Chapter Seventy-Nine: The City of Rainbows

Today was the day to head to the city for the Hunter Tournament. Ye Ling woke up early, dressed herself up beautifully, and then stepped out through the window. In a flash of light, she appeared in Xie Liu and the others’ dormitory.

“Aaaaah!” The screams from Dorm 414 sounded like a pig being slaughtered. “Girls, avert your eyes!”

Ye Ling watched expressionlessly as Lin Yang dashed past her, bare as the day he was born, and remarked irritably, “Does your mother know how energetic you lot are this early in the morning?”

“And you—why are you screaming? You’re a grown man. I’m a girl and I haven’t said a word, but look at you, running faster than a rabbit. So what if I saw you? Are you going to lose a few pounds of flesh? Also, you haven’t washed your sheets in half a year and you sleep naked—aren’t you afraid of getting a rash? Or do you really think you’re so naturally gifted in the looks department?” Ye Ling’s words fired off like a rapid barrage, bombarding Lin Yang as he fled into the washroom.

Besides Lin Yang, the other boys were also scrambling out of bed, disheveled. Xie Liu was wearing only big shorts, his hair a tangled mess, half-asleep, chewing on a toothbrush that looked like it had been used for years, brushing up, down, left, and right with no shame at all. He met Ye Ling’s gaze and, with a muffled voice, asked, “So, what’s your intention coming here so early to peep at us?”

“Peep at you? Please, if I were peeping, I’d at least go for Lin Yang’s devastating good looks. Who do you think you are?” Ye Ling retorted without missing a beat. “It’s almost ten o’clock and you’re all still in bed—just how lazy can you get? Is this what being university students looks like? Or is it the university taking advantage of you?”

Xie Liu frowned. He felt as though Ye Ling’s tongue was growing sharper by the day. Had she been influenced by hanging around them too long? No, it must be his imagination.

“Hurry up already! Aren’t we supposed to go to the Hunter Tournament today?” Ye Ling, for once, spoke patiently and with a rare good temper. From the look on her face, she’d been looking forward to this so-called Hunter Tournament for a long time.

“What’s the rush?” Gong Hou pulled an oversized shirt over his head. “It doesn’t officially start until tonight. The tournament usually lasts three days—you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy yourself.”

“But I heard there’s an opening ceremony at noon today! That’s tens of thousands of hunters—how spectacular! And they say that rank-ten veterans who served in the hunting teams will be there. Is that true? Will we see Uncle Pika, the ‘Radiant Redeemer’ from twenty-seven years ago?”

“I loved his role as the genius detective—so handsome! Is that the charm of a mature man?” Ye Ling’s eyes sparkled. “You should’ve seen it, when he revealed the chef as the murderer in the last episode of ‘The Murderous Wardrobe.’ Simply stunning.”

“The chef was the murderer? Why does that sound so familiar?” Xie Liu scratched his head. He felt sure he’d heard that somewhere before, but after thinking for a while with no answer, he gave up. There’s nothing in this world that can’t be accomplished—so long as you’re willing to give up. That’s Xie Liu for you.

…

Meanwhile, at the Black Estate, Hokkaido Branch.

Angela rose early, preparing a sumptuous breakfast with the maids. Feeling the bright weather outside, her mood soared, though even she couldn’t say exactly why. Perhaps it was because today, she would go to the Hunter Tournament with her sisters.

Franney descended the stairs as Angela was finishing breakfast. She wore a gorgeous long dress that accentuated her graceful curves.

Seeing Angela in her maid outfit, Franney shook her head with a smile. “Angela, why are you wearing that again?”

Angela was earnest about everything—to a fault. Once, Franney had joked with her that if she wanted to cook well, she should dress as a maid. Since then, Angela had worn a maid uniform every time she cooked, and surprisingly, she almost resembled a real maid.

Angela blushed, her jewel-like eyes fixed on Franney, glancing repeatedly at the lavish breakfast. Franney understood—Angela was urging her to eat while it was hot. She sat at the head of the table, laughing, “All right, all right. Our Princess Angela has cooked for us herself. That’s a rare luxury—how could I miss it?”

Ten minutes later, Wendy tumbled out of her room, bounding downstairs on all fours. “Ahhh, my breakfast!”

Angela smiled, handing her a delicate pastry. Wendy, moved to tears, hugged Angela tightly. “Angela, I love you so much—marry me!”

Of course, Angela didn’t take her seriously, but at those words, the smile slowly faded from her face. For a moment, her thoughts drifted far away.

…

Ye Ling was the first to charge into Vladimir’s office. Vladimir, looking no more than twenty, was already dressed and waiting. Seeing Ye Ling, he spoke, “Is everyone here? Then let’s go. This time, we’re departing from the China Branch.”

He tapped the virtual keyboard on his desk, and instantly the floor-to-ceiling glass behind him vanished, revealing a seemingly endless tunnel. Unfazed, Ye Ling and the others stepped right in.

