Chapter 362 – City Lord
“Is this the Border City?” Tang Ying took the hooded robe and slipped it on, revealing only her eyes as she scanned the surroundings. A fleeting moment of amazement flashed in her gaze.
“Mm.” Tu Ran responded softly, grabbing Tang Ying’s sleeve and deftly pulling her into the stream of people flowing through the street.
Most of the passersby wore black robes, with only a rare few of peculiar appearance who did not bother to conceal their faces. These humanoid yet otherworldly creatures included green-eyed individuals and others Tu Ran had never seen before. Without exception, they looked fierce and intimidating, creating a two-meter radius of emptiness around them.
The two of them, dressed obediently in black robes, blended in perfectly.
“Those who don’t conceal themselves are extremely confident in their own strength,” Tang Ying whispered in a tone only Tu Ran could hear.
They moved along with the crowd. On either side of the street, towering demonic structures rose to the sky, their countless cave-like openings filled with noisy voices calling for customers, drowning out their conversation.
A creature with an entirely crimson body and several bulges on its head walked toward them, its posture similar to that of a human.
Tu Ran and Tang Ying walked past it without so much as a glance. Only after they had gone some distance did Tang Ying speak. “That one should belong to another dominant race of the Rulers’ World—the Red Crown Tribe. Looks like a dragon fruit.” She added the last part casually.
Tu Ran sighed. “…You really have a way with metaphors.”
One green grape, one dragon fruit.
Tang Ying didn’t deny it and continued her explanation. “The Rulers’ World has three native races that hold the greatest power. The green grape from earlier is one, the dragon fruit we just saw is another, and the last one is water blue, supposedly resembling elves.”
Hearing this, Tu Ran was puzzled. “Blue… elves?”
In any case, the Rulers’ World was somewhat different from what she had imagined.
As Tang Ying explained, she looked around, hoping to spot an example of the water-blue race to help Tu Ran better understand.
Unfortunately, all she could see were black robes, and what lay beneath them was anyone’s guess.
Failing to find one, she could only explain dryly, “The water-blue race is relatively low-key, adheres to tradition, and dislikes war. They don’t support the other two races’ ideology of merging the universe. They might be a potential breakthrough.”
Tu Ran nodded, silently taking note.
“These three are the native races,” Tang Ying continued. “Presumably, there are also non-native races—those not originally from this world but capable of surviving here.”
Tu Ran frowned, thinking for a moment. “Could it be… worlds that have already been conquered?”
“Yes,” Tang Ying confirmed.
“As long as they can convince two of the three ruling races that they are absolutely safe, they can settle in the Border City.”
Why two of the three and not all three? That was easy to guess, even without much thought. Naturally, it was because the water-blue race had never supported the concept of universal fusion and wouldn’t approve of these chaotic proposals.
What intrigued Tu Ran more, however, was, “Absolute safety? How do they prove that?”
“By stationing troops,” Tang Ying answered coldly. “The Rulers’ World’s military must be stationed in their world, while the native world’s military is entirely disbanded, leaving only a small order-maintenance team.”
“They must surrender governance. Eighty percent of their administrative positions are handed over to the Rulers’ races, leaving the remaining twenty percent to low-level management departments.”
Tang Ying’s voice was low and icy, cutting through the glare of flashing advertisements and the clamor of merchants calling out. Tu Ran listened intently, catching every word.
“And finally, technological lockdown. Every world that submits to the Rulers is reduced to a factory for them. They are only allowed to develop technologies related to specific industries, while all unrelated technologies are restricted to low levels. If a world is found to have violated any one of these three conditions, it faces complete annihilation.”
Tu Ran pressed her lips tightly together, a profound sense of helplessness wrapping around her.
Weren’t these just unfair, overbearing terms? Utterly distasteful. The Rulers’ greed was blatant, their demands shamelessly unreasonable. Yet, so many worlds were willing to comply.
