The Strange Civilization

As soon as they boarded the vehicle, a Puppet- like robot near the door immediately lit up its eyes and scanned them.

Tang Ruowei and Bai Qiuran Consciousness and immediately shut down their Sea of Consciousness, but the Puppet seemed to have only scanned the tickets in their hands.

"Two passengers."

After the light in the Puppet's eyes faded, it immediately spoke in a mechanical voice, "Your seats are seats 3 and 4 in row 13 of this cabin. The vehicle is about to start. Please take your seats immediately to avoid injury caused by the vehicle's inertia."

Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei, clutching their tickets, looked around before settling into their seats. The carriage was filled with people who, like them, had blue skin, horns, and tails. When they entered, these people merely glanced at them without saying anything.

The two sat down side by side. Opposite them was a young man in blue and a middle-aged man in blue. When Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei came up, the middle-aged man in blue only glanced at them before looking away, but the other young man in blue kept observing them with great interest, seemingly wanting to strike up a conversation.

But before he could speak, another Puppet, resembling a trash can, walked across the aisle in the middle of the seating area and asked Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei if they needed any drinks or food.

To appear as weary and thirsty travelers returning from the wilderness, Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei casually ordered some food and drinks. The Puppet stood still for two seconds, then its stomach opened, revealing a mechanical arm that handed them the dishes they had chosen.

Tang Ruowei brought the food over and placed it on the small table in front of her, but didn't eat any. Bai Qiuran, relying on her thick skin and strong digestive ability, tasted the civilized dishes and drinks with great interest.

The dishes appeared to be made from the meat of some unique wild animals of this world, paired with some oddly colored vegetables, but the taste was surprisingly good. The purple, bubbly drink also tasted like a slightly bitter alcoholic beverage.

Seeing Bai Qiuran put down her cutlery with satisfaction and wipe her mouth, the blue-skinned young man sitting opposite them, who had been observing them ever since they got on the bus, finally couldn't help but strike up a conversation with Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei.

"Excuse me, are you also heading to Serast City to participate in this Ascension Ceremony?"

The young man in blue, with a mixture of anticipation and shyness, asked Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei.

We are indeed going into the City.

Bai Qiuran answered, then feigned confusion and asked, "Excuse me, I've been in the wilderness for a while now. Is there going to be Ascension Ceremony soon?"

He had no idea whether he was going to Serast City or what this so-called Ascension Ceremony. But life is like a play, and with acting skills, even though Bai Qiuran didn't know, he could pretend to know and also get information out of this seemingly simple young man.

"Yes, yes, I recently heard that the great Machine God has discovered the Demons' lair and is preparing to launch a military campaign there to wipe Demons out completely. Therefore, Ascension Ceremony are being held in various places. This is a great opportunity for us. To be able to join the ranks of the Heavenly Gods through the Ascension Ceremony and fight to protect the world—what a magnificent thing that would be!"

Bai Qiuran echoed his words, but in her heart she was pondering the information he had revealed.

First, the thing that rules these Puppet, or at least the high-ranking leader among Puppet, is a guy called "Machine God." Then, what this guy refers to as "the Ascension Ceremony" and "joining the ranks of the Heavenly Gods" should refer to some kind of leap in life form.

However, when Bai Qiuran probed with her Spiritual Sense, she found that the blue-skinned youth in front of her had no cultivation at all. There was no Purple Mansion, no energy, and no Runes in his body. He was just a Mortals.

This made Bai Qiuran somewhat curious about the process by which this Puppet Civilization Ascension.

"It's been so long since I've been to City."

He feigned a sigh and took Tang Ruowei's hand.

"I'd also like to take her to some lively places. I wonder if we can go and see this additional Ascension Ceremony?"

"Of course, everyone can admire the Glory of the Machine God."

The blue-skinned youth laughed and said, "Why are you all so reserved? The Machine God is a great and selfless deity who has bestowed everything upon us. I will be participating too, and you two can come and watch."

He paused, looked at Tang Ruowei and Bai Qiuran, and asked, "By the way, are you two [Partner] now?"

In this foreign language, "Partner" means partner. Bai Qiuran, glanced at Tang Ruowei, and then nodded.

"What an enviable relationship! Many Partner are unwilling to accompany their partners on outdoor adventures."

The blue-skinned youth sighed, "Although we can get help from the Machine God in the wild, we still have to rely on ourselves for many things, and there are ferocious beasts... We don't want to face them before we Ascension."

"With some weapons, they should be relatively easy to deal with, right?"

Bai Qiuran hesitated.

"It's not that easy, brother. You know that weapons with power level one or higher are controlled by the Machine God. Only the Heavenly Gods are qualified to use them."

The blue-skinned youth, unaware of Bai Qiuran's meaning, continued, "The most we can buy is Runes -charged pistol—it's fine against small creatures, but useless against large, thick-skinned, armored beasts. None of us can outrun them. Perhaps only a few strong men like you can survive in the wild with a small pistol."

"Perhaps."

Bai Qiuran noncommittal.

"In truth, souls as valiant as yours are most suited to participate in the Ascension Ceremony."

The young man in blue seemed somewhat introverted, but once he started talking, he became surprisingly talkative.

"The Machine God loves Subjects like you who possess a brave and resilient spirit. If you participate in the Ascension Ceremony, you will definitely pass."

"This..."

Bai Qiuran hesitated, unsure of what excuse to come up with.

But the blue-skinned youth glanced at Tang Ruowei and then suddenly realized something, saying, "That's right, you can't abandon your Partner. After passing the selection for the Ascension Ceremony, we'll have to completely sever ties with the mortal world. Speaking of which, are the bodies of Heavenly Gods even capable of falling in love?"

Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei remained silent, tacitly accepting the reason the blue-skinned youth had fabricated for them.

Along the way, the blue-skinned youth talked to Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei about many things, from the local customs and culture of his hometown to the best food in Serast City.

Bai Qiuran and Tang Ruowei echoed him, but most of the time they listened to him talk. From his words, they learned a lot about the customs and culture of this world.

Time passed quickly, and the Rail Transit sped along, entering a magnificent City constructed of machinery— the Serast City.