A Threat?

Mo Yuan walked out of the association guesthouse, while Mingdu's night had yet to fully settle in.

A narrow strip of dark-red afterglow remained on the horizon, wedged between the outlines of the high-rises like a half-burned coal.

The Soul Tool streetlights on both sides of the road had already begun to illuminate. A ring of pale-blue Light Crystals was embedded at the top of each lamppost, bathing the pavement in an even, cold white.

He walked slowly along the main road in the South District, with no particular destination in mind.

In the past, he had only seen other cities in a few reports. This was the first time since arriving in this world that he had walked alone through a real metropolis.

Compared to Mingdu, a small place like Aolai City was probably like a village beside an international metropolis.

For example, even Aolai City's tallest Spirit Pagoda was only three stories high, while most of the high-rises lining Mingdu's streets stood over thirty stories tall.

The outer walls of those high-rises were clad in matte alloy panels, their surfaces engraved with all kinds of Soul Tool energy patterns—some used to maintain a constant indoor temperature, some to reinforce the structures, and others purely for decoration. After nightfall, they gave off a soft radiance, making each building resemble a crystal lantern glowing from within.

There was no denying that the Soul Tool Core Array was a truly remarkable invention. By combining different arrays, one could achieve virtually any desired effect.

Yet there was no definitive answer as to when this technology had been invented.

Mo Yuan could not be bothered to dwell on it. He was not the sort to obsess over the origins of a useful tool. As long as a tool worked well and felt convenient, that was enough.

Questions about such origins were for historians of technology to investigate.

He stopped at an intersection and waited for the pedestrian crossing light to turn green.

The traffic lights at the intersection also operated through Soul Tool sensors. When the number of people waiting reached a certain threshold, the sensing arrays beneath the ground would automatically trigger a signal change, preventing too many people from having to wait in one place.

Mo Yuan lowered his head and glanced at the seams between the paving stones beneath his feet. Judging from the direction of the array patterns visible through the gaps, the system's design philosophy still belonged to roughly five hundred years ago. Each group of sensing arrays operated independently, with no data exchange between them. That meant that during peak hours, all four directions might trigger signal changes simultaneously, causing the system to lock up.

That threshold was probably quite high, though. Based on his rough observations, the number was likely around five hundred people.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Wasn't this just taking off one's pants to fart?

Mingdu had been established for so many years, yet it was still using this outdated architecture. Was it a case of deeply entrenched problems, or...

He walked another two blocks, observing quite a bit of civilian Soul Tool technology along the way.

To be honest, the development of civilian Soul Tool technology on Douluo Continent was fairly good. At least, there did not seem to be much of a gap compared to his previous life. Of course, many matters were highly intricate, and without conducting a detailed study, any conclusion would ultimately be mere speculation.

Ahead lay a broader main street. Shop signs hung in layers on both sides, while Soul Tool lightboxes illuminated the entire street as brightly as day.

At a street corner stood a huge public Soul Tool screen, broadcasting Federation news on a loop. The footage showed a session of parliament, where a certain councilor was delivering an impassioned speech, with subtitles scrolling rapidly beneath.

Just as he was about to look away, a smaller information panel popped up in the lower-right corner of the screen: "Mo Yuan, the Mecha Engineer Association's newly promoted Level-9 Soul Engineer, recently passed the rank examination and became the youngest Level-9 Soul Engineer in Federation history."

Then the message switched away.

Mo Yuan himself had no particular reaction to the news, but he noticed several pedestrians beside him slow to a clear stop. Some turned to glance at the screen before speaking quietly with their companions.

It seemed the news had spread faster than he had expected.

Mo Yuan turned his gaze away and entered a relatively quiet alley.

The buildings on both sides of the alley were considerably shorter than those on the main street. Most were old three- or four-story brick-and-concrete structures, with dark-green vines climbing their walls. Compared with the metallic buildings elsewhere in Mingdu, they seemed somewhat antiquated.

At the end of the alley stood a small bookstore that was still open. Warm yellow light from its Soul Tool lamps spilled outside, giving the place an unexpectedly homely feel.

Mo Yuan was just about to walk over for a look when unhurried footsteps sounded behind him.

He stopped.

They were not the footsteps of someone secretly tailing him. The other person was deliberately making them clear, placing each step precisely on a brick seam and producing a crisp, rhythmic sound. Clearly, he wanted Mo Yuan to know he had arrived.

Mo Yuan turned his head slightly and saw a man in a dark-gray overcoat walking over from the mouth of the alley. His pace was neither hurried nor slow. His right hand was in his pocket, while his left hung by his side, and his face carried a smile devoid of warmth.

He appeared to be around forty. He had an average build and plain, unremarkable features, but his eyes hardly reflected the streetlamp's light at all, resembling two dark pieces of frosted glass.

He stopped about three meters from Mo Yuan.

"Mr. Mo Yuan?"

His voice was steady, neither loud nor soft.

"That's me. Who are you?"

"My surname is Xu. I was sent here to invite you." The gray-clad man spoke with impeccable courtesy. "My young master is very interested in an outstanding young man like yourself and would like to invite you to a hotel in the North District for a chat. We can discuss your affairs while we're at it. If it is convenient, please come with me."

"Please thank your young master for me," Mo Yuan said with a faint laugh, "but I don't think your young master is particularly sincere. So please go back and tell him to come himself next time."

His tone was calm and natural, as though he were turning down an insignificant invitation.

The gray-clad man's smile did not change at all.

"Mr. Mo Yuan, you may not fully understand my young master's standing. He rarely invites people out to discuss matters. The number of people in all of Mingdu whom he has personally invited can be counted on one hand."

"Then I'm honored, but I still refuse."

The alley fell silent for two or three seconds.

The sound of traffic and conversation from the distant main street had been dulled by the buildings into a vague background hum.

The gray-clad man's smile remained unchanged. He pulled his left hand from his pocket, held a dark-gray business card between two fingers, and extended it toward Mo Yuan.

The card bore no position or title, only a Soul Tool communication number and a name: "Xu."

Mo Yuan did not reach out to take it.

"My contact information should be available through the Mecha Engineer Association," he said. "If your young master truly wants to talk, he can make an appointment through the proper channels. My contact person in the association's administrative department is Li Du. He can help arrange a time."

The gray-clad man's hand remained suspended in the air for about two seconds. Then he withdrew the card, pressed a fingertip against its edge, and somehow made it retract into his sleeve, vanishing like a magic trick.

"Mr. Mo Yuan, allow me to offer you one piece of unsolicited advice." His tone remained steady and courteous, but his voice dipped slightly. "Mingdu is a very large city, and all kinds of people live here. Some doors open only when you are willing to enter. Others open even when you are unwilling. I came today on behalf of my young master to deliver you a key. If you do not accept it, what is delivered next time may not necessarily be another key."

He gave a slight bow, then turned and walked back the way he had come.

"Oh, right. I heard that the Mecha Engineer Association recently reopened an abandoned laboratory in the southern suburbs. I imagine it must be for one of your projects..."

He finished speaking lightly, his pace still unhurried. The sound of his leather shoes striking the brick seams gradually faded before finally vanishing around the corner.

"Tch, what a load of nonsense..." Mo Yuan muttered.