Chapter 054: Keeping the Appointment

By dusk, the two found an inn and settled in for the night, with Dirk trailing behind, not daring to relax for a moment. Shen Duo flipped through the invitation, noting that the appointment was set for the following day. A flash of coldness crossed her delicate features before she retired to her room to rest. Thanks to the supply of concentrated spirit elixirs she had brought from Luo City, both Yusha and Benyi took advantage of the night to cultivate while they slept, and even Shen Duo sat by her bed in meditation.

The night passed swiftly, and warm sunlight slowly rose in the east. Early in the morning, Dirk came knocking on the door. After receiving a glare from Shen Duo, Dirk withdrew his hand timidly. They had a casual breakfast at the inn before following Dirk to the City Lord’s Mansion.

Located in the heart of Shak City, the City Lord’s Mansion stood close to the imperial palace of the Bakra Empire. It exuded grandiosity; patrol soldiers marched back and forth with pride, and the white buildings gleamed like a beautiful castle.

“This way, sirs, please. The City Lord is already waiting in the reception hall,” Dirk said obsequiously.

Crossing a wide square and passing through a small garden, they arrived at the reception hall. Plush red carpets sprawled across the floor, with several maids standing respectfully on either side. In the main seat sat a slightly plump middle-aged man, his hair thinning at the front, his belly protruding beneath his mage’s robe. His complexion was poor, with dark circles under his eyes—a clear sign of a sleepless night. Beside him were Kang Cheng and Zoe, whom they had met the day before.

“Greetings, Lord City Master. These are the esteemed guests I mentioned in my letter,” Dirk said, bowing carefully.

The City Lord of Shak City was named Kang Ye, a five-star grand illusionist known for his indulgence in wine and women, and his sharp, cutting tongue. This was something Shen Duo had casually inquired about during her stroll yesterday.

Kang Ye squinted at the two, full of disdain, and snorted, “So these are the two kids who spent fifty thousand gold coins of mine yesterday!”

Dirk’s legs nearly gave out as he stammered a reply, his head bowed so low it nearly touched his chest. He hadn’t expected Shen Duo and her companion to be such spendthrifts.

Shen Duo raised an eyebrow. It seemed the expenses had been pinned on the City Lord by Zoe, not Kang Ye himself.

The City Lord’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot, pained by the loss of fifty thousand gold coins. Just these two? One an eight-star illusionist, the other not even a mage—how could they possibly withstand the attacks of a Rampaging Crocodile? If he believed that, pigs could climb trees! He might as well let the king finish him off directly.

So furious he nearly choked, the City Lord hurled his cup of nectar at Dirk in his rage.

Shen Duo sneered, while Feng Jun, standing behind her, remained expressionless. Earlier that morning, Shen Duo had already sent Yusha and Benyi back to the beast realm, so the City Lord couldn’t have seen Benyi with his own eyes—no wonder he was furious.

Kang Ye was about to erupt again when Zoe quickly intervened, whispering a few words in his ear. The City Lord’s expression softened slightly after a moment’s thought. Rising from his seat, he strode over to Shen Duo and her companion, and, when face-to-face, suddenly bowed a full ninety degrees.

“My lords, I was greatly disrespectful just now. Please forgive me. Might I have the honor of seeing your spirit beast?”

With his bulging stomach, the bow was clearly difficult for him, his fat face reddening from the effort. Yet Shen Duo could still see a trace of impatience in his eyes; this was already the greatest concession he could make. For all his faults, the City Lord knew when to bend.

What Shen Duo and Feng Jun didn’t know was that Kang Ye, as the City Lord of the imperial capital and a favored subject of the king, was notoriously proud. Aside from the king, he had never bowed so deeply to anyone. But he was utterly cornered this time, compelled to lower his dignity and beg.

“City Lord, I do not dare accept such courtesy,” Shen Duo replied politely, though her upright posture hardly conveyed humility.

Kang Ye fumed inwardly but could not vent his anger now. He shot Dirk a glare, already deciding to make him a scapegoat later.

Dirk, under the City Lord’s sharp gaze, was nearly moved to tears.

Shen Duo summoned Benyi from the spirit beast realm—a beautiful, silver wolf who bared its gleaming, sharp fangs at the City Lord.

At last, Kang Ye felt his heart settle. He could finally give an account to the king and keep his life. But when Benyi’s red eyes fixed on him icily, a violent shiver ran through him and he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Thank goodness he hadn’t attacked Shen Duo and her companion—otherwise he wouldn’t even know how he’d died.

From beginning to end, Shen Duo and Feng Jun showed little emotion, but the City Lord’s attitude changed completely. “It was entirely my fault for being disrespectful. Please, honored guests, take the seats of honor.”

They did not refuse. After sitting, Shen Duo inquired, “May I ask why you have summoned us here, City Lord? We are merely passing through and will not be staying long.”

Her meaning was clear: if this was a troublesome matter, he should look elsewhere—they didn’t have time to oblige.

A trace of embarrassment flickered across the City Lord’s face as he pressed on, “I have no choice in this matter and deeply apologize for troubling you during your journey…”

After seeing Shen Duo’s spirit beast, the City Lord realized that apart from a life-bonded contract, one needed comparable strength to command a powerful beast; otherwise, without sufficient spiritual power, one risked being betrayed by it. Benyi was a high-level sacred beast, meaning Shen Duo was at least a six- or seven-star spirit mage. Yet she appeared only fifteen or sixteen—such accomplishment at her age surely meant she hailed from a renowned family. The four great clans of the continent often sent their young elites to gain experience once they reached a certain level, so the City Lord assumed Shen Duo must be a young lady from one of those families out training.

After some roundabout explanation, Shen Duo and Feng Jun understood his purpose.

The border city of Niwei, in the Bakra Empire, lay on the upper reaches of the Tianqing River. Lately, the waters there had behaved strangely, with rogue mages and residents mysteriously disappearing in the region. The king had personally dispatched investigators, but few returned alive. Those who did, however, brought back astonishing news: a nine-star sacred beast, the Rampaging Crocodile, was about to advance in power! The king’s eldest princess had only just crossed the threshold into the ranks of spirit mages and still lacked a suitable spirit beast. If they could capture the Rampaging Crocodile for her, the princess’s path to mastery would be much smoother, and the Bakra Empire might finally secure a prominent place on the Saint Radiance Continent.