Chapter 286

Luo En sat in the observation cabin of the small high-speed airship, gazing through the crystal window at the scenery flashing past below.

This airship, named "Flying Lightning", is a light vehicle specifically designed for short-range rapid transport.

From Dawn Port to the nearest Abyss Outpost, a conventional airship usually requires a voyage of five to six days, while "Flying Lightning" only needs a day and a half to reach the destination.

The price of this airship at the main rental stations in the Central Land is not cheap, almost twice that of an ordinary airship.

But for researchers who are racing against time, this expense is absolutely worth it.

"Usually I would choose a teleportation array, but the teleportation network seems a bit unstable recently."

Lei Nuozi had already sat opposite Luo En, took a sip of the energy drink in front of him, his tone carrying a hint of complaint:

"Last week, a colleague had a headache for a full three days after teleporting; it was a space-time dislocation caused by energy flow disorder. The observation station directly suspended non-emergency teleportation business."

Luo En nodded slightly: "Teleportation is indeed a double-edged sword; the efficiency is extremely high, but the risks cannot be ignored."

"Especially teleportation near the Abyss region, the instability will be higher."

Lei Nuozi added:

"Abyss energy has a subtle interference effect on the spatial structure, which will cause small deviations in teleportation coordinates.

Although in most cases, it will only make you appear within a few meters of the intended location, occasionally more serious situations occur..."

He drank some of the drink, haze shrouding the depths of his vision:

"For example, teleporting into mid-air, or appearing inside solid matter..."

"Mid-air is fine, but the latter..." Luo En frowned.

Lei Nuozi gave a wry smile:

"The year before last, the observation station lost an excellent young researcher because the teleportation coordinates shifted, and as a result, half of their body merged into a high-density protective wall..."

He shook his head, seemingly wanting to shake off these unpleasant memories:

"So, although the airship is slower, at least the safety factor is much higher."

Luo En nodded, keeping this reminder firmly in mind.

These personal experiences and teachings from those who have been there are more vivid and powerful than any examples in textbooks.

The light inside the cabin suddenly dimmed; he turned his head to look out the window, only to see the airship passing through a gray-black eerie cloud layer.

These clouds are not common water vapor condensates, but energy polymers with faint magic power fluctuations.

The color ranges from dark gray to nearly pitch black, and the edges of the cloud clusters present irregular jagged shapes, like the bite marks of some huge creature.

"Nightmare Clouds." Lei Nuozi's voice became serious: "We have already entered the edge region."

He pointed to those eerie cloud clusters outside the window:

"These are special phenomena formed after energy escaping from the Abyss comes into contact with the atmosphere. Although the concentration has been diluted a hundred times, it still contains trace amounts of Abyss characteristics."

"Are the protective measures on the airship sufficient?"

Luo En asked cautiously, while activating "Extraordinary Identification" to evaluate the possible harm of these cloud clusters.

"Completely sufficient." Lei Nuozi answered confidently:

"'Flying Lightning' is equipped with a triple protection system; the first layer is a physical barrier, the second is an energy isolation field, and the last is a subtle purification loop, capable of filtering out any impurities that might penetrate the first two layers."

He tapped the window lightly:

"Do you feel it? There is a nearly invisible protective layer on the outer surface of the window, specifically used to resist Abyss pollution."

Luo En nodded; he had indeed sensed that extremely subtle energy fluctuation when he just entered the airship.

After passing through the cloud layer, the airship began to gradually decelerate, and the scenery below gradually became clear.

Completely different from the prosperous and rich scenery of the Central Land, the terrain here presents a peculiar style that is unsettling.

The ground presents a color intertwined with dark red and dark brown, as if it had been soaked by the blood of countless creatures;

The vegetation is sparse and twisted, those trees have abnormal forms, and the branches are bent like the figures of people struggling in pain;

The contours of the distant hills are irregular, and from some angles, they even look like the curled-up body of some giant creature.

But the most eye-catching thing is undoubtedly the deep black crack at the end of the horizon—the Mouth of the Abyss.

That huge deep black opening is like a chapped wound on the earth itself.

It is so deep that the end cannot be seen, and gray-black gas constantly surges out from the edges, like some kind of heterogeneous thing breathing.

Luo En's gaze was involuntarily attracted by that large rift.

"Very spectacular, right... My reaction when I first saw it was about the same as yours."

Lei Nuozi looked in the direction of Luo En's gaze:

"The Mouth of the Abyss has different shapes when viewed from different angles.

Sometimes it looks like a crack, sometimes like a vortex, and sometimes it will even present a terrifying form like some kind of living giant mouth."

Luo En could clearly feel that as the airship approached the Abyss, his mental fluctuations became more active.

His thinking was clearly sharper than usual, but it was also accompanied by some subtle unease and pressure.

"That feeling is very normal." Lei Nuozi noticed Luo En's abnormality:

"Coming into close contact with the Abyss, everyone's reaction is different.

Some people will feel particularly excited, while others will fall into abnormal fear.

This is the natural reaction of the spirit to the Abyss aura; unless it reaches an extreme level of overload, there is no need to worry too much."

