"I didn’t expect the station of the Chidu Special Duty Team to be so beautiful."
As soon as he got off the bus, Фэн Юань was captivated by the ancient style of the architecture. He hadn’t thought that the headquarters of the Chidu Special Duty Team would be in a traditional building. If it weren’t for the plaque outside and the uniformed staff inside, it would be easy to mistake it for a tourist spot.
"Our Chidu is the capital of three dynasties. It definitely can’t be as casual as other cities. It’s just a pity that the Yimu Qingling didn’t choose to settle in our Chidu."
Liu Xiaolu spoke with a look of regret. The Yimu Qingling Tower serves as the office for the Special Adjustment Bureau in Shenhua City, and they’ve always coveted it. After all, the tower itself is exquisite, and with Yimu Qingling occasionally returning to the tower for rest, it carries a special aura.
"Liu Xiaolu! Don’t talk nonsense!"
Chen Hu glared at Liu Xiaolu and said coldly. Although they envied Shenhua City’s Yimu Qingling Tower, such matters shouldn’t be mentioned in front of other Божественный зверьs. What if it gets back to Yimu Qingling; what would it think of their Chidu?
"I just think it’s a pity. Shenhua City now hardly has any ancient or traditional buildings; they’re all skyscrapers."
Liu Xiaolu stuck out her tongue and said discontentedly. Looking around, Фэн Юань added,
"You do have a point, but Chidu seems to have always regulated the appearance of buildings, even forbidding conventional skyscrapers. In some aspects, it’s not necessarily good. There’s bound to be issues with supplying housing and shops, isn’t there?"
Chidu City still exudes an ancient atmosphere, naturally due to its planning. However, there are not many ancient buildings that reach over seven stories, and they can’t force it.
"But, I remember seeing lots of ultra-high structures along the way?"
Ци Чэнь looked at Фэн Юань with some confusion and asked, to which Фэн Юань rolled his eyes and said,
"Think back on what those buildings looked like. Take this one, for instance. Look closely, and you’ll understand what I mean."
Pointing casually, Фэн Юань said helplessly. Liu Xiaolu, looking unconvinced, said to Фэн Юань,
"But don’t you think high-rise buildings in the celestial palace style are prettier?"
"That’s true, but what about the construction and maintenance costs, and the time it takes? Actually, it’s not bad as it is, right?"
Фэн Юань said with a smile. There’s no definite right or wrong here; Chidu City’s unique urban culture isn’t just for tourism development. The city attracts many researchers who don’t need specific locations but desire a good living environment, much like Chidu.
According to unreliable rumors, conducting research in a city with such a unique style might spark more creativity. Whether this is true or just a rumor, Фэн Юань wasn’t sure, as he had no research needs himself.
"Let’s go. Our Special Duty Team’s dormitory isn’t too shabby. Would you consider settling in our Chidu after graduation?"
Liu Xiaolu squinted and smiled as she spoke, to which Фэн Юань shook his head and said,
"It’s too early to talk about post-graduation plans, especially since I’m quite comfortable in Maomu City now. Chidu’s environment is unique, but Cha Mu’s isn’t bad either, especially with the Fire Stronghold."
"You’re... not wrong. I’ve been to the Fire Stronghold. It’s a pity if not..."
Liu Xiaolu trailed off as she remembered something she didn’t want to mention further. Though the Yognot near Fire Stronghold is confidential, it’s necessary for them to understand it. She refrained from mentioning it not out of concern about leaking info to Фэн Юань, but for the fear of being overheard.
Given Фэн Юань is accompanied by so many Божественный зверьs, Liu Xiaolu absolutely doesn’t believe he’s unaware of Fire Stronghold’s situation, and since Ци Чэнь and his friends are close to him, he might have shared it with them. After all, their records show Фэн Юань is very generous with sharing among his friends.
Leading Фэн Юань and others to the dormitory, Liu Xiaolu handed each of them a key. Veronia and Белусир, for some reason, despite both taking human form, opted for only one room, which Фэн Юань ignored; Little Crocodile can have the headache of dealing with it.
