Chapter 579 - 575 – THE EXOTIC MATERIALS MARKET AND THE OUTSTRETCHED HANDS

The iced drink made from monster dew crystals that Sylvia had bought delivered a cold, refreshing sensation that flowed all the way to her chest. The faint natural sweetness blended with the pure magical aura within it was enough to refresh the mind of anyone who drank it. Sylvia walked gracefully along the sidewalk paved with magical stone, enjoying the drink while occasionally stroking Sol’s head as he walked level with her work boots. Sol meowed softly, allowing the gentle touch of Sylvia’s hand to convey warmth, while Noir on the other side was busy watching the floating trains that glided along the transparent light rails above.

The scenery in the Upper District of the Holy Capital Tianhua presented a very sharp contrast when compared to the border regions. Here, this gigantic floating landmass suspended in the air was enveloped by protective magic formations that kept its temperature cool and comfortable year-round. Ornamental trees with silver and golden leaves grew neatly along the main roads, emitting a thin glow of light that further beautified the city’s architecture.

Yet behind this beauty and luxury, Sylvia never forgot the reality that this place was built upon the suffering of the common people in the Lower District. The extreme caste inequality was the primary foundation of the Kingdom of Tianhua. Unlike her own kingdom, Nocture a utopia of the night where various evolved races such as Dwarves, Elves, Beastkin, and even Zombies lived prosperously and had their welfare guaranteed under the absolute law of the Queen of Death this capital of Tianhua was purely driven by greed and the struggle for influence among the elite castes.

As she walked farther, Sylvia’s gaze fell upon an intricately carved marble stone gate that served as the entrance to the "Upper District Magic Materials and Exotic Culinary Market." This place was the central trading hub for rare materials imported directly from various corners of the kingdom, including from high-level danger zones.

Sylvia’s eyes lit up. As someone deeply obsessed with giant monster meat cuisine and spicy broth dishes, this market was like a treasure trove to her.

"Come on, let’s see what they’re selling inside," Sylvia invited her two dragon cats.

They stepped into the spacious and neatly arranged market area. There was no fishy or dirty smell like ordinary traditional markets; the entire area was circulated by magical air-filtration formations that preserved the freshness of the food ingredients. Along the luxurious stalls made of magical wood and crystal, high-class merchants displayed their goods.

Sylvia saw cuts of meat from rare mutant monsters preserved in eternal ice crystal chests. There was a thigh of a Rank 6 Fire Armor Mantis that radiated heat, cuts of Red-Finned Giant Octopus from the deep waters, and claws of a Golden Wind Owl rich in pure energy content.

Sylvia did not hesitate. She approached a prominent stall selling high-class culinary ingredients and began buying in bulk.

"Uncle, give me fifty kilograms of that Giant Fish fin meat, a hundred kilograms of Rank 6 Thunder Horn Bull ribs, and all the spicy spices from the Southern Fire Mountains that you have in this shop," Sylvia said casually.

The middle-aged merchant wearing mid-level mage robes was momentarily stunned. However, the moment Sylvia took out her Unlimited Black-Gold VIP Access Card, the merchant’s eyes widened in full respect. Without daring to ask many questions, he quickly packed all of Sylvia’s orders into special spatial isolation containers.

Sylvia deducted tens of thousands of Credits from her card without batting an eye. For others, that amount could buy a luxurious house in a border city, but for Sylvia, who possessed millions of credits from previous monster meat sales, this was merely small change. With a faint smirk, Sylvia touched the order containers and instantly transferred them into her System Storage. The absolute time-stasis effect within her storage space guaranteed that those high-fiber monster meats would remain in the freshest condition until the moment she wanted to cook them later or bring them as souvenirs for Sofia from her journey.

Thinking of Sofia made Sylvia smile to herself. Her empress would surely complain at length if she saw Sylvia spending money just to buy tons of monster meat, yet in the end Sofia would still sit with her, enjoying the spicy broth dishes Sylvia prepared with full warmth.

While Sylvia was busy selecting several bottles of exotic spice sauces at the neighboring stall, her god-level perception senses caught a change in the movements of the four watchers who had been following her all this time.

The two spies disguised among the market crowd and the two shadow mages on the rooftops appeared to be exchanging secret signals through closed magic waves. They realized that the target they were monitoring a young woman of extraordinary beauty who was suspected to be a Rank 7 mage and Tamer had no suspicious political objectives. Since leaving the hotel, the target had only been busy strolling, buying street food, and purchasing high-class ingredients with an unlimited VIP card.

