Chapter 483
by post_apiChapter 483: The Fortress of Steel
“Zhang Mu, that over there is Era City, with a bronze mirror on top to check people’s identities. Xun’er won’t be able to pass.”
Bringing Zhang Mu here, Luo Wanxun’s fondness for him kept growing stronger.
Zhang Mu looked at the Era City in the distance, now transformed into a fortress, feeling a mix of emotions.
If he remembered correctly, this Era City was controlled by an Era Sub-merchant.
The path of history slowly returned to the right track.
Xun’er told him on the way where he was. Zhang Mu was surprised to realize he was in Suzhou. The river he climbed out of is part of the Grand Canal of Beijing-Hangzhou.
When he found out, he was confused. He remembered being in Ordos City, but now he was in Suzhou. It was unbelievable.
Calming down, he credited the King of Warhorses for his rescue. Maybe it had the power to teleport him.
Zhang Mu guessed right about the King of Warhorses, but wrong about the process. It couldn’t teleport him directly from Ordos City to Suzhou.
Instead of teleporting, it sent him into a space crack. At least it was better than dying.
Zhang Mu ended up in an underground river hundreds of meters under the quicksand of Ordos City, floating downstream. Luckily, there weren’t many dangerous mutant beasts then, or he wouldn’t have survived with just a Blood Lotus protecting him.
The steel castle brought back memories. The Era Sub-merchants should have all advanced to junior rank, and Era City was fully restored. They realized its importance.
The steel castle was built by metal evolvers, destroying the old earth structures and rebuilding with a special metal. It is the largest Era City in the south.
The city was built to protect against mutant beast attacks, but it later became a symbol of human civilization in Era City.
“Thank you, Xun’er.”
Zhang Mu smiled and said to Luo Wanxun, finding her manner of speaking and voice familiar and comforting. They got along well, but he didn’t notice Luo Wanxun’s misunderstanding about The Source of Wood aura on him.
“Zhang Mu, will you go into the Era Battlefield?”
Suddenly, Luo Wanxun, feeling like she was about to be separated from Zhang Mu, bit her lip and asked.
Zhang Mu confidently replied, “Of course, if all goes well, I definitely want to enter the Era Battlefield.”
Also, Xun’er, you should control your energy at your current level and not evolve further. When you break through to the peak of the third-rank, you will automatically enter the Era Battlefield.
By then, there may not only be battles, but the likelihood of becoming cannon fodder is high. Entering the Era Battlefield at the peak of the third-rank is like being a small soldier. The real strategists and decision-makers are those at the fourth-rank.”
Do we really need to go to the Era Battlefield? Is fighting really that interesting?
Luo Wanxun nodded absentmindedly, as if she hadn’t heard what Zhang Mu said afterwards.
Zhang Mu was eager to enter Era City. After thanking her again, he quickly urged Luo Wanxun to go back while he left.
Watching Zhang Mu’s retreating figure, Luo Wanxun stamped her foot in anger and muttered under her breath.
“Miss didn’t let Xun’er go in, and silly Zhang Mu also didn’t let Xun’er go. Now you all went without me to play. I want to see if Era Battlefield is really that fun. Since you all want to go, Xun’er wants to go too!
Hmph, still treating Xun’er as cannon fodder. Silly Zhang Mu, daring to look down on Xun’er. When we meet in Era Battlefield, you’ll be surprised to see Xun’er.”
Zhang Mu was unaware of the many things Luo Wanxun said behind his back, as he focused on getting closer to Era City.
Indeed, similar to the future, after two and a half years, the defenses of the city wall and guards had been significantly upgraded.
Era City was bustling, with many satellite towns surrounding the fortress. People were streaming into the city, and Zhang Mu blended in with the crowd entering the city.
The City Guards were bored. They were all at the initial level of third-rank strength, part of the group of people who had no hope of entering Era Battlefield. Those at the peak of third-rank had already been recruited, facing the greatest threat to humanity together.
Above the city gate, there was a special mirror called the Demon-Identifying Mirror, exchanged by the City Master from the Era Store. It could distinguish humans without their interference.
They only needed to maintain normal order, so they had plenty of leisure time.
The reason for exchanging this mirror was that the Era Sub-merchant was a pure racist. He hung similar Demon-Identifying Mirrors at all city entrances he controlled, to prevent any other race from mixing with humans.
Even in the peaceful Era City, he placed one too. He couldn’t tolerate any other race setting foot on his territory.
However, not all humans were like this. Before the Era Battlefield began, many humans were willing to trade and interact friendly with shapeshifting beings, even living together and intermarrying was common.
After entering the third-rank, they were no longer pure fierce beasts. People who had experienced the apocalypse were more open-minded. Some even found a different attraction in the opposite sex of another race.
However, once the Era Battlefield opened, all that dissolved, as the racial strife was meant to make them fight each other, breaking any bonds between races forcibly.
Thinking about all this in connection with the events of the Dayuan Calendar three years later, it was soon Zhang Mu’s turn.
“In the early stage of the third-rank, it’s still okay.”
Awaken abilities, don’t you have any?
The lazy City Guard glanced at Zhang Mu and saw no movement in the magic mirror, then waved his hand for Zhang Mu to pass.
Despite only being at the beginning of the third rank, Zhang Mu was quite strong in the current situation. The City Guard himself only had this level of strength, but when he saw that there were no awakened abilities, he didn’t want to look at Zhang Mu anymore.
An evolver without awakened abilities, it’s unknown how he was promoted.
After Zhang Mu entered the city, the City Guard lazily basked in the sun again.
However, what no one noticed was that the magic mirror, which had always been calm, suddenly flashed a barely perceptible green light.
……