Chapter 048: The Young Man in the Inn

The spirit vultures at the relay station were low-grade magical beasts, specially trained to follow flight routes precisely, much like carrier pigeons. Their broad backs were fitted with simple bamboo basket seats, woven from hemp rope—similar in structure to the baskets hanging beneath hot air balloons, though several times larger.

After flying for a day and a night, they entered the central region of the Bakra Empire. Looking down from above, the landscape was a vast plain, endless grasslands dotted sporadically with a few houses.

“Shen Duo, when we reach the next relay station, let’s rest for the night. The spirit vulture needs to feed as well.”

The speaker was Connie, the vulture’s owner—a man not yet forty, a six-star Magus, clad in a half-worn gray Magus robe, his short brown hair giving him a competent, no-nonsense air.

Shen Duo nodded with a smile. It was the perfect opportunity for her to gather news about Shak City.

Soon, the spirit vulture landed at a designated spot. In Saint Mang Continent, spirit vultures were a primary means of aerial transport, so relay stations everywhere had landing zones and sold vulture feed.

Bidding Connie farewell and agreeing to depart together the next morning, Shen Duo, holding Yusha and accompanied by Benyi, wandered through the small town.

The town was primitive, even more so than the border town of Luocheng—no auction house, no bustling streets, just a tiny branch of the Mercenary Guild. Shen Duo marveled; even such an inconspicuous hamlet bore the marks of the guild, testament to the vastness of the mercenary system across the continent.

She found a small eatery and had a meal, hoping to learn something about Shak City, but the town was sparsely populated, and most had never been there themselves. Shen Duo could only shake her head and give up.

The sun sank westward, painting the sky in fiery red. The golden afterglow slowly melted into the horizon.

She took a room at a modest inn. Once inside, Shen Duo locked doors and windows tightly. After making sure no one could disturb her, she sat by the bed, calmed her mind, and entered a state of inner gaze. In her dantian, a scroll emitting a white glow spun incessantly, the purple aura surrounding it growing ever denser. She focused her mind, gently unrolled the scroll; a burst of white light, and she was transported to another plane.

Shen Duo slowly opened her eyes. The scene before her was just as before: a simple guest room, rarely visited, with dust covering the table.

Just as she had imagined—it was the same geographic location on the other plane, thanks to the Saint Mang energy. To avoid drawing attention, Shen Duo had left Yusha and Benyi in the magical beast space.

She prepared to open the guest room door, only to find, with a sinking feeling, that it was locked from the outside. Shen Duo’s heart jolted. She realized she must never act so recklessly again. Today had been fortunate—the room was empty in this plane, but had it already been occupied, her sudden appearance would have caused a stir, possibly attracting dangerous attention. Next time, she would need to find a secluded, uninhabited spot.

Resigned, Shen Duo leapt out the window. The two towns in the separate planes were much the same; evening had already fallen, and the short street lay deserted. She had only intended to test the geographic correspondence and so didn’t linger, jumping back into her original room and using the scroll to return.

As Shen Duo opened her eyes again, a loud shout echoed from the neighboring guest room. Suddenly, a surge of blue light erupted. The inn was crudely built, the rooms separated by wooden boards with gaps. Blue light streamed through those cracks.

Yusha burst out of Shen Duo’s magical beast space, his round tiger eyes squinting, “Someone’s advancing to Sky Magus rank in this dump!”

Indeed, the brilliant blue light was the sign of a successful advancement.

Shen Duo’s cold, delicate face grew even more severe. Judging by the voice, the person who had just advanced was a young man.

“Little Duo, let’s take a look!” Yusha, curiosity piqued, tugged at Shen Duo and pressed up against the gap in the wooden boards.

From their angle, they could only see the tall, youthful figure’s back. The surge of spiritual energy from his advancement had torn away his shirt, revealing a well-toned and handsome physique. His wavy black hair flew wildly, and beneath him glowed the dazzling five-pointed star sigil marking the Sky Magus. Mystical energy swirled around him, slowly forming a vortex. When it faded, the sigil beneath his feet gradually vanished, and the young man exhaled softly.

But in the next instant, he suddenly turned, gazing directly at Shen Duo and Yusha. His face was now exposed: striking features, narrow eyes, long brows sweeping to his temples, an icy aura about him, and yet his eyes shimmered with light, as though—tinged with a subtle, suppressed fury.

Before Shen Duo and Yusha could recover from their astonishment, a blue sphere of spiritual energy hurtled toward them.

Shen Duo’s pupils contracted. Her exceptional reflexes, honed in her previous life as a military police officer, kicked in instantly—she dodged the attack just in time. Another sphere followed. The Sky Magus’s energy balls were a far cry from those of ordinary Magi. Shen Duo dodged repeatedly, breathless, the guest room now battered and broken. The young man, meanwhile, seemed relaxed, even a playful curl at his lips.

Dust smeared Shen Duo’s pale face, her expression growing colder, her gaze sharpening as she stared intently at the young man. Yusha, furious, was about to pounce, but Shen Duo stopped him with a mental command. She straightened, drew a longsword from her storage ring, and took a defensive stance. Green sword energy shimmered along the blade.

Seeing her posture, the young man raised his brows, the anger on his face ebbing noticeably. Shen Duo heard his cold voice echo in the night, “Oh? A swordswoman? How interesting.”

On this continent where Magi ruled, swordsmen were rare, and powerful ones rarer still. Even the legendary Wei Lan of the Wei family, the continent’s greatest oddity, was already over a hundred years old—he only became a Sword Spirit at twenty through his genius cultivation methods. Yet this girl before him, not more than eighteen, was already a Sword Spirit, and her agility and swiftness just now… The young man, who was always successful, found himself intrigued.

But Shen Duo had no such thoughts. She and Yusha were merely curious and had peeked in, not intending harm. Yet this young man was so unreasonable, attacking without even giving them a chance to explain.

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In the previous chapter, all mentions of "Ville City" have been changed to "Niwei City." Apologies for any inconvenience!