Chapter 568 - 360: Target Locked (Part 2)

Chapter 568: Chapter 360: Target Locked (Part 2)

The scorching sun relentlessly baked the earth, distorting the surrounding air and sending heatwaves rolling.

Compared to the bizarre architecture at the bottom of the Celestial Sea, Han Ning preferred these simple, rugged stone houses. Though their style was plain, they were clean, spacious, and open, suiting the lifestyle of the Land Races.

"We’ve only met a few times; we’re hardly close. Didn’t you work with him in the Sea God Palace? Your relationship with him should be much closer than mine," Bobo Man said, his tentacles swaying.

"He’s interested in Irena... So, Your Highness Prince Bobo Man... what exactly is our reason for coming to Lion City?"

"Heh heh, just pulling your leg. Shi Zhou’s Mad Lion Tribe has trade relations with my Bobo Family. The Barbaric Beast Race is skilled in combat, but their people lack Spiritual Masters with a deep understanding of Spiritual Energy. When they want to create Soul Artifacts, they have no choice but to come to us. To avoid exposing our movements, it’s best we approach him in a private capacity."

Bobo Man took out an ivory-white tusk from his personal storage Soul Artifact and pointed toward a relatively luxurious area of the city. "This is a token from Shi Zhou. Just take this to his mansion to find him."

"Damn! This place looks a hell of a lot like Africa. Han Ning, look quick! That guy riding a lion, hauling a cart full of fruit and tearing ass down the road—doesn’t he look just like Ao Debiao?" the mischievous Lin Tianhe suddenly exclaimed.

"You punk, that stuff isn’t bananas. Those are Bloodthorn Fruits, which can replenish a Soul Beast’s vitality. They’re a local specialty. Among other races, they can be sold for an exorbitant price." Bobo Man’s eyes darted around, and he huddled together with Lin Tianhe, whispering.

"Huh? Your Highness Prince Bobo Man, you know about Ao Debiao too?" Lin Tianhe was stunned.

"Duh. I’ve spent the last few years learning all about the various cultural products from your Xia Country and the rest of Blue Star," Bobo Man said, rolling his eyes. His tone then turned cautionary, "And stop staring and gawking at their heads. The people of the Barbaric Beast Race are hot-tempered. If you annoy them, they’ll come right up and challenge you to a duel."

"Alright, alright, I get it."

Chatting as they walked, the group used the token from Shi Zhou to pass unhindered into the more luxurious and tranquil inner city.

Here, lush trees provided ample shade. Pools splashing with crystalline water droplets lined the roads, and stone carvings of lions in various poses were everywhere.

Passersby wore what looked like high-end silk robes, but the sight was rather incongruous, as they all had dark-skinned, leonine heads with thick, vigorous manes.

"My apologies, honored guests. The Commander is currently out hunting in the Blood Lion Wilderness with the young masters and misses. I have already dispatched a messenger Soul Beast to inform them, but I expect it will take a day or two for them to return. Please, make yourselves at home in the mansion and await the Commander’s arrival."

No sooner had Han Ning and the others arrived at the entrance of Shi Zhou’s luxurious mansion than they were informed of the situation by the steward from inside.

The token in Bobo Man’s hand was clearly of a very high status. As soon as the lion-headed steward saw it, he became utterly deferential, stopping just short of bowing down to kiss their shoes.

"What else can we do? We’ll just have to wait."

Shi Zhou’s mansion had the feel of a large Western estate. Its spacious gardens were filled with colorful vegetation, and small Soul Beasts of various shapes darted between the flowers. The gray and white buildings, nestled in a sea of plants, created a truly refreshing and pleasant atmosphere.

"Nice. This Shi Zhou fellow really knows how to live," Han Ning commented with satisfaction, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

"Hey, hey, Your Highness Prince Bobo Man, from what I overheard, isn’t that Shi Zhou guy only in his early twenties? He’s already had kids at such a young age?" Lin Tianhe sidled up to Bobo Man again, ready to gossip.

"Of course! People in your ancient Xia Country used to marry and have children at sixteen. As a descendant of the Mad Lion Tribe’s Grand Commander, he has a duty to continue the family bloodline." It was Bobo Man, the Octopus Head, who now looked at Lin Tianhe as if he were the one being ignorant.

