Chapter 778: Calculation of the Stars

"Tongtian Tower, huh..." Chen Ling muttered to himself.

"So, that place is similar to the lair of the Ephemeral Painting?"

"You can understand it that way. However, the Tongtian Tower is only used for research, and those 'Artisans' aren't skilled in combat... Of course, with the exception of a few crazy Nines." Spade Nine added, her expression subtle as if she recalled something. "In short, the Tongtian Tower doesn't interfere with the operation of the Tianshu Realm... The Tianshu Realm has its own 'order'."

Spade Nine emphasized the word "order," seemingly hinting at something else.

"Alright, alright, why tell him so much? He's not going to blow up the Tongtian Tower anyway." Jian Changsheng waved his hand dismissively. "Let's go eat first. We've been rushing around in the Gray Realm for so many days; I'm starving."

Spade Nine naturally had no objection. "The same place as last time?"

"Yes! That place!"

"That place is a bit expensive... My salary for this month is almost gone."

"What are you afraid of? Our 'Mr. Moneybags' here has plenty of cash."

Chen Ling was speechless.

Chen Ling wanted to pull out his gun and shoot Jian Changsheng in the head. After all, the guy also had a Blood Robe, so he probably wouldn't die that easily... But remembering that the other person had carried him for so long, reason and mercy ultimately stopped him.

"...It's fine, this meal is on me." Chen Ling said calmly. "Where is that restaurant you mentioned?"

"No hurry." Spade Nine glanced at the large clock on the street corner. "It's coming soon."

Chen Ling was startled; he didn't seem to understand what Spade Nine meant. Just as he was about to ask something else, the minute hand on the clock clicked to point at 12 o'clock. The next moment, red lights lit up at all intersections, and both trains on the roads and pedestrians on the sidewalks stopped simultaneously.

"What's going on?" Chen Ling's brows furrowed slightly.

Buzz—!

A low hum came from beneath their feet.

The street, covered with parallel train tracks, split open to both sides like a zipper unzipping. Through the gaping fissures, Chen Ling could see countless gears and levers operating deep within the earth, like an enormous super-machine.

The street Chen Ling was on slowly rotated like a gear on the machine, meshing with other street-block gears. The opposite block rotated and disappeared to the other side of the earth. This process lasted about thirty seconds. After countless streets and buildings moved past him, Chen Ling found himself facing an unfamiliar block he had never seen before!

The main road of this new block perfectly connected with the road beside Chen Ling, and even the parallel train tracks seamlessly joined with a hum. The traffic lights turned from red to green, and the train slowly started moving, heading straight into the block ahead.

Chen Ling's mouth involuntarily fell open. If the earlier elevated train and the Tongtian Tower had only mildly surprised him, the recent scene had utterly shocked him. In contrast, the residents of the Tianshu Realm beside him showed no surprise at all, calmly continuing their way.

"This... this is..."

"How is it? Isn't it amazing??" Jian Changsheng grinned, seeing Chen Ling's expression. Ever since he and Chen Ling entered the Tianshu Realm, he had been looking forward to Chen Ling's reaction to this scene. "When I first came, my jaw dropped to the floor..."

"The Tianshu Realm is dynamic," Spade Nine interjected opportunely. "It's like a gigantic astrolabe. Every street, every building, has its own trajectory... It changes every hour. Of course, these changes are regular. You might not understand it at first, but if you stay a bit longer, you'll grasp its operational logic."

"The Tianshu Realm is a giant astrolabe??" Chen Ling found it incredible. "Does that mean everyone needs to check the time before leaving home, and also the city's trajectory, which might change while they're out?"

"Exactly."

"That's far too inconvenient; it's practically anti-human." As a modern person from before the Great Cataclysm, Chen Ling found it troublesome enough to check subway transfer times and routes before going out, let alone calculating the trajectory of an astrolabe? He couldn't understand why the Tianshu Realm would have such a perplexing design.

"It's normal for you to think that. After all, from the very beginning, the Tianshu Realm wasn't built with the intention of serving its residents..."

"Then what was it for?"

Spade Nine was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, "Lord Tianshu designed this realm to calculate the trajectory of the Crimson Star."

Chen Ling was taken aback. "Calculate the trajectory of the Crimson Star??"

"Lord Tianshu dedicated his life to exploring the mysteries of the Crimson Star and searching for the reasons behind the regression of human civilization. He once predicted that after the Great Cataclysm, the Crimson Star would descend upon Earth again, though the timing was uncertain... Therefore, the Tianshu Realm itself is a simulator he built, and the hourly changes in the blocks are his calculations of celestial body trajectories. Lord Tianshu wanted to 'capture' the Crimson Star."

Hearing this, Lu Xun's face involuntarily appeared in Chen Ling's mind, and he fell silent.

"I see... But the Crimson Star isn't a traditional celestial body. Can its trajectory truly be calculated?"

"You'd have to ask Lord Tianshu about that." Spade Nine said this while leading Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng across the road.

After this "celestial evolution," a high-end restaurant called "Comet Restaurant" appeared directly across the street. Its facade was primarily black and gold, and its signboard featured several stars. Only then did Chen Ling realize that almost every street in the Tianshu Realm incorporated "starry sky" elements, which looked quite intriguing.

The three walked straight into the restaurant's second floor and found a place to sit. It was clear that the restaurant was high-class, both in its ambiance and service. As soon as Chen Ling and the others were seated, a uniformed waiter approached and handed them an exquisite menu.

"It's rare for Hearts to treat us; it'd be wrong not to splurge," Jian Changsheng declared, snatching the menu. After flipping through a few pages, he asked, "I remember you have king crab, right?"

Chen Ling was speechless.

"Yes, sir," the waiter replied respectfully. "All seafood is in the display tanks on the first floor. You're welcome to choose for yourself."

"Great, I'll go take a look." Jian Changsheng grinned and dashed downstairs like a gust of wind. He had been outsmarted by Chen Ling so many times that he naturally wouldn't miss this rare opportunity to get a meal back. After all, Chen Ling had been a Golden Society Envoy in the Mortal Realm – a big spender among big spenders!

Seeing this, Chen Ling didn't bother to argue with him. He had plenty of money anyway; buying out the entire restaurant today wouldn't be difficult.

Chen Ling sat by the window, quietly waiting for Jian Changsheng to order downstairs. Before long, a lively sound of gongs and drums drifted in from outside the window.

"...Huh?" Chen Ling instinctively leaned forward to look and saw a red lion performing a lion dance in the street.