4 Beastmaster Richard Duran

Fledgling City South Gate.

There was a beeline of people waiting to enter the city. All sorts of people were around there: humans, kobolds, ogres etc. Each of them stemmed from a different profession. Some of them were wizards like Kael (albeit with different abilities), some of them warriors, some of them bounty hunters etc. The list goes on and on. In the Hundred Realms, there were all kinds of professions to be seen. The cacophony of characters waiting in a line here was just reflective of the variety and diversity of the Hundred Realms.

Kael, Mirana and Thrump were standing in line. It was still quite some time before their turn to be interrogated by the guards.

"Everybody move! Make way for the City Lord!" Suddenly there was a shout from behind. The shout was infused with a form of spirit art, making the voice exceptionally loud and pressurizing.

Kael turned around and saw that there was an entourage of people coming from behind, kicking up a dust storm in their trails. All of them were mounted on beasts of all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Miranda quickly tugged Kael and moved to one side to prevent being swallowed by the entourage.

As the entourage passed them, Kael noticed a significant presence amongst the entourage. Most of them were at the Commoner Rank Middle and Late Phase. However, there was one person who exuded the spiritual aura befitting that of a Herald Rank. Kael immediately identified it as belonging to a human who had two large horns on his head. The top half of his face was painted red, giving off a fierce and intimidating look. He was very muscular, very ripped, and he was only wearing a pair of brown pants, leaving the top half naked, with symbols and tattoos all over his body.

That particular human was riding on a giant boar which had protruding tusks and an equally fierce look like its owner. From the symbols, tattoos and the kind of animal he was riding on, Kael deduced that this particular person must hail from a profession known as the Beastmaster.

Kael had come into contact with Beastmasters at the apex of the world of cultivation before. Thus he knew that they were an incredibly powerful profession. However, this particular Beastmaster was only at the Herald Rank, thus he was unable to summon his own beasts using the magic art, "Call of the Wild". He probably tamed this boar in imitation of the magic art that higher ranked Beastmasters were able to wield.

Mirana pointed at the Beastmaster and whispered to Kael, "That is the City Lord, Richard Duran. His cultivation level here is the highest in Fledgling City. I heard that he led his troops out to the outskirts of the city to look for materials to refine a piece of Uncommon Rank Item for himself to wield."

In the world of cultivation, cultivators at different ranks were able to soul-bind items of different rarities to themselves. These items were more than just decorations; they enhance the abilities of the cultivators so that they would wield greater power. Commoner Rank wore Common Rank Items, Herald wore Uncommon Rank items, and Guardian Rank wore Rare items.

Kael wasn't surprised. Cultivators at the apex fought each other for materials to refine greater items for themselves. It was no different at the lower level. However, looking at the spiritual auras of the troops, they didn't look sluggish at all. It meant that they didn't weather a great storm before coming back.

After the hubbub of the entourage, the travelers resumed their waiting to enter the city. The trio also managed to enter the city with ease. Kael, however, was branded spiritually on his right chest with an invisible marking. Anyone in the city would be able to detect through the invisible marking that he was a foreigner and not a citizen of the city. Mirana and Thrump had their own markings of citizenship though, so it was no problem for them at all.

The city streets were bustling with activities. There were people selling food, performing as entertainers, peddling items etc. Kael felt relieved to see a semblance of civilization, of his previous life in this place. Although it couldn't be compared to the pomp and grandeur that he once experienced, it was still an enjoyable feeling to him nonetheless.

At this moment, after soaking in the atmosphere, Kael turned to Mirana and Thrump. He said, "Thanks for sending and escorting me here to this place. I believe that we each have our paths to walk on. Hopefully I'll get to see you in the Fledgling Myriad Institute soon!"

"No problem. It's our pleasure to help out people who are in need. In the Institute, we are brainwashed with the idea of chivalry always. As long as we made a difference that is okay. Farewell. We shall meet again." Miranda said.

"Farewell. Fate will bind us together. I believe." Kael replied affirmatively. With that, the trio parted ways.

The first thing that crept into Kael's mind was that to survive, he had to have assets, capital and money. Before cultivating, he had to attend to his basic needs first. However, he didn't want to waste time working. Therefore, he had to look for alternatives and solutions. Miranda gave him a week's worth of food rations in a bag. Thus, he had a week's worth of time to make something count.

Kael inquired a few passer-bys who seemed to be citizens of the city and found his way to a notice board next to the city square, which was in the periphery of the central part of the city. He scanned the posters on the board and found what he was looking for.

"Expedition to the Goblin Mines to harvest precious Whitemoon Stones. Looking for cultivators who can fend off Whitemoon Goblins at the Commoner Rank Lower Phase level. 20 gold for 3 days' worth of effort!"

This was exactly what Kael needed. A bounty mission to accumulate quick wealth so that he could buy cultivation resources and break through to the Commoner Rank. He already decided that the Institute would be his patron for resources. Through the mission he could also gain fame for himself. It would pave the way for him to ascend through the ranks. That was what he believed.