The bustling underground city is now even more lively than during the first wave of calamities.
The City of Heaven and the underground city are closely intertwined in many aspects.
Aside from the enormous manpower and resources spent, they’ve crafted buildings that resemble the City of Heaven’s divine craftsmanship. Even the fashion trends are aligned with the Celestial Race.
For instance, recently, the streets have been filled with folks wearing big red floral jackets, dazzling and colorful enough to make your eyes spin.
As a time traveler, Ke Mo found this quite peculiar.
But the folks of the underground city called this a fashion trend, with some classmates even mocking him for having no taste.
The lanterns were as plentiful as stars in the sky, and people squeezed together like rain.
“When’s the next lantern festival going to be? Who knows?”
Ke Mo felt a sense of nostalgia and reluctance, yet the bubbling excitement overshadowed those feelings.
Stepping outside felt like diving into an ocean of possibilities, a fresh and vibrant world.
Perhaps every young man in his first adventure carries this kind of feeling in his heart.
As he walked further into the lanterns, he hadn’t made it through yet when a vendor nearby hollered:
“Step right up! Genuine goods! Blessings for a smooth journey, and vanquishing evil!”
The vendor was selling masks, colorful and distinctly designed.
This might just be the earliest version of idol merchandise…
A crowd had gathered around.
“This one’s of Jiang Di from the Celestial Race. Legend has it he wields a divine sword and has innate celestial eyes that can see through everything.”
“This one’s from Feng Zhi, the goddess of wind! Right now, I’m wearing this floral jacket, which is her favored style.”
“And this one?”
Ke Mo stepped forward, pointing at the top one – a flawless white jade mask adorned with moon patterns.
“Excellent taste, young master! This is my masterpiece!”
The vendor puffed out his chest, proudly declaring:
“This is the Cold Moon Fairy, the most enigmatic among the Celestial Race, priceless beyond words.”
“Where’d this Cold Moon Fairy come from? Is it just made up?” Someone in the crowd called out, suspecting the vendor was just trying to jack up the price.
The vendor solemnly responded, “No! Back in my day, I was a border soldier. When the southern gate was breached, if she hadn’t descended from the heavens, we wouldn’t be here toasting and celebrating today!”
“Here he goes again with his old stories.”
“Boss, you’ve been saying that since I was a kid! Now my own children can run around, and yet you still can’t sell your masks.”
“Probably just trying to con some poor sap, but thankfully no one’s foolish enough to believe him.”
The crowd laughed at him, filling the air with a jovial atmosphere.
But out of nowhere, a fool with money showed up.
“I’ll take that! How much?” Ke Mo asked.
In the world of adventure, sometimes you gotta negotiate a good deal.
A mask is definitely needed.
Not that he’s particularly fond of it, it’s just… Little Ke found a good reason for himself, feeling in his pocket for two silver coins.
Shouldn’t cost that much, right?
The vendor said, “One silver coin will get you a chance to answer a riddle. Guess it right, and the mask is yours.”
“A coin just for a chance? No wonder this stuff isn’t selling.”
“Boss, you’ve hiked the price again! Last year it was fifty coins! Are you trying to fool the newbies?”
“Don’t listen to him, young hero. There are plenty of vendors selling colorful masks down this street.”
People urged him not to fall for the trick.
But Ke Mo hesitated for a moment. He truly hadn’t seen a design like this, so he pulled out the silver.
“Alright, please choose a lantern, young hero.”
The vendor beamed as he collected the coin.
Ke Mo scanned the lanterns for a moment. Suddenly, a gust of wind made one lantern sway, and he pointed at it casually.
“I’ll go with this one.”
【The wind blows chaotically over the jade cliff.】
The vendor turned the lantern around to reveal the riddle.
After all, he had paid a coin for this riddle, so everyone began pondering, yet no one had a clue.
The cheerful reminder: there’s a “Switch to Simplified/Traditional”, “Adjust Font Size”, and “Change Background Color” option in the upper right corner!
Ke Mo wasn’t really good at this.
But strangely enough, perhaps because he’d seen a similar riddle in his previous life, he instantly knew the answer.
But just as he was about to speak, a voice chimed in beside him:
“‘Phoenix’ is the answer.”
The voice was clear and gentle.
“‘Phoenix’?”
Ke Mo blurted, startled; how did that match what he was thinking?
He instinctively turned around, but couldn’t find who had spoken.
Moreover, the others around him didn’t seem to have heard that voice, all blissfully unaware.
Was it just him hearing it?
“You’re quick-witted, young master! You’ve guessed it so soon; it seems this item is truly meant for you.”
The vendor, trustworthy to his word, effortlessly handed over the mask.
“Uh, thanks.”
As he held the mask, Ke Mo felt its smooth texture and exquisite craftsmanship—definitely worth more than just a silver coin.
Yet he still couldn’t grasp who had whispered that reminder in his ear.
Pondering over the mask, he left the vendor’s stall, heading toward the outskirts of the city.
He wondered if anyone around him had a voice like that…
It seemed not, none of their voices could compare.
Was he going deaf at a young age, or was it a hallucination?
After walking for a bit, he suddenly felt like he’d bumped into something cold and elastic.
A veil fluttered down with the wind.
Accompanied by a soothing fragrance, lingering in the air.
“Did I bump into someone?”
Ke Mo subconsciously reached out, but the mischievous veil danced with the breeze, blowing straight into the river.
“Sorry…”
“No worries.”
That voice?
Ke Mo instinctively looked up, only to be at a loss for words.
He realized the owner of the veil was a cool, serene woman.
She wore a simple indigo dress, standing against the night, the plain attire exuding an extraordinary ethereal vibe.
Adding a playful touch was a cute doll hanging from her waist, which grounded her in reality.
Little Ke suddenly understood the essence of being tongue-tied; he couldn’t take his eyes off her beautiful face, and his heart raced.
Was it because she was just that breathtakingly beautiful?
And why was his neck suddenly itchy?
His hand, unbidden, had its own thoughts, wanting to reach out to her.
“Cold Moon Fairy…”
“What?”
“Uh, I meant this.”
Ke Mo lifted the mask in his hand.
“I accidentally knocked your veil off. Want to use this to get it back?”
Her half-closed eyes sparkled with delight: “Sure.”
Ke Mo watched as she donned the mask, which fit her face perfectly, revealing only the lower half of her face, her delicate lips.
“Does it look good?”
“Though I’m a gentleman, I must admit, the Cold Moon Fairy must be even more stunning without it.”
“It’s quite a precious gift for a first meeting, and you say such sweet things….”
She smiled, looking as detached as a cloud, yet the bright moon shone just for her alone:
“Did you have this rehearsed before heading out, planning to charm beautiful women you meet on your journey?”