For the ruling factions in the Holy Capital, a Rank 7 mage without a clear faction background yet possessing abundant wealth was an extremely valuable commodity. If this mysterious figure was not a spy from a neighboring kingdom, then she was a potential asset that must be recruited immediately before being claimed by a rival faction.

"Looks like they’ve grown impatient," Sylvia thought casually. She glanced from the corner of her eye and saw one of the thin, dull black life-fate threads belonging to a watcher on the rooftop begin to move downward, while a middle-aged man of elegant appearance in a noble robe emblazoned with a silver phoenix emblem stepped out of one of the buildings at the end of the market street, walking straight toward her.

Sylvia ignored the man’s approach and chose to finish her transaction first. After pocketing the last bottles of spice seasonings, Sylvia turned, intending to look for an open-concept restaurant around the market area to enjoy her lunch.

However, she had only taken three steps when the man in the silver phoenix robe was already standing in her path, blocking Sylvia’s way at a distance of about five meters. The man had a sturdy build, neatly arranged graying hair, and radiated Peak Rank 7 mana fluctuations. Behind him, two lightly armored guards followed in a state of readiness.

The man bowed slightly with a gesture that appeared very polite, yet his eyes radiated the typical arrogance of a high capital official.

"Good afternoon, honorable Miss," the man greeted with a deep, measured voice. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Elder Lin, official envoy of the Main Noble Council of the Holy Capital Tianhua as well as supervisor of the Upper District commercial area."

Sylvia stopped her steps. Sol and Noir at her work-boot-clad thighs looked up, regarding Elder Lin with bored expressions. Sylvia herself looked at the man with a flat, expressionless face, giving an impression of cold untouchability.

"What do you want?" Sylvia answered briefly, her tone cool yet containing not the slightest warmth.

Elder Lin smiled faintly, trying to maintain his friendly demeanor. "Since the Miss’s arrival at the airport via the Hunter Association’s VIP flight and her stay in the Penthouse Suite of the Grand Elysium Hotel, the Council has been monitoring the extraordinary potential the Miss possesses. A Rank 7 Beast Tamer at such a young age is an extremely rare talent throughout the entire Kingdom of Tianhua."

Elder Lin spread his hands slightly, continuing in a tone full of authority, "The Holy Capital is a truly magnificent place, yet it is also full of dangerous waves for those who walk alone without patronage. The Miss’s presence unbound to any faction naturally attracts much attention. Therefore, in the name of the Main Noble Council, I wish to deliver an honorary invitation in person."

The man took out a purple silk scroll adorned with a wax seal bearing the kingdom’s emblem from within his robe.

"The Noble Council wishes to invite the Miss to become an Honorary Elder in our hall. The Miss will be granted high-level privileges, access to Rank 7 Monster Core resources, a personal territory, as well as absolute protection from all forms of political pressure in this capital. Of course, in return, the Miss need only register her true identity and swear loyalty to support the Council’s interests in the future."

Hearing the words "swear loyalty" and "absolute protection," a small, melodious yet extremely cold laugh escaped Sylvia’s full red lips.

Sylvia crossed both arms over her chest, tilting her head slightly as she regarded Elder Lin. Truly an offer that thoroughly stirred her stomach. The Noble Council of the Kingdom of Tianhua a human faction whose highest peak of power on this continent was merely Rank 9 mages capable of leveling a small hill dared to offer "protection" and demand an "oath of loyalty" from a Rank 7 Demigod who possessed Absolute Death Authority and commanded an interdimensional combat fleet powered by Astral Star Furnace Reactors.

"Absolute protection?" Sylvia muttered with thick sarcasm. "And you want me to swear loyalty to your Noble Council?"

The smile on Elder Lin’s face froze slightly. He sensed something was wrong with the response of the woman before him. Usually, independent mages from peripheral regions would feel greatly honored and tremble with joy if offered the position of Honorary Elder by the Main Noble Council.

"Miss... perhaps the Miss does not yet understand how great the Council’s influence is in this Holy Capital," Elder Lin said, his tone now carrying a slight reprimand and subtle threat. "In this place, standing without a faction banner is the same as placing yourself in the middle of a storm. Without our support, the Miss’s comfortable life in this capital could change in an instant. Many other parties will not be as friendly as we are in welcoming a high-powered outsider."

