Yuanfeng looked again and said: "The entire entrance and exit are very narrow. The whole place feels like a trap waiting to snap shut. It's not good."

Zhou Yun decisively said: "Then we'll stay at the foot of the mountain and just visit the city during the day." Guan Yuanfeng, having executed many missions and now a high-level psychic, his intuition is crucial.

For Zhou Yun, at this time in his previous life, he was still at the Sanchu Base and didn't know much about other bases. Zombies and mutant beasts didn't scare them, so it was best to follow Guan Yuanfeng's intuition.

Zhou Yun and Guan Yuanfeng, carrying their backpacks and with Comet, climbed the steps and entered the gates of Sea Dragon City, paid the entrance fee, and then wandered around the city at will.

They found a hotpot restaurant and had sour soup lamb hotpot and braised chicken. Zhou Yun even forced Guan Yuanfeng to try some cold mixed Houttuynia cordata: "This is anti-inflammatory and removes dampness. When you're here, you gotta roll with it."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..." He frowned but ate some.

After lunch, they bought a lamb at a mutton shop, along with the local specialties of Sansui duck and Gunshan chicken, all prepared and stored in foam boxes by the butcher, to be picked up later after their tour and loaded into the car. After all, the two of them and their dog were big meat eaters, so stocking up while at the base was a good idea.

Especially since it was evident that Sea Dragon City's livestock industry was thriving, with cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry all well-fed and of excellent quality.

For ingredients, he bought a lot of morel mushrooms, red pine mushrooms, silver ear mushrooms, and bamboo fungus, both dried and fresh, packed in foam preservation boxes.

Besides meat, Zhou Yun also specifically visited a shop selling mutated plants and mutated herbs, but most of them had been collected before. To lighten the luggage, he only picked out a few items that were new and of good quality.

Among them, his favorite was a potted mutated mimosa. Its delicate, light-red filaments formed fluffy flower balls, graceful and light. He carefully picked up the pot and gently touched the green, feather-like compound leaves, which immediately closed shyly and sensitively, the petioles drooping, looking pitifully charming.

Zhou Yun smiled as he showed it to Guan Yuanfeng. The mimosa was ordinary yet delicate, especially in winter, making a mutated one hard to find. He didn’t expect to find one here, and it was very cheap since, to most people, it only had ornamental value.

Seeing Zhou Yun’s eyes sparkling with excitement, Guan Yuanfeng caught his enthusiasm. "Does it have any medicinal value?"

Zhou Yun shook his head. "Its medicinal value is average, and it’s slightly toxic, so it’s not recommended for indoor planting."

He whispered to Guan Yuanfeng, "This plant is sensitive to psychic abilities and can detect changes in weather, geomagnetism, and geoelectricity. If absorbed, it can integrate its sensitive detection abilities."

Guan Yuanfeng understood. "So when encountering psychic abilities good at concealment, like earth or wind cores, you can detect them before they arrive."

Zhou Yun whispered, "Not just that, but also dark core abilities, which are Qin Mu’s weakness. He’s been pestering me to spar, but I’m not sure I can beat him." A sly smile spread across his face.

Guan Yuanfeng raised an eyebrow. "You outclass him in level, how could you not be sure of winning?"

Zhou Yun whispered, "Since it’s a spar, what’s the point of just overpowering him with high-level psychic abilities? But relying on skills, I’m not sure—I’ve never seen dark core skills, and he’s cunning, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. It would be embarrassing for the city lord to lose, so I’ve been avoiding him."

Guan Yuanfeng smirked. "With such a strong competitive streak, why are you skipping winter training?"

He added, "After you integrate this mimosa, want to practice with me?"

Zhou Yun hesitated, and Guan Yuanfeng added, "Losing to you wouldn’t embarrass me."

Zhou Yun chuckled. "Alright."

They whispered under a tree outside the mutated plants shop. The area was filled with old-style earthen brick houses, and the outdoor light and snow made for a stunning scene. The two of them and a dog attracted quite a few glances.

