The Marvelous Green Field City! Negotiations and What They Saw!

Thinking back on everything that had happened, that terrifying cold wave had been like hell itself. Even now, the thought of it filled everyone with lingering dread.

They were actually grateful to the "Greedy Demon God" who had saved them. As they spoke of him now, there was a faint, mysterious reverence in their voices.

"Guess we got lucky..."

Suddenly, a roar sounded outside the window. The snow piled atop the roof shook loose and scattered across the floor.

Everyone who was awake could not help but look outside, then gape in astonishment.

Whether it was the two city lords, the strongest figures from their respective cities, or the many experts beneath them, they felt that they would probably never forget this sight for the rest of their lives—across the vast, endless expanse of White Snow, more than a hundred thousand insects of all sizes were sweeping away the snow in a grand procession!

"Biba!" "Bili!" All sorts of cries rose and fell, somehow sounding rather cheerful.

Most of the insects looked ferocious, with sharp teeth and an aura of extreme danger. Even as Level Six experts, they had no desire to engage these creatures in hand-to-hand combat.

A large number of Silver White robots were mixed among them, seemingly clearing snow as well.

There were even children playing by the roadside... their laughter could faintly be heard.

"Wa Ga Ga!" The enormous turtle crawled out of the Mountain Cave once again, letting out a bizarre cry.

No matter how they looked at it, the scene was simply too strange. Everyone simultaneously came to the same conclusion: "This must be a Historical Retrospection scene."

"Could this be the inside of the ruins?"

"These insects should be real... The children and humans might be fake..."

"Everyone, don't let your guard down! This could all be the turtle's scheme. Maybe it wants to capture us and make us accompany it forever! Should we go back and seek the Greedy Demon God's protection?"

Everyone shuddered in unison. Ancient legends spoke of souls being stripped away and made into Soul Gems.

If it really had been this turtle that captured them...

Just as they stood there in a daze, footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Knock, knock knock. Esteemed guests, are you awake?"

Ta Gang was on guard to the utmost degree, but all their weapons had been confiscated. Fighting barehanded, they were no match for those terrifying insects.

Jumping out the window and fleeing would be even more foolish. With so many enemies outside, it would be little different from seeking death.

The door opened.

Two King Insects entered the room first.

As the most elite warriors of the insect hive, they were now Level Twelve extraordinary lifeforms. Their fully armed golden carapaces gave them an especially imposing appearance.

The King Insects were actually rather elegant. Standing four meters tall, they looked like royal guards clad in heavy armor.

Several Powered Armors followed behind the King Insects, containing Translation Ability users from the Human 18 Civilization.

"Esteemed guests, you are awake. Please follow us to the cafeteria for your meal."

Ta Gang and the others froze for a moment. The robots could actually speak?

Of course. Puppet technology—they had seen similar creations in another city before.

Yet everyone remained wary and did not dare act rashly.

"You are...?"

"We are citizens of a branch of the Human 18 Civilization. My name is Lu Yuwen, and I am a translation specialist."

"This city is called Green Field City. It has developed and grown under the protection of the Green Field Princess."

The Ulan Clan was no stranger to the term Translation Ability user, because their city possessed an identical God's Skill.

"This city has an owner?"

"Of course. We have always lived and worked here."

"Those children outside aren't illusions?" Another soldier could not help raising his voice.

The human translator was amused. "They are the children of our civilization. We let them play in the snow to cultivate their spirit of adventure."

"Though the weather is a little cold, both boys and girls must be taught from a young age not to fear setbacks."

That did make sense. Did not the Ulan Clan also train their bodies from childhood?

At that moment, all the guests began doubting their lives. They had worked so hard to come here to scavenge, only to discover that this city actually had an owner!

They had not even picked up a single scrap of trash before enduring a cold wave and being captured!

What the hell was all this for?

For a moment, every possible emotion—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty—surged into their hearts, and everyone felt like crying.

Grand Scholar Constantine felt especially embarrassed. That nostalgic turtle, that Historical Retrospection—he had just been making blind guesses...

It would be humiliating if word got out!

But the outsiders quickly composed themselves and tried to ease the atmosphere. "During the cold wave, we encountered an entity called the Greedy Demon God..."

At the mention of this, the people of Green Field City became somewhat proud. "That is indeed this city's guardian, and also our supreme leader. Did he..."

"He reached out and saved us... We should thank him. We will never forget his life-saving grace, but we truly have no way to repay him."

"You need not be so polite. He was the one who arranged for you to rest here."

