Chapter 561 - 557 – THE GREAT CITY GATE AND THE IDENTITY OF THE BEAST TAMER

The next day, as the morning sun slowly climbed the eastern horizon, Sylvia finally arrived at her destination.

The leisurely overland journey across the deadly wilderness ended with a rather massive sight. Before Sylvia rose the defensive walls of Black Lotus City. Unlike Black Steel City, which merely used piles of scrap steel and moss-covered concrete fifteen meters high, the walls of this city were a true military structure of colossal scale.

The walls, layered with steel-mana alloy, stood firm at a height of fifty meters, stretching for kilometers across the land, as though acting as a gigantic dam holding back the tidal waves of mutated monsters and the living dead. Atop the walls, heavy magic cannons were lined up neatly, guarded by hundreds of black-uniformed soldiers equipped with mana-crystal-powered exoskeleton armor. In the air, a golden magic dome pulsed in rhythm with the heartbeat of the gigantic city, filtering out the toxic radiation from outside.

To the naked eye of ordinary humans or low-rank mages, these walls were a symbol of absolute security, a masterpiece of human survival architecture in the post-apocalyptic era.

Yet in Sylvia’s heterochromatic eyes, this masterpiece was merely a child’s handicraft full of flaws.

"Hmm... it looks extremely sturdy and intimidating," Sylvia murmured softly while folding her arms across her chest, her eyes scanning the flow of magic circuits that ran through the gigantic walls. "But the mana structure is a mess. Far too many circuits overlapping inefficiently. The energy flow from the underground reactor core is not distributed evenly to the surface of the dome."

Sol, perched on her left shoulder, meowed lazily, as if agreeing with its master’s assessment.

Sylvia compared this gigantic gate with the defensive gates of her own kingdom in Nocture. The main walls of Nocture’s capital, designed by the greatest alchemists and magic architects, did not even reach fifteen meters in height. Their form was far shorter, elegant, and minimalist in appearance.

Yet those short walls of Nocture were forged from Star-metal compressed millions of times and engraved with flawless spatial rune formations. Nocture’s walls did not require a conspicuous light dome to display their power. If an ancient dragon or a god-class monster slammed into Nocture’s walls, it would not be the walls that shattered, but the laws of physics around the monster that would be twisted until the creature was reduced to dust particles.

Conversely, if a Rank 6 mage clever enough fired a high-compression fire spell precisely at the third node intersection on the left side of Black Lotus City’s gate, the resulting chain reaction would cause the entire one-kilometer stretch of wall to collapse into rubble within seconds.

"Truly full of gaps," Sylvia sighed softly with an amused smile. "But considering they have not even understood how to absorb pure mana directly from nature, I suppose this hard work deserves some appreciation."

Ignoring the structural defects that only a god-level entity like herself could see, Sylvia stepped forward and blended into the crowd outside the main gate.

In front of the gate lay a very wide queuing area. This area was filled with hundreds, even thousands of people wishing to enter the city. There were merchant caravans pulling iron carts drawn by tamed mutant beasts, groups of mercenaries and Zombie Hunters whose combat armor was still stained with black blood, and desperate-faced refugees hoping to obtain asylum inside this great city.

Sylvia’s presence immediately created a gravitational anomaly around her.

With an elegant evening gown without a single stain, porcelain-pure white skin, and a pair of miraculous pets accompanying her Sol the dragon in cat form on her shoulder and Noir the black cat in her shadow she appeared extremely contrasting against the dirty, sweat-scented environment filled with the exhaust of mana-steam engines. Instinctively, the crowd of fierce-faced people parted, giving way to Sylvia as though she were a queen walking on a red carpet, even though they did not know who this girl was.

Sylvia walked leisurely toward the identity checkpoint. Of course, she could not simply fly in through the magic dome. Interfering with the city’s defense system would trigger alarms across the entire region, and although she could erase this city with a single blink of her eye, she did not wish to seek boring trouble. Besides, she was neither a mage nor a noble known in this region, so she had to go through the normal immigration procedures.

In front of the checkpoint, dozens of elite soldiers stood upright with long-barreled crystal-powered rifles. In their midst, a hard-faced officer with a scar across his left eye acted as the post commander.

"Stop right there!" the commander shouted as Sylvia approached. His voice was loud and firm, accustomed to barking at rough mercenaries every day. "Show your association identity card or noble badge!"