"My bad!"

Bobo Man was quite pleased with Lin Tianhe’s proactive apology. His eyes darted about as he glanced outside and made a suggestion:

"While Shi Zhou is away, how about we go out and look around? I’ve heard the Barbaric Beast Race’s primitive battle arenas are very interesting."

"Battle arenas?"

Han Ning was taken aback. The local battle arenas were a good indicator of the skill level of a region’s Beast Masters.

He agreed, "It’s boring to just stay in our rooms anyway. Let’s go check them out together."

After asking the steward about the local area, the group learned that there were three large Soul Beast trading markets in the inner city of Lion City, located to the north, east, and south. Their residence was closer to the southern market, where several famous battle arenas were built.

After riding a form of transport used by the Barbaric Beast Race called a Wind Escape Beast for eight stops, the group got off. They walked a few dozen meters and soon saw a sign that read "Iron Blood Soul Beast Trading Market."

The Iron Blood Soul Beast Trading Market covered a vast area; it was practically a small town in itself and had just about everything.

All sorts of low-level Soul Beasts, Spiritual Materials, accessories, and battle arenas with the distinct elemental style of the Barbaric Beast Race.

As Han Ning walked through the market’s main gate, he saw to his right a large circle enclosed by a stone wall dozens of meters high. A sign at the entrance read "Iron Blood Soul Beast Battle Arena" in large letters written in the Universal tongue.

Hearing the faint sounds of cheering coming from within the arena, he couldn’t help but feel curious.

"Want to go inside and see?" Han Ning stopped and looked at his companions.

"Let’s go, let’s go! Is it like the Ancient Roman Colosseum? I’ve never been to Rome!" Lin Tianhe said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"Mhm." Ah Yu nodded, looking eager to go.

Just as they entered the stone building, a female of the Barbaric Beast Race wearing a white robe came up to greet them.

"Honored guests, are you here to participate in the battles or to watch?" To their surprise, the horse-headed woman who greeted them was speaking the Universal tongue, albeit with a slight accent.

"We’d like to just look around first."

"If you’re here to watch, you can purchase a package ticket for 500 Tirar per day. It allows for unlimited viewing and includes a buffet, a private viewing lounge, and the option to freely apply for battles, among other services."

The attendant took out a wooden board and pointed to a series of packages printed on it.

Han Ning glanced at it and saw that the cheapest option was a single-match viewing ticket for 50 Tirar.

Tirar was roughly equivalent to two Awakened Level Soul Beast Crystal Stones. Watching one match for the price of two Crystal Stones was not cheap.

"One package ticket for each of us." Han Ning took out the local currency the steward from Shi Zhou Mansion had provided and handed it to the attendant.

"Of course. Here are your passes. Please keep them safe."

After paying, Han Ning, Lin Tianhe, and Ah Yu each received a metal card.

As for Bobo Man... he had been mistaken for a Soul Beast or a pet and was subconsciously ignored by the venue staff.

This thoroughly infuriated the proud Bobo Man. It was only after a great deal of persuasion from Han Ning that he reluctantly forgave the staff.

Walking down a corridor over ten meters long to the side, several open-air battle arenas separated by stone walls appeared before them.

A massive Spiritual Energy Plate hung on the central wall, displaying the ongoing matches in each arena.

The Spiritual Energy Plate could only display monochrome text, like a primitive LCD screen, but that was more than enough to show the match information.

Looking at the information on the screen, he discovered that most of the combatants here were no higher than Tier Four, and the Soul Beasts were limited to the Monarch level at most.

"Tsk, tsk... As expected of the center of the world. Even an ordinary Soul Beast battle arena has Soul Beasts fighting at the Monarch Level. The standard here is quite high," Han Ning remarked with admiration.

Back then, at the most high-end battle arena in Shuixiu City, the highest level for a Soul Beast was only Lord.

A Monarch Level battle had enough power to destroy a small continent. To constrain that Spiritual Energy within a mere few thousand square meters without damaging the external facilities, the Spiritual Array here had to be of a considerable standard as well.