A World Worth Protecting

On the vast dusty red plains stood dozens of spheres, which were connected together to form an enormous city. The city didn’t sit fully on land; instead, it floated within the large spheres.

There were three dozen of those spheres, and each one of them was enormous and the size of half an Ethereal City. The entire city was the size of more than a dozen Ethereal Cities.

There was an asymmetric beauty to it. It was a startling sight, indeed. The spheres on the lowest layer that formed the foundation of the city and carried its full weight were half buried in the ground, with the other half exposed. They held the weight of the other spheres, and together, the spheres formed the Martian City!

From outside, the city seemed to be spread out in a topsy turvy manner inside the spheres. Countless buildings and endless crowds filled the spheres, be it from the top, bottom, left, or right.

It was a spectacular sight, mind blowing to someone visiting for the first time. This was the case for Wang Baole. He stood on the cruiser and watched as the Martian Colony City rapidly approached, growing larger in size as they neared it. His heart couldn’t calm down.

Despite the wide coverage of the Federation media, Mars remained a mystery. Dissemination of information outside the planet wasn’t permitted. As a result, there were few audiovisual recordings of the colony city. The few that had been allowed release to the non-Martian public had been edited. What had been shown in them was nothing compared to what Wang Baole was seeing with his own eyes.

As he stood reeling from shock and amazement, the cruiser slowed down. It was sucked into a sphere when it approached its left wing and neared its parameter. The cruiser landed in a port somewhere in the city.

With a low rumbling, it stilled. Wang Baole took a deep breath in, smoothened his shirt, then lifted his head and strolled out confidently.

Someone had already received news of his arrival and was waiting for him at the port. As soon as Wang Baole stepped out of the cruiser, a young man dressed in a white combat suit stood beneath the cruiser and cupped his fists towards Wang Baole in a deep salute.

He had just arrived, and already there was someone ready to receive him and treating him with the utmost respect. Wang Baole looked forward to his future life on Mars. He laughed out loud and pulled the other young man up to his feet, starting to chat happily with him.

After greeting Wang Baole, the young man verified Wang Baole’s identity via his jade slip. Then, his face broke into a smile before he bowed again with a greater degree of respect and politeness.

“Pavilion Head Wang, our new Deputy Governor will personally assign you your new office. He is waiting for you. This way, please!”

The new Deputy Governor? Wang Baole froze. This was a pleasant surprise. He realized that the Ethereal Dao College Sect Lord must really favor him. The latter must have sent a message ahead of his arrival. Besides securing him a better posting, Wang Baole would also have someone to rely on while on Mars.

Wang Baole grew excited at the thought. He inhaled deeply and followed the young man in a white combat suit to leave the port. They boarded a personal city cruiser and sped towards the political center of the Martian Colony—Zone Eighteen!

The Martian Colony was formed from thirty-six enormous spherical city zones. They were named accordingly, with Zone Eighteen being the political center. The offices of the Governor and the Deputy Governor, as well as the headquarters of the three key administrative departments, were all in Zone Eighteen.

Wang Baole gazed out at the towering buildings and eccentric architecture as the cruiser sped past them. There were countless pedestrians on the walkways and numerous cruisers dashing past one another on what appeared to be roads. The entire Martian Colony City was bustling with life.

The Martian population was larger than the Ethereal City population. The colony city’s considerably greater size resulted in multiple waves of immigration and a spike in the population. Wang Baole had read up on the Martian Colony in detail prior to his departure. He knew that this city was not merely a colony city. To a certain extent, it could be considered an autonomous city under the Federation’s governing structure!

The Martian political structure was slightly different from the Federation’s political structure. The officials from the lowest to the highest echelons of the administration hailed from the various political forces in the Federation. Besides the Governor, who answered to the Federation, the rest were self-governing bodies.

The military had its own base on Mars as well. They were affiliated with the Federation on Earth but functioned more like local warlords. The power the native Martians held wasn’t to be underestimated either. They continued to remain a significant political force despite repeated suppressions by the Federation.