Sylvia stopped gracefully and smiled faintly. "I do not have one. I am merely a wanderer who happened to pass by."

Hearing that, the post commander’s brows furrowed sharply. A girl dressed like a king’s daughter, clean without a speck of dust in the middle of an apocalyptic world, wandering without escorts and possessing no identity? On this continent, such a person was usually a spy from an enemy city or someone extremely insane.

"If you do not possess an official identity, you must go through the independent registration procedure," the commander said, his tone growing slightly colder and more wary. He pointed toward a black stone pillar beside the post, where a large round crystal was embedded on top. "That is the Mana Resonance Stone. Place your hand upon it. We must measure the level of your power and magical affinity to ensure you are not a threat or a cultivator of black arts."

"Of course," Sylvia answered casually.

She stepped closer to the stone pillar. In her mind, Sylvia quickly performed complex magical mathematical calculations. The Mana Resonance Stone was designed to absorb and measure the mana pressure radiated by a person. If Sylvia allowed even a single drop of her true aura, the aura of the Queen of Death to touch that stone, the stone would explode with enough force to erase one-third of Black Lotus City, and its radiation would tear spatial dimensions.

I must restrain myself, Sylvia thought. Rank 9 is the Emperor, so I must not go that high because it would be too troublesome if the entire nation submitted to me on the first day. Rank 5 or 6 is too common and might cause lowly nobles to try bothering me. Rank 7 seems the perfect limit. Regarded as an extremely rare old monster, enough to make anyone think a million times before seeking trouble, yet not yet touching the level of mythological legend.

Sylvia raised her slender right hand and slowly placed it upon the cold surface of the round crystal. She suppressed the power of her soul, locking it behind thousands of invisible seals, and allowed only a tiny stream of energy equivalent to a Rank 7 Mage to flow out.

WUUUUUSSSSHHHHH!!!

The moment Sylvia’s skin touched the stone, the entire gate area seemed to lose gravity for a single second. The gigantic black crystal immediately exploded in a blaze of purple-golden light so blinding that it covered the morning sunlight. The black stone pillar supporting it groaned loudly, nearly cracking under the purity of the energy flowing into it.

The magic indicators on the pillar shot upward at a crazy speed. Rank 1... Rank 3... Rank 5... and finally stopped and blazed brilliantly at the Rank 7 line!

Silence instantly enveloped the entire eastern gate area. Thousands of people waiting in line froze in place, their mouths hanging open. The breeze itself seemed to stop blowing.

The post commander’s eyes bulged so wide they nearly popped from their sockets. His face, which had previously been hard and full of authority, now turned paper-pale. His legs trembled so violently that his knees knocked against each other.

Rank 7!

In this magnificent Black Lotus City, even the City Lord who held absolute power had only just stepped into the mid-stage of Rank 6! A Rank 7 Mage was normally one of the Great Elders of the Central Academy in the Capital, terrifying beings who possessed the power to burn this entire city in a single night. And now such an existence was standing before him, and he had just barked at her like a commoner!

"Y-Y-Your Excellency...!" The commander immediately fell to his knees until both knees slammed hard against the rocky ground. His rifle slipped from his hands. He bowed his head deeply, cold sweat flooding his back. The dozen elite soldiers behind him immediately followed their commander’s example, kneeling in unison with faces full of terror.

"Please forgive us! Please forgive the rudeness of this blind servant, Your Excellency!" the commander shouted with a trembling voice. "This servant did not realize he was facing one of the pillars of the kingdom!"

Sylvia withdrew her hand from the crystal stone. The blinding light gradually faded. She regarded the soldiers prostrating before her with a calm, flat expression.

"No need to exaggerate, Commander," Sylvia said, casually waving her left hand as though shooing away a buzzing fly, completely unconcerned about this minor incident. "You were merely performing your duty of guarding the gate. Stand up; it is embarrassing to be seen by so many people."

Hearing Sylvia’s calm tone that contained no killing intent, the commander breathed a sigh of relief. He felt as though he had just been pulled back from the brink of hell. He slowly rose to his feet, although his posture remained bowed in absolute respect.

"Th-Thank you for your mercy, Your Excellency," he said with trembling lips. The commander’s eyes then carefully glanced toward Sol, who was licking its claws on Sylvia’s shoulder, and Noir, who sat calmly within the shadows. The auras of the two animals were unreadable, which only made them even more terrifying. On this continent, animals that concealed their auras were usually commander- or king-level monsters.