Tu Ran sighed inwardly. It was because the Rulers were strong—not just ambitious enough to dominate the universe but capable of doing so. They dared to call themselves “Rulers” because they firmly believed that no matter how unfair the terms they imposed, there would always be worlds willing to bow at their feet.
“The worlds that refused to agree to these overbearing terms… Are they all destroyed, like S. Erso?” Tu Ran’s steps grew heavier.
Tang Ying nodded. “Most likely, yes.”
Tu Ran raised her gaze again, looking at the varied figures passing by through the edge of her hood.
They came from different worlds and species, held different identities and statuses. Yet, because of one ambitious race, the technology of their homelands had been entirely locked down, leaving no possibility for advancement. Their worlds had been reduced to nothing more than resource gardens for the Rulers to exploit endlessly.
Tang Ying grabbed Tu Ran’s arm, pulling her away from their current path. A red dragon-fruit-like creature strode fiercely past the spot they had just been standing. A black-robed figure, who hadn’t dodged quickly enough and got too close, was suddenly engulfed by a ball of fire hurled by the creature.
The black-robed individual hastily removed their burning garment, tossing it to the ground near Tu Ran and Tang Ying’s feet. The robe burned brightly, but its former owner stood their ground, locking eyes with the dragon-fruit creature in a standoff.
Tu Ran and Tang Ying, without so much as a glance, skirted the flames and left the area.
It wasn’t until they had walked far enough away that Tang Ying looked back. Flames danced in the distance where they had been moments before, suggesting the fight had grown intense.
Turning back to Tu Ran, Tang Ying remarked, “The worlds forced to submit to the Rulers are far from friendly toward them. For the Rulers’ races to come here without any disguise, exposing themselves completely, is like intentionally drawing hatred. If not for their overwhelming strength, they wouldn’t make it two kilometers.”
“Isn’t anyone going to stop this? Fighting here?” Tu Ran looked around, but there were no order-maintenance teams in sight. Instead, a row of curious heads peeked out from the caves with signs hanging from the demonic structures.
“They say the Border City has a city lord, someone chosen as a representative from the many worlds that have submitted. This person manages the entire city’s order… In this case, they should intervene,” Tang Ying replied, though she wasn’t entirely sure about the specifics. The S. Erso broadcast didn’t provide details at that level.
…
“No one’s going to stop it! Whoever wants to deal with it can!”
“Anyone who dares enter the Border City should have known that life and death are irrelevant here.”
…
Tu Ran half-lowered her gaze, several routes flashing through her mind, each leading to different directions.
These routes included the locations of the city’s administrators, the underground black market, currency exchange points, and places for information exchange, among others.
Tu Ran had just activated her [Sense of Direction]. She needed to find a place where she could quickly learn about this world.
Or perhaps find a human whose memories she could access.
She picked the location with the strongest sense from the many colorful routes in her mind.
Having used [Sense of Direction] multiple times, Tu Ran had gained some experience. Generally, the stronger the sensation, the closer the location was.
Straight ahead.
It overlapped with their original path, so Tu Ran quickened her pace.
Tang Ying followed closely behind.
Though Tang Ying didn’t know where Tu Ran was headed, and Tu Ran didn’t explain it to her, the two black-robed figures quickly disappeared into the crowd.
…
On the 52nd floor of a demonic building facing the street, a sharp voice suddenly broke the silence in a luxurious cave.
“Tch, trouble’s arrived in the city.” The voice was unidentifiable in terms of gender, but the impatience in its tone was unmistakable.
A graceful woman, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned against the window and looked down, turned her head at the sound. Her fox-like eyes, shimmering with a watery gleam, fell on an electronic screen affixed to the wall.
The red numerical value stood out conspicuously.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a species with an alert value above level five,” she mused, her voice as enchanting as her gaze, luring everything in its path. She seemed somewhat curious, adding, “Where did she come from?”
“From the north,” came the answer from a disembodied, androgynous voice emanating from a blue glowing orb floating from the ceiling.
