Three wonders of the Forbidden Continent: Meat Mountain, Golden Elephant Valley, Spark Plain.

Zhou Yi had experienced the latter two places, but he knew very little about Meat Mountain, which ranked first. He had only heard from the overseer Mei You at Tri-Branch Slope that anyone wishing to enter the mountain must cut off a part of their own flesh and offer it to the mountains before they could set foot inside.

It sounded like some kind of ancient sacrificial ritual.

Lady Mei led Zhou Yi towards the exhibit area.

The outermost counter had several enhancers serving as salespeople, selling medicines to customers and helping them lie on beds to experience the effects.

Behind a screen was a temporarily built two-story wooden villa. It wasn't very large, but it was fully furnished, and a faint fragrance permeated the rooms.

Lady Mei picked up a teapot placed on the Flame Cup and poured Zhou Yi a cup of light red liquid: "Try it. This is a flower fruit tea I quite like. See if it suits your taste."

She took a sip from a small cup herself.

Zhou Yi tried a little.

It was overly sweet.

Seeing her well-proportioned figure, he hadn't expected Lady Mei to be a heavy sugar lover.

"Mr. Zhou has never been to Meat Mountain, so let me briefly explain the situation there."

She put down the teaware: "Like Golden Elephant Valley and Spark Plain, we still don't understand the mechanism of Meat Mountain. Through the exploration of many predecessors, we only know that one can feed the mountain with flesh and enter inside. If you don't, no matter how you approach the mountains, you won't be able to get close."

"The huge mountains inside don't grow flowers, grass, or trees, and the rock faces have clear various patterns. These mountains are continuously growing, becoming higher and more numerous."

"A long time ago, a group of gold prospectors went inside searching for treasures, but they couldn't find anything despite their efforts."

"They were tired and hungry. When they opened their backpacks, they found that their food and water had disappeared into thin air. The jars and leather bags were intact, but the contents were gone, as if they had evaporated."

Lady Mei continued, "Besides these, the Guangna Boxes used for storing Light Seeds were also empty. The Energy Packs for the equipment had also lost their energy, rendering them completely useless."

"Faced with such strange events, the prospectors were scared and unwilling to return empty-handed. They stubbornly tried to continue digging in the mountains. They found some places that looked like caves and burial grounds and started digging everywhere."

"In the end, only one prospector escaped."

"The survivor never mentioned what he had experienced inside. When asked, he never responded. However, people noticed that his backpack was bulging, and they suspected he had found some treasure."

Lady Mei poured another cup of tea and rang a small bell on the table twice.

In response to the bell, a maid arrived, pushing a small dining cart.

Lady Mei asked, "Would you like some dessert? Afternoon tea is best with a bit of sweetness to soothe the mind and relieve fatigue and boredom."

She took a small cream cake and a small fruit tart.

Zhou Yi followed suit and chose a chocolate cake.

He tasted it; it was very similar to desserts from the old human era.

The sweetness was just right.

"Quite delicious."

"Thank you, my chef is really quite skilled."

She ate with small spoonfuls, displaying elegant manners.

"Where was I? Oh, yes, the surviving prospector..."

Lady Mei continued, "The survivor's backpack was eventually snatched, and it contained only pieces of jerky."

"People suspected the jerky came from the missing prospectors, thinking he had eaten them and made the leftover meat into jerky."

"The jerky had an inexplicable fragrance. They couldn't help but eat some."

"They became addicted to that meat. If they couldn't eat it, they'd go mad, eventually begging the prospector for more meat."

Lady Mei wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "So the survivor took them into the mountain. But only he returned, bringing more jerky."

"Rumors spread that he had turned others into jerky and ate them. People were terrified of the survivor, who grew stronger. He wrapped himself completely in black cloth, hiding his appearance."

"The survivor later called himself the 'Carnivore.' He would take people into the mountains from time to time, later only taking children, refusing adults."

"The last time he went into the mountains, he took a group of children."

"About twenty years later, two of the children, now grown, emerged from Meat Mountain."

"They revealed the secret of Meat Mountain. The mountains were made of special meat that hardened into something like fossils over the years. But if you cut through the thick outer layer, you'd find dried meat inside."

"Different parts of different mountains had different properties. Some could enhance resistance, some could extend life, some could increase senses, some could store energy, some could heal injuries, and some could soothe chaotic Guangna Organs..."

"Some meats would cause organs to fall off, bones to dissolve, or turn people into monsters. They'd become new parts of Meat Mountain."

