Simon was incredibly interested in this city. Ever since he'd received intelligence about it from Alka, he'd been fascinated.
Wandering through the city, Juanlu accompanied him.
This was primarily because Juanlu wasn't particularly interested in the city; he simply wanted to explore.
After all, the city's environment was so basic that it was hard to find any unique ingredients; most of the food came from fish caught in the surrounding seas.
"What are you looking at?" Juanlu asked, browsing the surrounding shops. Suddenly, he noticed Simon standing nearby, gazing at the dense dark clouds in the sky.
"Boom!"
Another burst of lightning and thunder, and a thick bolt of lightning struck down.
In the center of the dark cloud stood an extremely slender tower. The lightning bolt split into two at the exact spot where it struck.
Most of it was transferred to the tower and injected into it, likely used as a source of energy. A smaller amount landed on the roof of the church.
Obviously.
In this Power City, the people here not only use elements as a source of energy as the intelligence suggests, but more importantly, they use the lightning elements in the sky as a power source.
"What do you think?" Simon asked, staring at the dark clouds in the sky.
Hearing this, Juanlu gave Simon a strange look. What could he possibly think?
But he still said, "It's quite interesting, after all. I didn't expect a city like this to exist. It's just that it's a bit uncomfortable to stay in such an environment."
Juanlu rubbed his arm as he spoke. His hair stood on end, and every lightning strike sent a slight tingling sensation through his skin.
Like Alka and the others, he could feel a stinging sensation through his throat when he breathed, which was very uncomfortable.
"It's very rough," Simon said, gazing at the lightning overhead.
"Rough?" Juanlu didn't understand, but he found the structure quite interesting.
Simon nodded. "It's too rough, which is why the lightning element here is overly active.
Besides, even if we collect this kind of lightning element, it wouldn't be very meaningful."
As he spoke, a metal instrument appeared in Simon's hand, a dial on it spinning. He gestured with it for a moment before shaking his head.
"The elemental concentration here is already too high. The dark cloud above, and the lightning element it gathers, has already had a serious impact here.
Perhaps the city's leaders are now worried about this dark cloud and its lightning strikes."
Simon spoke, and Juanlu nodded, seemingly understanding.
However, the slight tingling sensation on his skin made him feel unusually uncomfortable. He reached into his space ring and pulled out a simple bread sandwich.
The golden liquid transformed into a glove. He grasped the sandwich, and magic flowed through the golden glove into the sandwich.
He then split it in half and handed the other half to Simon.
"What is it?"
Simon asked, looking at the half sandwich he was handed.
"It's for food. The fish fillet inside was freshly caught this morning, probably from the area. When activated, it can generate a certain amount of lightning flow."
Hearing this, Simon devoured the sandwich.
Then, the special effect of the sandwich's sublimation eliminated the tingling sensation of the lightning element on his body, and the pain in his throat also dissipated.
"Lightning element resistance?"
Hearing Simon's question, Juanlu nodded.
"This morning's experiment didn't use the God of Cooking suit, so I'm using the gloves for a temporary sublimation. The effect isn't strong, but it's enough to prevent this unpleasant lightning element from activating."
Juanlu doesn't use the God of Cooking suit when preparing new dishes, because the sublimated flavor masks the flaws of normal dishes.
This prevented him from discovering the flavors in his new dishes and allowing them to fully develop.
Simon nodded in agreement.
Then Juanlu turned and said, "Friend, you've been watching us and listening for so long. What's going on?"
At a nearby stall, a man in a flat cap had been listening intently.
At Juanlu's words, he looked up, unfazed, smiled at the two men, and walked over.
"You two must be members of the Compass Eye," he said, looking at Simon and asking, "This must be Master Simon, right?"
Simon's bare palms were clearly made of metal, his most distinctive feature.
If one had a closer look at their team, they would have been easily distinguishable.
Although Simon had the ability to reshape his metal palms to resemble those of ordinary humans, he clearly had no interest in such modifications.
Upon hearing the stranger's words, the two stared at him.
The stranger smiled at the two's expressions, extended his hand, and said, "My name is Fitz, and I'm a member of the Power Council of Power City."
The Power Council is the so-called city government.
Members can be considered leaders of the city, after all, they can express their opinions and vote on city matters.
There are only a few council members in this small city.
The two paid no attention to the stranger before them, and Juanlu extended his hand to shake it.
This man had probably just seen Alka and the others' Dawn Voice in the harbor.
So he must have been paying close attention to the people disembarking from the ship.
Fitz smiled and said, "Would you two be interested in visiting the Lightning Tower in the center?"
This is the building where lightning strikes and channels it, transforming it into energy.
Upon hearing this, Juanlu turned to Simon, who, after a moment's reflection, nodded.
"Of course, lead the way."
Fitz nodded quickly and led the two toward the central Julei Tower. As they walked, he introduced the surrounding buildings and shops.
He acted like a tour guide.
This behavior clearly meant something to them.
At this time, at the church.
Alka watched as a bolt of lightning struck the gear symbol on the church's roof. Finally, the lightning's elements circulated above it before entering the lower reaches, presumably transformed into energy.
"The collection method is truly crude," Alka couldn't help but exclaim. No wonder the elements here are so active.
But he still led Lucelia inside.
The small church-like building ahead was indeed a chapel.
The interior was filled with metal chairs.
The statue depicted a wise man in a robe, his entire face hidden by a hood.
He looked like an elderly man.
The services in this chapel were also quite unique. They weren't prayers, but rather reading sessions, more like a reading session.
Bookshelves lined the walls of the chapel, densely packed with books.
The seats, originally used for prayer, were long, with a long table in front, upon which everyone's books lay, each carefully examining them.
Everyone who came to pray here looked like a scholar.
