Chapter 69: The Brass City
"Huah! (Wow!)"
With the added arm drive, flying did feel much smoother for Hua Mi. But just starting out, he didn't dare to fly too high. He kept to a height of one or two meters above ground, not daring to be too active in his flight.
"It doesn't feel like flying, more like surfing..."
Perhaps because he was flying too low and too slow, Hua Mi thought as he maneuvered among the trees in the woods. Soon, the sun completely set while he was still enjoying himself.
The evening had crept in, but he wasn't done yet. Navigating blindly in the air, he lost track of time.
At that moment, the seven little spirits just out of the greenhouse witnessed the scene.
"Wow, he's flying!"
"That human finally learned to fly! But still looks quite clumsy."
"Is he okay? He doesn't seem too stable..."
"Ah, watch out!"
Hua Mi, already lacking concentration due to excessive mental strain, was thrown off course by their chatter. Swinging in the air, he rushed, "head over heels," straight into a large tree.
"Boom—"
"Gasp—" All seven spirits involuntarily gasped, feeling the impact as if it were their own.
Unable to watch, Hua Mi murmured, lying on the ground, gazing at the night sky, "Still need continuous practice. At least need to be as proficient as walking."
As for whether the speed attribute of the War Hammer could be further enhanced, that would only be clear after the hybrid results were out.
Actually, it wasn't slow at all. He had conducted tests and concluded that under normal conditions, the War Hammer's top speed could reach about 10 meters per second. While flying with it, he could manage a speed similar to an adult's jog. Of course, faster would always be better. Ideally, reaching speeds akin to Iron Man's.
...And so, two days passed without incident.
The first batch of Thunder Flower had entered the nectar flow period, keeping the little bees busy. Hua Mi continued his routine - tending to the flower fields, training the bees - everything was systematic.
On this particular night before sleeping, Hua Mi, as usual, delved into the Alchemy Notes. He adopted a method of skimming through it roughly first, creating a general impression. Then, he'd slowly reread it in his free time.
The note was incredibly hypnotic; he often dozed off while reading and often had strangely amusing dreams. A fantastic bedtime read.
However, tonight, a certain part caught his attention. Specifically, a particular location.
"The Brass City?"
The author wrote in the introduction:
"As a lost city adrift in the chaos of dimensions, its preservation is remarkably intact. Whether the Fire Spirits who originally constructed the Fire Seed Temple had real connections to the Fire Mother, I won't delve into. Nonetheless, it inadvertently served as a shelter..."
Immediately, keywords surfaced in Hua Mi's mind: "lost," "chaos of dimensions," "Fire Spirits," "Fire Seed"...
Could this 'Brass City' mentioned here be the same lost city Alyss intended to visit? The match seemed a whopping 99.999% accurate, leaving him no choice but to believe it.
During the initial skim, Hua Mi mostly focused on the names, barely registering the content, merely scanning through like a cursory glance. Plus, he hadn't been familiar with terms like 'Fire Slave,' 'Fire Seed,' or 'Lost City' back then; those concepts didn't strike a chord with him.
But now, those terms had left an impression.
Therefore, upon encountering them again, they instantly clicked.
"Wait, did the author of this note actually visit the Lost City?"
Hua Mi increasingly felt the author of this note wasn't ordinary. Understand, the Lost City was a place many architects, historians, and archaeologists longed to explore - a bit like Atlantis on Earth.
Alyss herself had a tough time locating the Lost City. Moreover, according to her, opening and maintaining the portal to the Lost City required considerable effort.
Ordinarily, these interdimensional passages couldn't be opened due to dimensional disturbances. The greater the magical energy input, the tighter the closure, making it harder to open.
To open such a passage, a special material was required. A substance with negative magical properties acted as a barrier against the chaos, forming a stable pathway - officially known as 'Anomalous Substance.'
Unicorn horn powder was one of the materials Alyss used to create this substance. Hence, after pinpointing the location of the Lost City, she urgently sought Unicorn horn powder.
But how did the author of this note manage to get there?
Hua Mi, now wide awake, was completely engrossed. The sedative effects of the Moon Slumber flower honey were entirely overridden by curiosity.
He gathered his focus and continued reading.
However, the author didn't mention how to reach the Lost City. Instead, Hua Mi gained other valuable information.
For instance, the Lost City wasn't just an ancient relic - its creators hadn't gone extinct.
The "Fire Spirits" mentioned by the author were likely the 'Fire Slaves' Alyss spoke of, still living in this ancient city.
The author claimed to have received a "warm reception" from them.
From this, it was evident the Lost City wasn't a perilous wilderness; civilization existed there. The notes subtly mentioned that it was the shelter provided by the Fire Seed that allowed the Brass City to survive amidst dimensional rifts.
The author began with a general overview of the place before delving into the notes - detailing alchemical materials found there.
The first entry was about the flower Alyss mentioned - the 'Mother's Blessing.' The Fire Slaves believed this plant was a gift from the Fire Mother. It was a specialty of the Brass City, flourishing mainly around the Fire Seed Temple.
Influenced by the Fire Seed, this flower contained an extremely rich and pure fire element, along with rare trace magical elements - excellent material for alchemy.
Next to the description was a sketch of the 'Mother's Blessing.' If one didn't know beforehand, they'd think it was a drawing of a flame. The sketch included dotted lines, offering a brief explanation of the flower's various parts - petals, receptacle, pedicel... and the strength of magical elements in each part.
Structurally, it mostly resembled a typical nectar-producing flower; at least a ninety percent chance that the 'Mother's Blessing' was a nectar-producing plant through cross-pollination.
"The honey made from this flower with rare magical elements would surely be exquisite..."
...Aside from material descriptions, the author also drew a map of the Brass City, marking areas and the distribution of materials. Essentially, the city centered around the Fire Seed Temple, symmetrically laid out on both sides.
Each area's name, purpose, and precautions were meticulously documented. It was apparent the author held a deep fondness for this place; every detail was noted down thoroughly.
This was akin to a guidebook.
Moreover, there was an underlying intention expressed in the notes - the desire to visit frequently.
"Could the author of this note be someone who went to the Brass City?"
Hua Mi had previously suspected the skeleton at the bottom of the Witch's Eye Lake to be the author of these alchemy notes. Yet, he
felt that such a mysterious and skilled individual wouldn't have met such an abrupt end. Also, the cabin was neat, apart from this alchemy note and the semi-automatic alchemy cauldron; there were no signs of someone having lived there. It was highly probable they had prepared to leave.
"Based on the notes, the Brass City doesn't seem too dangerous and with a guide in hand..."
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