"M-May this servant be so bold as to ask," the commander said with extreme caution. "For administrative purposes... does Your Excellency possess a particular magic class or specialization? And... are these two companions of yours... contracted mutant monsters?"

Sylvia glanced at Sol and Noir, then smiled faintly. She decided to add a little flavor to her false identity so that her journey inside the city would be smoother and she would not be interrogated too much by local elders.

"Besides being a Rank 7 Mage," Sylvia said with a confident tone, pointing toward Sol and Noir, "I am also a Tamer (Beast Tamer). These two small creatures are my personal pets."

The moment the word "Tamer" left Sylvia’s lips, every soldier at the checkpoint and even several hunters in the front rows who could overhear their conversation drew a sharp breath simultaneously.

In the Tianhua Kingdom, the profession of Tamer or Beast Tamer was something far more respected, far more sacred, and far rarer than an ordinary mage of the same rank. This was due to the fundamental nature of the mutant monsters on this continent. Monsters here were born from radiation and chaos viruses; their minds were nothing more than collections of bloodlust and pure hatred. Taming them required soul control on the level of a heavenly miracle, a process that could drive ordinary mages into insanity if a monster’s soul counterattacked.

A Rank 7 Tamer was not merely a weapon of mass destruction. They were gods of strategy in warfare. They were believed capable of controlling an army of monsters alone, turning oceans of zombie waves into allies. Across the entire southern region of the kingdom, the number of Tamers who had reached Rank 5 could be counted on one hand.

Knowing that the girl before them was a Rank 7 Mage as well as a true Tamer, the respect radiating from the commander’s eyes now transformed into fanatical worship.

"A-A-A Grand Tamer!" the commander stammered, his hands moving quickly to process the registration. He typed something on the magical steel plate atop his desk at lightning speed. In a matter of seconds, the alchemy printing machine beside him produced a rectangular card made of pure black gold.

The commander held the card with both hands, bowed deeply, and offered it to Sylvia.

"This is the Highest-Level VIP Access Card for Black Lotus City, Your Excellency," the commander explained with extreme politeness. "This card grants you unlimited access to the entire noble district, the main library, and the deepest auction markets. Of course, because this is a new registration, the financial credit balance inside the card is still empty."

"Credit?" Sylvia asked while taking the black-gold card and twirling it between her fingertips.

"Correct, Your Excellency. In large cities we do not use raw monster crystal fragments for transactions; instead we use a magical digital credit system. If Your Excellency wishes to fill the credit, Your Excellency may sell valuable materials, or hunt high-rank zombies and mutant monsters through the Hunter Association located in the city center. Although... we are certain the Association and the City Lord will immediately offer their treasures free of charge upon learning of your arrival."

"Hunting zombies to earn pocket money," Sylvia chuckled softly. "A rather primitive concept, but acceptable for killing boredom."

She stored the card inside her spatial ring dimension. "Thank you for your cooperation, Commander. I will enter now."

"Please, Your Excellency! Welcome to Black Lotus City! May your presence bring blessings upon us all!" the commander shouted, followed by a weapon salute from every soldier at the post.

Sylvia walked through the checkpoint gate without looking back. Sol and Noir followed her in silence, ignoring the admiring stares of the hundreds of people still frozen outside the gate. The moment Sylvia’s silhouette disappeared beyond the main gate corridor of the city, the choking tension that had gripped the area finally dissolved.

The post commander slumped against the stone pillar, wiping the cold sweat that soaked his forehead and neck with the back of his trembling hand.

"C-Commander... who is that girl really?" whispered one of the young soldiers with a deathly pale face. "That aura earlier... I felt as though I was being stared at by the angel of death itself."

"Shut your mouth," the commander hissed while trying to regulate his breathing. "Didn’t you see her clothing and manner? She brought no escorts, falsified her identity as a wanderer, and treated us like passing wind."

The commander gazed at the dark corridor where Sylvia had vanished with a look full of awe. "She must be one of the highest nobles or perhaps a member of the royal family from the Central Capital who has grown bored. Those old elites often wander to the borders to ’mingle with the people’ and seek amusement by disguising themselves. We are extremely fortunate she was not in a bad mood, or my head and yours would already have been separated from our necks. Send a pigeon messenger to the City Lord’s Residence at once! Inform them that a sleeping dragon has just stepped into our garden!"