Chapter 79: The Differential Machine and the Werewolf
[The third-generation T-03 differential machine has arrived at Corsole Shipyard and is now officially assembled and operational. Director Landon stated that the T-03 will elevate Corsole’s manufacturing precision to new heights…]
Yu Sheng'an bent down to pick up a mud-stained newspaper, his eyes scanning the strange text. With the support of his contract authority, he instinctively translated the words.
"Would you like a paper, sir? Aifuri Auction House is auctioning a sea monster’s head tonight—six feet wide!"
A newspaper boy, barely reaching Yu Sheng'an’s waist and covered in freckles, slung an oversized satchel across his shoulder as he eagerly peddled his wares.
"No, thank you."
Yu Sheng'an raised a hand, his voice hoarse, his accent matching the boy’s perfectly.
"Alright then."
The boy couldn’t hide his disappointnt and moved on to the next potential custor.
Yu Sheng'an tossed the grimy newspaper aside and let his gaze sweep across the sprawling docks toward the city.
The city had no walls. At a glance, buildings rose from the ground like a forest of steel, growing denser toward the center. The architecture resembled Riviera-style, though the tin-clad pipes snaking between structures marred the coastal elegance.
In the sky, a massive white oval airship—at least three hundred ters long—hovered beside a towering skyscraper. Beneath it, the gondola was as large as a ferry deck, complete with its own structure.
Though it was still early morning, the sky was so overcast it felt like dusk. Tiny black particles drifted through the air.
Yu Sheng'an caught one of the black specks in his palm, his eyes narrowing with deep suspicion.
There was almost no mana in the air of this primary domain, which likely ant this world had little to no magic—or that its magic was severely limited.
Yet, when he first arrived, he had sensed that the ocean’s mana density wasn’t just high—it surpassed even that of the Azarea Continent.
None in the air, but abundant in the sea.
Had mana dissolved into the water?
What a strange world.
Yu Sheng'an lowered his gaze. He had a hunch this was man-made. A purely magicless environnt wouldn’t create such an exception in the sea. The stark contrast between air and water seed like the work of so imposed authority.
He turned his attention to the steam-powered ships docked at the harbor. Perhaps this was the reason such inventions had erged here.
Lost in thought, Yu Sheng'an stepped forward into the city.
This naless tropolis appeared prosperous at first glance.
Pedestrians hurried through the streets, though their oil-stained clothes and gaunt faces betrayed the harsh living conditions of the lower class.
Before long, Yu Sheng'an spotted sothing familiar—bicycles!
The bicycles here were utilitarian, crude and simple in design, much like the heavy-frad bikes he’d known as a child.
Alongside them, open-top buses belched black steam, resembling coal carts straight out of a mine.
He wondered if these steel contraptions were to bla for the foul air.
All in all, the city struck Yu Sheng'an as a steel factory—just scaled up a few dozen tis.
His keen observations along the way allowed him to quickly grasp the basic social rules of this world.
He turned into a pawnshop and pulled out a thin flake of gold the size of a soybean, handing it to a gaunt middle-aged man sitting behind a wire sh, his eyes sunken, wearing a monocle.
The man picked up the gold flake with tweezers, then pulled out a tal box resembling a lighter. With a snap, a fla burst forth, igniting the gold.
Yu Sheng'an's pupils contracted slightly.
From the machine that produced the fla, he caught a faint whiff of divine energy fluctuations. Could this be the truth behind this world's steam technology?
After the fire test, the man placed the gold on a peculiar-looking physical scale before murmuring, "0.71 ounces. The current market price is 7.1 pounds per ounce. At market value, this piece of gold is worth 5 pounds. Do you want to pawn it?"
"Yes."
"Pounds or shillings?"
"A bit of both."
The tall, thin man nodded, opened a drawer, and counted out three 1-pound notes, six 5-shilling bills, and a stack of pennies ranging from 1 to 5 in value.
Yu Sheng'an took the currency without a second glance and turned to leave.
