84: Chapter 84 Changing One's Mind

The central plaza had turned into an ocean of joy.

A huge bonfire burned in the center, the air filled with the scent of roasted meat and strong alcohol.

The powerful beat of the music mixed with people's laughter, sweeping away the fear and repression that had built up over the past few months.

When Zhou An followed the location signal to find Luo Ning and the others, they were sitting around a metal table, eating the free roasted exotic beast meat provided by The Five Great Guilds, holding large wooden mugs in their hands.

"Boss, come quick! The roasted meat here isn't as refined as what Zhang Ming makes, but with this atmosphere, it's amazing!"

Li Muzi waved excitedly, her small face flushed from the alcohol.

Zhou An smiled as he walked over to sit down, took the mug of ale handed to him by Zhang Ming, and took a large gulp.

The cold liquid slid down his throat, reviving his body that had been feeling a bit stiff.

"This is really nice..."

Lin Qing leaned back against the chair, looking at the dancing crowd, her eyes filled with a trace of gentle longing.

"Although we don't know everyone, and some were even cursing each other in the Trading House over a few materials yesterday, sitting here drinking together feels like being back at the night markets on Earth. It's really nice to have more people around."

"Yeah, after floating in the sky for so long, looking at those cold machines every day, I almost forgot what normal human society is like."

Zhang Ming also nodded with deep emotion.

Zhou An listened quietly to their reflections, his gaze sweeping over Muzi's innocent smile, the hope in the eyes of Zhang Ming and his wife, and finally landing on Luo Ning, who was tapping to the music.

He suddenly realized that for Muzi and Lin Qing, this sky was too oppressive; they lacked the ability to soar freely and spent most of their time inside the fortress.

They didn't just need an impregnable fortress; they needed the warmth of humanity and the feeling of living among their own kind.

Zhou An put down his mug, rubbed the rim with his fingertips, took a deep breath, and seemed to have made a major decision.

"Since everyone likes the hustle and bustle..."

Zhou An chuckled, his tone casual but serious.

"Then in a couple of days, let's pick a guild we like and join. We can build a branch or get an honorary elder position; at least it'll give you a place to visit and chat."

As soon as he said this, the people at the table froze.

"Boss, are you having a fever?"

Luo Ning leaned over, reaching out to touch Zhou An's forehead.

"Didn't you hate all those cliquey, troublesome matters?!"

"Can't I change my mind occasionally?"

Zhou An swatted her hand away with a huff.

"This is called following the will of the people."

Just then, the heavy metal music in the plaza suddenly changed to a lively, retro-style tango. Many survivors who had had too much to drink pulled their companions into the open space in the center of the plaza and started dancing wildly.

Luo Ning's eyes lit up. She suddenly stood up and set her mug down on the table with a thud. She walked to Zhou An, bent down slightly, a mischievous arc appearing at the corner of her mouth, and extended a fair hand very gentlemanly.

"Boss, since we've decided to join the world, how about warming up? Care for a dance?"

Zhou An looked at the hand extended to him, his face full of astonishment: "Dance? You know how to do that?"

"Pfft, don't underestimate me."

Luo Ning lifted her delicate chin with pride.

"Back on Earth, I was forced to practice posture and dance since I was a kid. I know every style; you just didn't know it! Come on, don't be a killjoy, the atmosphere is too good today!"

Without waiting for an answer, Luo Ning grabbed Zhou An's wrist and pulled him into the dance floor in the center of the plaza.

As soon as he stood still, Zhou An was as stiff as a human-shaped iron plate.

He didn't know where to put his hands, fearing that if he used too much force, he would crush Luo Ning's hand.

"Pfft..."

Seeing Zhou An's look of facing a formidable enemy, Luo Ning couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She generously pressed forward, pulled Zhou An's stiff, large hand over, and placed it gently on her slender waist, while her other hand held his tightly.

"Relax, Boss, you're dancing, not fighting."

Luo Ning looked up, her bright eyes fixed on Zhou An, her voice guiding him softly.

"Look into my eyes, don't think about anything, listen to the beat... One, two, step back, turn..."

Under Luo Ning's patient guidance, step by step, Zhou An tentatively took his steps.

At first, it was a bit clumsy, and he even stepped on Luo Ning's toes several times, but with her extremely skillful dance moves and his strong ability to learn, he miraculously found the rhythm.

The music gradually grew louder.

Zhou An's body completely relaxed. He cooperated with Luo Ning's dance steps, advancing, retreating, spinning, and pulling.

Luo Ning was like a fluttering white butterfly, dancing lightly in Zhou An's wide arms. The natural chemistry between the two of them felt not like they were dancing, but like they were having a meeting of minds.

After a beautiful dip and spin, Zhou An held Luo Ning's back steadily, perfectly hitting the last heavy beat of the music.

"Nice!!"

"Great dancing!"

The crowd that had been dancing wildly didn't know when they had stopped, forming a circle and bursting into enthusiastic cheers and whistles.

But amidst the noise of the crowd, Zhou An's world seemed to have suddenly gone quiet.

He looked down at Luo Ning in his arms.

She was breathing slightly from the exercise, with two charming flushes on her fair cheeks.