"Regardless of their benefits or dangers, the meat shared a common trait: anyone who took a bite would be compelled to eat more, driven mad if they couldn't."

"In the mountains, you could take as much meat as you offered. The more you offered, the more you could take."

Lady Mei licked her lips: "The Carnivore discovered this secret and became the sole survivor."

"The two youths who returned inherited his knowledge and power. The others became nutrients for Meat Mountain."

"Now the medicines I recreate, like [Miris], incorporate ground jerky from the mountain, developing their active ingredients. They can regenerate enhanced organs and stimulate further growth."

Zhou Yi frowned as he listened, "Taking Miris long-term would cause drug addiction. Qin Xie has used this drug..."

"High-strength drugs often cause addiction, like Suppressant Pills. Even alcohol and tobacco do." Lady Mei did not shy away: "But Miris has a low core meat powder content, making it one of the more controlled drugs. Even though it's a copy, it meets many needs. The Heavenly Kingdom has similar drugs, but they don't sell them and their efficacy is uncertain."

"I distribute Miris to those in need. In the Forbidden Continent, you can acquire many things if you pay the price. Many desperados have nothing but their lives when they come here."

The female governor spoke indifferently: "For most people, their bodies are their true assets. Just like the children the Carnivore led into the mountains, sold to this place, they had no choice."

Zhou Yi asked, "How is the meat in Meat Mountain produced?"

"I wish I knew." Lady Mei sipped her tea: "We only know that the meat is increasing, and the number of Meat Mountains is growing. Distinguishing safe areas from dangerous ones requires someone to taste the meat, which is very risky."

"If you're interested, Mr. Zhou, I can guide you next time."

Zhou Yi replied vaguely, "We'll see."

Having to offer flesh as a ticket made him lose interest.

Meat Mountain was undoubtedly the work of the Golden Elephant Valley people. He just didn't know if the meat stored here was for temporary storage or discarded waste for this High-level Civilization.

Zhou Yi looked around: "By the way, where is Qin Xie? Wasn't he with you?"

"He's upstairs, in bed. He's been a bit worn out accompanying me lately and is still sleeping."

Lady Mei said casually.

"I won't disturb him, then..."

As he was leaving, Zhou Yi asked, "Are you one of the children who inherited from the Carnivore?"

"Unfortunately, no." Lady Mei said softly, "My first husband, Mei Zhaotang, was one of the two. But many years ago, he disappeared in Meat Mountain and never returned, like all previous Carnivores."

Only then did Zhou Yi understand that Lady Mei's rise to power came from inheriting her husband's legacy, becoming the lord of Tri-Branch Slope.

Lady Mei exploited the natural resources of Meat Mountain, developing and packaging natural drugs. Testing on people was quicker than traditional methods but also carried more risk for test subjects.

The pros and cons were clear.

...

After saying goodbye there,

Zhou Yi went to the large exhibit where the Star Axis was located and mingled with the crowd for a while.

To his surprise, besides satellite routers, the Star Axis had also launched a Mars tourism service.

The service process was as follows.

Customers would travel to the Mars Base under the protection and accompaniment of Star Axis' Light Core Body "Alonzo," touring the natural landscapes on Mars, including dangerous dust storms, dry ice geysers, polar ice caps, and auroral dust devils.

Visitors could even participate in a day-tour experience of Mars development work if they wished.

The minimum cost for one person was 50,000 Light Seeds.

It turned out, a lot of wealthy people were interested, including Guangna Species, Mechanical Life, and Human Enhancers.

Zhou Yi realized that even in the Wasteland era, there were still many rich people; a few tens of thousands of Light Seeds seemed like nothing to them.

While observing, he heard the Old King's voice in his ear.

"My plan is pretty good, right? It's a great revenue project that increases income and promotes the Mars project, attracting more external funding."

"I was hesitant to use the Light Core Body like this, seeing you use it for mining convinced me to abandon these old-style concerns and focus on practicality."

Zhou Yi sensed that the Mars project was still financially struggling.

"How big is the Light Seed gap now?"

The Old King said: "2 billion. This includes long-term base consumption and ongoing investment losses, affecting the daily operations of the Star Core Matrix, delaying satellite maintenance cycles."

2 billion.

Zhou Yi frowned,

That's quite a large gap.

No wonder the Old King was under pressure.

Suddenly, he had an idea: "If we're already doing Mars tours, why not go all-in..."

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