CHAPTER 487: 046 STRENGTHEN

John woke from his sleep. Feeling the soft, warm breath beside him, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face. How wonderful! He had never felt life was as good as it was now, not since the moment he was born. The woman he loved lay in his arms, her body, exhausted from the day’s toil, finding good rest. It made him reluctant to move, even though he was already awake, until a weak, muffled voice came from his arms, "John."

"What is it?" John looked down. "Are you worried about something?"

The woman’s name was Xiao Jiu. She had no surname, having grown up on a Flower Boat and wandered the post-apocalypse with her people.

Xiao Jiu murmured, "I am pregnant. This is my third pregnancy, and the first one without permission. Will you keep this child?"

The Flower Boat had its own rules: a child could only be conceived if the man agreed. After all, women were very vulnerable during pregnancy and required a man’s protection and sufficient nourishment. And raising a child afterward posed a series of problems. Every woman was an asset to the Flower Boat, so naturally, such long idle periods were not allowed. Unless a price was agreed upon. Conceiving secretly was undoubtedly bold and also showed how much Xiao Jiu wanted them to have their own child.

John’s expression changed. "Of course!" After a moment’s thought, he nodded emphatically. "This is our child. Of course, I’ll keep it. And I’ll ask Divine Envoy Carl to let you stay. We will raise our child ourselves!"

Xiao Jiu lay in his arms, eyes red, her hands tightly hugging his not-so-strong body.

"John!" An urgent shout came from outside the room. "Hurry out, there’s an issue in the breeding room!"

"Huh?" John sat up abruptly. He comforted Xiao Jiu with a word, threw on his clothes, and rushed out the door.

「In the breeding room.」

After several expansions carried out with a broad sword, the once cramped and basic breeding room had become a spacious area nearly two hundred square meters in size. In the hearts of the Void City’s residents, it even held more importance than other places.

HUFF... John, wrapped in Gale, rushed into the breeding room, his eyes immediately narrowing. The several dozen Soil-eating Silkworms in the breeding room had undergone a mutation at some point. The basin-sized Soil-eating Silkworms had developed several eye-like spots on their surface. The eyes blinked, and white threads shot out from them, densely filling the entire breeding room. These threads crisscrossed, forming several large cocoons inside. The cocoons writhed. Human faces, contorted in fear and despair, could be seen protruding from their surfaces.

"Joey! Julius!" John’s body trembled. "What happened here?"

"Last night, the Soil-eating Silkworms in the breeding room mutated and devoured several people who were collecting gelatin." Carl stood in the middle of the breeding room, observing a mutated Soil-eating Silkworm. He said, "You’re lucky you weren’t here; otherwise, you would have ended up like them."

John turned pale. His first reaction wasn’t relief, but a chilling worry: what would happen to Xiao Jiu and their child if something happened to him? The gruesome fate of his colleagues made his body tremble.

Fear! And a chilling afterthought! In the past, when he had ventured out of the city to explore alone, he had faced the threat of death many times but had never felt as scared as he did now. Having someone to live for, someone in his heart, made him cling to life.

"Divine Envoy Carl." Regaining his senses, John’s expression was complex. "How could the Soil-eating Silkworms turn out like this?"

"It was my oversight. The aura here not only twists the flesh but also influences the Bloodline," Carl said, shaking his head lightly. "The lifespan of Soil-eating Silkworms is very short, but their Bloodline continues, still being affected by this world. Don’t worry." Carl continued, "I still have several Soil-eating Silkworms, but this isn’t a sustainable solution. We need to breed a resistant variety."

"Comparative trials? Genetic selection?" John’s eyes flickered; his knowledge encompassed this topic.

"Yes." Carl nodded. "In the future, when breeding Soil-eating Silkworms, don’t keep them all in one room. Observe how different environments affect them. I heard you found a girl from the Flower Boat?"

"Yes." John nodded and told him about Xiao Jiu’s pregnancy, then said sheepishly, "Divine Envoy Carl, I want Xiao Jiu to stay here."

"You can pay a sufficient price for a Flower Boat woman to bear your child, but it’s not easy to keep the woman herself," Carl pondered, then said, "Try breeding the Soil-eating Silkworms. If any of them show resistance, I’ll help you buy her freedom."

"Thank you, Divine Envoy!" John’s eyes brightened. "I will definitely breed a qualified Soil-eating Silkworm!"

Several giant birds, their wingspans dozens of meters, descended from the sky. They transformed into human form as they landed on the grounds of the Void City. Each giant bird carried a dozen or so people on its back, totaling nearly a hundred individuals.

Carl stepped forward to greet them. "Divine Envoy Hardy! You’ve finally arrived."

"Divine Envoy Carl?" Hardy was tall and thin, with a nose like a hawk’s beak; even his smile had a cold feel to it. "I’ve heard Bo Wen mention you—a powerful Wanderer, a mysterious traveler who explores ruins." He looked at Carl, his voice filled with admiration. "In all the years I’ve known Bo Wen, I’ve never heard him praise anyone so highly."

"You jest," Carl said, laughing and waving it off. "You’ve had a long journey. Go rest in the inner city first."

"Let’s integrate the Divine Fire first," Hardy said. "We’ve lost our own Void City. Now we’ll settle here. I hope Divine Envoy Carl can look after us."

"Divine Envoy Bo Wen instructed before his death that you would come here to take over his duties, protecting the residents of the Void City. I’m just managing in his stead," Carl said as they walked. "Certainly. I also need a place to rest and will visit often in the future. However, the affairs of the Void City still require your management, Divine Envoy Hardy."

"This..." Hardy looked around at their surroundings. "We’ll discuss it later!"

