After everyone had left, Dugu Yan finally let out a long breath. She looked as if all the strength had drained from her.
Xiao Yi covered her mouth and giggled. "Were you nervous?"
"Mm-hmm!! Emperor Qingtian was standing right there, but he didn't let out a trace of his aura. I could barely breathe!"
"Hehe, there's no need to be nervous. His Majesty Emperor Qingtian is very kind. I was nervous for ages when I first came to Immortal Court, but then I found out he was an easygoing, good person."
"Oh." Dugu Yan murmured. She'd taken Xiao Yi's words to heart! But she still couldn't help feeling nervous.
"By the way, aren't you called Xiao Yi? Why do Emperor Qingtian and the Empress both call you 'Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi'?"
Xiao Yi scratched her head and pouted. "I don't know either. Emperor Qingtian started calling me that, and he even told me to answer, 'I'm here.'"
"Uh... all right."
Since Xiao Yi herself didn't know, Dugu Yan didn't press her. Instead, she asked, "Xiao Yi, where are we going next?"
"Follow me!"
As soon as Xiao Yi finished speaking, she waved her hand and took a... sports car out of her Storage Soul Tool!
Dugu Yan stared for a moment. "What is that?"
"This is the Xiaomi SU7! It's the latest sports car from Immortal Court!"
"Huh? What is it?" Dugu Yan looked completely bewildered.
"Hehe." Xiao Yi covered her mouth and snickered as she led Dugu Yan into the passenger seat.
"Don't worry about what it is just yet. Get in and see how it feels first! Here, this is a seat belt. I'll fasten it for you."
"Oh."
Xiao Yi took the driver's seat and buckled up. Then she placed both hands on the steering wheel and channeled her Soul Power through it into the car.
The next second, lines on the steering wheel lit up. A faint glow flickered along them and traveled down the wheel.
"Xiao Yi, wh-what is this?"
"Hold on tight!!"
Vroom!
Xiao Yi pressed the accelerator, and the car shot forward. It could go from zero to a hundred kilometers per hour in just three seconds!
"Ah!" Dugu Yan was so startled that she clutched the seat belt across her chest, too frightened to open her eyes. Her Soul Power surged inside her, ready to meet any danger.
The Earth Dragon Soul Spirit soothed her. "Master, don't be afraid! This is a means of transportation in Immortal Court, just like the horse-drawn carriages in Douluo World No. 1! It's just that the vehicles here are faster."
Xiao Yi glanced at Dugu Yan's panicked expression and laughed. "Dugu Yan, don't be scared! These are very common in Immortal Court."
Sure enough, after the car drifted out of the plaza and onto the road, Dugu Yan saw cars of similar types coming and going all around them.
She swallowed and asked timidly, "Could you explain exactly what this thing is?"
"In Immortal Court, the development of Soul Tools has reached its peak!"
"Soul Tools?" Dugu Yan immediately thought of the Desert Eagle and Double-Barreled Rifle.
Xiao Yi went on, "In Immortal Court, Soul Tools are divided into three broad categories: Storage Soul Tools, military Soul Tools, and civilian Soul Tools. My Xiaomi SU7 is a new sports car model from the Immortal Court Heavy Industry Group. It's a type of civilian Soul Tool! The bare-bones model costs 219,900 Gold Soul Coins!"
Dugu Yan's eyes widened. "Soul Tools can be made like this?"
"Of course! Soul Tools were originally developed mainly for warfare. But after Emperor Qingtian unified the continent, he spearheaded the development of civilian Soul Tools! Things like phones, cars, high-speed trains, and airplanes are all civilian Soul Tools."
Dugu Yan took a moment to process that, then asked, "Cars are the things driving on the roads. But what are phones, high-speed trains, and airplanes?"
Xiao Yi took a phone from her pocket and explained, "This is a phone. It has functions similar to the Wristwatches used by Elder Dugu and the others. You can use it to communicate over long distances. I'll buy you one when we get to the mall!"
"Oh." Dugu Yan nodded earnestly. "What about high-speed trains and airplanes?"
Just then, an airplane flew overhead. Xiao Yi pointed up at it and explained, "See that? That's an airplane! It takes an enormous amount of Soul Power to operate one. If you aren't strong enough, you can't fly it at all! So in Immortal Court, you have to be at least a Titled Douluo to apply for a job as an airplane captain!"
"It flies so high!" Dugu Yan looked up at the sky and compared it with the times her grandfather had taken her flying. He'd never flown anywhere near that high.
"As for high-speed trains... they're bigger vehicles that go even faster than a Titled Douluo can fly! I'll tell you more when you see one."
"Mm-hmm."
"Then first, I'll show you around our shopping center!"
The two arrived at the commercial district. Standing beside a shopping mall, Dugu Yan looked up at the building, which was only four or five stories tall, then at the gigantic structure nearby, more than three hundred meters high. She couldn't help exclaiming, "Xiao Yi, are all the buildings in Immortal Court this tall? That's so high!"