"Are you humans too... from the Snow Sky Continent?" Ta Gang looked at the children outside the window.

"No, our homeland is this city... This is the first time we've heard of the Snow Sky Continent. We have encountered many species that resemble humans. In the end, we concluded that classifying species based on reproductive isolation is the more scientific approach. Similar appearances do not necessarily mean the same race."

The Silver White Powered Armor turned around and led the way. "Guests, please follow me to the dining hall for a meal and to wash yourselves."

After hesitating for a while, the visitors still put on their armor and shoes and followed.

Their stomachs were growling so badly that they could barely walk steadily. They had to replenish their energy.

"Let's fill our stomachs before talking about anything else. A blade from the side or a blade from above, we'll have to face it sooner or later." They encouraged themselves.

To be honest, the room was a little hot inside. At 20 degrees Celsius, the burly men wrapped in layer upon layer of Fur Coats were beginning to sweat. A little movement was enough to make them unbearably warm.

The corridor was filled with all kinds of mechanical devices.

Robot vacuums, lights that switched on and off automatically, surveillance equipment, automatic doors, and more dazzled them.

Even the dwarf kingdom with the most advanced technology in the Northern Frontier could not possibly be extravagant enough to use robots for cleaning, could it?

"Could the guests share some information with us? Our Green Field City has indeed only just arrived here," the interpreter asked.

Ta Gang, the city lord of Ulan City, cleared his throat. "This place is called the Northern Frontier, the northernmost extreme, locked in winter all year round... As for why it bears this geographical name, we do not know either. The records in the major ruins all use this term to describe the region, so we continued using it."

"The weather here is cold all year round, and ice-element extraordinary resources are produced on a large scale."

"Large-scale cold waves also break out occasionally, and technological development is slow."

"But ice-element ores... how should I put it? There are indeed quite a lot of them, but they are somewhat difficult to utilize."

An ambassador from Green Field City asked, "How many intelligent cities are nearby?"

"As far as we know, there may be several hundred cities in the Northern Frontier. But compared to this vast land, the population is still sparse, and transportation is rather inconvenient."

"Cities that are too far away cannot be reached. Where did your city emerge from?"

"We... accidentally fell in from outside the Northern Frontier."

"Visitors from elsewhere... No wonder your arrival was so bizarre. There may be more city exploration teams rushing over here. They all want to pick up an inheritance! When that happens..."

"It does not matter. All who come are guests. As long as they do not damage property, we can receive them normally."

This was humanity's confidence!

Lu Yuan listened to these voices through his earpiece, his heart surging with excitement.

What kind of strange world was this? There were actually so many civilizations?

"There are several hundred cities of all sizes alone. Even if each city earned ten points of fortune, that would be several thousand!"

The thought made him blossom with delight.

More importantly... influence!

On Pangu Continent, the function of influence was still unknown. If this wave was handled well, the name of the "Greedy Demon God" could finally be spread far and wide!

As these visitors conversed, each harbored different thoughts.

The soldiers were somewhat demoralized and uncomfortable.

There was no trash to scavenge, their military merits had gone down the drain, and their future remained unknown.

The leaders, on the other hand, adjusted their thinking the fastest.

"The humans in this city do not seem particularly hostile."

"Furthermore, their technology is advanced, they do not lack energy, and they have no intention of plundering us... Could there be a possibility of mutually beneficial cooperation?"

Humanity was weak here, yet they had encountered such a powerful city this time!

Who would not want to cling to a powerful patron?

"But what do we have that we can sell?" The question lingered in their minds, impossible to answer.

Mai Luo City at least possessed a Civilization Ruins, so it had some things it could trade.

But Ulan City was truly rather poor. After thinking for ages, they could not even come up with a local specialty.

It was painful!

Before long, they arrived at their destination.

The fiberglass doors opened automatically, revealing a large restaurant covering roughly a thousand square meters. Green plants such as pothos decorated the surroundings.

Dozens of round tables stood inside.

The tables were laden with steaming dishes: bread, stuffed buns, steamed buns, and other Chinese-style foods.

These people had endured a month in the snow and then spent several days unconscious. They were already starving to the point of dizziness. Tempted by the food, they did not hesitate further and immediately grabbed two stuffed buns and began eating.

The buns had thin skins and generous fillings, their rich juices and oil spilling out. Soft yet slightly springy, they seemed to blend the fragrance of meat with the warmth of steam in every gentle bite.

"This food tastes amazing! I wonder what kind of animal this meat comes from!"

