Chapter 24: Horrifying to Think About

The Sky Ladder Project, even in her previous life—where aerospace technology had advanced rapidly—existed only in theory.

She never expected that the technological level of this world would actually attempt to turn that amazing fantasy into reality.

Whether it ultimately succeeded or not, the ambition alone was enough to stir the heart.

It was worth noting that in both the Lunar Star Project and the Sky Ladder Project, multinational corporations like Fess Energy, Bolong Group, and Aurora Company played major roles.

These three super-corporations possessed financial power on par with major nations. Despite severe geographic fragmentation, they maintained significant influence across the globe.

Luo Yan ran a simple search and found that the successful reorganization and establishment of many independent cities had been closely tied to the support of these financial juggernauts.

“These super financial groups all seem extraordinary…”

At the same time, Luo Yan’s thoughts returned to her mysterious “birthplace”—that unknown structure that resembled a space station, the incredible transmission technology that had dropped her onto Blue Star, Nicole and the master she referred to, and the Advent Project that was so tightly entwined with her own existence.

Because of this, her curiosity about the Advent Project only deepened.

Although she had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, there was likely a hidden force—or even an unknown civilization—behind that mysterious space.

They had already demonstrated technology far more advanced than anything currently on Blue Star.

As she learned more about this world, Luo Yan increasingly grasped just how terrifyingly powerful she—and the force behind Nicole—really were.

Surviving a plane crash had just been the beginning. What she had actually fallen into… was another bottomless pit.

All the gifts of fate come with a hidden price tag.

For some reason, that phrase surfaced in Luo Yan’s mind.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. But since I’m already in the pit, I can only face whatever comes my way. Or maybe… I should try harder and see if I can climb out of it,” Luo Yan thought.

Of course, at this stage, it was useless to dwell on it.

What mattered now was to organize her thoughts and start making concrete plans for the future.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

According to her calculations, today was the day she had agreed to go shopping with Lu Xiao Na.

Surprisingly, the young lady Lu arrived quite early.

Luo Yan was still washing up when she got there.

Lu Xiao Na patiently waited on the sofa, and by the time Luo Yan came out, she had already taken out a silver-white card from her bag and waved it proudly in front of her.

With her carefully done makeup and radiant smile, she looked incredibly cute.

“Congratulations, Big Sister Luo Yan. From today onward, you’re officially a citizen of Neo Aonan!”

“Thank you for the trouble. I guess I don’t have to worry about my identity anymore,” Luo Yan replied with a faint smile.

She had expected it wouldn’t take long.

After all, her current connections were solid.

The relevant departments likely dropped everything to process the task once they received it.

Looking back now, her decision to save the young lady Lu had been a truly farsighted move.

Without her connection to Lu Xiao Na, obtaining legal status would’ve been a real headache—especially given the current state of the world, where many independent cities operated in a semi-wartime condition, with strict entry and exit control.

And Neo Aonan, armed with its suite of black technologies, had more than enough tools to make life impossible for any “unregistered households” sneaking into the city.

Taking the identity card, Luo Yan gave it a quick glance.

After confirming all the key details were correct, she tucked it away and turned to Lu Xiao Na.

“I’m ready. Shall we go now?”

“Ah…”

Luo Yan noticed her staring—looking like she had something to say, but hesitating.

She sighed helplessly. “What? Did a flower bloom on my face?”

“No, no, haha… But Big Sister Luo Yan, did you forget something?”

“I don’t think so?”

She glanced around in confusion, then spotted the pistol on the table. She frowned slightly. “Oh, that. I probably can’t bring it to a public place, right?”

Lu Xiao Na laughed in exasperation. “Of course I’m not asking you to bring a gun. I’m talking about your face—your bare face!”

Only then did Luo Yan understand.

She turned to the full-length mirror and sized herself up.

Frankly, she felt it was perfectly fair to describe herself as “a hibiscus emerging from clear water, naturally unadorned.” So she responded, puzzled, “I think it’s fine. No need for makeup, right?”

In her previous life, she had never developed the habit of using makeup.

Even though she had become a girl in this life, she still wasn’t used to it.

Besides, who said girls had to wear makeup?

With her naturally high looks, wasn’t it perfectly fine to go out bare-faced?

Lu Xiao Na leaned in close to glance at the mirror—then silently stepped back.

“Since Big Sister Luo Yan thinks it’s fine… let’s go.”

She had no words to refute that logic. She even felt a twinge of bitterness.

After all, she had woken up early just to get ready for today—her first outing with Luo Yan—and had spent more than an hour putting on makeup.

But in the end, she still couldn’t compare to Luo Yan’s bare face.

Though she wasn’t jealous, she was feeling a little sour.

Comparisons are odious.

Before meeting Luo Yan, she had never once doubted her own looks.

Of course, that wasn’t the main point.

The real issue was—if Big Sister Luo Yan already looked this good without makeup, how stunning would she be with even a touch of light makeup?

It was too wasteful. A total waste of divine aesthetics!

It seemed like all of Luo Yan’s talent had gone into combat and cultivation.

Lipstick and mirrors? Just decorations!

‘No, I must make Big Sister Luo Yan see the error of her ways!’

The young lady Lu silently set a new goal for herself.

This time, they went to the shopping plaza in the city center.

Because it wasn’t the weekend, the place was relatively quiet.

At times like this, the shop assistants were much more attentive to the few customers that came in—especially when said customers were both absolute beauties like Luo Yan and Lu Xiao Na.

From the moment they entered, their treatment was on par with that of super VIPs.

After enjoying a round of warm and thoughtful service, Luo Yan picked out a very sci-fi-looking, semi-transparent, curved-screen phone—the latest model from Oros.

Anyway, since Lu Xiao Na was paying, she naturally chose the best.

The phone’s operating style was similar to what she was used to in her previous life, but due to Odegaard technology, several advanced features had been integrated—most notably in battery life and AR functionality.

In terms of battery, a full charge could support a week of high-intensity use, and standby time stretched up to three months.

As for AR, the system could project interfaces into the real world, letting users interact with them directly through gestures and touch.

In her previous life, AR had often been used as a flashy gimmick by manufacturers, but in actual practice, it was awkward and impractical.

Here in Neo Aonan, the technology had already matured.

It had to be said—Odegaard tech had propelled the development of certain fields in this world by an entire era.

“Phone, check! It’s still early. Does Big Sister Luo Yan have any plans for the rest of the day?” Lu Xiao Na asked, blinking expectantly.