Night’s Nomenclature

In the Half Mountain Manor, several bluestone paths extend deeper into the manor, with flying dragons and phoenixes carved on the bluestone slabs.

Old Six led the way. He turned around and saw Qing Chen looking at the Half Mountain Manor with curiosity. He smiled cheerfully and said, “Why? You didn’t expect such beautiful scenery in the city?”

Qing Chen shook his head: “Never seen it.”

“Of course you haven’t seen it,” Old Six said with a smile, “Living in other districts, not only do you have to squeeze in the elevator with others every day, but you also have to live in a cramped box. Could you have thought that the manor in District 1 would have rockery, gardens, and artificial lakes? Could you have expected that there would be such low buildings here? In the other districts, you’re just surviving, but this is called living.”

Qing Chen looked around and was surprised to find that the architecture of the Half Mountain Manor was of ancient Chinese style, with many houses made of brick, stone, and wood.

The entire City 18 seemed exceptionally lively and crowded because of the towering buildings. He knew that it was due to the high population density, so the city had to fully utilize the space in the air.

District 1 was different. Being able to dig an artificial lake in a federal city where every inch of land was as valuable as gold was in itself a manifestation of its unique status.

But…

This scenery was quite common in the Outer World.

Frankly, the Outer World may not be as good as the Inner World in other aspects, but in terms of per capita living space alone, it could beat the Inner World by far.

Also, the “low building” that Old Six boasted about was a four-story wooden building, and the Outer World building that Qing Chen lived in was also just four stories tall…

If he was even poorer, he might even live in a one-story building.

Whenever he saw something ironic like this, Qing Chen could vividly feel the difference between the two worlds.

Qing Chen asked, “Where are we going now?”

“I’ll take you to the dormitory first,” Old Six said, “You’ll be the boss’s bodyguard, so you’ll have to live here. Whenever the boss goes out, you’ll have to follow her.”

“Yes, I understand,” Qing Chen nodded.

At this time, Old Six remembered what Li Changqing had said, and hurriedly said, “Although you are under my management in terms of your job duties, the boss has specifically told you that she has other things for you to do.”

The Half Mountain Manor covered a huge area, much like a huge palace. Without a guide, one could easily get lost here.

This was the ancestral home of the Li family, symbolizing its status and wealth.

The Qing family’s ancestral home was in City 5, and the Chen family’s was in City 7.

Qing Chen carefully memorized the topography of the place, even memorizing the Chinese-style roof eaves.

“Why is the architectural style here so different from that in the city?” Qing Chen asked, “It’s more like…”

“More like the style of the Kamidai family?” Old Six curled his lips: “Don’t you understand? This style is passed down by our ancestors. The Kamidai family is just copying and imitating. The wood that makes up these buildings is all brought back from the wilderness and is extremely precious. In the Federation, only high-status people can live in wooden buildings.”

That’s not what Qing Chen wanted to ask, but he got the answer he wanted to know.

At this time, he suddenly discovered that under the eaves of each building, a heavy copper bell was hung with a red rope. Even when the wind blew, the copper bell barely moved.

There were strange lines on the copper bell, but from a distance it was just too far away to see clearly.

Old Six followed his eyes and laughed: “That’s a rare Forbidden Item. Do you know what Forbidden Items are? It’s something that ordinary people can’t get in a lifetime.”

Qing Chen’s expression remained normal, but in his heart, he was wondering why this man nicknamed Old Six… kept talking about stuff that he knew and wasn’t surprised about anymore.

Sorry, he had two of these rare Forbidden Items…

Qing Chen asked nonchalantly, “Are all the copper bells really Forbidden Items? There are so many of them. I have heard of these mysterious items, but I have never heard of anything like this.”

There were dozens of buildings in the Half Mountain Manor. If every eave of each building had one, then there were nearly two hundred copper bells.

As a set of Forbidden Items, this was a terrifyingly large collection.

Old Six scratched his head and said, “I’m not sure about this. These things are on every building in the manor, and no one has ever seriously counted the number.”

“Do you know the number of this Forbidden Item?” Qing Chen asked.

“That’s not a secret. It’s ACE-020, and the bosses of the Li family called it the Heartless Copper Bell,” Old Six said, “Its function is that, when someone with bad intentions enters the building, the Heartless Copper Bell closest to the person will ring.”

Qing Chen thought to himself: So that’s the kind of stuff the consortiums rely on to function.

But how could this Forbidden Item determine whether a person has bad intentions? That was a bit too mysterious.

“Has this thing ever made a sound before?” Qing Chen asked.

“Of course,” Old Six explained, “but it hasn’t rung in recent years because many people know about the existence of the Heartless Bronze Bell, so those with bad intentions no longer dare to enter the Half Mountain Manor.”

Qing Chen suddenly wondered if this thing would be like Marionette Strings. It would only have one at the first stage, and after unlocking the second stage, the number of copper bells would increase according to the number of containment conditions met.

