"I'll call her now, but it might take her two days to come here."
"No problem." Ling Yun replied curtly and walked towards the large door in the north. When he arrived in front of it, it opened automatically, and he immediately walked into the room behind it, but he gasped in surprise. "What the hell? Isn't this some kind of control room? Have you ever seen anything like this before, Ling Xi?"
"Yes," Ling Xi replied as she observed the room. "In the Upper Realm, there is a planet that relies solely on machines for their daily lives like on Earth, but their technology and machines are much more sophisticated than those on this planet. However, I feel that everything in this place is far more advanced than that planet, so I don't understand them."
"Oh?" Ling Yun was quite surprised to hear that; he walked toward the chair in the middle of the room and sat on it. "Incredible! This room looks like a control room in a sci-fi movie."
Ling Xi was curious to see the monitor screen in front of them, so she reached out to touch a button that looked like a power button and immediately pressed it. "Hmm? Nothing happened?"
[Ding.]
[Welcome to the Celestial Fortress.]
"Huh?" They were surprised to hear the voice, and a hologram of a little girl suddenly appeared in front of them, and Ling Yun asked her. "Are you in charge of this place?"
[Yes! My name is Xiao Yin, and I am the AI in charge of managing this fortress.]
After hearing that, Ling Yun took a deep breath; it was the first time he had seen and heard an AI that could respond like a normal person. "What exactly is this place, Xiao Yin? Why is this place hidden deep in the ground? And how big is this place really?"
[The Celestial Fortress was created by my Master, Tang Xiao. This place is vast, as big as the heart of the forest above us. The purpose of this place was as a last resort for the remaining members of the Tang Clan in this world so that they could survive if this world were to be hit by another great calamity in the future.]
Ling Yun was shocked to hear Xiao Yin's answer. "So that means only members of the Tang Clan can use this Fortress?"
Xiao Yin shook her head at him and explained. [Not really, this Celestial Fortress is basically ownerless, so whoever finds this place first, then that person can become the Master of this place. However, that person also has to be responsible for the safety of the Tang Clan members]
Ling Yun nodded in understanding after hearing that, but he was also in a dilemma with the requirements to become the owner of the fortress, especially since he didn't know the people of the Tang Clan at all, and he naturally didn't want strangers to be by his women's side.
"So how can I become the owner of this fortress, Xiao Yin?" Ling Yun asked expectantly, he felt that the Celestial Fortress would be of great use to him and his family in the future, so he did not want to let go of the opportunity to possess it.
Xiao Yin smiled and replied to him. [There is only one condition you must fulfill to become the owner of this fortress: Become the son-in-law of the Tang Clan.]
Ling Yun choked hard as soon as Xiao Yin said that, and Ling Xi laughed out loud, for the condition was too easy for him.
'What the hell? Isn't that condition really ridiculous?' Ling Yun inwardly grumbled in annoyance; he didn't immediately answer Xiao Yin and thought about it. 'What should I do now? I want to own this fortress for my family, but which woman of the Tang Clan would be willing to be my wife?'
'Isn't that easy? Tang Wan is outside now, and I believe her status in the Tang Clan is quite high since she has the key to open this place.' Ling Xi said to Ling Yun's mind directly as she giggled. 'If you use the scent of lust on her, I'm sure she will instantly fall into your arms, so you can kill two birds with one stone. Moreover, she is beautiful and sexy, so both greatly benefit you, right?'
However, Ling Yun shook his head at Ling Xi, and he disagreed with her idea. Even though he wanted to own the fortress, he didn't want to use Tang Wan for that, or else it would hurt her feelings.
*Swish*
"I've contacted her, and she- Huh!?" Tang Wan said as she entered the control room, but her eyes widened when she saw Xiao Yin. She then walked beside Ling Yun and Ling Xi and asked them. "Where did this holographic little girl come from?"
Hearing her question, Ling Yun returned to his senses and explained it to Tang Wan. "Her name is Xiao Yin, and she is an AI created by Tang Xiao to managr this place."
"Huh?" Tang Wan turned to Ling Yun in shock. "Are you kidding me? I've never seen an AI like her before."
"Neither I." Ling Yun answered with a shrug. "However, we've seen Xiao Yin look like that, so we don't need to doubt that she is indeed an AI."
"En." Tang Wan nodded in understanding, and she turned to Xiao Yin. "My name is Tang Wan, one of the few remaining members of the Tang Clan on this planet. Were you really created by Tang Xiao?"
[Yes.]
"Does that mean this place belongs to my Tang Clan?"
[Yes and No.]
Tan Wan raised her eyebrows upon hearing that. "What do you mean by that? Since Tang Xiao is the ancestor of the Tang family, this place should belong to us, right?"
Xiao Yin shook her head. [You are wrong about that. My Master, Tang Xiao, is not the ancestor of the Tang Clan from this planet.]
"Hmm?" Tang Wan looked at Xiao Yin with a confused look.
[Although my Master has the surname Tang, he is not directly related to your Tang Clan. He did create this fortress to ensure the safety of your clan's people, but it doesn't necessarily belong to your clan.] Xiao Yin then pointed at Ling Yun. [Moreover, he was the first to discover this place, and my Master told me that whoever finds this place first will become the owner.]
Tang Wan frowned after she heard that and turned to Ling Yun, who shrugged indifferently at her. However, she couldn't blame him either, and she wouldn't have been able to find the fortress if it wasn't for him.
Xiao Yin then said to Tang Wan. [However, people from your clan can also stay here under one condition.]
"What is the condition?" Tang Wan asked with a raised eyebrow.
Xiao Yin smiled and answered her. [If you want your clan to live in this place, you must marry that man.]
"What?" Tang Wan let out a loud scream upon hearing that, she then turned to Ling Yun again, and her heart pounded at the thought.
Ling Yun only smiled, seeing his expression like that, and he asked Xiao Yin. "Is there no other way besides that?"
[No.] Xiao Yin shook her head at him. [Currently, you are the half-owner of this fortress, and you can only fully become its owner if you become the son-in-law of the Tang Clan. If you don't want to have a relationship with each other, then neither of you can become the owner of this place.]
Ling Yun couldn't help but sigh in his heart after hearing Xiao Yin's reply, and Ling Xi urged him to use the scent of lust on Tang Wan directly, but he refused with a shake of the head, causing her to be irritated with him.
Ling Xi herself hoped that Ling Yun could become the owner of the Celestial Fortress, so their lives and safety would be guaranteed, especially when they went to a higher realm.
They remained silent and thought for a while; Ling Yun and Tang Wan both felt the dilemma of deciding.
Soon, Ling Yun sighed softly and asked Tang Wan. "What do you think about the condition Xiao Yin gave us?"
"Can you guarantee to let my clan members live in this place?" Tang Wan asked with a serious look, for she wanted her clan to live in peace and safety, and the fortress seemed the best choice for them.
Ling Yun sighed at her question and felt at a loss as to how to decide what was best for them. Ling Xi then said to him. 'Why do you have to be so complicated thinking about them? The most important thing is that you must acquire the ownership of this fortress first, and if any member of the Tang Clan has bad thoughts towards your women, you can do anything to them later.'
'You're right about that.' Ling Yun replied as he nodded in agreement; he then turned to Tang Wan. "How many members of your clan are left on this planet?"
"Hmm?" Tang Wan directly counted the number of members of his clan, but her answer surprised Ling Yun. "Not much; my clan numbers only thirty people, three-quarters of whom are women. Moreover, they are all good people, and I guarantee they won't bother your women."
Ling Yun nodded to her. "All right. I will allow people from your clan to live here."
- To Be Continued -