"Lord Chiyan is basically always in a dormant state now. If you need its help, you might have to awaken its consciousness at the Sacrificial Temple. However, one thing to note is that Lord Chiyan’s condition is a bit special now. Most of the Black Stone Yan Fort Spirit in Great Xia seems to be in a semi-fused state with their cities, so they probably can’t leave their original location."
Liu Xiaolu handed Фэн Юань a jade token, having previously explained how to use it. In simple terms, it’s a token to awaken the Black Stone Yan Fort Spirit in Chidu City, which Фэн Юань will have to return after using.
After detailing the precautions, Chen Hu intended to give Фэн Юань the car keys, but none of them had a driver’s license. Luckily, Фэн Юань said they could take the bus themselves, otherwise, Chen Hu might have been quite frustrated.
Liu Xiaolu was thrilled to meet the legendary Фэн Юань, but after completing business, she immediately left with Chen Hu to handle Special Duty Team tasks. Фэн Юань’s group noticed that as Liu Xiaolu turned away, her innocent smile instantly became cold and stern.
"Split personality?"
Scratching his head, Фэн Юань muttered with some confusion. The change seemed quite drastic, though perhaps Chen Hu mentioned that she changes her demeanor while working -- probably this was what he meant.
Watching Liu Xiaolu lead briskly away, Фэн Юань glanced at Dou Yanlan while Ци Чэнь always felt Фэн Юань wasn’t thinking good thoughts. Standing between them, Ци Чэнь said speechlessly to Фэн Юань,
"What strange ideas are you thinking about now?"
"There’s nothing strange. I’m just curious if Dou Yanlan might be like this too, work is work, life is life, even the attitude differs~"
"I couldn’t manage something like that."
Shaking her head with a laugh, Dou Yanlan replied amusingly, as Фэн Юань glanced at their luggage and said,
"Alright, let’s put the stuff down first; we’re going to see Lord Chiyan. By the way, why is the Black Stone Yan Fort Spirit here called Lord Chiyan?"
Although Spiritual Beast names are either self-given or bestowed by friends, they’re generally based on the beast’s own traits. The Black Stone Yan Fort Spirit seems unrelated to the attribute of ’Chiyan,’ as it lacks the Fire Attribute.
"Not sure, but you can ask it."
Waving its tail, Agunas replied. To it, checking such details was a trivial matter, but since Фэн Юань was about to visit the Black Stone Yan Fort Spirit, there was no need to check it in advance. As for whether it will be offended? The Black Stone Yan Fort Spirit, being inherently gentle, shouldn’t have any issues unless purposefully provoked.
Leaving the Chidu Special Duty Team, Фэн Юань’s group prepared to take the bus to the Sacrificial Temple. Фэн Юань noticed Chidu’s roads were a bit strange; apart from normal lanes, there seemed to be the presence of Beast Paths, but upon closer inspection, they were not Beast Paths.
"This seems to be Chidu’s Обезьяна Cart Road."
Noticing Фэн Юань’s gaze, Dou Yanlan said, clapping his hands, Фэн Юань looked around and said,
"Are there any ape carts nearby that we can take?"
Being one of Chidu’s specialties, ape carts are well-known across Great Xia. These small carts, pulled by Spirit Monkeys and related Spiritual Beasts, were a unique cultural feature exclusive to large cities during the Dynasty Era.
In the Dynasty Era, Spiritual Beasts held high status, and families revered them like ancestors. Even so, those beasts favored innocent children, often taking them out to play. Among these, Spirit Monkeys, being similar to humans, preferred using human tools. As such, you would occasionally see Spirit Monkeys pulling carts filled with giggling children through the city.
In modern times, such scenes no longer exist, but in large cities, many Spirit Monkeys and similar Spiritual Beasts enjoy engaging in such activities. After all, most are Stray Духовные звери, and the big cities couldn’t afford to treat them all well.
Обезьяна carting emerged as a means for them to earn a living since many Stray Духовные звери dwell in cities. The competition might not be lower than in the wild, and with this revenue opportunity, those beasts are naturally delighted.
Initially, only Spirit Monkeys pulled carts, but later, any registered Stray Духовные звери that could pull carts could do it, as long as no accidents occurred. It’s called ’ape carting’ simply because, at first, the cart pullers were all ape-like Духовные звери.

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