"Is that a threat?" Sylvia asked calmly, taking one step closer.

"This is realistic advice from a senior," Elder Lin replied while puffing out his chest, attempting to use his Peak Rank 7 mana aura to apply subtle psychological pressure on Sylvia.

However, before Elder Lin’s mana aura could expand more than an inch from his body, Sylvia decided that this cheap drama had already wasted enough of her time. She was hungry, and the aroma of grilled meat seasonings from the restaurant across the street was already calling her.

Sylvia did not release her divinity of death, nor did she move her Chains of the Abyss of Death. She merely blinked her eyes once, allowing a tiny fragment of the absolute killing intent that had slaughtered hundreds of millions of creatures and gods to seep out from her soul purely directed only at Elder Lin and his two guards.

BZZZT!

The world around Elder Lin instantly turned pitch black. In his vision, the bustling market scenery suddenly vanished, replaced by a boundless ocean of skulls and blood. Upon a bone throne that towered through the black sky, he saw the silhouette of a Queen of Death in a gown of darkness gazing at him as if looking at a speck of dust that held no significance. A bone-piercing cold crushed his consciousness; his soul felt as if it were being strangled by gigantic formless claws.

"Kh... A-Agh...!"

Elder Lin’s breath stopped instantly. His previously calm and arrogant face turned deathly pale without a drop of blood in the span of milliseconds. His knees trembled so violently that he nearly collapsed forward. Cold sweat poured out in torrents, soaking his expensive noble robe. The two guards behind him fared even worse; their eyes bulged wide and their bodies froze rigid like stone statues, completely losing the ability to move or breathe.

The supernatural pressure lasted less than half a second before Sylvia fully withdrew it, restoring the bustling, bright market scenery as before.

Elder Lin staggered two steps backward, clutching his rapidly pounding chest while gasping for air. His eyes stared at Sylvia with extraordinarily profound terror. The man was no fool. Decades of experience in the world of magic told him that the apocalyptic sensation just now was not the skill of an ordinary Rank 7 mage. The woman before him was a monster in human form, an entity far beyond the limits of his understanding!

Sylvia looked at the invitation scroll adorned with the purple seal in Elder Lin’s now violently trembling hands.

"Keep that trash scroll of yours," Sylvia said in a voice that was extremely cold and piercing. "And convey to your Noble Council or whichever faction is currently watching me... I came to this capital only to enjoy my vacation. Do not dare ruin my mood again with your petty political games. If even one more fly disturbs my meal... I will not hesitate to reduce your Council building along with all its occupants to ash."

Those words were spoken without a raised voice, yet every syllable carried the undeniable weight of a death sentence.

Without waiting for a reply from Elder Lin, who was still frozen in fear with his mouth agape, Sylvia turned gracefully. Her long hair swayed gently as she walked away from the area. Sol and Noir gave short meows toward Elder Lin a subtle mockery from two giant dragons currently in disguise before leaping cheerfully to follow their mistress’s steps.

Elder Lin leaned against a nearby stone pillar, his breathing still ragged. Cold sweat dripped from his chin onto the magical stone floor. He knew that his plan to recruit or pressure this woman had failed completely. What was even more terrifying was the realization that the Holy Capital Tianhua had just received a disaster-bringing dragon currently disguised as a human, and if the capital’s elite factions were not careful in their attitude, the entire ruling caste of this city could be utterly destroyed simply for disturbing that woman’s peace.

Meanwhile, Sylvia had already completely forgotten the annoying incident. She stepped into a luxurious open-concept restaurant named "Golden Lotus Pavilion" located at the edge of the floating island.

She chose the best table on the balcony edge that faced directly toward the view of the clouds and the city below. With a bright smile once more adorning her beautiful face, Sylvia called a waiter and began ordering the main dish: one large portion of mutated spicy red-broth hotpot mixed with dragon-lizard meat and the exotic spices she had just seen.

"Ah, finally I can eat in peace," Sylvia murmured happily as the waiter served the savory and spicy aromatic dish that stimulated the appetite.

She scooped the spice-rich red broth, put it into her mouth, and let the delicious spicy flavor pamper her tongue. Sol and Noir eagerly devoured their own portions of grilled meat beside the table.