Lubin slowly opened his eyes, a throbbing headache in his brain.
A room packed with a noble’s aura welcomed his eyes. He was sprawled out on a wide, comfortable, snow-white bed. The walls around him were decorated, and the faint sunshine streamed in through the two enormous French windows.
“Where am I?”
Lubin sprang from his bed, muttering to himself. He ached all over. The last thing he remembered was asking Watson if he were a thief. Finally, something happened, leading him to pass out from exhaustion.
Lubin pushed through the entrance and found himself in a palace-shaped structure encircled by stone walls that sparkled with a platinum luster, with a staircase formed of rock that extended from the palace entrance to the ground.
There were nearly hundreds of palaces outside the building he was in that reminded him of home. He paused for a bit before recalling that familiar sensation. When he first arrived in Blackmoon Town, he noticed a moving wall. He knew that the wall was transformed from a lava golem. Then, he realized that it was the same as the castle.
His knees nearly buckled when he realized that, and he nearly tumbled down the stairs. He flinched as he knew he was walking on a scary platinum-tier summoned creature. If that palace shook, it could toss him against the wall and crush him to death.
Then, he noticed the same building opposite him. Andre, the mayor of Fairy Town, walked out from behind closed doors. It looked like he had a headache; he was rubbing the space between his brows.
Andre was taken aback when he saw him. “Lubin, why are you here? Aren’t I dead? Why do I see you? Are you dead too?”
Dead?
Why did Andre claim to be dead? What happened to Blackmoon Castle while he was unconscious?
Lubin was about to ask when he suddenly heard a man’s voice from beneath their feet. “My Lords, you’ve finally woken up. I’m a servant of Blackmoon Town. Master Watson has arranged for me to guard this place. I am to take you to visit him once you have awakened. Please, My Lords, follow me.”
The one who spoke was a handsome young man in a black robe with a crescent moon engraved on the chest and back of the robe. He smiled modestly as he motioned for them to follow him.
That servant exuded the powerful aura of a gold-tier warrior.
“A gold-tier servant?”
The corners of Lubin’s eyes twitched. He felt even more shocked than when he found out that the building was a platinum-tier giant.
A gold-tier elite in Torch Town would be a hero in control of a territory. Even he had to be polite to such an elite. However, it seemed like that man was only a servant in Blackmoon Town?
He looked at the servant again, realizing that the other party had a ring with flowing starlight on his index finger. It was the same as the ten rings on Watson’s hands. The young man had said that the ten rings were platinum-tier items, but he did not believe him. It seemed like he had no choice but believed it then.
He also heard Sylvan speak to Watson about the diamond-tier magical staff. It seemed that Watson was able to forge a diamond-tier weapon, and that was why he fainted.
When he first arrived, he did not care about Blackmoon Town, but he changed his mind—they were unfathomable.
He was uncertain, and he did not want to stand on a platinum-tier giant for a long time. He could only walk down the stairs quickly and came before the servant. He forced a smile and said, “I want to have a good talk with Young Master Watson. Lead the way!”
The servant did not move even though he heard his words.
“Young Master Watson is waiting for you in the city in the sky, my lords.”
The servant pointed at the enormous floating fortress above his head. “Because of the special nature of the floating city, it is impossible to go up using ordinary methods. Therefore, I will summon a mount for you.”
As he spoke, the servant stuffed his finger into his mouth and blew, letting out a sharp whistle.
Crack, crack!
They heard two crisp sounds before the ground where Lubin stood split open. Two rats as tall as a man and several meters long with six golden wings on their backs, which looked as if they were made of gold, crawled out with a squeaking sound. They pounced at him fiercely.
“Demon… Demon Rat?”
When he saw the rat, Lubin’s face paled. He took two steps backward abruptly and fell to the ground.
Even though the rat in front of him looked different from the demon rats that invaded Torch Town and had a stronger aura, he still recognized it at a glance. It was a demon rat, and it was a rather powerful gold-tier demon rat.
He did not expect such a rat would also invade Blackmoon Town. A silver-tier demon rat was all it took to make their town miserable. A gold-tier demon rat could possibly kill him there.
The moment he fell to the ground, one of the gold-tier goldbiter rats had already run up to him. Its cold and wet nose sniffed his body. Then, it opened its mouth, revealing its long and sharp fangs. Saliva dripped down its teeth and landed on his face.
“Don’t eat me!”
With a scream, Lubin reached out to cover his face. He did not manage to catch his breath and fainted.
Ever since he entered that town, he had been overwhelmed by shock like a nightmare.
“Wake up!”
“Lord Mayor, wake up.”
After an unknown amount of time, a slap finally roused Lubin.
The person who slapped him was the servant from Blackmoon Town. He was explaining to him helplessly. “Lord Mayor, please don’t panic. This isn’t a devil rat; it’s the goldbiter rat! Young Master Watson destroyed the real Heaven-devouring Rat King and used the fusion magic to create a new one. So, the goldbiter rat swarm is now under our control. Don’t worry; they won’t hurt anyone.”
As if to verify his words, the servant walked in front of a goldbiter rat and gently patted its head. The rat rubbed against his palm and let out a small cry; it appeared very intimate.
“Killed the Heaven-devouring Rat King? I want to talk to Young Master Watson, but—”
Andre’s voice echoed. No one knew when he had arrived next to Lubin.
