Island Town No. 708

"By my reckoning, the next Silver Belt Sea tide would be coming soon. Without Feiyingmen Hall and Jifeng Hall, we could secure quite a few treasures from the sea.

"But before that, I can take you to the Night Sleep Gathering." Sun Chengshan said with a smile.

"The Night Sleep Gathering?" The moment Wang Yu heard the name, he felt it was no good place. Instinctively wary, he asked, "Is that place safe?"

"As long as you follow the rules, it is naturally safe," Sun Chengshan said.

"This gathering is controlled by the Night Sleep Organization. They have a presence all over the world, and many things of unknown origin circulate at the gathering—cultivation techniques for Martial Artists, finely crafted weapons from Artisans, and all kinds of Cultivation Treasures. As long as you have money, you can buy them there.

"I received word that there will be one near Island No. 708 in three days. I happen to need to buy some Cultivation Treasures as well, so I'll take you there to broaden your horizons."

Seeing how certain Sun Chengshan was, Wang Yu finally relaxed a little.

"Then I'll trouble Master to lead the way."

Two days later.

Sun Chengshan had Song Hezheng watch the house while he took Wang Yu on this long journey.

"Master, are we taking a ship or an airship?" Wang Yu asked on the way.

"Traveling by ship is slow and unsafe, so naturally we're taking an airship," Sun Chengshan said, readily covering the cost of Wang Yu's ticket.

The sea was full of wind and waves, as well as natural disasters. He had no desire to travel with a large sum of money in his pocket while risking burial beneath the sea.

By comparison, airships were the more advanced means of passenger transport.

Soon, the two arrived at the airship center. Quite a few people hurried inside carrying large bags and small parcels, afraid they would miss the airship if they were late.

There were also plenty who traveled light like Wang Yu and Sun Chengshan, all heading somewhere beyond Island Town No. 732.

Wang Yu saw the vehicle that would carry them—the airship.

The airship looked like a whale overall. Its round, plump form was strangely adorable, and two rows of crossed metal oars protruded from its belly like little feet, steadily supporting it on the ground.

Airships came in all sizes. The largest could carry over a thousand people, while the smallest models could seat only a few dozen.

Their routes were assigned mainly according to the number of people traveling to a given destination.

Clearly, quite a few people were heading for Island Town No. 708 this time, so a medium-sized airship had been deployed, capable of carrying five hundred passengers.

At the entrance, Sun Chengshan handed over their tickets. The inspector routinely clipped off the corners and let them board.

This was Wang Yu's first time riding an airship. Though it could not compare in speed to the airplanes of his previous life, it was still quite novel, and its interior was remarkably spacious.

Rows of seats were neatly arranged, soft and comfortable to sit in.

Seated inside, Wang Yu's sharp senses as a Martial Artist detected heat sources from the upper section of the airship, as well as its front and rear, from time to time.

On the way here, he had asked Sun Chengshan about it.

The airship's power source was a mechanical engine, but its fuel was not electricity or oil. Instead, it used various coal stones.

The Purple Coal Stone they mined was one excellent and relatively common fuel. This type of coal stone existed on many planets and was not a mineral unique to Fragment Star No. 5, where they lived.

In fact, the main source of mineral resources for humanity's major nations was a Mining Star they had occupied for a long time.

The total ore output of all other Habitable and Semi-Habitable Planets combined was less than thirty percent of the Mining Star's output.

Humanity still had great demand for all kinds of ores, and their uses were extremely widespread.

After waiting another ten or so minutes, with more than four hundred people aboard, the airship finally started.

Streams of air blasted from rows of holes beneath it, and the seemingly cumbersome airship rose smoothly into the air.

It soon flew away from the island town and left Island No. 732 behind as well.

Through the window beside his seat, Wang Yu could see the endless ocean below.

The stretches of silver sea gradually vanished, replaced by dark, bottomless waters like ink.

Only amid the occasional rolling waves could one glimpse a deep blue tint that appeared and disappeared.

This was the normal color of most seas on Fragment Star No. 5.

The Black Blue Sea.

Its waters were frigid. When the seasons changed, they could easily inflict frostbite on people.

Countless vicious marine creatures also lived in the Black Blue Sea. The icy waters had given them skin and bodies as tough as steel.

Everyone knew that the seafloor held the planet's oldest and most precious rare resources—boundless wealth and treasures.

Yet for humanity to set foot in these limitless planetary seas and develop marine industries remained a long and arduous task.

The only fortunate thing was that under the Black Blue Sea's extreme cold, the terrifying germs from the Silver Belt Sea could not survive either, so they would not poison people to death.

The airship flew for roughly seven or eight hours, passing several similar numbered islands before finally arriving at Island Town No. 708.

Compared with their Island Town No. 732, the terrain here was more suitable for habitation. There were fewer hills and slopes, and much more land available for construction and cultivation.

As a result, it was more prosperously developed. The town's population had reached an astonishing near four hundred thousand, almost twice that of their island town.

It even made Wang Yu feel that living here would be somewhat too crowded, considering the island was only so large.

"What's that compared to? Your Master once visited Island No. 701. It is currently Nanxi Country's capital base for pioneering this region, with a population of over a million. That doesn't even include the troops stationed there. That's where people are truly packed shoulder to shoulder."

Sun Chengshan truly had broad experience, and from time to time, he told Wang Yu about what he had seen and heard.

Perhaps a population of one million would have been nothing remarkable in the world of Wang Yu's previous life.

Any random city could have a population in the millions, even tens of millions.

But on this tiny Fragment Star No. 5, a settlement with a population of one million was already exceedingly rare and remarkable.

Perhaps because of the large population base, Wang Yu also saw many more martial artists along the way.

Quite a few wore standardized uniforms and were likely disciples of local martial halls, usually traveling in groups of two or three.

Besides them, there were many other martial artists of all kinds, their breaths long and steady, their steps firm.

Some even had sharp glints in their eyes, making others afraid to meet their gaze.

Sun Chengshan immediately recognized that these people, like them, had come from other island towns. He said quietly, "It seems quite a few people came for this gathering."

Wang Yu gave those martial artists a few more looks. "Master, do you mean they are all here to attend that Night Sleep Gathering?"

"Yes. Come to think of it, Night Sleep hasn't held such a gathering in our region for quite some time. There must be plenty of people waiting for it."

Sun Chengshan explained a little more.

Wang Yu nodded. It seemed this kind of gathering held great appeal for martial artists cultivating in the surrounding area.

No wonder. The mere outflow of large quantities of treasures was enough to stir the hearts of martial artists living in these remote backwaters.

In these island towns, treasures were always in short supply, with too many monks and too little porridge.

Master and disciple took a brief stroll around the island town. After dinner, they found an inn and settled in.