Chapter 221: Growth

Chapter 221: Growth

John awoke from his slumber, feeling the soft and warm presence beside him, and a smile naturally graced his face.

It was truly wonderful.

From the day he was born, he had never felt life to be this good.

The woman he adored was nestled in his arms, her body, tired from the day's work, now rested peacefully.

Even though he was already awake, he didn't want to move.

"John."

A faint and muffled voice came from his embrace.

"What is it?" John looked down:

"Are you worried about something?"

The woman's name was Nine, and she had no surname. She had grown up in the Flower Ship and had been wandering with her clan in this apocalyptic world.

"I'm pregnant."

Nine murmured:

"This is my third pregnancy, and the first time I've conceived without permission. Will you keep the child?"

The Flower Ship had its own rules, and women could only get pregnant if the man agreed, as pregnant women were vulnerable and needed protection and ample food.

After giving birth, there were also a series of issues to consider.

Every woman was an asset to the Flower Ship, and they couldn't afford to have women out of commission for so long.

Unless, of course, a price was negotiated.

To secretly get pregnant was a bold move, and it showed that Nine desperately wanted a child of their own.

John's expression changed.

"Of course!"

After a moment's consideration, he nodded firmly:

"This is our child, and I will keep it. I'll ask High Priest Carl to help you stay."

"We will raise our child ourselves!"

Nine clung to him, her eyes red with emotion, and her arms tightly wrapped around his not-so-sturdy frame.

"John!"

At that moment, a hurried voice called out from outside the room:

"Come quickly! Something's wrong with the Nurture Room!"

"Hmm?"

John sat up abruptly, offered a quick word of comfort to Nine, and then hurriedly dressed and rushed out the door.

...

The Nurture Room.

After several expansions, the once narrow and crude room had become a spacious area covering nearly two hundred square meters.

Moreover,

To the people of the Floating City, this room was of utmost importance, more so than any other place.

"Huff..."

John, enveloped in a gust of wind, rushed into the Nurture Room, and his eyes immediately narrowed.

The dozens of Earth-Fattening Silkworms in the room had undergone a strange mutation.

These silkworms, each the size of a basin, now had eye-like structures on their surfaces.

The eyes blinked, and white threads shot out, filling the room with a dense web.

The threads crisscrossed, forming several large cocoons within.

The cocoons writhed, and human faces could be seen beneath the surface, contorted with fear and despair.

"Joe... Julius..."

John's body trembled:

"What happened here?"

"Last night, the Earth-Fattening Silkworms mutated and devoured several people who were collecting meat gel," Carl explained, standing in the middle of the room and observing one of the mutated silkworms.

"You're lucky you weren't here, or you might have met the same fate as them."

John's face paled.

His first thought wasn't relief but concern for Nine and their child if something happened to him. The sight of his colleagues' tragic end made his body shake.

Fear!

Regret! He had ventured out of the city alone many times, facing death threats, but he had never been this afraid.

When one has something to live for, death becomes unthinkable.

"High Priest Carl," John regained his composure, his expression complex:

"How did the Earth-Fattening Silkworms mutate like this?"

"It's my fault. The aura here not only twists flesh but also affects bloodlines. The Earth-Fattening Silkworms have a short lifespan, but their bloodline continues, and it's still influenced by this world." Carl shook his head:

"Don't worry..."

"I have a few more Earth-Fattening Silkworms, but this situation can't continue. We need to breed a resistant strain."

"Analog testing? Genetic selection?" John's eyes lit up, as he had knowledge of these techniques.

"Mhm."

Carl nodded:

"When breeding Earth-Fattening Silkworms, place them in different environments to observe the effects."

"I heard you found a girl from the Flower Ship?"

"Yes." John nodded, sharing the news of Nine's pregnancy, feeling a bit embarrassed:

"High Priest Carl, I want to keep Nine here."

"As long as you pay the price, the Flower Ship will allow their women to give birth, but buying their freedom is not easy." Carl thought for a moment, then said:

"Try breeding the Earth-Fattening Silkworms. If one develops resistance, I'll help you buy her freedom."

"Thank you, High Priest!" John's eyes lit up:

"I will definitely breed qualified Earth-Fattening Silkworms!"

Several giant birds, each with a wingspan of several dozen meters, descended from the sky and transformed into human forms upon landing on the Floating City.

Each bird carried over a dozen people on its back, totaling nearly a hundred individuals.

"Archangel Hadis!"

Carl stepped forward to greet them:

"You've finally arrived."

"High Priest Carl?" Hadis was tall and slender, with an aquiline nose that gave him a cold and distant air, even when he smiled.

"I've known Bowen for many years, and I've never heard him praise anyone like this."

"Just joking." Carl chuckled and waved his hand dismissively:

"You've had a long journey. Rest in the inner city first."

"Let's melt the Divine Flame first." Hadis spoke up:

"We've lost our Floating City, and we hope to settle here. We ask for your guidance, High Priest Carl."

"Archangel Bowen entrusted us with his duties before his passing. We are here to take over his role and protect the Floating City. I've only been managing it in his stead," Carl explained as they walked:

"Of course."

"I also need a place to stay. I'll be coming here frequently, but the management of the Floating City should be left to you, Archangel Hadis."

"This..." Hadi looked around at his surroundings, then said, "Let's talk about it later!"

The divine gift in the Phantom City he was in was also related to the God of Thunder, but it wasn't about controlling the power of lightning. Instead, it was about transforming into a divine bird that could control lightning.

