Swallowed Star: The Sacred Eye of Duplication

Of course, the value of real estate on Qiulong Star is incomparable to other places. After purchasing real estate on Qiulong Star, you become a "Qiulong Star resident." Although it doesn't mean you can do as you please on Qiulong Star, you still receive many special treatments and benefits.

After flying for more than half an hour, Ye Yun finally saw an extremely huge city appearing in the distance.

The city wall was as black as ink, stretching endlessly into the horizon. High atop the wall were giant dragons as beautiful as colored glaze. Just looking at them from afar gave a sense of grandeur.

The black city wall was 120 meters high, and with the dragon-shaped glazed sculptures adorning the top, its total height reached hundreds of meters. Upon closer inspection, the dense carvings on the black walls became visible, most depicting unicorns, adding a vast and ancient atmosphere to the entire city.

Qiulong City spanned nearly 6,000 kilometers in length and width. Having existed for over three million years, it carried a unique accumulation of time and history, standing tall through the ages.

Passing through the nearly one-kilometer-wide city gate, Ye Yun, accompanied by two Liuyin guards, slowly stepped into Qiulong City.

Momoyu immediately received a signal and obtained the communication number for Qiulong City. Following Ye Yun's instructions, Momoyu contacted the public service number of Qiulong Star and inquired about the location of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's administrative building and the Qiulong Star branch of the Virtual Universe Company.

Once inside Qiulong City, Ye Yun found himself momentarily overwhelmed. All kinds of strange buildings were scattered throughout, weird yet harmonious. Walking on the streets, he observed people bustling both on the ground and in the air.

The people had diverse appearances, differing from ordinary humans. While generally humanoid, some had three eyes, others four arms, some had peculiar patterns on their hair, and some had heads that bore no resemblance to humans at all.

To Ye Yun, who had just begun exploring the vast universe, everything he saw felt incredibly new and novel.

However, the strength of the pedestrians was notable. After a simple scan, Momoyu found that nearly everyone around was above the planetary level, with many at the stellar level. Any one of them, if transported to Earth, would be comparable to a senator-level figure.

Ye Yun spent some time scanning the surroundings but failed to detect any cosmic-level powerhouses. While slightly disappointed, he didn't linger on the matter. Rising to a height of 100 meters, he flew towards the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's administrative building, located over 200 kilometers away.

Soon, a colossal building carved with the figure of a black dragon perched on a mountain came into view. It was the administrative building of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire on Qiulong Star.

Ye Yun had come to join the Black Dragon Mountain Empire and obtain its citizenship. With assistance from the Liuyin Guards, Ye Yun received warm and efficient service. Since he wasn't a citizen of any country, the procedures were expedited. In just over 20 minutes, Ye Yun received his citizenship documents and was officially registered in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's system.

The second Qianwu coin was spent, exchanged for 950 yuan in Black Dragon banknotes.

(Momoyu: Dad, you obviously have plenty of Qianwu coins in stock, →_→)

With his new citizenship, Ye Yun could now open an account in the Virtual Universe. Without wasting time, he left the administrative building and headed for the Virtual Universe Company's Qiulong Star branch.

Qiulong City, Virtual Universe Company Branch

As soon as Ye Yun entered, a woman in a red uniform approached him, smiling as she bowed politely.

"Sir, how can I assist you?"

"I need to—"

Ye Yun's words froze in his throat as he stared at the woman.

She had a pretty face, long hair tied neatly on her head, and a perfect professional smile. There was nothing wrong with any of this. However, her face was identical to someone Ye Yun had seen on Earth!

"Li Lanqing?!" Ye Yun exclaimed softly.

The woman, not understanding Chinese, looked puzzled but maintained her professional demeanor. "Sir, I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. What do you need?"

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ye Yun scrutinized the woman closely. To his disappointment, no matter how much he observed her, she looked exactly like the Li Lanqing he remembered.

Although it had been a long time since Ye Yun last saw Li Lanqing, his planetary-level memory left no room for error. The woman was identical, save for her longer hair. Her face, height, and even figure were an exact match.

After a moment, Ye Yun managed to suppress his confusion and smiled.

"Oh, it's nothing. You just remind me of a friend. I'm here to open an account."

The receptionist didn't seem surprised. Assuming Ye Yun was making small talk, she chuckled and nodded.

"This way, sir."

Following her inside, Ye Yun sat down as the woman began explaining the process.

"Sir, you only need to present your identity card for verification. After that, we can open an account. How much virtual universe network time would you like to purchase upfront? The options are 100 years, 1,000 years, or 10,000 years. The annual fee is 10 Black Dragon Coins or 0.008 Qianwu Coins."

Though still unsettled by the resemblance, Ye Yun replied casually, "I'll pay for 1,000 years."

Handing over his identity certificate and a Qianwu coin, Ye Yun quickly completed the process. With Momoyu now authorized to access the Virtual Universe, he prepared to leave.

Before exiting, Ye Yun turned back and asked softly, "May I have your virtual universe number?"

The woman hesitated briefly but then smiled. "Certainly, sir. My number is..."

Ye Yun recorded her number through Momoyu and learned that her name was Luo Xia. She was a native of Qiulong Star and had been working at the Virtual Universe branch since adulthood. She had never traveled beyond Qiulong City.

Though still suspicious of the uncanny resemblance, Ye Yun didn't expect immediate answers. Leaving the matter unresolved for now, he bid Luo Xia farewell and departed.

Settling his thoughts, Ye Yun rented a private room in a local restaurant. After dismissing the waiter and securing the room, he instructed Momoyu, "Access the Virtual Universe!"

"Okay, Dad! I've been looking forward to this!"

'Virtual Universe Connecting.'

A deep and powerful voice resonated in Ye Yun's sea of consciousness, plunging his awareness into darkness.

When Ye Yun regained consciousness, he found himself standing on an ancient street. Looking down, he noticed that he was dressed in simple gray clothes. Beside him, the Momo fish had shrunk to the size of a fist and was flitting back and forth across his shoulders.

"Dad, we've entered the virtual universe!" Momoyu exclaimed excitedly.

Ye Yun nodded, still marveling at the experience. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, the sheer realism of the virtual universe was staggering. It felt nothing like the virtual spaces he'd encountered before, such as the Palace of the War God or the Trial Tower on Earth. This was indistinguishable from reality, as though he had stepped into another universe entirely.

He realized he was currently on 'Black Dragon Mountain Island,' a location situated on the edge of the 'Qianwu Continent' within the virtual universe. From here, it was possible to teleport to other areas, enabling long-distance interactions.

The virtual universe offered an astonishing array of features. Though physical cultivation was impossible, virtually everything else could be experienced—chatting, making friends, gaming, studying, dining, engaging in financial transactions, and more. It truly served as a complete second world. In fact, many citizens of the universe who led comfortable lives spent the majority of their time within the virtual universe.

After exploring briefly, Ye Yun decided to exit the virtual universe. Glancing around the private room, he picked up the glass of Qiulong City's specialty juice and drank it in one go. The lingering sweetness and fragrant aroma spread through his senses, leaving him feeling refreshed and satisfied.

Without lingering further, Ye Yun stood up and left the restaurant, heading directly toward the city's special trading area.

...

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