Chapter 4: Something Feels Off
The communication was cut off. Inside the cave, Su Xiao began to organize his thoughts.
The main mission seemed complicated, but in reality, it was quite simple. The first few rings were just guidance, and the ultimate goal was to find that over 10,000 ounces of space-time power, which meant Xia's location.
Space, a split white goat, a large number of tentacles—the intelligence was far too scarce, and Su Xiao could deduce very little from it.
Fortunately, the main mission could provide guidance. The first ring of the main mission was to reach "Kir City" and join the local Wizards' Association.
This wasn't too difficult, but judging from the mission difficulty of Lv.49, it wasn't simple either.
Su Xiao arrived below the cave entrance. Seeing this, Baha flew down and carried Su Xiao and Bubu Wang out of the cave.
Bright sunlight came into view. Su Xiao released Baha's claws and landed steadily.
Beneath his feet was lush green grassland. A few winged birds flew overhead, letting out crisp chirps.
With a large number of contractors entering, this world was still in the age of cold weapons. This indicated that the contractors were bound by some degree of restriction, such as not being allowed to guide the indigenous residents in developing technology, or perhaps the Wizards' Association forbade it, or maybe this world simply couldn't develop technology.
In most cases, the mystical side and the technological side didn't get along. As for which was the correct development path, it depended on the situation of each world.
The grassland Su Xiao was on wasn't large. He hadn't walked far before reaching a winding mountain range.
Reincarnation Paradise had already indicated the location of "Kir City," about 30 kilometers away from Su Xiao. The scenery along the way was nice, and although he encountered many wild beasts, they were generally weak.
In other words, the supernatural creatures in this world were already endangered. In the eyes of wizards, they were treasures from head to toe. The preparation of magic potions required the organs, fur, and other parts of supernatural creatures.
Becoming a wizard was neither difficult nor simple. First was potential, which was a necessary condition for becoming a wizard.
Those with potential didn't become wizards through cultivation—that was useless. Magic potions were the key. Drinking a magic potion was the beginning of a wizard's journey.
Potential + Magic Potion = Gray Wizard. The type of supernatural ability a wizard gained was closely tied to their own potential.
After an ordinary person became a Gray Wizard, they would have combat power equivalent to the third rank. After familiarizing themselves with their abilities and undergoing initial development, they could reach fifth-rank combat power.
This was almost unreasonable, but that was the reality. However, it wasn't without risk. Drinking a magic potion was a very dangerous process. One had to first become a "monster" and then return to being human.
The process was very tedious, and only the "Wizards' Association" possessed the relevant technology. Because of this, wild wizards were almost impossible to exist, and there was no need for them to exist, since the "Wizards' Association" wasn't some kind of power organization. After becoming a wizard, one just needed to register, and they could enjoy various benefits. No new wizard would refuse.
Gray Wizards had the opportunity to continue growing stronger. Some wizards grew through combat, others through ascetic cultivation. The methods of strengthening were diverse, but they all revolved around one point: they needed to regularly "meditate on" the Wizard's Eye.
What exactly the Wizard's Eye was, Su Xiao wasn't sure yet. It was said that every wizard could "meditate on" it.
After a Gray Wizard advanced, they became an Arcane Wizard. At this level, the combat system was completely fixed, granting sixth-rank combat power. Arcane Wizards were few in number, and their strength varied.
As for the strongest Immortal Wizards, there were only three, and they had all lived to this day. Those three Immortal Wizards were the highest authorities of the "Wizards' Association."
Su Xiao's feeling about wizards was that they gained power too quickly, so fast that it seemed abnormal.
With Su Xiao's travel speed, he soon arrived near "Kir City." From a distance, he could see the low city walls.
From afar, it was clear that Kir City was quite large, roughly equivalent to a modern town.
Such a city should have had towering walls, but Kir City's walls were less than five meters high. Inside, a pointed-roof building was clearly visible.
This situation indicated that the Wizard World had no wars, nor any foreign invasions. Therefore, there was no need to build the walls so high. The walls were mainly for show, to block wind and sand, and to prevent wild beasts from entering the city.
Arriving at the city gate, Su Xiao didn't see any city guards. Civilians were entering and exiting freely, and judging by their expressions, they were long accustomed to coming and going as they pleased.
Dong~ Dong~
The sound of a bell came from within the city. Su Xiao paused for a moment, and the sound immediately disappeared.
Su Xiao blended into the crowd entering the city and passed through the city gate's corridor, smoothly entering Kir City.
As soon as he entered the city, Su Xiao heard the bustling noise of people. Street vendors were hawking their wares, and there were quite a few pedestrians on the road. The stone-paved road wasn't very clean, with various suspicious objects that, after being exposed to the sun, emitted a foul, strange smell.
"Stop, thief!"
A vendor in gray linen clothes shouted angrily.
A thin figure ran down the street, his face dirty, looking less than ten years old.
The little boy didn't run far before a large hand grabbed the back of his collar.
A man wearing a metal helmet and armor, with cold eyes, lifted the little boy. Judging by his attire, this man was likely a city soldier.
"I... I'm too hungry..."
The little boy was terrified to the extreme, his whole body trembling.
"Shut up."
The soldier carried the little boy, his gaze flicking toward Su Xiao, as if Su Xiao was a "special" existence worth noting.
Although the Wizards' Association didn't directly manage the commoners, various subordinate departments did. That soldier was a member of the "Guard Force," mainly responsible for city security.
But ultimately, power was still in the hands of the wizards. They possessed absolute strength. Strangely enough, wizards didn't easily interfere in the lives of commoners. A delicate balance was struck between the two. Because their needs differed, they didn't oppress the commoners, which prevented large-scale uprisings.
Most wizards were obsessed with mysticism. They needed supernatural items. Commoners who obtained such items had no practical use for them, so the best way was to sell them to wizards for a large sum of silver coins. Silver was sacred in this world, more valuable than gold or gems.
Watching the soldier walk away, Su Xiao's eyes showed a thoughtful expression.
"An interesting division of power systems, but... something is definitely off."
For some reason, Su Xiao felt that this world was very abnormal. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but it seemed that everything he saw was obscured by something.
"Boss, that tallest building is the Wizards' Association, right?"
"Probably."
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, meaning that it felt something was wrong with the surroundings. No, it was the entire world that felt wrong. After it merged into the environment, it could vaguely smell a decaying odor.
Just as Su Xiao was about to continue walking forward, a woman approaching from the opposite direction caught his attention. She was unmistakably a Violator. The number of Violators in this world was astonishingly high.
The woman approaching wore a single earring and was chewing something. She also noticed Su Xiao, paused for a moment, and then continued walking toward him.
"The scenery you're seeing now... it's nice, isn't it?"
The female Violator winked at Su Xiao, clearly not intending to fight him, and her words were very meaningful.
Until the female Violator walked away, Su Xiao didn't make a move. He wasn't in the habit of meddling in others' affairs. If she hadn't been a Violator from Reincarnation Paradise, Reincarnation Paradise would have given a warning.
Under the scorching sun, Su Xiao arrived in front of the tallest building in the city. This was a pointed-roof structure, about thirty meters high, with outer walls that hadn't been repaired for a long time. This was the Wizards' Association branch.
Throughout the journey, Su Xiao had been pondering what exactly was wrong. This world was unnaturally peaceful. Every person on the street had happiness and contentment written on their faces.