It was because they both belonged to the lineage of 'Thunder' that Bowen and Hadi became friends, and even close companions.

"Hmm..."

As the divine flame that Hadi brought merged with the Phantom City's divine flame, the latter suddenly intensified, and its size increased significantly.

"Our divine flame can last for over a decade, and with the addition of the flame here, it should be able to last for three decades."

Hadi gazed at the divine flame and sighed helplessly, "But it's still too short!"

"One day at a time," Carl spoke up, "I'd like to take a look at the divine gifts in your Phantom City, Hadi. I can pay a reward."

"No need," Hadi waved his hand, "Our divine gifts are quite unique, and rarely do others from other Phantom Cities gain any insights from them."

"If it's possible..."

"That would be the best!"

Hadi reached behind his back and pulled out a bone that was distinctly different from a human's, placing it before Carl.

This divine gift involved bloodline, thunder, and flight, and might not be of much use to others.

But for Carl, it could provide significant assistance.

"Oh, right!" Hadi asked, "Did you encounter any Fallen Angels on your way here?"

Hadi's expression turned serious as he stroked his chin thoughtfully, "When passing through a certain area, I did sense an extremely terrifying and dangerous aura. Fortunately, that thing didn't attack us."

"It must have been a Despair-level Fallen Angel."

Half a month later, Carl opened his eyes in the meditation room and stretched his muscles, causing a crisp cracking sound to emanate from his body.

"Gaining insights from divine gifts not only increases knowledge but also enhances spiritual power to a certain extent."

"If I had dozens of divine gifts to contemplate, perhaps I could break through a circle within a short time..."

"Hmm!"

"It's said that contemplating too many divine gifts, especially those of opposing natures, can drive one insane. I don't know if it's true or not."

Meanwhile, Hadi received an invitation from Mashi to discuss matters on the Flower Ship.

Christina took out the Flower Ship's treasured wine brew and poured a cup for each of them, along with two Wood Fruits.

Wood Fruits were a specialty of the Flower Ship.

They were slightly sweet, filling, and had a good amount of moisture, making them valuable items for trading with other Phantom Cities.

After all, fruits were extremely rare in this environment.

"Please!"

Mashi raised her glass, taking a small sip and savoring the taste, "I learned this brewing method from another Phantom City. The wine starts off spicy and becomes smoother as you drink more."

"The key is that drinking it helps you forget many worries."

"Oh," Hadi nodded, "I've seen descriptions of wine in the ruins before the Great Apocalypse. It seems the gods all enjoyed it."

"But..."

"Let's get down to business!"

"Yes," Mashi's smile faded as she rubbed her temples, "The Flower Ship arrived a few months before you, but we've only seen Carl less than five times."

"So I believe he's not interested in managing the Phantom City."

"Is that so?" Hadi frowned, "But only he has the seeds for the Earth-Fattening Silkworms. If he leaves, food will become a problem."

"That Fallen Angel probably hasn't left, and going out to find food would be suicidal."

"John in the Nurture Room has been studying a method to resist the mutation of the silkworms. If they can be protected from mutation, the Phantom City will never have to worry about food again," Mashi said.

Hadi's breathing quickened, and he unconsciously clenched his fists.

"And there's the reservoir," Mashi continued, "We all know that the method to create reservoirs is held by the Wood Nine Phantom City, but Carl also has a similar technique. Currently, the Phantom City is building its seventh reservoir."

"By then..."

"Even the people you brought and the Flower Ship won't have to worry about water. Perhaps in the future, we can even use water for bathing."

Hadi's throat rolled.

Bathing with water?

Hundreds of years ago, when the Great Apocalypse had just begun, there weren't as many demonic beings, and some people still bathed with water.

Now,

This was nothing but a luxury!

"Carl must not leave!" Hadi narrowed his eyes, determined, "We must keep him here at all costs."

"Yes," Mashi nodded, "As far as I know, Carl is very interested in divine marrow and divine gifts. We can appeal to him through these."

"Also..."

"Even if Carl doesn't leave, the divine flame in the Phantom City won't last long. It must be supplemented with new divine flames."

"Mashi," Hadi said thoughtfully, "The divine flame of the Flower Ship should be enough to burn for several decades, right?"

Other Phantom Cities might lack divine flames, but the Flower Ship certainly didn't, as Hadi knew it had absorbed the divine flames of several Phantom Cities.

"The Flower Ship's divine flame cannot be shared with other Phantom Cities."

Mashi shook her head without hesitation, "Perhaps..."

"We should spread the news here to attract more Phantom City Divine Envoys who can no longer hold on."

"As long as there's enough food and water, and with more divine flames, this place might become the second Wood Nine Phantom City!"

"Oh!" Hadi smiled, "Mashi, you're not planning to go to the Wood Nine Phantom City?"

Mashi frowned.

Her understanding of the Wood Nine Phantom City was also from others' accounts, but she had witnessed the changes in Carl's Phantom City firsthand.

Instead of going to the Wood Nine Phantom City, it would be better to transform this place into the second Wood Nine Phantom City.

Moreover,

As the first to arrive, her status would be higher, whereas going to the Wood Nine Phantom City would make her a subordinate.

"Report!"

"Three Divine Envoys have arrived to pledge allegiance. Carl is in seclusion, and McGin has sent someone to notify you both."

Mashi and Hadi looked at each other and stood up together.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end