“Hmm?” The woman’s narrow eyes lifted at the corner, intrigued. “The Green-eyed Tribe doesn’t look like that.”
The blue orb quivered twice, clearly shocked. “No, that’s not it… She’s from another world, a world that hasn’t been conquered by the Rulers!”
The woman scoffed, her gaze drifting back to the scene below. Fireballs darted about, drawing her attention. She spoke casually, as if she were merely watching a show. “That’s a dime a dozen. Your rusty old brain couldn’t handle such heavy work, so don’t bother thinking about it. Whoever cares, it’s not our problem.”
Clearly, the blue orb wasn’t going to heed her words. The blue light shimmered brightly before it began to fade.
The woman turned her head, giving the glowing orb a faint glance before muttering, “Stubborn little thing,” then she no longer paid attention to it. Instead, she propped her chin up, disinterestedly watching the escalating fight below.
A sizable crowd had gathered around them by now.
The woman couldn’t help but mutter, “Why isn’t it over yet? Someone just die already. If this goes on any longer, I won’t be able to cover it up.”
The response came from the orb, its voice filled with distress. “I… I can’t see clearly… There are too many of them. She’s been to too many worlds—worlds that haven’t been conquered by the Rulers!”
Upon hearing this, the woman turned her head, absentmindedly playing with a strand of her long hair in front of her chest. “Seems like a little thing with quite a complicated background.”
She slowly walked toward the orb, lifting her chin slightly as the orb illuminated her face. “Ball, what do you think? Should I report her? This could be a big achievement. If I do, next time’s city lord? No one else stands a chance.”
The orb seemed to agree with her decision, its light brightening by two degrees. “Should we go capture her now? She just arrived, unfamiliar with the surroundings. It’s easy—”
“I’ve changed my mind,” the woman said, stepping back and sitting down, sinking into the sofa. “I don’t want to capture her. Let’s just keep the excitement going.”
“City Lord! She’s dangerous!” the orb couldn’t help but remind her.
The woman leaned back comfortably in the sofa, closing her eyes and massaging her temples. Her red lips parted lazily. “Level five alert—danger isn’t only here in the Border City. The real worry should be those so-called Rulers. If they can’t capture her, why would they expect me to? Ha, ridiculous.”
The orb seemed used to the woman’s erratic behavior. It sighed dramatically, expressing its frustration, then threw itself against the wall, its body pressing tightly against it as its blue light faded.
The woman, who had been drifting off to sleep, suddenly thought of something. She sat up, glaring at the slug-like creature stuck to the wall. “Are your eyes still working? You’ve been using them for two hundred years—don’t get it wrong, or I’ll end up celebrating for nothing.”
The fat orb replied, “…If I could make mistakes, our Hundred-Eye Elf tribe wouldn’t have been honored as your guardians on Wuma Star for twenty thousand years.”
The woman muttered, “Let’s hope so,” then lay back down on the sofa, closing her eyes to rest.
Just as the orb prepared to rest as well, the woman’s voice rang out again. “Keep an eye on those two fighting below. If anyone else gets involved, send the security team to deal with it.”
The orb’s light suddenly brightened as it began its task.
…
Tu Ran followed the route in her mind to a chain pawn shop in the intergalactic city.
The shop’s name was written in the Green-eyed language, a language Tu Ran was familiar with since she had once transformed into a member of the Green-eyed tribe.
This shop should be able to exchange the city’s circulating currency.
But Tu Ran and Tang Ying didn’t enter immediately.
They stood in the shadow across from the shop, watching the open doors and the black-robed figures coming and going, sharing a quiet look of mutual understanding.
This was the Green-eyed tribe’s territory.
The two of them had just escaped from the Green-eyed tribe’s clutches, so entering now would be risky.
Just as Tu Ran was about to close her eyes and search for another place to go, a sound—like muttering or chattering—suddenly came from behind them.
Thanks for the chapter