Chapter 324 - 299: Authority

Chapter 324: Chapter 299: Authority

A bustling street.

Five people.

Four men and one woman stood side-by-side under a sycamore tree.

Watching the crowd come and go and looking at the lively buildings, Zelir felt a bit lost for a moment.

’What were we supposed to do next...’

He suddenly felt like a tourist who hadn’t bothered to plan his trip.

It was a subtly awkward feeling.

"Ahem..."

Zelir cleared his throat and looked at the most authoritative person in their group when it came to directions.

"Marcus, lead the way... Didn’t you say you’ve been to Sengu Town before?"

"That was a long time ago... I don’t remember it clearly," Marcus grumbled.

But despite his words, he squinted and sized up the area for a moment before pointing out a clear path through the complicated streets.

"This way. This is the way to the Adventurer’s Association."

"Marcus is as reliable as ever," Gray said with a laugh.

Sengu Town was much larger in scale than Black Stone Town.

The sides of the streets were lined with stalls selling exotic fruits, Magical Beast pelts, and rare medicinal herbs.

Wooden walkways were suspended in the air between the treehouses, and from time to time, nimble children would dash past overhead.

The town’s population was also more diverse.

Before they had walked very far, Zelir saw a few heavily bearded Dwarves pass by, carrying baskets of Ore on their backs.

There were also groups of Beastmen who, with their carefree demeanor, seemed to have long since integrated into the local environment.

"Is that... a Catgirl?"

After they had walked a little further down the street, Gray couldn’t help but turn to look back at a figure.

Zelir and Marcus turned to look as well.

It was a tall woman wearing a tight-fitting crop top that revealed a sliver of her slender, healthy, wheat-colored waist.

The most eye-catching feature was the pair of pointed ears sticking up abruptly from her silky, long hair.

Beneath her leather skirt, a long, fluffy tail swayed back and forth, moving with the exceptionally graceful rocking of her hips as she walked.

The rhythm of her steps truly had the character of a catwalk... It inexplicably drew everyone’s gaze.

"She is, right?"

Marcus rubbed his nose.

"Only Catgirls have that fur color... Leopard or Tiger People have gleaming golden fur with black stripes."

"They’re Cat People, not ’Catgirls’."

Valles corrected him. "The way you guys talk, you sound like slave traders."

On the Candia Continent, there are four main races.

Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Beastmen.

Among them, the Beastmen have the most subspecies.

There are cat, dog, tiger, leopard, jackal, and wolf types, and even fish, bird, eagle, vulture, and snake types.

Each different form of Beastman not only retains animalistic features but also has a distinct physiology.

Compared to humans, they all possess some kind of Special Ability.

Among them, the Cat People, Fox People, and Rabbit People are the subspecies whose appearances most closely align with human aesthetics, while also having a more exotic charm.

Therefore, they have always been the most highly integrated and most popular Beastman subspecies within human society.

"Ah, don’t get hung up on the details... I have to admit, I used to be prejudiced against Beastmen."

Gray’s gaze seemed to be glued to her tail.

"I thought all Beastmen were guys like Gak—that even the females looked pretty much like goblins..."

"But today has really opened my eyes... I wonder what a Catgirl is like."

"She does look pretty good..." Zelir chimed in.

"Fluffy. Probably warm, right?"

Marcus also joined the discussion. "Maybe they’re more flexible?"

Suddenly, as if she had heard something, the Catgirl’s fluffy, pointed ears twitched.

She stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look at them.

On her wild and beautiful face, two golden, vertical pupils swept over them, her expression unreadable.

Zelir, Gray, and Marcus hastily averted their gazes, pretending nothing had happened.

"It’s so embarrassing being out with you all..." Hill sighed.

The five of them didn’t bother with a horse-drawn carriage, instead strolling slowly down the road, basking in the lazy afternoon sun.

The temperature was just right, making it very comfortable.

Its southern location, combined with the protection of the surrounding mountains, meant that Sengu Town was never troubled by severe cold, even in winter.

The aroma of fruit wine drifted from the taverns along the road, and some nameless vines bloomed with small, light-purple flowers.

Gradually, the fruit stands and general stores along the street grew fewer.

In their place were weapon shops, Blacksmith Shops, Magical Beast material reclamation depots, and consumable vendors.

The pedestrians on the road also changed from ordinary townsfolk to a crowd of sharp-eyed individuals carrying weapons.

As far as the eye could see, the streets were filled with fellow Adventurers.

Warriors with Longswords at their waists or Two-Handed Giant Axes on their backs kicked up the sound of clattering Armor plates as they walked.

There were also Rangers holding Longbows, their eyes wary.

He could even spot a fair number of Assassins.

However, Zelir made a point to look around but still didn’t see any Mages.

’Seems they really are a rare class...’

The adventuring business in Black Stone Town wasn’t particularly prosperous; most of its Adventurers were Junior Class.

But here, a single glance revealed... well, maybe not a massive pile of Middle Level Class Adventurers, but certainly far more than in Black Stone Town.

Most of them traveled in groups, some in parties of two or three, others in daunting little bands of seven or eight.

Zelir also noticed a broadly built fellow.

He carried a giant hammer of exaggerated size on his back, and his silver armor glinted coldly in the sunlight.

It was a meticulously crafted suit of Fine Steel Half-plate Armor.