As we spoke, strange automated servants started laying carpets across the field and setting up short-legged tables on two sides of the path to the biosphere. In front of the main gate, they set up a large round table and chairs for us. I immediately noticed that the material of our table was not ordinary. I couldn't pinpoint its exact composition, but it felt like a type of ceramic, that coated by something else, and contained some energy in it.
Jiang Xu told us about his Personal Space before changing into something far more interesting, "You all might already know that there are certain rules that even the Great Deities like us cannot break. My partner and I have tried to build advanced civilizations before—with our abilities, it's as easy as flipping our hands—but they've always met a terrible end."
"What do you imply?" Cynthia, who had a similar experience, asked curiously.
"We've already started a new one here on this Ark," Huang Yi answered confidently. "And they're safe here so far."
"We'd like to offer you a deal," Jiang Xu said, his voice ringing with finality. "Either you join us, or we form a co-operative alliance to help each other out. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to think. Why don't you guys stay here and look around first?"
They served us a mix of grains and fruits, each filled with an incomparable Divine Energy. The plants here, vibrant and impossibly lush, were originally genetically modified to thrive in nutrient-poor soil and harsh environments. Jiang Xu modified them even further, enhancing their ability to absorb all the energy they could. They became so dependent on the rich energy from the sun, the moon, and the land here—which is filled with Jiang Xu's own Divine Energy—that their seeds could no longer survive in the outside world.
This place was originally Jiang Xu's internship site. Inside the biosphere, they focused on aeroponic and hydroponic cultivation, while the outdoor fields were used to test plants for a faster terraforming process. Though it started as a remote research site from Jiang Xu's memories, Huang Yi eventually helped develop it into a fully functional space colony prototype.
A gleaming dome of reinforced glass and polished steel stood fortified by divine-ceramic matrix composites, materials akin to normal CMCs used in aircraft and spacecraft, which are known for their high-temperature performance. Solar panels covered part of its curved roof, silently absorbing both divine lights, day and night. Automated watering systems and robotic arms could be seen moving inside, tending to row of impossibly vibrant plants.
The Immortals and Black Banner troops were enjoying divine meals while sitting at short-legged tables. Most of the Beasts ate from large round trays, but some had already transformed into humans before they began to eat. The meals dramatically shortened their cultivation time, and even the water also contained a high concentration of Divine Energy.
After everyone finished the meal, Erik and Jiang Xu went to see them off. Before, they led us down into the heart of the biosphere. Underneath the dome was a large, multi-level central hub that housed the main systems, living quarters, and a command area. Elevators and a spiral staircase connected its various levels and from each level, six long cylindrical modules extended outward. These modules were mostly used for agriculture, with some dedicated to laboratories and medical facilities.
The entire facility was a testament to modern science's ability to create and sustain life, now combined with divine engineering and became an Ark of life. Jiang Xu named this unique biosphere and entire of his Personal Space, the Sun Sphere.
It would have been impossible to upgrade the Sun Sphere into this state without Huang Yi's ability to craft the divine-ceramic matrix composites or DMCs for short. He used the rich divine-energy soils from the Sun Sphere as the main material and crafted them into fibers, weaving them to reinforce the divine-ceramic, which he also made from the same soils. When needed, he would clad it in a rich-energy metal alloy from other sources. While he normally crafted this with the help from his Innate Power, but he later built manufactory modules in his Personal Space to streamline the process.
Even though materials science wasn't his main field but with his Innate Power, 'Terra Synthesis,' Huangdi had no choice but to study it. He had to expand his knowledge from aerospace engineering into many related fields to create and lead a new field of Divine Technologies and Engineering.
They needed the freedom to develop these technologies even further and eventually launch their own space program. To achieve this, they planned to use the advanced civilization they were cultivating, a society that would develop separately from human history, as their primary human resource and it all started here, in the Sun Sphere.
Their primary goal was to ask for permission to cultivate divine resources from Erik's Personal Space and mine once it became more stable in the future, while they would share a portion of their products with us. Erik further proposed an alliance and a pact to fend off the Abrahamic faiths that would later dominate the world, but the Emperors weren't sure about the pact. They thought it might lead to a war between deities and could change the course of history, so they only agreed to an alliance between us, as our roles as Emperors already made it a logical arrangement.
