Infiltrating Blackwater City, Soul Tool Technology
Two long queues were lined up in front of the Blackwater City.
Two metal instruments, about half a person's height, were mounted on either side of the doorway. Their surfaces were inlaid with pale yellow crystals, and they swept out faint ripples towards every passerby.
The city guards leaned against the railing, clutching a register in their hands, casually checking the travel permits.
Snow Empress raised her hand and placed it on Ice Empress's shoulder. A very faint layer of cold air flowed through their meridians, suppressing the Soul Power fluctuations of the six people to the range of two to three rings.
When it was Dai Huabin's turn to submit the document, only two faint green lights lit up at the top of the instrument.
"Caravan crew? Alright, let's go."
The guard glanced at the official document stamped with the outpost's seal and impatiently waved him through.
Dai Huabin led the group through the city gate.
The moment Di Lingxi stepped onto the main street, she froze on the spot.
Neat rows of black metal lampposts line both sides of the cobblestone street, their tops inlaid with luminous white crystals, illuminating the dim alleyway.
Three undrawn four-wheeled iron carts glided smoothly along the right side of the street, without even a little mud splashing up from the edges of their wheels.
At the street corner, a fountain was continuously spouting clear water, and the Water Purification Array engraved at the bottom of the pool emitted faint fluctuations of Soul Power.
"It can actually run by itself?"
Ice Empress walked quickly to a truck parked by the roadside and kicked the metal cargo box.
A dull metallic sound emanated from the carriage.
"Don't kick it, that's a civilian transport vehicle equipped with Energy Storage Core."
Dai Huabin grabbed her sleeve to prevent this Ferocious Beast from dismantling someone's truck into scrap metal right there in the street.
Zhu Lu stood in front of a grain and oil shop, looking at it with great concentration.
The shop assistant poured large bags of grain into a funnel-shaped iron can, pressed the handle on the side, and the can vibrated for a moment before hulled white rice flowed out from the bottom.
The entire process requires no human intervention and consumes very little Soul Power.
"Even a whole family in the Star Luo Empire couldn't produce this much grain, even if they worked the millstone all day long."
Zhu Lu sighed softly.
(In the original novel, I remember that many of the taxi drivers in the Star Luo Empire had never even seen Martial Soul, so many commoners didn't have Martial Soul.)
Dai Huabin led the group to a three-story wooden inn at the end of the street.
The shopkeeper behind the counter fiddled with a metal abacus in his hand, accepted the Gold Soul Coin, and handed over three bronze plaques engraved with room numbers.
"Let's stay here for two days and get a feel for the situation in the city before we leave."
Dai Huabin awarded the bronze medals to Zhu Lu and Snow Empress.
"Xue'er and I share a room, and the little golden retriever goes to sleep by himself."
Ice Empress snatched the bronze medal and pulled Snow Empress up the stairs.
Di Lingxi immediately grabbed Dai Huabin's clothes, her face full of reluctance.
"I don't want to sleep alone. I want to eat barbecue. The smell coming from that shop at the street corner is so delicious."
"That's deep-fried soul-guided snacks, not roasted meat."
Dai Huabin casually ruffled her blonde hair and took out a packet of dried meat from his Storage Soul Tool, stuffing it into her hand.
Zhu Lu covered her mouth and chuckled, then pulled Di Lingxi upstairs.
Bi Ji stayed by Dai Huabin's side and pointed to the apothecary across the street.
"I just saw them using metal tubes to clean the wounds of the injured. The medicine contained a trace of wood-type Soul Power, which made the healing process very fast."
"That's a simple soul-guided medical device. It doesn't require a high-level healing-type Soul Master; even an ordinary doctor can operate it."
Dai Huabin explained to her.
Bi Ji nodded thoughtfully. Soul Beast Clan rely entirely on their physical constitution to withstand injuries, and this kind of equipment is indeed convenient for low-level creatures.
After settling everyone in, Dai Huabin changed into a gray cloth cloak and walked out of the inn.
He walked south along the main road, through the bustling commercial district, and turned into a dark and damp narrow alley.
A tattered red lantern hung deep in the alley, and two burly men stood with their arms crossed in front of the door, each with Level-Two Soul Ray Gun hanging from their waist.
This is the Underground Black Market of Blackwater City.
Dai Huabin pulled his hood down low and casually tossed a Gold Soul Coin.
The gatekeeper took the gold coin, bit into it, and then turned to pull open the heavy iron gate.
The underground hall was bustling with noise, and the stalls on both sides were filled with various metal components, low-grade fixed-equipment shell casings, and ores smuggled from the border.
Dai Huabin walked around, stopping and talking at several stalls selling information.
He extracted the organization of the Blackwater City garrison from the stall owner: a fully-equipped Soul Tool Battalion of 500 men was stationed in the city, equipped with Level-Six Defensive Soul Array, and commanded by a Level 6 Soul Engineer.
More importantly, several main roads leading to Ming Capital have recently been placed under martial law, and large quantities of rare metals are being transported continuously from border mining areas to the hinterland.
Dai Huabin took out a blank jade slip, and with a slight movement of his fingertips, recorded the patrol routes of the garrison and the schedule of supplies that he had learned.
By the time we left the black market, night had completely enveloped Blackwater City.
The streetlights along the streets lit up in unison, casting a hazy white glow over the entire city, making it seem like daytime.
Dai Huabin walked across the main street back to the inn's backyard.
Just as I stepped into the courtyard, a soft click came from the second-floor window facing the street.
A dark shadow darted down the eaves and headed straight for the pile of miscellaneous items in the corner of the yard.
Dai Huabin shifted his feet slightly, moved his body three feet to the side, and precisely caught the falling shadow with his hand.
The wrist feels delicate and soft to the touch.
It's me.
Zhu Lu's cool voice rang in my ears.
She released her grip and leaned against Dai Huabin, whispering:
"There's movement on the second floor. Two mechanical birds just flew past from the roof; they should be Reconnaissance Soul Tool from within the city."
Dai Huabin released her hand and then pulled her into the shadows, his arm around her waist.
"It's just routine patrols in this important border town. If we don't find anything, we don't need to worry about it."
Zhu Lu's ears turned slightly red, and she responded softly, letting him lead her back into the house.
Inside the room, Di Lingxi was hunched over the table, fiddling with a glowing metal top, a little gadget she'd traded two pieces of beast meat with the neighbor's child that afternoon.
Ice Empress sat with his legs crossed beside the coffee table, repeatedly examining a Soul Tool Battery in his hand.
"The lightning-attribute Soul Power sealed in this small iron can is very mixed, but it is stable. Ordinary people can actually use it as firewood."
Snow Empress sat cross-legged by the window, her aura serene.
Dai Huabin closed the door behind him and pulled out a chair to sit down.
"The strength of the Sun Moon Empire lies in this: they treat Soul Power as a tool, not simply as personal strength."
Bi Ji brought over a plate of washed berries and placed it in the center of the table.
"If a large-scale war breaks out, ordinary soldiers who originally belonged to the three kingdoms would have almost no chance of survival against these armies equipped with Soul Tool."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.
What I've seen and heard these past two days has completely shattered everyone's preconceived notions about Soul Tool.
"Hurry up and stabilize your Soul Power; we'll leave Blackwater City first thing tomorrow morning."
Dai Huabin tapped on the table.
That evening, Dai Huabin meditated cross-legged in the inner room.