"Fellow Daoists, did you know that the place we are in is often called a Mirage, the embryonic form of a Sky City?"
"A Mirage? Does its name come from the mirages seen over the sea? Yet what we saw earlier seemed to have no connection to those."
"That is indeed where the name comes from, but it is not illusory and elusive like a natural mirage. Rather, its physical form usually exists within Cosmic Dao voids opened up by Puppet Master Grand Artisans through various methods. When mortals saw it, the tale grew distorted with each retelling, until it came to be regarded as something like an immortal mountain beyond the seas."
"I see."
They headed down along the central lightwell, talking as they walked.
Before long, they arrived at a spacious hall on one of the floors.
This was the middle section of the building, set apart to serve as a Market District.
Li Chen looked around and found few people moving about. Instead, all manner of Mechanism Puppets, humanoid demonic bodies, birds, and beasts roamed the hall, lending it a peculiar, unconventional character.
Many stalls lining the walkways were festooned with signs, each staffed by people who looked like apprentices or disciples. They advertised services such as "custom component fabrication" and "processing with supplied materials."
The scene finally gave Li Chen something of the feeling of being back in the modern world.
The Eastern Victory Continent of this world had long since left the age of Ancient Cultivators behind, yet its various regions still wore a medieval face.
Anything with a truly modern character was found among high-ranking Puppet Masters and the forces under their command.
Mu Qing said, "These shops were opened by Creation Sect disciples serving the Qi Family Army, or by craftsmen who came