It wasn’t that he didn’t care to count—it was just that the monetary system here was absurdly complex. Pennies and shillings followed a base-12 system, while shillings and pounds operated on base-20.
The chaotic exchange rules were nothing short of awkward for him.
Stepping out of the pawnshop, Yu Sheng'an exhaled.
This world was clearly under the rule of deities. To avoid alerting them prematurely, he had to first disguise himself as an ordinary person and gather basic intelligence.
After leaving the pawnshop, he visited a clothing store to replace the stolen garnts he was wearing, then wandered aimlessly through the steel city.
As dusk approached, he ducked into a tavern, pretending to be a disheartened young man, drowning his sorrows in solitude while fending off advances from two separate groups of streetwalkers.
By piecing together fragnts of overheard conversations, Yu Sheng'an ticulously unraveled the ruling deities of this world—or at least, those governing this city.
They called themselves the "Four Primordial Gods":
The chanical Steam God, the Night Goddess, the Space God, and the Storm Lord.
Strangely, the faiths here didn’t seem to oppose one another.
This was evident from the fact that the city housed four churches, one for each deity.
Yet most people chose to worship only one Primordial God.
Apart from divine matters, the bulk of conversations revolved around work and sea monsters—especially the latter, which ca up with alarming frequency.
Likely due to the mana-infused seawater, humanity’s greatest threat in this world seed to be these very creatures.
Sea monsters frequently attacked coastal fishing villages, docks, and ships.
However, people’s attitudes toward them were a mix of hatred and fascination.
For instance, in the tavern, n were often teased about their virility, only to be promptly recomnded or sold "sea monster’s whip."
Yu Sheng'an guessed that the flesh of these mana-rich beasts must have potent restorative properties for ordinary folk, and likely held significant value for certain cultivators as well.
He sat there until deep into the night.
Though the hours were long, the information he gathered remained frustratingly limited.
Once the crowd thinned, Yu Sheng'an staggered to his feet and left the tavern.
In the deep night of the city, the black floating particles in the air had diminished significantly, replaced by a peculiar sweetness lingering in the atmosphere.
It was the scent wafting from the burning whale oil street lamps.
The long street was dim, with scarcely a pedestrian in sight.
When he first stepped out of the tavern, he could still spot streetwalkers and drunkards loitering by the entrance. But as he walked on, the streets gradually emptied.
Occasionally, a blinding spotlight would sweep across the sky.
It was the searchlight from an airship.
"East-west street, north-south bound, out the door, a man bites a hound. Pick up the dog to hit a brick, but fear the brick might bite back..."
Yu Sheng'an humd this nonsensical topsy-turvy tune as he strolled along, only to abruptly halt his steps.
At the far end of the dimly lit street, a man wearing a cowboy hat, puffing on a pipe, and clad in a studded leather jacket leaned against a lamppost, blocking Yu Sheng'an's path.
"That song of yours is rather amusing, sir," the Cowboy remarked, tipping his hat with the barrel of his firearm, revealing a stubbled face.
Wreathed in swirling smoke, his features appeared hazy, lending him an air of mystery.
"If you like it, I can teach it to you," Yu Sheng'an offered.
BANG!
The Cowboy suddenly raised his gun and fired a shot straight at Yu Sheng'an.
Amid the rippling disturbance of divine patterns, a lead pellet whizzed past Yu Sheng'an's ear and struck the middle-aged man lunging at him from behind.
The Cowboy strode briskly toward Yu Sheng'an, his expression icy. "Stay back. Once I’ve put down this mutt, I’ll listen to your song—provided I’ve got the ti."
Before the words even faded, he raised his revolver again. Bang! Bang! Bang! A relentless barrage of gunfire sent the middle-aged man reeling backward as he tried to pounce on Yu Sheng'an.
"ROAR!"
Far from dying, the middle-aged man, riddled with bullets, let out a furious growl.
In an instant, his body swelled like a balloon, his clothes tearing apart as thick, dark fur erupted from his skins.
His mouth elongated into a snout, fangs protruding, and in the blink of an eye, he transford into a wolf-headed humanoid monster!
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