Zhao Wuji shook his head, his smile remaining unchanged. “No need. I'll just look around from the outside.”
He raised his hand and pointed at Terminal Station's outer walls and perimeter wall.
“This building is quite large. To build a complex of this scale in the Ruin Zone is indeed a rare feat.”
“It is enough for me to just take a look from here.”
Pei Su exchanged a look with the Director, who stepped forward and clasped his hands in a polite greeting.
“Lord City Lord, the internal structure and layout of Terminal Station are different from ordinary shelters. The underground portion, in particular, is quite fascinating.”
“If you would grace us with your presence inside, you will surely find it interesting. Why not...”
“No need,” Zhao Wuji interrupted him. The smile on his face faded, and his tone hardened slightly.
The persistent urging from his subordinates was beginning to displease Zhao Wuji.
His gaze swept over the entrance of Terminal Station's main building once more, his vigilance growing.
Pei Su said no more.
He knew that with Zhao Wuji's temperament, pushing him would only backfire.
Thus, Pei Su bowed slightly, deferring to Zhao Wuji's wishes.
“Since you do not wish to enter, Lord City Lord, your subordinate will not insist.”
“How about this? I will have the driver take you on a drive around the perimeter of Terminal Station so you can see the scale and layout of the complex, and then we can return. What do you say?”
Zhao Wuji nodded, withdrew his gaze, and turned to walk back toward his armored vehicle.
Just then, a voice drifted down from the top of the steps, perfectly gentle and respectful.
“Lord City Lord, please wait a moment.”
Zhao Wuji's footsteps halted, and he turned his head to look.
Su Wan walked down the steps and stopped on the stone-paved path outside the gate. With a polite smile on her face, she bowed slightly.
“Lord City Lord, I have heard that you possess a profound interest in and deep knowledge of Old Era relics, antiques, and historical documents.”
“Upon learning that you were visiting today, I specially prepared a small display room inside Terminal Station, showcasing some Old Era items that I happened to acquire by chance.”
She paused, her voice growing even softer. “Since you are reluctant to enter, Lord City Lord, I would not dare to insist.”
“However, those items are just sitting there. It would be a true pity if you left without catching even a glimpse of them.”
“Why don't we...”
She turned slightly, gesturing toward the main building behind her. “I can have my people bring those items out and set them in the open space here by the entrance for you to inspect, Lord City Lord.”
“How does that sound?”
Zhao Wuji, who had already turned around, paused the moment he heard the words “Old Era items.”
As Su Wan finished speaking, Zhao Wuji’s fingers tightened slightly around his black cane.
After a few seconds of silence, he slowly turned back around, his gaze resting on Su Wan's face once more.
“You have... Old Era items here?”
Su Wan smiled faintly.
“Yes, a few well-preserved artifacts and several historical documents.”
“My understanding of Old Era relics is quite limited, so I wouldn't dare judge them myself. But considering your vast knowledge, Lord City Lord, I thought you might be able to shed some light on them.”
A subtle, barely perceptible gleam flashed in Zhao Wuji’s eyes.
He nodded slightly. “Then bring them out for a look.”
Su Wan bowed, turned, and quickly walked through the Terminal Station gates.
A minute later, three robots filed out of the Terminal Station building in an orderly line.
In their mechanical arms, each carried a yellowed, ancient book. The text on the spines was faded and blurry, but the volumes themselves were fully intact, without any missing pages or damage.
Immediately following them, six members of the Order Maintenance Team stepped out in pairs, each pair carefully carrying an artifact.
The first item was a blue-and-white porcelain vase. It had a slender neck, a smooth and lustrous glaze, and its intricate blue patterns gleamed softly under the overcast sky.
Both the rim and the base of the vase were completely intact, without a single crack or chip.
The second item was a bronze incense burner standing on three legs. Fine cloud patterns were etched across its body, and its aged green patina gleamed with a deep, dark green luster in the light.
The third was a jade brush washer. It was flat and round with smooth, curved edges, and its inner walls were as smooth and white as mutton-fat jade, appearing slightly translucent under the dim sky.
All three artifacts were preserved in near-flawless condition. They looked so pristine that they might have just been taken out of a display case from the Old Era.
The moment Zhao Wuji’s gaze fell upon the three items, his pupils contracted sharply.
He had been collecting Old Era items for decades, yet every single piece in his collection was damaged, cracked, rusted, or moth-eaten. Those artifacts were scarred by time, bearing grim testament to the catastrophic destruction of the Old Era.
But the items before him now—
They were absolutely flawless.
They were so perfect that it felt as though they had just been crafted and delivered directly to him from the hands of an Old Era artisan.
Zhao Wuji’s breathing quickened slightly.
He instinctively took a step forward, wanting to get a closer look.
Then, he took another step.
Standing right before the three artifacts, his eyes locked onto the blue-and-white porcelain vase, as if trying to engrave every inch of its glaze and every stroke of its pattern into his mind.
He raised his hand slightly, wanting to touch the vase, but paused in midair, seemingly afraid that his touch would defile its pristine, gleaming surface.
His gaze then drifted to the books. Though the text on the covers was faded, he could still recognize the distinctive script of the Old Era.
He had seen countless damaged books in his life, but almost never a complete one.
Yet the books before him...
They were completely intact. They were priceless treasures!
Unable to contain himself, Zhao Wuji reached out and carefully picked up the book on top.
The moment his fingertips brushed against the pages, his heart skipped a beat.
The texture, the weight—it made him lose himself in the moment.
At this moment, his mind was entirely captivated by these perfectly preserved Old Era documents.
As he flipped through the pages, Su Wan stood a few steps away, calmly watching his back.
The instant he reached out to pick up the book, Su Wan issued a command to the system in her mind.
“Activate the Rule Power!”
【Rule Power activated.】
【Absolute Safety Zone, Absolute Access Authority, and Domain Sovereignty have been restored.】
Zhao Wuji’s finger rested on the page, the ancient text vivid and clear before his eyes.
But in that exact fraction of a second, an incredibly faint sensation rose from beneath his feet. It felt like thin spring ice cracking silently beneath him—so swift it was almost imperceptible.
As a Level 5 Ability User who had already begun studying Rule Power as a path to his next advancement, he was exceptionally sensitive to shifts at the fundamental level of rules.
Though the sensation was faint, it felt like a needle pricking the depths of his consciousness, prompting his body to react in a mere fraction of a second.
He wanted to pull back his hand, to take a step back, to close the book and turn to flee...
But it was already too late!
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