"What I am more concerned about is that kind of attraction."

Luo En said his observation with a flat expression:

"It's like the Abyss itself is breathing continuously; every 'exhalation' releases those gray gases, and every 'inhalation' can feel an invisible pulling force."

A look of approval appeared on Lei Nuozi's face:

"A very keen observation; that's right, the Abyss can indeed produce material attraction periodically.

Usually, only standing near the Mouth of the Abyss will you have a clear feeling, but some people with powerful inspiration can perceive it even at such a distance."

"I had also felt some influence of the Abyss tide cycle when I was in Town 69 before, and now that I am close to the Mouth of the Abyss, it really feels completely different..."

Luo En paused before asking: "The observation station should have specific research on this 'breathing'."

"That is one of the core research topics of the Abyss Observation Station."

A fervent light flickered in Lei Nuozi's eyes:

"The current mainstream view is that the 'breathing' of the Abyss is related to some kind of higher-dimensional energy flow, possibly a natural regulation mechanism at the weak points of the dimensional barrier."

He lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret:

"Some scholars have even proposed a bold hypothesis that there might be a connection between Abyss tides and the activity cycles of certain existences.

But this is still just a discussion at the hypothesis level, and there is no conclusive evidence."

Luo En nodded to show understanding, while silently noting this information in his heart.

Any detail about the Abyss is crucial for future exploration links.

"We have arrived." Lei Nuozi pointed forward, interrupting his train of thought.

The airship had already begun to descend, revealing a huge area surrounded by high walls below.

The walls presented a dark gray color, with countless silver runes embedded on the surface, faintly flickering in the sunlight.

When the airship began to descend, Luo En sensed the near-perfect energy isolation field around the entire outpost through "Extraordinary Identification".

"This is the newly built Outpost No. 137, established only when Tower Master Cassandra began to expand the Abyss observation network decades ago.

Although it has not yet formed a town with complete facilities like No. 69, it is also the largest one among the newly built outposts."

Lei Nuozi introduced, his tone carrying the pride of someone who participated in the construction:

"This batch of newly established outposts is closer to the Mouth of the Abyss, so there are basically no indigenous people.

But in other respects, it is the same as most outposts; besides being a research place, it is also a complete trading hub."

The airship finally landed on a specially designed mooring platform.

The moment the cabin door opened, an air mixed with the smell of metal rust, some peculiar herbal fragrance, and sulfur breath rushed toward them.

Stepping out of the airship, Luo En immediately felt an atmosphere completely different from the Central Land here.

The interior of the outpost is divided into several distinct areas:

The center is a huge trading square, with various temporarily set up stalls lined up;

On the right are rows of neat warehouses and laboratories, which should be the working area for researchers;

On the left is the rest and supply area, including several simple inns and food stalls;

In the farthest distance, a thicker inner wall separates these areas from the closest part of the Abyss, which should be the core area of the observation station.

By the square, an old man with a face full of scars was arguing fiercely with someone, his eyes swollen as if suffering from a disease, and the outer sides of his arms were full of hard tissue;

Several female explorers passed by Luo En, one of whom had an unnaturally curved spine, and another had a twisted face that made people sick to look at...

"Aberration?" Luo En asked in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the crowd that clearly had abnormal characteristics.

"This is the norm for Abyss explorers."

Lei Nuozi nodded: "No matter how cautious you are, long-term activity in the Abyss will lead to varying degrees of alienation.

Slight changes in the body surface are the most common, some people will have deeper-level ability mutations, and of course, some go toward complete abnormality."

He pointed to his own eyes:

"I am considered to be relatively well-protected; only my pupils have undergone slight morphological changes."

"Let's not talk about this; I'll take you to the core location of the trading area first." He shook his head and pointed to the center of the square again:

"Most of the materials you are looking for are there. But before going, I need to go to the office to report and get a temporary pass for you."

Passing through the bustling crowd, they came to a hemispherical gray building.

The building surface is covered with a flickering energy barrier, and there are two burly guards at the entrance.

The guards let them pass after seeing Lei Nuozi, but cast a scrutinizing gaze at Luo En.

"Outpost No. 137 Security Management Office." Lei Nuozi explained while walking:

"To ensure the stability of the newly built outpost, all visitors need to obtain a temporary pass.

As a formal wizard, your review process will be simpler, but you still need to make basic records."

The process of handling the procedures was surprisingly efficient, which might be related to Lei Nuozi's internal connections.

In less than half an hour, Luo En obtained a silver hexagonal badge, with his name and access permission engraved on it.

"This is not only proof of identity, but also a basic protective device."

Lei Nuozi explained:

"The rune array built into the badge can weaken low-intensity Abyss pollution, and can also issue an alarm in special situations."

Leaving the Security Management Office, the two headed straight for the trading area.

When they passed through the last isolation zone, a huge and chaotic trading market unfolded before their eyes.

Different from the exquisite and orderly shops and stalls in the Central Land, the trading area here is more like a temporarily built maze.

Various tents, temporary wooden sheds, and metal structures were chaotically squeezed together, forming a complex trading network.

