333: Chapter 333 They were all dressed so scantily.

For the first three days that Qing Yue, Hong Yao, and Qing He stayed on The Ark, they barely closed their eyes.

It wasn't that they didn't want to sleep; they just couldn't.

The interior of The Ark was too bright. It wasn't the dim yellow glow of spirit-fire lamps, but a uniform white light pouring down from overhead that neither flickered nor emitted heat, illuminating every corner so clearly that even the finest details were visible.

Hong Yao squatted in the corridor, staring at the light tube for a long time. She reached out to touch it, found it cold, and pulled her hand back.

She whispered to Qing Yue, "What kind of Magical Artifact is this? It doesn't burn Spirit Stones, doesn't generate heat, and yet it can shine for so long."

Qing Yue didn't know; she had never seen such a thing.

Qing He spent an entire morning studying the flush toilet in the bathroom.

She squatted in front of the toilet and pressed the flush button. Water gushed out with a "whoosh," startling her. She retreated two steps, her hand resting on her short blade.

Once the water finished flushing, the toilet bowl was clean.

She pressed it again, and water gushed out once more.

She squatted there, pressing it five or six times, until Qing Yue walked over and pulled her away.

"Stop playing with it. Water is a resource, too," Qing Yue said. Qing He didn't argue, but as she left, she glanced back at the toilet with a lingering look that seemed to say, 'This thing is so magical.'

Eating was another aspect they needed to adapt to.

On the ground, they hadn't had a proper meal in a long time.

The erosion from the rifts caused fluctuations in Spiritual Qi, leaving the spirit fields barren. They didn't dare venture deep to hunt Yao Beasts, so the people in the town could only survive on wild vegetables and tree bark every day.

Hong Yao drank the porridge in her bowl until it was completely empty, wiped the bottom of the bowl with a steamed bun, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Li Ying saw how cleanly she ate and served her another bowl.

Hong Yao paused, took the bowl, and lowered her head to continue drinking.

Qing Yue ate at a moderate pace, chewing every bite for a long time as if carefully savoring the taste of the food.

It had been a long time since she had truly eaten anything properly.

On the ground, eating was just about staying alive; you chewed a few times, swallowed, and filled your stomach—that was enough.

Now that she had the time and the food, she conversely didn't know how to eat.

Qing He's attitude toward food was the most direct. She ate everything edible in her bowl, set it down, and looked at Qin Lin.

She didn't speak, but her eyes clearly asked, 'Is there any more?'

Qin Lin pushed the plate of food toward her. She hesitated for a moment, then picked up another portion with her chopsticks.

The space in the living room also shocked them.

This space was larger than the entire square in their town. The ceiling was very high, with no visible beams or supporting pillars, yet it hung there sturdily.

The floor was made of a material she had never seen before—not stone, not wood. It wasn't cold to step on and had a slight elasticity.

The walls were silver-white, just like the exterior shell of The Ark, smooth as a mirror but non-reflective.

There were many people in the living room.

Women, children, and some young men.

No, that wasn't right. Qin Lin had said that apart from him, there were no other adult males on The Ark. Those "young men" were women wearing modern clothing.

Qing Yue's gaze lingered on them for a moment before moving away.

It wasn't that she hadn't seen women dressed scantily before.

In the Cultivation World, the attire of some female cultivators was even more daring than this.

But those female cultivators dressed scantily on purpose, for seduction or to practice a certain Cultivation Technique.

The women on The Ark dressed scantily not because they wanted to, but because that was simply how people dressed here.

Hong Yao stood in the center of the living room holding her bowl, looking left and right. The dumplings in her bowl were finished, but she didn't put the bowl down.

Qing He stood beside her. Her grip on her short blade had loosened; her hand moved away from the hilt and hung by her side.

"This way."

Han Qing walked over from the direction of the Medical Room, holding a stack of clean clothes in her hands.

"I'll take you to your room."

Qing Yue looked at the clothes in Han Qing's hands. The fabric was very thin, light in color, and the style was unlike anything she had ever seen.

The top was a short-sleeved shirt, and the bottom was a pair of shorts.

Qing Yue took the clothes. When her fingers touched the fabric, her fingertips paused.

It was very soft and smooth—not cotton, not hemp, not silk, but another material she had never touched before.

"What kind of cloth is this?"

Han Qing thought for a moment. "A cotton and spandex blend. I can't explain it exactly, but it was bought from the System Store."

Qing Yue once again pushed her questions to the back of her mind.

She followed Han Qing through the corridor to an empty bedroom.

The room wasn't large, containing a bed, a table, a wardrobe, and a window.

Outside the window was the corridor of The Ark, not the sky outside.

The quilt on the bed was white, the pillow was white, and the sheets were white.

"The three of you will stay in this room. The bed is big enough; there's no problem with three people sleeping here. If you need an extra bed, just tell the System."

Han Qing pointed to a panel on the wall.

"Tell the System?"

Qing Yue looked at the panel. It was black, smooth, without buttons or any markings.

"Yes. You walk up to the panel and say, 'System, I need an extra bed,' and the System will handle it."

"Or you can say 'System, turn on the lights,' 'System, turn off the lights,' or 'System, close the curtains.' There aren't any curtains, so just say 'turn off the lights' and it will work."

Han Qing paused. "There is an en-suite bathroom in the room with hot water available at any time. Just say 'hot water' to the faucet, and it will work."

Qing Yue walked into the bathroom.

The floor was white, the walls were white, and there was a white basin—no, that wasn't a basin; it was embedded into the wall.

There was also a transparent, square enclosure with a metal showerhead inside.

She didn't know what these were for, but she didn't ask. She placed the clothes on the bed and turned to walk out of the room.

Han Qing was still standing in the corridor waiting for her.

"It's mealtime again. Let's go eat first, and after we eat, I'll give you a physical examination."

"Examine what?" Qing Yue asked.

"Fluctuations in Spiritual Qi, the state of your Meridians, and if you have any hidden injuries. You've held on for so long in the apocalypse; your bodies must have suffered wear and tear. The Ark's medical System can repair most problems."

Qing Yue was silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you."

Han Qing looked at her, the corners of her mouth curling up. "No need to thank me. We're all family now."

Qing Yue didn't know what "family" meant, but she didn't press for an answer.

During the meal, Qing Yue sat at one end of the long table, with Hong Yao on her left and Qing He on her right.

There were more dishes on the table than before, steaming hot, their aromas mingling together.

Hong Yao's eyes were fixed on the braised pork on the table. She twirled her chopsticks in her hand but didn't pick any up.

She was waiting for Qing Yue to start eating.

Qing Yue picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork, and put it into her mouth.

The meat was sweet, salty, tender, and melted in her mouth. She hadn't eaten meat in a long time.

After the rifts appeared, there were more and more Yao Beasts, and fewer and fewer edible animals.

The food supplies in the town had long since run out, and they had relied on wild vegetables and tree bark to hold on for several months.

Qing Yue swallowed the piece of meat, picked up another piece and placed it in Hong Yao's bowl, then picked up another and placed it in Qing He's bowl.

"Eat."