“Master, should we help that human?”
After leaving the puppet arena, they sat in a high-end restaurant with few customers.
Lisette, sitting beside Ye Qiyan, quietly asked.
Not long ago, the human named Magnus had invited Ye Qiyan to join his teammates for the upcoming Hunting Military Gathering.
Ye Qiyan had not refused. Two days later they were to meet at that same puppet arena and, with a train level of 15, enter the intermediate group’s hunting competition.
“Not exactly ‘helping.’ Since we’re already here, wouldn’t it be a shame not to take part in this city’s signature festival? Besides…”
Ye Qiyan tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
“The bigger the gathering, the more likely something will happen. Zhu Xingshu, Menrojina, Abukado, or someone else I don’t even know—at a meeting two days from now, surely someone will be unable to resist making a big move first.”
“I will protect Master. Um, Eve says she will too.”
Just as Ye Qiyan suspected.
As the Hunting Military Gathering approached, all six major city-states of Miranda City went on alert.
From the outside, other Train Conductors seeking entry into Miranda City faced stricter checks. Not only were train level and number inspected, but some of their own abilities had to be registered.
Such measures were intolerable to Conductors whose nature is freedom.
Word of this spread by mouth, and over the past two days far fewer people entered Miranda City.
After all, no one wanted to expose their secrets just to take part in a single Hunting Military Gathering.
In addition, Abukado officially declared itself Miranda City’s contracted organization, and all bounty notices were withdrawn.
By contrast, the Emperor’s Order behaved completely differently. As the most active terrorist organization these recent days, the amounts on all their bounty notices had at least doubled.
Originally, those bounty notices were only to send a message—showing how dangerous the Emperor’s Order was.
But Abukado proactively sent people to declare that they would fight the Emperor’s Order to the death, defeat every member, and claim the rewards posted on those notices.
Moreover, other minor incidents had occurred over the past two days: a gladiator with a 100-victory streak named Rumir appeared in the arena; he would receive a train and citizenship personally granted by Tengo at the Hunting Military Gathering. Some people had gone missing; mysterious figures had shown up in city corners gambling lives; violent incidents across the city-states had surged...
All of this plunged Miranda City into a strange, frenzied atmosphere. The Bloodline Frenzy that once existed only in the arena now spread throughout the world.
————
Snow mixed with the wind.
The icy cold dulled some of the fervor.
This city, which could be called a nation, saw snow year-round.
Inside a dark alley, several corpses were carelessly piled up.
Even in the cold, scavenging insects had already appeared.
Stray cats and dogs curled up beneath still-warm corpses. A few drifters lit barrels for warmth and gathered together, watching Ye Qiyan walk down the street with two mechanical girls with envious eyes.
Violence was increasing.
Magic-driven slayer hunters belonging to Miranda’s central city patrolled the streets.
Today was the day to meet Magnus and head to the Hunting Military Gathering.
Inside that puppet arena shop, Magnus, clad in high-grade armor and wielding a long sword burning with silver-white flames, stood not far away surrounded by a cluster of children who adored him. He seemed to bask in their affection.
“Oh! Li Xiaosheng, you made it! I’ve been waiting forever. What do you think? My parents gave me this set of gear—pretty great, right?”
He was a Train Second Generation, the kind who had no qualms about enjoying parental care.
“Pretty good.”
“Haha, of course. This is all level-6 gear, and this sword is even level-7! In the intermediate group of the gathering, with our strength we can easily take the Hero title. By the way, I don’t know what’s been up with me these past two days, but I just feel exceptionally good! Maybe even heaven itself is on my side!”
Ye Qiyan smiled at Magnus, but in his mind he replayed the message Menrojina had sent him yesterday.
“Brother Ye, the amount of magical influence in this world’s air is increasing. If I’m right, it’s the power of an A-grade God. That A-grade God weakens all non-magic-side forces in this world, making non-magic items require far more mental and physical effort to use. Brother Ye, you can leave. This event is just one of that charlatan’s whims. You don’t need to waste your time here.”
Magnus’s abilities were magic-side, so with the increase in magical influence it made sense that his condition had improved.
Still, it didn’t affect Ye Qiyan much.
At most, it increased mental expenditure.
Eve and Lisette were mentally linked to him; even if their mental load reached a tipping point, it would not plunge them into a harmful mental state.
But an A-grade God?
This world was getting more interesting by the minute.
Abukado, Emperor’s Order traitors, now the power of a god.
And that Mr. Order disguised as a slave gladiator doing who-knows-what.
At the upcoming Hunting Military Gathering, maybe everyone would converge.
“Let’s go.”
They boarded a unicorn-drawn carriage heading to the gathering registration.
Magnus watched the brawling people outside the window and seemed slightly distracted.
“Li Xiaosheng, imagine if I became a Hero and had all those Conductors who once failed become my supporters, joining me in conquering Station Worlds. Wouldn’t that be great? Then they wouldn’t be stuck in this city reduced to begging, enduring scorn, and—”
His words cut off mid-sentence, because their destination was not far.
On the southwest side of this city-state.
A large hunting force had already gathered here, comprised of many Train Conductors and native humans from the city-states.
They waited at this spot.
All eyes turned to the giant light screen at the center square that every city-state had.
It showed a Northern Man with closed eyes, the ruler of all Miranda City.
Agula Tengo.
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