The passage was not short—they walked for four or five minutes without reaching the end. Growing impatient, Ye Ling asked, “Do we have a branch here too? How come I never knew?”

“You just never paid attention. Yes, we have a branch here. In fact, it’s right beneath our feet. This is another marvel of Fantasy City’s advanced technology,” Lin Yang explained, and Xie Liu continued, “The China Branch is the largest aside from headquarters, and the only one with a population over ten million. Its area is larger than an entire S City.”

“That’s right,” Vladimir confirmed. “The China Branch has the oldest history and once created a legacy of glory. Though it can’t compare to headquarters now, in the distant past it even surpassed it, becoming the heart of the city.”

He led them to a dim square, lit only by scattered green lights. Ye Ling could barely see ten meters ahead.

“What is this place?” she asked curiously.

“This is the city’s entrance, what we call Level Zero,” Xie Liu replied. Just then, a white light appeared on the ground—a small elevator platform rose into view. They all stepped onto it.

“So the China Branch is underground?” Ye Ling asked as the platform descended. Xie Liu only smiled slyly. “Not telling you.”

“Fine, I’ll ask Lin Yang.” Ye Ling rolled her eyes and turned to Lin Yang. “What’s the China Branch like?”

“You’ll see when you get there. But since you asked, I’ll tell you: there are twenty-two underground levels. But they aren’t stacked like a layer cake—they’re scattered, divided into three main sections: the Near-Surface Layer, the Meso Layer, and the Geothermal Layer.” Lin Yang pointed upward. “Besides that, there are Level Zero entrances—over three thousand of them connect directly to the surface. This is one of them.”

“There are also some surface facilities and an underwater city. The China Branch is vast, and the strongest branch—no exceptions. It handles a third of Fantasy City’s research projects. By the way, you’ve seen the phenomenal-class battleships, right? One of the four main ships, the ‘Celestial’ class, is stationed here.”

“Is it really that impressive?” Ye Ling exclaimed, and Lin Yang nodded. “Fantasy City’s headquarters and the China Branch anchor east and west, connecting smaller branches and maintaining control over the world.”

In Ye Ling’s mind, she pictured a binary star system—two massive stars spinning together, surrounded by countless smaller ones.

“The China Branch is also the birthplace of the Hunter Society. The original headquarters was here, but after the ‘Songstress Uprising,’ it moved to headquarters. Since then, all Hunter Tournaments have been held there,” Vladimir added. As he finished, he abruptly changed the subject, “Alright, we’re here. Take note—we’re on the sixth level, one of the Near-Surface Layers.”

Sure enough, as Vladimir finished, a deep female voice echoed from the darkness: “Welcome to Fantasy City’s China Branch. Next stop: Level Six, the City of Rainbows. Travelers wishing to visit the Liuli Tower can take Train 0784. All Hunter Tournament participants, please gather at Transfer Station Seven by 5 p.m. We wish you a pleasant journey. May fantasy be with you.”

“We need to reach Station Seven by five,” Vladimir checked his watch. “No rush, we still have half an hour. But you won’t make it to Liuli Tower this time.”

Ye Ling was intensely curious about these new terms. “What’s Liuli Tower? And why is this level called the City of Rainbows?”

She didn’t need anyone to answer. In the next moment, their elevator emerged from the darkness into a brilliant light, and Ye Ling understood instantly why Level Six was called the City of Rainbows.

Because here, the city truly was woven from countless rainbows.

Every building seemed almost transparent, shimmering with a crystalline glow, dazzling and endless as far as the eye could see. There was no sky, no stars, yet the ground radiated a light that illuminated the entire sixth level—a multicolored brilliance, dreamlike and unreal.

In the distance, dozens of blue beams shone down from above—it was clear to Ye Ling that these too were elevators, bringing ordinary people from the world above into this place.

The colors here were almost overwhelming. Every inch dazzled Ye Ling’s eyes; she hardly knew where to look.

“There’s the Liuli Tower,” Lin Yang pointed ahead. Following his gaze, Ye Ling saw the famous Liuli Tower.

It deserved its name: the entire tower seemed crafted from colored glass, refracting light into shifting hues, now brilliant, now dim.

“This place was designed by a woman known as the ‘Fantasy Songstress’ a hundred and twenty years ago,” Xie Liu said, gazing at the tower. “It’s a pity…” He didn’t finish his thought.

Ye Ling seemed not to hear him, her eyes sparkling as she took in the sights. Soon their elevator descended among the rainbow buildings.

“Alright, enough gawking. We need to get to Transfer Station Seven,” Vladimir prompted them, his tone neutral.

Currently available information: The Songstress Uprising, a century-old upheaval of mysterious origin, led to the collapse of a massive military structure known as the Rhythmist Alliance. Famous for their cutting-edge ‘sonic weapons,’ the alliance was eventually torn apart by internal strife and defeated by espers, fading into obscurity. During this crisis, the hunting teams distinguished themselves, catching the attention of the city’s upper echelons, and eventually replaced the Rhythmist Alliance, becoming one of the city’s three great military organizations.