Both had striking appearances and temperaments, especially Zhou Yun, who was a bit of a neat freak and a water core user. In a post-apocalyptic world where most struggled to keep their clothes clean, his spotless attire made him stand out even more.

Guan Yuanfeng noticed this too. He picked up the storage box filled with mutated plants and medicines and asked, "Where to next?"

Zhou Yun said, "Let’s check their mission hall for clues about mutant creatures. Plus, I need to earn some money—I’ve spent too many crystal cores today."

Guan Yuanfeng chuckled.

The two walked side by side on the mountain path, a breeze carrying fine snow and the scent of trees and dry grass. Zhou Yun adjusted his scarf as Guan Yuanfeng stopped to gaze up at the city tower.

Zhou Yun asked, "What’s wrong?"

Guan Yuanfeng said, "It’s wind core psychic… You said the city lord is a fourth-tier wind core?"

Zhou Yun nodded. "Yes."

Guan Yuanfeng replied, "It must be her then."

Zhou Yun was surprised. "I didn’t sense any hostility."

Guan Yuanfeng explained, "It’s deliberately mixed in the mountain wind, probably just a routine check to gather information in the city."

Zhou Yun nodded, and the two walked to the mission hall in the city hall, where categorized posters covered the bulletin board.

Zhou Yun focused on finding various information, taking out his phone to photograph the details he was interested in.

"Lightning butterfly?" Zhou Yun was surprised. Do butterflies have lightning attributes? "Location: Nine Paths Water Forest, recruiting teammates to go, thunder core preferred, exact location provided, bait available."

He whispered to Guan Yuanfeng, "Let’s check it out."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded, and Zhou Yun murmured to himself, "Let’s photograph all the tasks in Nine Paths Water Forest. This shadow ant task can also be taken." He sighed. "But it’s not the same team."

Guan Yuanfeng: "We don't lack the crystal cores from these mission rewards, so no need to take them all. Just focus on the key ones."

Zhou Yun said, "Having a reliable local team familiar with the area can save us some time." He continued browsing: "Recruiting teams to jointly eradicate mutated devil vines—this one's intriguing. If multiple teams are needed to take it down, this vine must be quite large. We should be able to find out the specific location."

Guan Yuanfeng took a photo of it.

Zhou Yun was then drawn to another notice: "Long-term collection of mutated ginseng, ophiopogon, schisandra, and all other mutated herbs."

Guan Yuanfeng noticed his deep thought: "What's up?"

Zhou Yun pointed at the prescription: "This is a famous formula in traditional medicine called 'Shengmai Yin.' It boosts energy, nourishes yin, and combats fatigue. It seems this person is trying to make a mutated version of Shengmai Yin." He checked the task publisher: "Issued by Xinglin Pharmacy."

He said, "The pharmacy probably already has ready-made mutated drugs. Let's go buy some later to check."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "Last time we went to the Sanchu base, I didn't see you so interested. Shouldn't there be more and better drugs there?"

Zhou Yun shook his head: "The good stuff in big bases is already taken by strong psychics. You can only find the good stuff in remote, small places, especially folk prescriptions, mostly passed down orally. They don't know the principles but know they're effective, which can save us a lot of time." Actually, he had already explored the Sanchu base in his previous life... there was no novelty left.

While they were still discussing, suddenly a voice of surprise came from behind: "Brother Guan, Brother Zhou, are you also here to take missions? Let's team up!"

It was a few people from the Sihai team, with the captain Lu Siyuan looking quite embarrassed, while Pan Jiuhong in front looked much more natural.

Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun exchanged glances and smiled helplessly. This was obviously the result of the earlier gust. City Lord Lin reacts quickly.

Zhou Yun pointed at the lightning butterfly mission: "We've got our eyes on a few missions, but they're all in different places. These teams probably won't easily reveal their discovered locations, so we're planning to take the missions and cooperate with them."

Pan Jiuhong smiled: "Leave it to us; whatever missions you're interested in, we'll handle the coordination and planning."