In the midst of Dragon Sleep Mountain, atop Dragon Roar Peak, a cobblestone path paved with bluestones meandered into the distance.
Along the path were the figures of an old man and a young man strolling together.
The elder wore azure garments, his face showing signs of age, yet his steps were as steady as ever.
As the breeze fluttered, his robe danced in the wind, giving him an ethereal, sage-like appearance.
The young man by his side was completely enveloped in black shadows that floated on the surface; although they didn’t obscure his form, they prevented his facial features from being distinguished.
In this picturesque, verdant mountain, a touch of eeriness managed to creep in unnoticed.
"I wouldn’t have thought you to be so young given your reputation, truly a hero from youth. It’s fate that Elder Ye and I could meet today. By the way, I still don’t know your name..."
Ye Cang had learned from their previous conversation that Master Pei was not Zhang Xiaoman’s real name, and now he asked, hoping to deepen their acquaintance.
Zhang Xiaoman thought for a moment, then said:
"Since you are interested in joining the Star Alliance, let me start by telling you my codename in the organization. I am known as ’Ji Xing’ within the Star Alliance; Elder Ye can call me that for now."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cang felt slightly disappointed, understanding that the other party hadn’t fully trusted him yet.
Nevertheless, he nodded and smiled:
"In that case, I will address you as such for now. But regarding the Ye Family joining the Star Alliance, I ask Lord Ji Xing to facilitate this matter, and I thank you in advance."
When Zhang Xiaoman saw him bow in respect, he gently reached out to assist him, saying:
"There’s no need for such formalities, Elder Ye. Although I established the Star Alliance, I am still a young man in need of experience, with much to learn from you in the future."
Ye Cang maintained the gesture for a brief moment before standing upright, knowing that the other was being polite because of his age, but of course, he couldn’t push his seniority too far.
He looked up at the scenery ahead and, seeing that they had almost passed Dragon Roar Peak, he said to Zhang Xiaoman:
"Just beyond here lies Shade Peak, the location of Dragon’s Mouth Cave where the Dragon Sleep Stone is situated, the mine vein you’re interested in is almost within sight."
Zhang Xiaoman followed his pointing finger to look in that direction; the distant mountains were even taller, covered in lush forests, and the cave seemed still too far to see directly.
Thinking of the Olharast Rock Vein, an idea suddenly occurred to Zhang Xiaoman.
He looked around at the surrounding environment, then walked a few steps to a cliff edge, pressing several times on his bracelet, and then quietly waited.
Ye Cang was initially puzzled about what he was doing, but after waiting a while, he suddenly saw a figure as profound as a starry sky slowly rising from below the cliff edge, and it gradually changed from being semi-transparent to solid. When it fully appeared, Ye Cang was astonished to discover that it was a uniquely shaped flying vehicle.
Zhang Xiaoman watched as the anti-gravity car materialized from its stealth mode and inwardly marveled at the convenience of its automatic pilot feature, amazed that he could even summon it with the call button on his bracelet.
The anti-gravity car hovered beside Zhang Xiaoman, its cabin door smoothly opened, revealing a control panel inside that was full of sci-fi elements, shocking the Elder Ye standing behind almost to the point of popping his eyes out.
He could never have imagined that the Star Alliance, which had just appeared before his eyes not only possessed mysterious Extraordinary Power, but also such inconceivable technology.
Zhang Xiaoman reached into the cabin and pulled out a large box, which he then hoisted onto his back, looking somewhat like he was carrying a guitar case on his back.
After firmly closing the car door, Xiao Man switched the anti-gravity car back to stealth mode and stood by, then walked back to Ye Cang’s side. She spoke nonchalantly to the elder, who was already lost in stupefaction:
"Let’s go to the mine."
Upon hearing her, Ye Cang subconsciously responded, standing in place stunned for quite a while before hurriedly following her.
The two walked for more than ten minutes. Although they had reached Shade Peak, the mountain paths were long and there was still a short distance to the mining cave.
Finally, Ye Cang, who had been hesitating to speak along the way, couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer and voiced his puzzlement.
"Lord Ji Xing, may I ask about that strange... flying vehicle just now? Although I am old, I still have some understanding of the outside world’s level of technology, yet I have never heard of such a thing before. It’s amazing that there’s such a remarkable item within the Star Alliance."
Xiao Man had actually guessed that he would ask this, but the anti-gravity car was not something that could be hidden.
Someday when she took people to Rebirth Island they would find out anyway, so it might be better to use it now and see its efficacy, starting with the seemingly more composed Elder Ye here.
Indeed, the effect was astounding, even Ye Cang, who had cultivated his temperament for nearly a century, was somewhat flustered at the moment.
Although Xiao Man had told him quite a lot about the Extraordinary World, since he had not seen it with his own eyes, the shock was not as immersive as it was now.
Additionally, the unexpected appearance and the sci-fi design of the anti-gravity car itself were logically impressive enough to produce the current effect.
Xiao Man also took the opportunity during this stretch of the road to prepare her remarks in her mind. She then said:
"Although the Star Alliance was just established, I combined the resources of the Forest Guardian, Guardian, and Tracker from the Three Great Sanctuaries and have revived some of the ancient inheritances. This anti-gravity car is one of them."
"During the battles over hundreds of years, people from the Three Great Sanctuaries faced numerous types of foes, including some Pathfinders from advanced civilizations. After defeating them, they inevitably gathered some spoils of war..."
"This anti-gravity car is one of the spoils I excavated. Perhaps because the people back then did not know how to use it, it was preserved until today."
Ye Cang nodded seriously upon hearing her, not doubting Xiao Man’s words at all.
Not only because of her identity as a Transcendent, but more importantly, because the anti-gravity car was just too out of this world.
Even for someone of his age, it was clear that with the current technology of Water Blue Star, such a thing could not be manufactured.
The two continued walking along the road, and after witnessing the scene earlier, Ye Cang felt even more fortunate about his decision that day, and was filled with hope for the future of the Ye Family.
After walking for another quarter of an hour and turning a corner, Xiao Man finally saw the mining cave Ye Cang had mentioned.
It looked quite similar to what she had imagined; from the outside, it was just a huge black cave.
However, at the moment, three young men stood in front of the cave. The leader was dressed in black casual clothes, with the two behind him wearing Daoist robes used by sect disciples.
Upon seeing Xiao Man and Ye Cang, the leader was momentarily taken aback. Then, his expression changed, revealing a grim look of frustration.
He jogged a few steps forward to meet them, first bowing respectfully to Ye Cang, then suddenly pointed at Xiao Man and cursed:
"Cursed swindler! I knew you would trick my great-grandfather to come here! Let me tell you, you can deceive my grandfather with your LED lights, but you won’t fool me!!"