The other political forces had established their presence in the colony city as well. It was a chaotic place, a microcosm of the current political climate in the Federation on Earth, as well as a cultivation ground for the rising heirs of the various clans and sects.

Wang Baole gazed at the world outside while reorganizing what he had learned about Mars inside his head. He gained a greater understanding of the planet. Finally, the speeding cruiser reached Zone Eighteen and landed in a public square.

The public square was a vast patch of land, and around it grew red trees and other plant life. In the middle of the square sat a building in the shape of a flame, which was painted in red. It stood out in the open. Wang Baole could feel waves of heat surging from the building as soon as he stepped out from the cruiser.

“This is the Deputy Governor’s personal office. Pavilion Head Wang, this way, please!” The young man in a white combat suit smiled lightly at Wang Baole and led the way. Wang Baole inhaled a deep breath. He lifted his head and stared at the flame-shaped building for a few long moments. Then, he followed the young man into the building.

A cool breeze welcomed him the moment he stepped inside, a stark difference from the heat outside. There was also Spirit Qi permeating the air, which instantly energized Wang Baole. He followed the young man to the highest level in the building.

There was a wooden door on this level. It was painted purple and shut.

This was clearly the Deputy Governor’s office chambers. The young man in a white combat suit led Wang Baole to the door before retreating. Wang Baole smoothened his shirt out again. The various etiquettes he had read from the high officials’ autobiographies came to his mind. He tried to look professional and competent. With a serious look on his face, he stepped forward and knocked firmly—not too loudly, but loud enough that the Deputy Governor would hear him—and slowly on the door.

He knocked exactly three times.

Three neat knocks resounded in the air. Wang Baole was secretly impressed. As a Dharmic Armament master, he could tell with a single knock that this was a century old wood. It had been soaked in Spirit Fluid for many years and was one of the better grade materials for refining artifacts.

The Martian Colony sure is rich… Wang Baole sighed. The doors swung inward slowly, revealing before Wang Baole a simple yet elegant office interior.

Spirit Qi emanated from the aged couches and the desk. The Spirit Qi within was so thick that the room seemed to be enveloped in fog.

Through the thick Spirit Qi, Wang Baole saw a landscape painting hanging on the wall before him. In the painting was a snowy mountain with a river flowing down it. On the river was a single boat, and on the boat, an old man. He was kneeling, facing the mountain, and seemed to be praying earnestly.

The other details were indiscernible. That was because a towering figure was obscuring part of the painting. The figure stood with his back towards Wang Baole. When Wang Baole’s eyes fell on the man, he could feel a sudden oppressive force exuding from the latter. His heartbeat quickened. He could sense how powerful the man was.

A perfected Core Formation realm cultivator! Wang Baole had honed his skills at assessing the cultivation levels of Core Formation realm cultivators after his experience in the Mystic Luna Realm. He immediately sensed that the Deputy Governor was a perfected Core Formation realm cultivator. He hastily stepped forward and cupped his fists, extending a deep bow towards the man, who still had his back towards him.

“Greetings Deputy Governor, I’m Wang Baole!”

Wang Baole’s voice bounced off the walls in the chambers as the doors behind him slid shut silently. The Spirit Qi mist in the room seemed to shift with an invisible wind, dispersing. All of a sudden, the towering figure before Wang Baole looked clearer.

Wang Baole observed the distinct silhouette, thinking it seemed familiar. Before he had time to recall where he might have seen it before, an even more familiar voice rang out from the man before him.

“Wang Baole…”

Wang Baole’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he heard that voice. He stopped breathing for a moment. He was about to say something when the person before him turned around and revealed the face of a middle-aged man. Wang Baole couldn’t tell if he was smiling.

“We meet again!”

Giant… giant tree! There was an explosion inside Wang Baole’s head as his soul almost fled his body.