For example, the Marionette Strings increases the number of people that can be controlled by sacrificing lives.

Old Six was a chatterbox. He whispered, “Let me tell you another secret that is not much of a secret here. This thing was given to the current head of the family by a Knight leader. Do you know who the Knights are? Do you know Li Shutong, the seventh son of the head of the family? He is the current Knight’s leader and one of the most famous demigods.”

Qing Chen was shocked and asked, “Is the demigod Li Shutong from the Li family?”

Old Six had a feeling of being very knowledgeable and said, “You are young, so you don’t know these old stories. The information about the seventh master in the family has been basically deleted. Many ordinary people don’t know that he is also a member of the Li family.”

Qing Chen hoped that he could be with Old Six more often to ensure that he could be in a good mood every day.

“Of the two small houses in front, the one on the left is Feiyun Villa where the boss usually lives, and the one next door is Qingshan Villa where Miss Yinuo lives. It is said that Miss Tongyun also moved in some time ago,” said Old Six. “The side yard behind these two houses is where we servants live… By the way, you are not a servant.”

Qing Chen thought about it and felt that after entering the Half Mountain Manor, this cyberpunk world also had a hint of ancient Chinese style.

However, above this ancient building, there were groups of drones patrolling, interweaving into a net in the sky.

The drones were equipped with weapons at the bottom and could open fire at any time.

The combination of ancient style and technology appeared particularly abrupt yet harmonious.

However, Li Yinuo even named her residence Qingshan Villa. How much did she want to climb the cliffs of Qingshan?

Unfortunately, the other party has already started practicing. If she is not an ordinary person, she will never be able to become a Knight.

When Old Six took Qing Chen through Li Yinuo’s Qingshan Villa, Li Tongyun and Nan Gengchen were sitting at a stone table, whispering.

The moment they saw Qing Chen, they stopped talking at the same time and looked over in surprise.

Qing Chen looked as if nothing had happened, as if he didn’t know them at all.

Old Six, walking in front, nodded slightly and said, “Miss Tongyun, Mr. Nan, good morning.”

While speaking, Old Six tugged on Qing Chen’s sleeve, “Say hello, say hello to them, quick.”

Qing Chen followed suit, “Miss Tongyun, Mr. Nan, good morning.”

“Ah,” Nan Gengchen seemed a little at a loss.

Li Tongyun said with a smile: “Uncle Six, isn’t this the young boxer from Haitang Boxing Gym? Why? Did Aunt Changqing hire him to help the Li family?”

Old Six was terrified, “Please don’t call me Uncle Six. If the other family members hear this, I’m afraid they will banish me to the wilderness to pick rice.”

“It’s okay, I’ll just call you uncle in private,” Xiao Tongyun walked to Qing Chen with a smile, and looked around Qing Chen with interest, “I went to watch your boxing match last night, it was very thrilling, I was worried for you in the private room at the time.”

Qing Chen smiled and said, “Thank you Miss Tongyun for your concern.”

“Brother Qing Chen, come to Qingshan Villa to play when you have time,” Li Tongyun said with a smile, “Uncle Six, please treat him well at work. I am his fan.”

“Of course, of course, how could I dare to bully him? The boss has also told me that although he is a bodyguard, he doesn’t have to do anything,” Old Six said hurriedly.

“That’s good,” Li Tongyun said with a smile, “Then Uncle Six, take Brother Xiaotu to see Aunt first, and we can talk again when we have time.”

Old Six led Qing Chen forward, and Qing Chen asked, “Who are these two?”

He knew who these two people were, but asking would have been his normal reaction right now.

Old Six replied, “Miss Li Tongyun is the most favored child among the third-generation descendants of the Li family. Mr. Nan next to her is Miss Yinuo’s concubine…”

When he said this, he secretly observed Qing Chen’s expression.

Qing Chen said calmly, “Why are you looking at me…”

Old Six quickly said, “No, nothing. You are different from him.”

He added in his mind: You are better looking than him.

Old Six continued walking while admonishing, “Don’t offend these two. When Miss Yinuo gets mad, she will even kill the family members. She likes to protect those who are weak and defenseless. Remember, we can’t afford to offend such people.”

“Yes, I’ll remember that” Qing Chen nodded, “Can’t afford to offend.”

As soon as he entered Feiyun Villa, he saw Li Yinuo and Li Changqing drinking tea in the yard. A black suitcase was quietly placed on the stone table in front of them.

Li Changqing’s eyes lit up when he saw Qing Chen coming: “Here?”

“Yeah,” Qing Chen nodded.

Li Changqing patted the black briefcase in front of her and said, “The 003 you urgently needed is right here. Today is the perfect time to inject it. I’ll inject it for you. Your level is too low after all.”

Qing Chen: “???”

He couldn’t inject it!

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