“But I will not ride on such a rat. I am a gold-tier warrior. If I want to fly toward the sky, I can do it myself.”
He should have died, but he did not die; someone must have rescued him. He had seen it when Lubin was scared unconscious by the goldbiter rat, and someone had to wake him up.
It was disgraceful for a dignified mayor to be frightened by a magical beast. However, he did not show any contempt because he knew that the goldbiter rats were very dangerous.
He watched the gold-tier goldbiter rat in front of him vigilantly. A hint of fear appeared in his eyes. Before he fainted, his bones had been shattered by a platinum-tier goldbiter rat. Even though he did not know whether Lord Sylvan or someone from Blackmoon Town had saved him, he had already developed a fear over those rats.
“I don’t want to ride on that rat either. Don’t you have better mounts?”
Lubin also looked reluctant. When the servant saw that, he smiled humbly. “Of course, we have better mounts, but if you want to ride on better mounts, you’ll need to pay.”
“How much?”
“Not much; 100 gold coins each time.”
What?
100 gold coins?
Lubin was dumbfounded. “Are these mounts made of gold, or are the items on the mounts made of gold?”
It was only a ride, but it was so expensive. Perhaps Blackmoon Town wanted to take revenge on him for pointing out the bandits, or maybe he was a sucker. The first option was more likely. Otherwise, why would he have to suffer so much fear and torture after he had awakened?
“Because our mount is worth that price. If you are not satisfied, my lord, you can choose to ride on the goldbiter mouse or let me take you up. It’s free,” the servant replied.
“Wait a minute, let me see the mount you have prepared for me?”
It was clear that riding a gold-tier magical beast was free, but riding a better one would cost a hundred gold coins. That aroused his curiosity.
“Since you would like to see it, my lord, I can summon it.”
The servant smiled and whistled at the sky again. This time, the whistle sounded different. It was long and loud, and it shot straight up to the clouds.
Roar!
A massive hole was torn in the clouds in the sky not long after they heard the whistle. A dragon’s roar exploded across the entire town. Then, a massive dragon clothed in gleaming diamond scales wrapped itself around the nebula; it was more than 200 meters long. It stretched its wings and dropped from the sky.
A significantly smaller pure-blooded phoenix stood behind the massive dragon. White flames wrapped around its feathers, and ice flowers bloomed everywhere it went.
The dragon and phoenix cried out in unison, and the two magical beasts danced in the thick clouds, outlining a magnificent scene.
“Lord Mayor, these two magical beasts are the strongest in Blackmoon Town. One of them is the Diamond Star Dragon, and the other is a pure-blooded Frost Phoenix. They are magical beasts that are rarely seen in a hundred years! Don’t you think it will cost more than a hundred gold coins to ride on a magical beast of this level?” The servant turned around and asked Lubin that question.
Those two magical beasts not only had the ability to guard the city, but they were also a means for Watson to make money. Watson had already served the various mayors before they arrived. If a specific mayor wanted to show up, he would beg for money to ride on those two wondrous beasts.
The servant reasoned that if he performed the mission assigned to him by Young Master Watson, he might be able to receive a reward. He saw Fubin fall to his knees with a plop. His face was pale as he glanced up at the sky.
He asked swiftly, “Lord Mayor, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
Lubin remained mute. It was not so much that he was not feeling well as he lacked the strength to face the dragon’s might. He felt a sense of servitude from the depths of his heart.
It was a diamond-tier dragon. Even the most powerful sword saint in the kingdom could only reach the diamond tier.
A formidable magical beast guarded Blackmoon Town, indeed. He could not believe the platinum-tier item in Watson’s hands was genuine, but he also could not believe the dragon soaring above his head was a diamond-tier beast. Every cell in his body trembled as a result of the relentless pressure emanating from above his head—the pressure from a high-level life form could not be feigned.
It was not much to pay a hundred gold pieces to ride on a heavenly beast of that rank; most would never have the opportunity to meet, let alone ride a divine beast in their lifetime. However, he did not have enough strength to support his ride. The Diamond Star Dragon flew through the sky, and the immense pressure kept his body from trembling. If he were to fall, he would immediately suffocate.
“I want—”
Lubin was about to say that he wanted to think about it, but a servant interrupted him. “Do you really want to ride them? I can call those two divine creatures now.”
The servant whistled into the skies as soon as he finished speaking. In a fierce wind, the Diamond Stardust Dragon and the Frost Phoenix landed. Lubin could see every diamond scale on the Diamond Stardust Dragon’s body, long dragon horns, and commanding eyes as they approached closer. Every aspect exuded strength and beauty.
The majestic dragon race had left an impression on him. In addition to the storm, Lubin felt as if his mind was blank, and he could not breathe. His awareness gradually disappeared. Before he passed out, he heard the retorts of Blackmoon Town’s servants.
“No way! Why did you faint again? This is the third time today. Your mental endurance is too insufficient! Young Master Watson is still expecting me to bring you to him. If this continues, I shall be penalized.”
‘Who said that I couldn’t ride? You cut me off before I could complete my sentence. You smart alec!’
Lubin wanted to curse the man. Then, a buzzing sound erupted in his head. He could not stand it any longer and passed out for the third time.