Some stalls displayed peculiar items that Luo En had only seen in books:

In a transparent container, a piece of black matter that constantly changed shape floated;

In another glass jar, purple liquid emitting eerie pulsating light was contained;

There was also a stone that looked ordinary, but it caused obvious distortion in the surrounding air.

Lei Nuozi introduced to Luo En:

"Most materials from the first to the third layer can be found here, and the price is usually much cheaper than official channels."

"How is the safety of these materials?"

Luo En asked, while using the "Extraordinary Identification" skill to evaluate the energy fluctuations of surrounding items.

"All materials entering the trading area have undergone preliminary purification and packaging."

Lei Nuozi explained:

"Although it is impossible to completely eliminate Abyss characteristics—after all, that is where their value lies—at least it ensures that it will not cause immediate pollution to the surrounding environment."

He took Luo En through several rows of stalls and came to a relatively spacious area:

"This is the core part of the material exchange area; those high-quality Abyss samples are mostly concentrated in this area."

The stalls in this area were clearly more formal than those on the periphery, and many were even equipped with simple protective barriers and detection equipment.

The stall owners were no longer ordinary explorers, but some modulators or researchers with obvious professional backgrounds.

Lei Nuozi took Luo En straight to a large tent located in the center of the area.

The exterior of the tent was covered with metal cloth, and the interior was arranged like a small laboratory, with various precision instruments and storage containers placed in an orderly manner.

A burly man stood at the entrance of the tent.

His right arm was entirely composed of some kind of composite material of metal and crystal, flashing with a cold light under the lights.

Judging from his aura fluctuations, he was clearly also a formal wizard.

"Kaso!" Lei Nuozi greeted enthusiastically: "This is the bloodline modulator friend I told you about."

The man called Kaso turned around, revealing a rugged face.

His left eye was a normal brown, but his right eye presented an unnatural blue-white, and the pupil shape was also slightly abnormal.

"Welcome, new face."

Kaso's voice was surprisingly gentle, forming a sharp contrast with his burly appearance:

"Lei Nuozi introduced you; are you looking to buy some high-quality Abyss samples?"

Luo En nodded in greeting: "That is indeed the case; I am looking for some special materials suitable for bloodline research."

"Then you have come to the right place."

Kaso grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth:

"I specialize in collecting Abyss samples from the third layer and below, guaranteeing quality and purity."

He turned and walked toward the inside of the tent, signaling the two to follow:

"Come on, let me show you some things that are truly valuable."

The interior of the tent was much more spacious than it looked from the outside; clearly, some kind of space expansion spell had been used.

In the center was a large display stand, and around it were rows of well-sealed storage cabinets.

Kaso took out a small crystal key and opened one of the cabinets.

He carefully took out a silver container and placed it on the display stand.

"Third-layer refined 'Void Slime', with a purity as high as 85%." He announced proudly, opening the lid of the container.

Inside was a deep black liquid, with a peculiar metallic luster on the surface.

Subtle ripples were constantly produced on the surface of the liquid, as if countless tiny lives were swimming within it.

"This is the best base material for modulating 'Autophagic Slime Monsters'."

Kaso explained: "It is much purer than those crudely made goods common on the market, and the effect is naturally several times better."

Luo En activated "Extraordinary Identification" to carefully evaluate the energy fluctuations and purity of this liquid.

Indeed, compared to the ordinary samples he had seen before, the quality of this batch of "Void Slime" was clearly higher.

The energy flow was more uniform and stable, and the impurity content was also much lower.

"How many magic stone fragments per standard unit?" Luo En asked directly.

"The market price is usually 200 to 260, but considering Lei Nuozi's face, and the fact that you seem to really know your stuff, how about 160?"

Kaso made a discounted offer.

Luo En raised his eyebrows slightly: "It is indeed much lower than the market price."

"To tell you the truth, the collection difficulty of Void Slime is not high, but the storage and transportation costs are not small."

Kaso explained:

"Many merchants are too greedy and raise the profit margin too high. But for me, a stable customer relationship is more important than short-term profiteering."

He took out several different containers, which contained other materials Luo En needed:

"Mutation catalysts, energy conduits... these are all in stock, and the quality is also top-notch."

In the next hour, Luo En carefully checked the quality and characteristics of each material.

Finally, at a price he was quite satisfied with, he purchased the full set of materials needed to cultivate the Autophagic Slime Monster, still a little short of the five complete magic stones he expected.

"These materials are enough for you to cultivate a quite good Autophagic Slime Monster."

Kaso nodded with satisfaction, while helping Luo En pack the materials into a special storage box:

"If you need other Abyss materials, you can contact me at any time."

"There is one more thing." Luo En said:

"I also need some Abyss materials with high energy content for energy replenishment and conversion experiments."

Kaso pondered for a moment, then grinned: "I guess you are not looking for that common type?"

"Indeed." Luo En nodded in acknowledgment:

"What I need are crystalline products with sufficiently high energy density, preferably products from below the fourth layer."

"That's a bit troublesome." The man touched his chin:

"Materials from the fourth layer are already rare, and with the abnormal Abyss activity in the past few months, the exploration difficulty has greatly increased. However..."

(End of chapter)