"Not all of them! This place is in the center of the Immortal Court Imperial Capital, where every inch of land is worth a fortune. That's why they built such tall buildings."
"Oh, I see!"
"Let's go in!"
"Mm."
As they entered the mall, Dugu Yan pointed at the escalator. "Xiao Yi, what's that?"
"That's called an escalator. It's a kind of civilian Soul Tool! It works in a very mechanical way: just channel in Soul Power, and it runs automatically! Come on, I'll take you up to the women's clothing section on the second floor."
Stepping onto the moving escalator, Dugu Yan exclaimed, "Immortal Court is amazing! I can't believe we can stand here and get to the second floor without moving ourselves!"
Xiao Yi smiled and explained, "Look over there. That's a vertical elevator. Want to try it?"
"Mm! Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me? Come on."
After they tried the vertical elevator, Xiao Yi continued explaining. "Look over there. That's the women's clothing section. There are commercial districts in Douluo World No. 1, too, right? But look at these clothes. They're definitely different from what you have there! I'll take you shopping!"
"These clothes are so pretty! The design... the texture... what kind of fabric are they made from? They feel so soft!"
"I don't really know the details either."
"Ohhh..."
"Dugu Yan, which one do you like? I'll buy it for you!"
"I have money of my own... Oh, right, do they accept Gold Soul Coins here? These ones?"
"They do! But I have to pay today. Her Majesty the Empress will reimburse me."
"Th-that's how it is."
Shopping meant eating and drinking, too.
Dugu Yan took a bite of her ice cream, and her eyes lit up at once!
"This is way too delicious! It even has a faint strawberry flavor!"
Holding her milk tea and ice cream, Dugu Yan marveled to herself. It would have made sense if she didn't recognize those Soul Tools! But why didn't she recognize any of this food and drink, either?
"Hehe, this is my favorite ice cream! Especially the carrot-flavored kind. That's my favorite!"
"What's this? It's so good!"
"These are hamburgers, fries, fried chicken, and cola. They're all made with quality chicken thighs from long-tailed mountain pheasants!"
At the mention of animal meat, Dugu Yan froze for a moment. After hesitating, she asked timidly, "By the way, you're a Soul Beast, right? I heard Xiao Wu from our world is a Soul Beast who underwent Soul Beast Transformation..."
"Mm, I'm a Soul Beast—a 280,000-year-old Soft-Bone Charm Rabbit!"
"Does Immortal Court... really make hunting Soul Beasts illegal?"
"Yes! Hunting Soul Beasts is illegal, and Soul Beasts killing humans is illegal, too! As for the Soul Beasts that haven't gained intelligence, the Soul Beast Clan keeps them well-managed and doesn't let them enter areas where humans live. So Soul Beasts and humans get along very well."
"Oh... um, are long-tailed mountain pheasants Soul Beasts?"
"Uh... They're ordinary poultry."
"I see!" Dugu Yan let out a breath of relief and patted her chest.
Xiao Yi asked, "That's about it for the mall. I'll buy you a phone first, then take you to see the scenery by the river. You'll be able to see a high-speed train from there! There are also giant ships on the river! They're all civilian Soul Tools! There's a pedestrian street over that way, too, so we can stroll through it. Then, in the evening, I'll take you to the Immortal Court Palace Banquet!"
"Mm-hmm!"
At dusk, just after the sun had set, Xiao Yi rode a motorcycle Soul Tool into the palace with Dugu Yan sitting behind her in a helmet, holding her around the waist.
Their tight tops and leather pants showed off the figures of the grown-up Xiao Yi and Dugu Yan to stunning effect! They became a striking sight in the palace, especially in the moment they swung their long legs off the motorcycle. Even the guards couldn't help taking a few extra glances.
As soon as she got off the motorcycle, Dugu Yan exclaimed, "I love motorcycle Soul Tools! And that Soul Tool engine you mentioned—the sound feels like magic! It's so loud, but I still love it! It makes my blood race!"
"I'll take you for another ride next time! Once you get used to motorcycle Soul Tools, I'll give you one!"
"Mm-hmm! Thank you! I won't stand on ceremony with you!"
After they'd spent half the day together and gotten to know each other, Dugu Yan wasn't nearly as stiff and nervous as she'd been when she first arrived.
Just then, Empress Gu Yuna slowly emerged from the palace. She spotted Xiao Yi and Dugu Yan still holding their helmets and frowned slightly. "Xiao Yi, why did you take her on a motorcycle? Motorcycles are very dangerous!"
Xiao Yi answered immediately, "Your Highness, I'm strong enough to protect her!"
Gu Yuna shook her head helplessly, then smiled at Dugu Yan and asked, "How was your day? Was there anything you didn't enjoy?"
"Thank you for asking, Your Highness. I had a wonderful day. Xiao Yi took me to lots of places and showed me all kinds of Soul Tools, things we don't have back home! It was amazing! Immortal Court is so much better than our world!"
"Ha ha." Gu Yuna covered her mouth and chuckled. "Come with me. The banquet is about to begin. Xiao Yi, take her to change into something else first."
Before you continue