"Eat yours... Don't make a sound." (His cheeks were stuffed full.)

"Look, that robot is cooking in the kitchen."

As the outsiders ate, they kept looking around, their curiosity obvious.

So this was the legendary technological civilization!

Robots were everywhere!

Even the ones carrying trays were robots. It made them rather uncomfortable; some even treated the robots respectfully, unable to resist greeting them and offering a solemn gaze.

"Type-A Furniture Robot, at your service." The robot spoke Chinese, which the outsiders could not understand at all.

Beside the dining hall was a large bathhouse, filled with steam and equipped with showerheads. These outsiders had not bathed in a long time. Their skin was covered in a thick layer of grime, and their body odor was rather strong.

When they turned on the showerheads, hot water came rushing out.

"Oh, I know this thing. I heard that many stronger civilizations use it," the Grand Scholar said enthusiastically. "It's rather luxurious. You have to store hot water in containers. Cities short on energy can't use it."

Ahem. Under normal circumstances, bathing once a year was already pretty good.

These experts were all intelligent people, and they quickly learned how to use the showers. They happily took hot baths, scrubbing off a thick layer of dead skin, then changed into the casual clothes prepared by the humans. The clothes were made from carbon nanomaterials—lightweight and warm.

"Guests, this way, please. Our leader wishes to meet you and discuss future cooperation."

"It's here!" The two city lords exchanged a glance and quickly reached an understanding—we advance and retreat together!

The ordinary soldiers remained in the dining hall, while the city lords of the two cities, along with the Grand Scholar and several other advisers, headed toward a nearby meeting room with mixed feelings.

Around the large round table, besides humans, there were also blue-feathered birdfolk and brown-furred ratfolk.

They were quite surprised to see these two foreign species.

"Could this city be a union of multiple races?"

Multi-racial alliances were not particularly rare in the Northern Frontier. When the cities of these races were destroyed by some disaster, several races would unite anew, support one another, and establish a new civilization in a geothermal region.

"I am Lu Yuan, Grand Commander of Human 18 Civilization. We have already met outside, friends from afar." Lu Yuan gestured for them to sit across from him at the round table.

The moment they heard his voice, it sounded somewhat familiar.

Then their eyes widened as they remembered... wasn't this the stone man's voice?

Ta Gang came back to his senses and bowed slightly. "Grand Commander Lu Yuan, thank you for saving our lives. Without your rescue, we might have frozen to death."

"Words cannot describe our gratitude!"

"I, Ta Gang, owe you my life!"

Those words were indeed true.

Lu Yuan nodded and smiled. "It was nothing more than a small effort. Besides, you have already paid the reward."

"Our city has only just arrived, and there is much common knowledge we still lack. We hope the leaders here can explain the basics of life in this region to us."

"If you have any worthwhile specialties, we can trade with each other and make up for one another's weaknesses."

"Trade is a win-win choice. Let us survive this difficult time a little better."

Ta Gang's expression shifted. "Does your civilization intend to sell technological products?"

"Of course. So long as the price is right, what can't be sold? To put it simply, we currently lack mineral resources, including iron ore and copper ore. If you have ores, we are willing to buy them."

"Also, we purchase supernatural resources in bulk and will offer you a good price."

"And then there are spirit crystals and spiritual essence. With so many civilizations here and so many ruins excavated, surely you know about such things."

"This... naturally, we do."

Spiritual essence was the universal currency unit of the Northern Frontier! This fact had long since spread everywhere.

Through certain combinations of inscriptions, supernatural items could be converted into spiritual essence.

However, in any city—even a powerful dwarven city—one unit of spiritual essence was a considerable sum. Thus, people only used it when trading extremely valuable items.

Otherwise, barter was far more common.

Hearing this, the two city lords felt somewhat uneasy. They hoped this powerful technological civilization would not charge too much, or they would have no choice but to strategically give up... After all, their societies were not advanced enough to make use of electrical technology.

Soon afterward, the two sides began an eager discussion, talking about the general situation of this bitterly cold land.

The Northern Frontier's year-round temperature was below minus twenty degrees Celsius.

And this was already considered a relatively warm season.

The farther north one went, the colder the climate became.

Because there were so many civilizations, wager duels were extremely common across this land.

When two unfamiliar cities met, they would generally have a cold-weapon wager duel.

Lu Yuan frowned slightly. On second thought, it was only natural. With so many cities around, wouldn't wager duels be necessary to prevent war?

"How does your overall strength rank on this continent?"

