Chapter 424: One Billion into One

When the light of the teleportation portal dissipated and Luo En and Eve reappeared in the "Upside-Down Cafe," the scene before them made both of them freeze.

At this moment, a strange celebration called "Upside-Down Day Party" was being held here.

A noblewoman in a long dress was gracefully picking up a steaming cup of coffee with her slender ankles wrapped in silk stockings.

Her movements were surprisingly proficient, her toes flexibly manipulating the cup handle, precisely sending the coffee to her upside-down mouth.

The noblewoman’s expression maintained the elegant composure of the upper class, as if drinking coffee this way was the most normal thing in the world.

"What a wonderful aroma,"

She stroked the rim of the cup with her toes, emitting a satisfied exclamation:

"Today’s coffee is exceptionally mellow; tasting it with my feet allows me to feel more layers of flavor."

At the dining table next to them, a middle-aged man who looked like a businessman was "walking" on the floor with his head.

His suit was covered in dust, and his hairstyle was completely messed up, but his expression was exceptionally serious.

As if this way of moving was the most normal means of transportation in the world:

"Sorry to keep you waiting,"

He said to his business partner sitting opposite, his tone carrying the seriousness unique to business negotiations:

"Walking with my head is indeed slower than walking with my feet, but this allows me to better feel the pulse of the earth, which helps in making wiser business decisions."

The most bizarre thing was a family of three in the corner.

The father was crawling with his head on the ground, the mother was gracefully holding a newspaper with her feet to read, and their little daughter was trying to comb the doll’s hair with her toes.

The expressions of the whole family were exceptionally harmonious, full of the warmth of family happiness.

"Daddy, look at the braids I made for the doll!"

The little daughter excitedly held the doll with her toes, the doll’s hair tied into a strange spiral shape:

"The teacher said that doing crafts with your feet can develop the other half of your brain!"

"Well done, baby."

The father turned a circle on the floor with his head, expressing appreciation:

"In an upside-down world, only those who learn to adapt can survive."

The waiters in the cafe took this upside-down concept to the extreme.

Not only were they upside down themselves, but they were also performing all kinds of incredible acrobatics in the air.

A waiter was "walking" with his head on the ceiling, while using his feet to hold a tray to serve food to guests.

The tray was as steady as a rock between his toes, and not a drop of liquid spilled from the coffee cup.

"Welcome back to the real world!"

Another upside-down waiter greeted them, his voice carrying a certain cheerfulness:

"Every time the treasure vault is opened, it’s our cafe’s Upside-Down Day Party!"

He said while using his feet to write in the air, and what he wrote was actually neat text:

"We believe that only by completely breaking inherent thinking can we see the truth of the world!"

At this moment, guests were still continuously coming into the cafe.

They even had expressions of enjoyment on their faces, as if this upside-down lifestyle brought them some kind of relief.

An old man with a white beard was skillfully flipping through a heavy philosophical book with his toes.

His expression was focused and deep, occasionally using his toes to make thinking gestures in the air:

"Sure enough, only by looking at the world upside down can one understand the true meaning of the Allegory of the Cave,"

He muttered to himself:

"We always thought that what we saw while standing was the truth, but actually that was just a shadow.

Only by turning upside down can one see the light source itself."

This kind of absurd philosophical argument sounded both comical and somewhat reasonable, making it hard to tell whether it was madness or wisdom.

"However, it’s finally over..."

Eve let out a long sigh, extreme exhaustion appearing in her eyes:

"Every time I go to see the ancestor, I feel like my worldview is being reshuffled."

She looked at the upside-down people around her, confusion appearing in her eyes:

"Sometimes I really can't tell if we are normal or if they are normal."

"But isn't it interesting?"

Luo En thought about the few treasures he had just obtained, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth:

"Although the process was very strange, the harvest is real. And..."

His gaze swept over the guests who were drinking coffee with their feet:

"Sometimes, looking at the world from a different angle can indeed discover some things that are usually not noticed."

Eve nodded, but immediately felt somewhat lost:

"Mentor... you are going to see Mother now, right?"

"She said there is an important matter to discuss with you..."

The young girl lowered her head, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the necklace on her chest.

That was the "Mirror of Truth that lies" just obtained from the King of Absurdity’s vault, now shrunk and worn as an ornament.

The mirror surface still displayed the image of the resentful middle-aged woman, the appearance she should have become.

This image constantly reminded her how precious and fragile her current life was.

"Yes, but don't worry."

Luo En reached out and gently stroked Eve’s hair.

His movements carried a certain soothing power, allowing the young girl’s tense emotions to gradually relax:

"Shall we continue our mutual teaching in a few days? I am looking forward to your new insights on bloodline studies."

Hearing this promise, a smile as bright as spring flowers bloomed on Eve’s face again:

"Okay! I will wait for you!"

Her voice was full of vitality and expectation again:

"I have prepared many questions I want to ask you, and some of my own research insights I want to share."

The two walked slowly toward the exit of the cafe.

The upside-down waiters waved goodbye in a friendly manner.

Their way of saying goodbye was equally impressive—drawing graceful curves in the air with their feet.

"Welcome to visit the Upside-Down Cafe again!"

When walking out of the cafe gate, Luo En habitually looked back.

But the scene he saw made him stop his steps.

The shadow of that building was undergoing incredible changes.

The shadow, which should have been deep black, had now turned pink.

The pink shadow grew a small hand and was waving at him to say hello.

Luo En laughed dumbly and also waved at the pink shadow.

………………

The night was like ink, and the thousands of lights of the Central Land flickered below, like a spilled galaxy falling into the human world.

Luo En sat in the seat of the dedicated flying vehicle, his fingers stroking the newly obtained "Extraordinary Encyclopedia."

The leather touch of this heavy classic was as warm as jade, but the weight of knowledge contained within gave him a heavy feeling.

The interior decoration of the flying vehicle displayed the numerous battle achievements of the owner in conquering other worlds.

The walls were hung with specimen heads of various strange creatures.

There was a lizardman leader with three eyes, a rock giant with a crystal embedded in its forehead, and a disgusting head full of pits where something had been dug out.

Every trophy represented the destruction of a civilization and the submission of a race.

But most striking of all was the crystal ball the size of a fist displayed in the center of the cabin wall.

Inside the crystal was sealed the complete scene of a miniature country, and light spots of cities could be seen flickering on the surface.

This was not a model, but a certain conquered civilization that had been truly shrunk and sealed.

Hundreds of thousands of intelligent lives once lived in it, and now they had all become ornamental objects in Cassandra’s private collection.

The magic fluctuations inside the flying vehicle were exceptionally intense, with all kinds of anti-peeping and anti-detection rune arrays running at full power, emitting a low humming sound.

This level of protection was already enough to block the perception of Great Wizards.

Clearly, Cassandra was extremely cautious about the upcoming conversation.

"What exactly does she want to tell me?"

Luo En analyzed various possibilities in his heart.

As his thoughts turned, the flying vehicle landed slowly on the highest level of the main tower of the Crystal Spire.

This was the most heavily guarded place in the entire Central Land.

Layers upon layers of sealing barriers were spread like spiderwebs, and the magic concentration in the air was several times higher than elsewhere.