She was just wearing that simple sportswear and denim shorts tonight, but under the interlacing of the plaza's hazy neon lights and the bright moonlight, she looked up at Zhou An with a smile like a flower, her eyes seemingly reflecting the entire brilliant galaxy.

At that moment, all the noise around them faded away.

Zhou An only heard the uncontrollable heartbeat coming from his own chest.

He looked at the quirky girl in front of him, and a trace of tenderness that even he himself had not noticed rippled in his deep eyes.

"Boss, your palms are sweating..."

Luo Ning blinked, a mischievous smile playing on the corner of her mouth, her voice so low that only the two of them could hear.

"What, not planning to let go? Are you planning to hold me until dawn?"

Zhou An woke up as if from a dream, and as if scalded by fire, he abruptly pulled back his hand and stood up straight, looking elsewhere with wandering eyes, coughing twice to cover it up: "Ahem, well... I was just afraid you'd fall."

"Pfft, stubborn." Luo Ning hummed, but she didn't continue to tease him.

She turned around, with her hands behind her back, and jumped off the dance floor steps lightly. Just as she walked to the edge of the brightest spotlight, the girl suddenly stopped, turned slightly, and looked back with a smile. That smile looked exceptionally soft under the dim light.

"Hey, Boss, it's getting late, shall we go back?"

Zhou An froze in place, looking at the graceful figure under the light, and it took a while before he spat out one word: "...Okay."

The two returned to the dining table to reunite with Li Muzi and the others.

Zhang Ming and Lin Qing looked at each other, revealing a gratified smile that said "we understand."

And Li Muzi, looking at Luo Ning who was humming a little tune beside Zhou An, saw a complex look flash deep in her eyes.

There was envy, and a trace of indescribable loss, but this emotion was well hidden by her very quickly.

"Boss, Ningning, you danced really well, so many people were clapping just now!"

Muzi ran up and took Luo Ning's arm, complimenting her with a giggle.

"That's for sure, don't look at who taught him."

Luo Ning lifted her chin proudly.

The group walked through the noisy crowd laughing and talking, took the transport plane, and returned to the [Cloud Top Fortress] docked at the edge of the sea of clouds.

...

Late at night, Zhou An sat alone in the cockpit, looking at the brightly lit bridge outside the floor-to-ceiling windows and the towering Inverted Mountain.

He finally clicked on that long-silent private chat box.

Zhou An: "City Lord Zhao Tianyu, what we said before... is it still valid?"

At this time, on the [Shenguo Ship] flagship ten thousand meters away, City Lord Zhao Tianyu was standing in front of a huge holographic strategic map, explaining the details of tomorrow's [Sky City] foundation to several core ministers.

When this message from the special attention list popped up on the communicator on his wrist, City Lord Zhao Tianyu's words paused slightly.

After seeing the content clearly, his originally tense and dignified face rarely relaxed, and he even showed a heartfelt smile.

He waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to leave, and then his slender fingers tapped rapidly on the screen.

City Lord Zhao Tianyu: "As long as you, Zhou An, are willing to nod, the doors of [Sky Engine] are always open for you. Don't worry, I have kept that [five-source power core] specifically for you, and haven't given it to anyone."

City Lord Zhao Tianyu: "Why, are you at the center coordinates now?"

Zhou An: "Guess."

City Lord Zhao Tianyu: "Hehe, I'm too lazy to play riddles with you. The choices of smart people always lead to the same destination. I'll send you the contract, take a look."

Immediately after, a [Cooperation Contract] notarized by the system was sent to Zhou An's terminal.

Zhou An read it carefully. I have to say, the conditions given by City Lord Zhao Tianyu were extremely favorable, even a bit excessive.

The contract clearly stipulated: Zhou An and his team, as a special honorary unit of [Sky Engine], would not participate in any regular mandatory guild tasks, and would not need to hand over any material assets. Except for needing to show up to support when the guild encounters a life-or-death battle, Zhou An has absolute freedom of action and complete control over the [Cloud Top Fortress].

City Lord Zhao Tianyu: "One more thing, since you don't need to hand over resources, the regular 'salary' distributed by the guild won't be given to you—anyway, you don't lack those tier-3 materials. However, in exchange, you have 'priority exchange rights' for rare materials and special cores in the [Sky Engine] inventory, second only to me. Of course, you also have to trade for them with things of equal value, this is very fair."

"Very fair."

Zhou An whispered to himself.

Although this was only a private contract with City Lord Zhao Tianyu personally, it could not guarantee whether everyone among the tens of thousands in [Sky Engine] had no malice towards him; backstabbing was the norm in the apocalypse. But he had absolute confidence in his own strength; as long as the vehicle and himself were strong enough, these conspiracies were just jokes.

Zhou An swiped his fingertips and signed his name at the end of the contract.

Zhou An: "Signed. Happy cooperation, City Lord Zhao Tianyu."

City Lord Zhao Tianyu: "Happy cooperation. Welcome ashore, Zhou An."

With a flash of trading light, a block-shaped object instantly appeared in Zhou An's system inventory.

[Trade Received: five-source power core]

Looking at the upgrade materials neatly lined up in his inventory, Zhou An's long-silent heart began to beat violently.

"50,000 units of Astral Meteor Gold, 30,000 units of Deep Sea Profound Iron, high-tier fusion core... and this final five-source power core."

Everything is ready!