"Probably... below average." As he said this, the burly man rubbed his hands awkwardly. There was no point hiding it; such matters were easy to investigate.

The other city, Mai Luo City, was actually somewhat stronger and believed itself to be around the middle tier.

But under the circumstances, they could only accept it by default.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and consoled them, "Ahem... that just means there's still plenty of room for improvement. Tell me about the rest. What else do you know?"

Grand Scholar Constantine spoke at length. "As far as I know, the Soaring Leap Clan occupies the northernmost city. They are a long-haired race, generally around two meters tall, with formidable combat power."

"Farther north, there are no civilized cities at all—only some suspicious savages."

"Savages?"

"They have lost their reason and culture. They may be creatures passed down from the Ancient Era. They evolved the ability to withstand harsh winters and absorb ice-element energy, but lost their intelligence and now live by eating raw meat and drinking blood."

There were creatures like that too...

Lu Yuan frowned slightly. They sounded rather like those mindless servants of the Rat Rice Dam Civilization.

"Does no one know what lies in the far north?"

Constantine said, "According to the records, the Soaring Leap Clan's city lies in a geothermal zone, where the average annual temperature is minus sixty degrees Celsius. Farther north, there are no more geothermal zones."

"The temperature keeps dropping until it falls below minus one hundred and sixty degrees Celsius."

"At that temperature, methane can remain liquid, so the north contains vast stretches of methane lakes."

"Yet even in those methane lakes, a strange type of fungus survives tenaciously. The Soaring Leap Clan harvests it year-round as a specialty product of their civilization, so they are fairly prosperous."

"What is the fungus used for?"

"It is... an alchemical material," the Grand Scholar said. "In the Northern Frontier, ice-element Extraordinary Materials are excessively abundant, so they have to find ways to use them. That fungus can convert ice elements into gentler life elements, so it sells quite well."

Alchemy, put another way, was pharmaceutical science.

Using pills to level up was quite popular here.

Human 18 Civilization had scientific research methods, while the local natives had also discovered their own localized alchemy through long periods of practice.

"I roughly understand. Go on."

The Grand Scholar drew a simple map. "Farther north, the weather becomes unbearably cold. Temperatures remain at minus two hundred degrees Celsius year-round."

"At that point, even the air freezes, forming lakes of liquid oxygen and nitrogen. Only a microorganism known as the Water Bear Insect can survive. Even the Soaring Leap Clan would freeze to death there. No civilization exists beyond that..."

"That is all we know as well... Perhaps if one continued north without stopping, it would suddenly become warmer. Or perhaps it would not. In any case, no one can cross that barrier of extreme cold."

The negotiating representatives from Green Field City exchanged glances. What kind of brutally extreme environment was this?

Frankly, even Green Field City would find it extremely difficult to cross such a frozen hell.

One small mistake along the way, and they would be plunged into a situation beyond all hope.

"Unless we had spacecraft from an Interstellar Civilization... Grand Commander, should we find a way to build an interstellar spacecraft?" The Blue Peng People began fantasizing about their interstellar civilization again.

These bird people spent all day dreaming about their interstellar universe.

"What about the other directions? Are they just as cold?" Lu Yuan scoffed at all this talk of the interstellar universe. He knew all too well that the real danger came from the universe itself!

Grand Scholar Constantine thought for a moment. "To the south, east, and west of the Northern Frontier, one encounters an enormous natural chasm, as though the entire continent has split apart."

"No civilization can cross that chasm—not even the mighty Dwarf Civilization." This Grand Scholar was indeed exceptionally knowledgeable; he knew a little about everything.

"How deep is this chasm?"

"How deep?"

The Grand Scholar shook his head. "It is a stretch of Cosmic Void. How could there still be such a thing as depth? Even gravity gradually disappears. The moment you cross over, you begin floating."

"The atmospheric pressure gradually drops, oxygen becomes scarce, and everyone suffocates to death!"

Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows. There was actually a place like that?

Immediately afterward, the think tanks behind Green Field City began discussing it with great interest. "Judging from their body language and emotions, they should not be lying... These details are easy enough to verify."

"If that is true, leaving this place will be somewhat difficult for us."

"Could this be the edge of Pangu Continent?"

"The first option is to cross the brutal ice fields in the far north and head north all the way. That would truly be a great and arduous journey. We would need to make a great many preparations."

"The second is to make use of the monster's spatial ability and have it take us along when it teleports."

"Of course, there is no need for us to rush... The geography of the Northern Frontier truly warrants investigation. This place is very strange. It may be hiding some major secret."