The Divine Gift of the Void City he came from was also related to the Thunder God, but it wasn’t about controlling the power of Thunderclap. Instead, it allowed one to transform into a divine bird wielding the power of Thunderclap. It was precisely because both belonged to the Thunderclap Bloodline that Bo Wen and Hardy had become friends, even close confidants.

WHOOSH... As the Divine Fire Hardy brought merged with the Void City’s Divine Fire, the latter suddenly flared, growing a size larger.

"Our Divine Fire can sustain us for a dozen years. Combined with this place’s fire, it should last over thirty years." Hardy stared at the Divine Fire and sighed helplessly. "It’s still too short!"

"We take each day as it comes," Carl said. "I hope to examine the Divine Gift from your Void City, Divine Envoy Hardy. I’m willing to pay a fee."

"Not necessary," Hardy said, gesturing with his hand. "Our Divine Gift is quite unique. Few from other Void Cities can comprehend anything from it. But if you can..." Hardy continued, "that would be best!" He then reached behind his back, pulled out a bone segment unlike any human’s, and placed it before Carl. This Divine Gift, connected to Bloodline, Thunderclap, and flight, might not be very useful to others. But for Carl, it could be quite helpful. "By the way," Hardy asked, "did you encounter any Fallen Angels on your way here?"

Hardy’s expression darkened. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "When passing through one area, I did sense an extremely terrifying and dangerous aura. Fortunately, that thing didn’t attack us."

It seems it must be a Despair-grade Fallen Angel, Carl thought.

「Half a month later.」

Carl opened his eyes in the meditation room. He casually stretched, and his joints produced a series of crisp crackling sounds. Comprehending Divine Gifts not only increases one’s accumulated knowledge but also enhances spiritual power to some extent. If I had dozens of Divine Gifts to study, perhaps I could break through to the First Ring in a short time... Hmm! It’s said that studying too many Divine Gifts, especially those of opposing natures, can drive one mad. I wonder if that’s true.

「Elsewhere.」

Hardy was invited by Mashi to the Flower Boat to discuss matters. Christina brought out a cherished brew from the Flower Boat, poured a cup for each of them, and presented two wooden fruits. Wooden fruit was a specialty of the Flower Boat. Slightly sweet and thirst-quenching, it suppressed hunger and was typically used as a precious item for trade with other Void Cities. After all, fruit was extremely rare in this environment.

"Please." Mashi lifted her cup, took a small sip, and savored it slowly. "This is a brewing method I learned from another Void City. The drink is spicy at first but becomes richer the more you drink. The key is, it helps you forget many troubles."

"Oh?" Hardy nodded. "I’ve read descriptions of alcohol in ruins from before the Great Catastrophe. They say even the Divine liked it. But," Hardy said, "let’s talk business!"

"Yes." Mashi’s smile faded. She rubbed her temples and said, "The Flower Boat arrived a few months before you, but we’ve seen Divine Envoy Carl no more than five times. So I believe he’s not interested in managing the Void City."

"Is that so?" Hardy frowned. "But he’s the only one with seeds for the Soil-eating Silkworms. If he leaves... food will become a problem in the future. That Fallen Angel might not have left. Going out to find food would be suicide."

"John, in the breeding room, knows how to cultivate the Soil-eating Silkworms. He’s currently trying to figure out how to make them resistant to mutation," Mashi said. "If the Soil-eating Silkworms can be made immune to mutation, then the Void City won’t have to worry about food in the future."

Hardy’s breath hitched, and he unconsciously clenched his fists.

"There’s also the reservoir," Mashi continued. "We all know that the method to construct reservoirs is in the hands of the people from the Ninth Wood Void City. But Carl also has a similar Magic Door. The Void City is currently constructing its seventh reservoir. By then," Mashi said, "even the people you brought, along with those from the Flower Boat, won’t need to worry about drinking water. Perhaps in the future, we could even use water for bathing."

Hardy swallowed. Bathing with water? Hundreds of years ago, at the very beginning of the Great Catastrophe, when there weren’t many evil creatures around, people actually bathed with water. Now, that was an unimaginable luxury!

Hardy narrowed his eyes. "Divine Envoy Carl must not leave! We must keep him here, no matter what."

"Correct," Mashi nodded. "As far as I know, Divine Envoy Carl is very interested in Divine Essence and Divine Gifts. We can appeal to him through those. Besides," Mashi added, "even if Divine Envoy Carl doesn’t leave, the Void City’s Divine Fire won’t last much longer. We must find a new source of Divine Fire as a supplement."

"Divine Envoy Mashi," Hardy mused, "the Flower Boat’s Divine Fire should be sufficient to burn for decades, shouldn’t it?"

Other Void Cities might lack Divine Fire, but the Flower Boat certainly didn’t. After all, he knew the Flower Boat had absorbed the Divine Fires from several other Void Cities.

Mashi shook her head without hesitation. "The Flower Boat’s Divine Fire cannot be merged with that of other Void Cities. Perhaps..." Mashi continued, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "We should spread news of this place. Attract more Divine Envoys from Void Cities that can’t hold out any longer. With sufficient food, water, and an increasing supply of Divine Fire, this place might indeed become a second Ninth Wood Void City!"

"Oh?" Hardy smiled. "Divine Envoy Mashi, are you no longer planning to go to the Ninth Wood Void City?"

Mashi lowered her eyes. Her knowledge of the Ninth Wood Void City came from others, whereas she had witnessed the transformations in Carl’s Void City firsthand. Instead of going to the Ninth Wood Void City, it would be better to develop this place into one. Moreover, as one of the first to arrive here, her position would be higher. Going to the Ninth Wood Void City would mean being merely a vassal.

"Report!" A voice called from outside. "Three Divine Envoys have arrived seeking refuge! Divine Envoy Carl is in seclusion, so Makin sent me to inform you both."

Mashi and Hardy exchanged a look and stood up simultaneously.