Chapter 276: The Living Tower (Reconstruction)

Silver Face handed over this scroll; it was extremely old, and at a glance one could tell it was an ancient item.

Lin Yifan hesitated for a moment, then cheerfully took it, opened it out of curiosity, and was instantly shocked, his face full of astonishment:

"Is this… a map?" his eyes lit up immediately, he pointed at the tower with his finger and asked eagerly:

"Is this the blueprint of this tower?"

Silver Face nodded, the voice behind the mask saying, "Yes, it's a map of here, but this is the map before it was corrupted. Now the tower is completely corrupted, its internal layout has changed drastically, so this map can only serve as a reference."

"Of course, there aren't many things that can be used as reference, but it's still better than nothing."

Lin Yifan examined the map carefully and found many strange symbols and routes marked on it.

He looked up at Silver Face: "This map is so precious, why give it to me?"

Silver Face's silver mask glimmered coldly in the firelight: "Because I saw hope in you. This tower is now being eroded by abyssal power and has become a living thing; the stitched human spider you just encountered is only the lowest‑level guard, and countless stronger guards lie above."

"A living thing?" Lin Yifan's heart jolted, his face full of disbelief, "You mean the entire tower is alive?"

"Exactly." Silver Face pointed to a red cross marked on the map and said in a deep voice:

"This was originally the tower's core control chamber; now it has likely become some kind of 'heart.' The exit we're looking for is right there."

Lin Yifan keenly noticed that Silver Face said "we": "You'll also act together with us?"

Silver Face was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I have my own destination, but before reaching the core, our routes are the same."

He suddenly reached out and pressed Lin Yifan's shoulder; Yu Xi said gravely, "Remember, do not trust any alien races. Especially Ai Ruili Ya—she approaches you with ulterior motives."

Lin Yifan was about to ask further when Silver Face suddenly removed the flame barrier.

From afar, Ruan Qingtan ran over immediately: "Captain! Those black threads have started moving again!"

Sure enough, the charred black threads on the ground were writhing and regenerating. Worse, the flesh tissue on the walls began exuding a viscous black fluid, and the whole space seemed to be digesting them.

Silver Face let out a cold snort, raised a hand and conjured a wall of fire: "Follow me! I know a relatively safe route!"

The three exchanged glances and quickly fell in step with Silver Face. Ai Ruili Ya whispered to Lin Yifan while running, "What did he tell you?"

Lin Yifan recalled Silver Face's warning and replied calmly, "He gave us a map, saying it could lead us to the exit."

Ai Ruili Ya's eyes flashed with a strange hue, then returned to normal: "Be careful, Silver Face is notorious for being capricious in the Intermediate Domain; no one can fathom his mind, and there's no such thing as free assistance in this market—he surely has another purpose."

Lin Yifan turned his head to look at her, then lowered his eyelids and said softly:

"Princess Ai Ruili Ya, you've already taught me this lesson! Rest assured, I'll remember it well."

Ai Ruili Ya's complexion changed slightly the moment she heard that.

Obviously she also recalled her earlier actions, and for a moment both fell silent.

The group followed Silver Face through a narrow passage and arrived smoothly at a circular Stone Chamber.

It was surprisingly clean; the walls were covered with ancient runes that made anyone who glanced at them feel dizzy.

More importantly, the walls elsewhere were built of flesh, but not here.

The walls here are made of a special white stone, etched with silvery‑gray patterns that look holy, contrasting sharply with the vague flesh outside, which resembles a human hell.

What struck Lin Yifan as odd was that, although the chamber isn't large, even two or three thousand people could enter without feeling cramped, as if the space expands automatically with the number of occupants.

Lin Yifan looked around curiously but didn't intend to investigate further.

However, the Ai Ruili Ya beside him suddenly became intimate and said enthusiastically:

"Aren't you curious why, no matter how many people come in, the space never feels crowded?"

Since someone offered to answer, Lin Yifan naturally didn't pretend, and nodded calmly, saying:

"Indeed, I'm quite curious!"

Ai Ruili Ya said with admiration on her face:

"It's simple: this room contains a spatial formation, which uses a Space Stone as a testament; theoretically, space can expand infinitely."

"However, the size of the Space Stone determines how far the space can expand. This small room can hold 3,000 people without limit, showing that this Space Stone is enormous."

Speaking of this, she looked at the room with envy, eyes longing, "A Space Stone this large can only be produced by the World Will; if we could obtain one, we'd truly strike it rich."

"Your Intermediate Domain has its own economy now?" Lin Yifan originally wasn't very interested in spatial history; the things in this tower were clearly beyond his reach.

But he was more intrigued by the way Ai Ruili Ya talked about getting rich—what method exactly?

Currently the Initial Domain has no economic system; the Trading Hall relies mainly on barter, with values judged individually—a most primitive trading method.

If a mature economic system could be established, it would be more regulated and undoubtedly beneficial.

Ai Ruili Ya nodded at this: "Of course we do! At present, the most circulated item on the market is spirit crystals, so both our Intermediate Domain and High Domain use spirit crystals as currency. Besides spirit crystals, crystal chips are also a form of money."

"What are crystal chips?" Lin Yifan asked curiously. "I recall spirit crystals can't be cut."

"Crystal chips aren't spirit crystals." Ai Ruili Ya shook her head and laughed:

"You should know about spirit crystal veins, right?"

Lin Yifan hesitated briefly, then nodded: "I know such a thing exists, but I've never seen one."

"Inside spirit crystal veins there aren't only spirit crystals; there are also other accompanying crystal stones." Ai Ruili Ya explained, "These stones contain less energy than spirit crystals, but anything that can hold energy is extremely precious."

"So we cut those crystals into thin circular slices; according to our standards, ten crystal chips roughly equal the energy of one spirit crystal, making the spirit crystal to chip ratio 1:10. Of course, we're talking about lower‑grade spirit crystals here."