The next day, Jiang Xu demonstrated his Innate Power, 'Theoenergetics.' While the name implied, he studied divine energy but what he truly did was manipulate all type of energies within entities and beings, including himself. His control was so precise that he could use it for healing, burning, or even detonating them. With his high level of energy and Divine Body, he seemed to master his fire but in reality, this process was slowly consuming him. He also made his flames continue to consume his enemies' energy too, which made them look like eternal flames.
Huang Yi explained more about the Four Symbols, they were basically the Guardian Spirits of the Central Plains that could only be used by the Five Emperors, the protectors of this land. He then began crafting gifts for us from the rich red soils right before our eyes. The soils became almost liquid under his control, he formed them into numerous fibers which he then wove into four thick fabric structures. He controlled moist soil to cover these structures, then using Jiang Xu's power to precisely heat them and making each one a single piece of simple, shiny red porcelain torso armor. In my opinion, it looks like medieval European plate armor or Kendo torso armor.
Since it was impossible to put these beautiful armors on by normal methods, Huang Yi used his power to integrate them with us. They seemed to sink into the three of us and Asena, slowly readjusting to fit perfectly. After a while, our energy began to be absorbed by these armors. He checked each piece, then twisted something within its structure, and allowed it to sink deeper inside our Divine Bodies to protect the very core of our energy-base beings. He also told us that once the armor was fully saturated with our own energy, we could reshape it into anything, making it almost like a true part of our Divine Bodies.
Before we left, they invited us to the back of the biosphere, where they kept experimental tree fruits. They offered to gift the three of us with one type of fruit each, which we could plant inside our Personal Space as another experiment. They believed the trees were easier to cultivate than the delicate vegetables inside the biosphere and had a far longer lifespan than the field crops.
I simply picked an apple, while Erik chose a pomegranate but when Cynthia picked the peach, Erik and I immediately exchanged a knowing look. She paused, noticing our reaction before asking, "What's wrong?"
Everything didn't just force us to follow unspoken forbidden rules to not redirected the history, but we were also gravitationally drawn toward everything in history, tales, stories, and mythology. The reason for our sudden concern was immediately clear, there was one exceptionally important female figure in Chinese mythology associated with the peach. Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West who possessed the garden of the Peaches of Immortality.
This choice instantly meant that not only would we eventually have to deal with the Monkey King, but we also possessed a potential means to control the entire Chinese pantheon by using these peaches. Even the Two Emperors seemed lost in their own thoughts over the revelation. However, we didn't have a moment to spare, we needed to meet Altunay at Hanzhong city.
After we left the Sun Sphere, we found that Xiao Feng and Yu Zhen were still waiting and wanted to serve us. This meant they would primarily serve me, as I was supervising our Eastern project. I had originally planned to send Asena and Midnight Blue back to the Sacred Mountain before continuing our travel to Hanzhong. However, I realized this provided a valuable opportunity for Asena to interact with local deities and members of the new Chinese branch of the Moon Maidens, which would be a good experience for her.
Consequently, we contained our beasts, mounted the Golden Herd, and took the southern route toward Wudang Mountain to meet with some of Erik's worshipers before using our powers to travel west across the mountains to Hanzhong. Asena seemed to be having fun but struggled with Old Chinese when speaking to the Jade Couple. She genuinely enjoyed meeting new people and traveling into different landscapes. I realized they hadn't let her go anywhere much because of her status as my daughter, so I decided that I should take her with me more often.
Before we entered the city, I searched for pictures of children's Hanfu dresses on smartphone that I built in my Personal Space. After consulting with the Jade Couple, I told Asena to try and reshape her clothes to match one of the pictures. Once she was in these new clothes, she felt it was too hard to move and immediately protested. Yu Zhen quickly intervened, changing her clothes to a more casual, commoner's design and told Asena to try that instead. Following her example, we also changed into simple commoner clothes. We then followed the trail of our energy on Altunay and quickly found a simple building with a wooden sign hanging, which read "Moonlight Inn."