Outside the City of Steel.
The city walls, formed like iron barrels, flickered with a metallic luster. A closer inspection revealed that those city walls were not composed of metal. Instead, they were embedded with different colored nameplates, such as bronze, silver, and gold. Those nameplates formerly belonged to elites from various adventurer teams. After their deaths, their nameplates were molded onto the city walls, turning them into a unique monument.
The city wall was adorned with nameplates, demonstrating the city’s enthusiasm for adventure.
Watson was successfully enticed to enter the Adventurers’ Association after Annie’s introduction. Nightingale drove the carriage slowly into the City of Steel. Meanwhile, Clyde and the others were in charge of negotiating with and paying the guards at the gate.
When Watson realized that Clyde and the others were injured, he wanted them to sit in the carriage while he walked. Finally, Clyde and the others were adamant about it, so he had no choice but to return to the carriage.
He observed the countryside via the carriage window, which was in stark contrast to the border. He also saw many adventurers that went past the carriage. Then, Watson asked, “Why is there an Adventurers’ Association in the City of Steel, Master? Additionally, adventurers must pass a ranking test each year. I have never heard of this while we were at the border.”
“The border is like a pool of stagnant water. Sylvan made numerous sacrifices to rule the border. As I’ve already stated, the Holy Dragon Kingdom is enormous and magnificent. I brought you here to experience it for yourself.”
Antonio’s arms were wrapped around the Diamond World Tree staff, which had been disguised to appear ordinary. He rested his back against the carriage and closed his eyes. “Watson, I heard that you just entered the most famous underground city in the City of Steel, the labyrinth. Did you show your strength in front of outsiders?”
“Yes, Master. I had to show my strength because we encountered a gold-tier magical beast. If I didn’t do anything, others would have died,” Watson replied carefully.
After they left the border, he had to hide his strength, and Antonio also warned him to be careful. He did not know if his actions would make his master angry.
“Using your strength to protect others is not a bad thing! You have seen many ruins on the border. How does that underground maze feel compared to what you know?”
Watson heaved a sigh of relief when he realized that Antonio did not care about that. “I think the underground maze is more of a training ground than a ruin. It includes a reward mechanism. That is different from everything I know. I think that the underground city is man-made.”
Perhaps like when he had fused the ruins.
“It is as I had expected, Watson. You are my most outstanding disciple. You immediately saw through the labyrinth! That’s right, that maze was man-made. It was created by the founding emperor, Landhar I. Its purpose was to train the people in the kingdom, including the reward system set up in the maze’s deepest levels. We are not making a hasty visit to the royal city but to cultivate. The underground city is your first trial. We will stay here until you pass it before we set off again.”
“Yes, Master. I understand.” Watson nodded in understanding.
He was a platinum-tier elite. Regular training would not have any effect on him. Since his master said that the underground maze was helpful for his training, it must have been beneficial. “Today, I went down more than ten levels in the underground city and encountered an evil gold-tier magical beast. I heard that the entire maze has a hundred levels. I don’t know about the difficulties down there. I feel like I don’t have complete confidence in passing this test! The late king who created that underground maze must have been an impressive elite.”
“Don’t you think that only the current sword saint could have successfully navigated that underground city since its inception? Of course, it’s very difficult.”
Antonio smiled. He turned his head and spoke softly where Watson could not see him.
“What’s going on? What’s in the labyrinth that could rattle a little monster like Watson? I’ve been there before, but there’s nothing special there. I only let Watson go down because the things at the bottom levels would be useful to him. Did something change while I was away?”
..
Ten minutes later, at the Adventurers’ Association.
The Adventurers’ Association was located on the City of Steel’s main road. As soon as they arrived, they could almost see it. The entire structure was composed of a cluster of spiky structures. A giant sign—Adventurers’ Association—was hung in front of the door, and an endless stream of adventurers entered and exited the building.
A stretch of a courtyard surrounded the Adventurers’ Association. There were lovely decorations throughout the space, such as a fountain garden in the yard, as well as huge open spaces for duels.
At the moment, a significant number of magnificent carriages were parked at the association’s entrance. Numerous silver and even gold-tier monsters were used to pull the carriages. Watson’s carriage was not conspicuous among those gorgeous carriages.
“Young Master Watson, we have arrived at the Adventurers’ Association.”
Clyde assisted Watson in exiting the carriage. Nightingale, Denise, and Antonio also got down from the carriage.
“Let me introduce you to my master.”
After exiting the carriage, Watson introduced Antonio to the entire group. Clyde and the others did not dare to ignore him; they hurriedly bowed respectfully to greet him. Watson was already a force to be reckoned with; how powerful was his master?
With that thought in mind, they observed Antonio thoroughly. They discovered that his master was actually quite young. Additionally, he appeared to be asleep. He was so handsome that he did not look like a human. Plus, he seemed to be somewhat familiar. However, they had no idea where they had previously seen that individual.
“Do not just stand there like a fool. Let’s go in for the test.” Watson prodded him as he noticed that Clyde and the others were staring at Antonio. He was not worried that others would recognize his teacher. After all, he had changed so much that even those closest to him might not recognize him.
Watson entered the Adventurers’ Association’s hall, slightly excited. It was densely packed with many other adventurers. Women in black gauze and exposed clothing, while muscular men wore heavy armor. It was the first time he had encountered such a fresh sensation since he transmigrated to that world.
“Young Master Watson, if you want to test your strength, please come over here. There’s a counter here! I recommend that you establish an adventurer team after this test. If you think that it’s too troublesome, you can join our adventurer team. We’ve wanted to rise from bronze to silver-tier for a long time. I’ll be satisfied with silver-tier, let alone gold-tier.”
Annie held Watson’s hand affectionately as she pulled him toward the counter. Then, Clyde interrupted with a solemn expression. “Annie, don’t be ridiculous. Don’t you know Young Master Watson’s identity? Why would he join our adventurer team?” As he spoke, he glanced at Watson with faint anticipation.
“Joining your adventurer team doesn’t appear to be all that bad. After all, I lack the time to manage my own adventurer team. It’s decided then.” Watson massaged his chin as he nodded in agreement.
“Yay! Long live Young Master Watson! With you, the Blood Rose Adventurer Team can finally be promoted!” Annie cheered excitedly in front of the counter. Her speech displeased a slender, silver-haired man who was also queuing in front of the counter.
“Blood Rose? Isn’t that a bronze-tier adventurer team? An insignificant bronze-tier adventurer team dares to make a ruckus here? What a disgrace! If I were you, I’d get the hell out of here right now!”
