Chapter 224

How is a master of an ancient martial‑arts world supposed to survive in a modern steampunk‑style world? Do the styles even match? Bai Lang has experience with this—after all, he's walked through modern society twice. Right now he's merely reached the Innate Expert level and ended up in another mismatched world, thinking, "Martial arts are really useful; I didn't even have to exert much effort to pinch those freaks to death." Bai Lang thought that, and he activated his Lightness Skill, sprinting off at great speed.

Bai Lang could whip up a storm covering several li, but it seems useless for now—Innate Experts are highly esteemed, yet something feels off in this world. After all, Bai Lang hasn't figured out how this world's top‑tier power is exerted. "Maybe I can discover it here," he thought while running. Bai Lang isn't directionally challenged; he normally doesn't get lost—plus, the tavern‑like entrance is quite conspicuous in this wilderness.

At the entrance this guy was a bit embarrassed—the entrance looked like it was for people, and his cargo seemed unable to get in. "Hey, buddy. Don't block the way. First time here? I'll tell you to go around back, go down the back—you've got cargo with you." One of the two old‑timers inside shouted drunkly.

Bai Lang pulled his cart to the rear, and sure enough the backyard looked like a fenced‑off horse pen, but it was actually an elevator...... Bai Lang tapped the down arrow—he really wasn't some ancient martial‑arts country bumpkin. This elevator is pretty hardcore, using strong, powerful gears meshing to move up and down; with a clanking sound, great bursts of steam shot out from below, and the elevator began its descent.

The elevator was slow, and it seemed to occupy a huge space below—it was a parallelogram‑style lift system. Bai Lang saw another large lift plate coming toward him; after clanking back and forth for a while, it finally reached the ground. Once the iron railings in front opened, Bai Lang realized he was at the edge of a small town. He dragged his cart all the way to the purchasing shop, and passersby gave him all kinds of stares.

"Newbie...... doesn't know anything......" Bai Lang also heard remarks like that, but he didn't care about this person and temporarily threw shame to the wind. After running to the purchasing shop he found they wouldn't take it: "Hey, you need to take this to the equipment shop or weapon shop—they recycle this stuff. By the way, did you really come to the steam zone all by yourself?"

Those scraps are indeed recycled at the weapon and equipment shops, and Bai Lang finally asked about the issue in detail. It turns out the areas marked with red circles are where those peculiar steam machines—either fused with living bodies or simply "alive"—wander about. No one knows where these machines come from or why they can't be killed off—the weapon‑shop owner, speaking mysteriously, also said there's a fully automatic steam factory deep in the wilderness.

"Buddy, you know what I mean—this kind of thing……" the weapon‑shop owner made a gesture, "If I knew where it was, I'd go make a fortune!" This old guy gave Bai Lang some money, but Bai Lang suspected the old man had made a killing off Bai Lang's loot. As for the specifics, Bai Lang planned to first settle his own affairs before inquiring further.

That sum wasn't small—at least enough for Bai Lang to kit himself out at the equipment and general stores, and to get a regular room at the inn where he could wash up and sleep. He threw away the ragged clothes he'd been wearing; the bath in the room was a typical Western‑style tub, and Bai Lang washed himself comfortably—Innate Experts can be considered leak‑free bodies, normally they don't start to smell on their own, but you can't avoid getting grime stuck on you. Constantly blasting open impurity with Gang Qi is something female experts do; Bai Lang, this sort of person, won't.

The loss from releasing Gang Qi is negligible, but achieving that completely spotless state still costs some energy, and Bai Lang didn't care about being dirty or clean. He was happy to be able to wash, but when he later tidied his face he painfully shaved off that big beard—beards get dirty easily, and in this environment being clean‑shaven is better; he also slicked his hair into a green‑skin style, turning himself into a stewed‑egg Lu Ti Xia.

His droopy eyebrows were still there, and that aura remained—Bai Lang was still a sturdy, heroic fellow, resounding with vigor.

After washing up, Bai Lang jumped straight onto the bed and slept soundly in the nude—finding a girl wasn't out of the question; there were plenty of women offering flesh‑for‑money services here, but Bai Lang wasn't short on cash. Moreover, he wasn't particularly eager or interested in that sort of thing… Besides, who knows what could come from engaging in reproductive activities in this twisted world?

After waking up, Bai Lang naturally put on the clothes he'd bought, inside and out. He was now a proper Western gentleman—wearing a future cowboy Benny hat, a plaid canvas shirt, a vest over a waistcoat, stone‑washed, hundred‑forged cowboy pants underneath, a big‑flower Hawaiian shirt as an inner layer, and sweat‑wicking socks with high‑top Martin boots on his feet. He looked truly trendy, completely shedding the country‑bumpkin aura of a martial‑arts world hero.

By rights he ought to have some sort of vehicle and carry various firearms on his lower back to be a proper Western‑style Lu Ti Xia, but Bai Lang thought this was fine enough. "Those steam cars and such can wait till later," he said. He packed dry rations and a waterskin, and this time Bai Lang set out with other wilderness adventurers—he also wanted to witness this world's "top‑tier martial power."

Even if the few people before him were probably just ordinary hunters, whose main weapons were black‑powder rifles and revolvers, Bai Lang thought that if he ventured deeper into those so‑called steam zones he'd certainly see something more formidable—otherwise they wouldn't have drawn the red circles. Those hunters split off with Bai Lang halfway—they were hunters gathering ingredients and hunting exotic beasts, not adventurers like Bai Lang who break into steam zones to loot.

The flattering term is "adventurer"; the harsh one is "scavenger", and even harsher is "trash‑picker". Those active in the red‑circle zones try to obtain "equipment" and "items" from those bizarre "creatures", and these can fetch a decent price in cities. Bai Lang also heard people say that, for example, the miniature boiler he obtained, due to differences in "processing technology", is more precise, more powerful, and longer‑lasting than boilers imported from abroad or made locally in factories.

As for the "Guangzhou" city he'd left, its factories could only be described as crude, hulking water‑pump makers; genuine steam power was entirely imported from the West—including the steam‑powered armor people wore.

The necessary equipment for roaming the Red Circle is to have a steam-powered war chariot or a set of steam-powered armor…… Even if you lack both, at least you need a shotgun with sufficient firepower. Bai Lang lacks all of the above, but that doesn't hinder him from preparing to step in again to take a look. "I have to say, the world that the Adventure Hall released before its great success is not bad; being able to extend its tentacles here, I think the Adventure Hall is also pretty awesome."