Waste processing plant, eighteenth subterranean floor.
Under the lights, a nineteen-meter-tall mecha radiated the unique sheen of metal.
Its proportions were slender and sleek, built predominantly of dense, pitch-black material embellished with golden patterns along the edges.
Angular, interchangeable armor plates covered its limbs, while three pairs of floating-cannon wings were symmetrically deployed across its back.
Its head was particularly striking, dark-red eyes glowing with a faint, eerie light. Even without a pilot inside, it exerted a suffocating aura of immense pressure. Anyone laying eyes on this mecha would surely never doubt its formidable offense and defense.
Yu Xian and Little Nora stood before the mecha, jaws agape as they craned their necks upward, utterly dumbfounded by the machine.
"Hehehehe! How about it? This is this grandpa's magnum opus—the King of the Abyss Battle Armor! Does the scrap metal sold on the market have even a thousandth of its strength?" Standing beside the battle armor with his hands on his hips, Daoist Softshell Turtle grinned smugly.
Yu Xian closed his eyes, twitched his nose, and said, "The surface coating is Death Curse Black Gold, which goes for five hundred thousand Star Coins a gram on the Crescent Bay market. The joints use Void Nectar Oil, a special substance harvested from the Tree Universe that costs a million Star Coins a drop. And there are tons of materials I can't even identify... It literally reeks of money. Old man... where did you get this kind of cash?"
He knew Niman had invested in Daoist Softshell Turtle, but this Abyss Battle Armor was probably comparable in value to top-tier battleships. On top of that, ordinary smiths would likely never be able to forge it.
Although Daoist Softshell Turtle bragged, swindled money, and harbored a lustful streak, Niman's eye had indeed been spot-on: the guy's craftsmanship when it came to building Abyss Battle Armor was terrifyingly good.
The problem was that the funds Niman had invested probably couldn't even buy a single leg of this suit, and that was just counting the materials!
"Why the hell should I tell you where the money came from? Is this grandpa not allowed to have his own connections?" Daoist Softshell Turtle snapped back, thoroughly displeased.
Yu Xian stared at Daoist Softshell Turtle for a long moment before letting the matter drop. Regardless, with the Abyss Battle Armor in hand, his task was complete. Where the old turtle had obtained the money had nothing to do with him anyway.
"Fair enough. I'll be taking Niman's armor, then," Yu Xian nodded.
Daoist Softshell Turtle waved him off, nodding. "Hurry up and scram. Tell Niman that this grandpa doesn't owe her anything anymore."
"I'll pass along the message," Yu Xian nodded.
Daoist Softshell Turtle then instructed Yu Xian on how to operate the King of the Abyss Battle Armor, handing over a dedicated storage bracelet for the suit.
Half an hour later, Yu Xian and Little Nora returned to the entrance of Helick's Great Trove shop, where they had agreed to rendezvous with Niman and Nora.
About fifteen minutes later, Niman and Nora returned hand in hand. Walking together from a distance, they were actually laughing and chatting, their bond seemingly much closer.
"Female friendship truly is a wonder no matter the world."
Watching this scene, Yu Xian couldn't help muttering internally. The sense of deja vu was simply too strong; he had seen this very dynamic play out across countless films, novels, and even among his female classmates back on Earth.
It seemed that no matter how unfamiliar they were initially, as long as two women spent a little time alone together, they grew close.
"Did you get everything?" Yu Xian asked Niman once the pair walked up.
Niman smiled. "Don't worry, everything's bought. The medicines we'll need are all prepared as well. As long as our luck isn't downright abysmal, we shouldn't run into too much trouble on this trip into the Abyss."
"Good timing, then. I've retrieved your Abyss Battle Armor, so let's set out," Yu Xian said at once.
Hai Liwei and his group had likely departed quite some time ago. After all, Yu Xian and the others had burned plenty of time just shopping, whereas the Sea Clan had prepared in advance, able to leave immediately once their supplies were loaded onto their warships.
The group headed to Xingkun Port, rented a temporary mooring platform, and released Aska's warship from its dedicated storage gear.
In an instant, a colossal warship materialized before Yu Xian and the others.
It was a blue warship, emblazoned on its flank with four massive characters spelling the Aska. The bow was blade-sharp, while the stern flared outward into a triangular arrangement resembling the character 品. A vast array of weaponry sat exposed along the hull, topped by a gigantic electromagnetic flying-sword cannon capable of annihilating any enemy ahead in an instant.
To be fair, if Yu Xian were immobilized and the Aska was given sufficient time to charge and fire, it truly could obliterate him in a single shot.
Of course, Yu Xian would obviously dodge and keep moving, so massive warships like this were suited only for engaging similarly sized foes or vessels. Against agile Star-rank powerhouses, they were little more than gigantic hunks of scrap metal.
Using the dedicated storage bracelet for the Aska, Yu Xian triggered its doors to open automatically. Hovering stairs descended tier by tier, coming to a halt directly before them. Yu Xian smiled and said, "Let's go!"
As he spoke, a bubble expanded in his hand, instantly teleporting the sleeping Little Huangquan over so she landed snugly in his arms, still snoring away.
The hovering stairs carried everyone up into the warship, after which the hatch automatically sealed shut. As they advanced inward, hatch after hatch closed behind them in succession.
Each time a door shut, countless golden threads instantly wove together into Bagua-shaped seals. Hundreds of such seals adorned each layer, blocking any external force from penetrating the interior.
"Welcome aboard, Captain. I am the artificial intelligence of the Abyss Warship Aska. You may address me as Muse." Once Yu Xian and the others reached the true interior of the ship, a black-haired woman promptly stepped forward and stopped before Yu Xian.
Yu Xian nodded. "Initiate departure. We will navigate according to this tracking beacon. Also, I am now sharing command authority with this lady. You may address her as Niman."
"Understood. The Aska is now initiating departure. Wishing everyone a pleasant voyage. Lady Niman, you have been granted secondary command authority over this vessel. Provided the captain does not object, I will obey and execute all of your orders," Muse nodded.
Niman smiled. "Run a diagnostic on all weapons during flight to ensure they are functioning properly. In addition, steer clear of all high-energy matter while navigating. If any high-energy matter approaches the vessel rapidly, you may consult me for instructions. If both the captain and I are unavailable, fire immediately and destroy the approaching target. Understood?"
"Understood," Muse replied with a nod.
Niman smiled. "Feed the external camera footage into the Star Rings of everyone present, and then guide us through all of this ship's facilities. I believe we're all curious about what this warship can do."
The next moment, a connection request appeared before everyone, and one after another, they approved the Aska's link to their Star Rings.
In the blink of an eye, an additional icon appeared in everyone's Star Rings. Tapping it opened the filtered footage captured by the Aska's external cameras, allowing them to monitor in real time whatever the ship encountered during its voyage through the Abyss.
Yu Xian tapped open Camera Feed 1. The prow of the Aska appeared on screen, set against a boundless sea of stars stretching out before them.
The Aska glided slowly through the cosmos, heading toward the Great Abyss Rift. When they had first arrived, it had felt like plunging into the jaws of a demon; now, as they departed, Yu Xian was amused to find that he still felt as though they were stepping into the belly of some colossal beast.
The Abyss...
At last, an uncharted adventure was about to begin once more.
Gazing at the dark-red expanse on the screen, a surge of excitement swelled within his chest.
No one knew what awaited them this time, nor whether they could rescue Shui Yuetian and prevent Zhi'er from claiming Helick's Great Trove.
Yet was that not the very meaning of adventure?
Yu Xian believed that whatever they encountered, for better or worse, everything would be the best choice. Because this was freedom.
Chapter 260