And the man who sat in the main seat, resembling a priest, was also reading a book, writing something with a pen.
Honestly, this place felt more like a classroom than a church.
He sensed someone entering through the main door. The teacher-like priest sitting in the main seat stared up at Alka, who was standing at the door.
Then, as if trying to discern something, he stared for a long moment before realizing what he was thinking and stepping down from his seat toward Alka.
"Master Alka?"
Alka nodded.
The reason everyone who knew him now called him Master was largely due to his identity as a treasure craftsman.
A treasure craftsman. Even though Alka could only separate Holy Grail-level artifacts, he was still unique in the world.
How could he not be famous?
Every reputable power, big or small, knew him.
Not to mention those who had requests for him. Who could guarantee they wouldn't need him in the future?
This identity was now even more valuable than the Saint of the Virgin Mary. Any legitimate power would befriend him.
Lucelia, sitting on Alka's shoulder, smiled and whispered in Alka's ear, "Hehe, you're really famous now. The whole world knows you."
But the priest, looking at Alka's shoulder, was visibly more excited. She asked, "Excuse me, is this Lucelia Scholar?"
"Scholar?" Lucelia was a little confused. What was the suffix?
Although it was correct.
"I have read your atlas. Some of the records in it are of indelible significance to us. Thank you very much for your contribution." The priest was a little excited, and Alka was worried he would take out the atlas and ask Lucelia to sign it.
Just as Alka had this thought in his mind, the priest actually pulled a small booklet from his inner pocket.
Although it was not Lucelia's original atlas, the name on it and the contents were clearly revealed when it was opened.
This was the illustrated guide Lucelia had written, but it was probably a revised edition that was more portable.
He flipped to the first page, respectfully handed it over, and said with a smile, "Would you please sign it for me?"
Seeing this, Alka silently turned and stared at Lucelia, then held out his hand for her to step on.
Lucelia took a pen and wrote her name.
Due to its size, Lucelia's signature appeared very small.
But its small size precisely demonstrated that it was hers.
It gave it greater credibility.
The priest before him taped the book shut as if it were a treasure and collected it.
This priest's strength was probably at the fourth level, right?
Alka thought, observing his strength.
"Masters, please follow me," he said, leading the two toward the twin towers behind.
Upon entering, Alka took a quick look at the structure. Just as he'd imagined from the outside, it was a bit crude.
But the structure also showed that it was very old, at least a hundred years old, so it was normal for it to be a bit rough.
The church pastor led the way, saying, "This Trial Tower has been around this city for a long time. I've tried it myself, but unfortunately, my talent wasn't very good, so I didn't see the instructor.
Even the security officers of Power City must undergo trials in the Trial Tower. If they're lucky enough to receive training from the instructors, they might become security captains in the future."
As he spoke, he explained some of the local situation to Alka.
These details were all unknown to Alka, as they were all innocuous information.
Alka nodded in understanding.
Soon, they entered a room filled with various papers and books, as well as some paper, pens, and ink. It was clearly a room used for mapping and recording.
Although a bit cluttered, the priest pulled out a box from a nearby corner. It looked decent enough, and when he opened it, a map appeared inside.
There was another map underneath, and both were handed to Alka.
Alka took the maps and examined them.
One was a map of island chains, unique to the Infinite Sea.
It was at most a guide, not something you could use as a map. The other was a map of the island where the Trial Tower lay.
He blinked.
Sure enough, the Trial Tower glowed with golden and orange light.
What a shame.
They already had plenty of gold, and there was no way a gold trial was possible.
As for the orange clearance trial, their current strength exceeded the requirement, making it equally impossible.
Simply put, the Trial Tower wasn't meant for them.
He put the map away.
The priest before them stared at them and couldn't help but speak.
"Although, after our negotiation with the Power City, the Trial Tower can be taken by you,
But before that, I hope you can provide Power City with a favor, something that's not too difficult."
Hearing this, Alka asked, "What kind of help?"
...
"Could you ask the Compass Eyes to help us dispel the massive dark cloud in the sky and cool down the active elements around us?"
Fitz asked, standing nearby, watching Simon and Juanlu.
They had already reached the base of the Lightning Tower. Simon was carefully observing the central structure.
Lightning energy continuously gathered from above and fell into the structure.
The liquid lightning energy had already gathered inside and transformed into energy, supplying power to the entire city through the surrounding pipelines. Simon didn't answer. After a brief tour, he asked, "This shouldn't be the smart device you're using now. This Lightning Tower should be obsolete.
It's highly connected to the clouds above, so for safety reasons, it hasn't been dismantled yet?"
Fitz nodded in surprise at this.
"Master Simon is truly remarkable. He figured it out so easily.
Yes, the island's energy supply system has long been modified. Honestly, some of the inspiration and design ideas came from Master Simon's book on energy architecture."
Simon nodded at this.
It had been so many years since they'd advanced to the sixth stage and disseminated their respective knowledge works around the world through the Church's publication.
It was normal for someone to have read it. After all, Simon was extremely confident in his research and the work he had synthesized.
At this moment, Juanlu, standing nearby, asked, "Why are you seeking us now? As a council member, you must know why we're here.
Why not include your request for help in our reward for taking the Trial Tower?"
"It's not a reward, it's just our request," Fitz said.
What a lowly position! Juanlu pondered silently, though it was undoubtedly clever.
Even without going back to discuss it, he knew their team's character would definitely agree.
This way of asking would also earn their favor. Perhaps, while helping with the cleanup, he could casually clean up any messes that didn't matter to them.
Hearing this, Simon said, "I'd personally be willing to help. After all, the dark clouds above are quite interesting and worth studying.
But I can't make the decision. My companions and our captain must agree."
Fitz nodded quickly after hearing this. "Of course, if you can offer any assistance, we'd be very grateful."
...
"Can you provide