Atiste walked up to the Timeline Barrier and noticed that the humans around him could freely pass through it.
But he alone was clearly repelled, left standing outside.
What should he do?
Should he destroy the barrier directly, or find a way to sneak in?
If he chose the former, it would inevitably draw the attention of the powerful beings inside Aoyi City.
Atiste wasn’t exactly kind-hearted—he just hated trouble.
Most of those strong individuals were self-important fools.
If he provoked them, he would have to kill them, which would attract even more attention, leading to an endless cycle of slaughter.
But if he sneaked in, he would have to constantly suppress his power.
That wasn’t too troublesome, except if something special happened, his suppression might slip.
He was too strong.
Even a slight lapse in control risked being detected.
The reason was simple: most people in Aoyi City were Awakened Ones or above.
Ordinary people who couldn’t use magic were a minority.
“Such a powerful city-state belonging to no nation in the world—that’s quite interesting,” Atiste remarked.
Aoyi City displayed magnificent splendor.
Even the city gates were resplendent.
A single glance inside revealed broad, lively streets.
Crowds bustled about, mostly adventurers.
The streets were lined with all kinds of shops, carpets, and merchant caravans.
Commerce was visibly thriving.
Atiste noticed that the adventurers entering here all wore some sort of badge on their belts.
There were Copper Badges, Silver Badges, Gold Badges, and Diamond Badges.
A special kind of Mana flowed through these badges.
He stopped a passing adventurer and pointed at the man’s Copper Badge.
“What’s that hanging on your waist?”
The adventurer paused, then smiled and explained, “This is my Adventurer’s Archive. I just registered not long ago. I’m still just a basic Copper-grade Adventurer.”
“I see. The Adventurer’s Association?”
The adventurer shook his head, still smiling.
“Sir, you’re talking about something from decades ago. Now it’s called the Adventurer’s Guild!”
Atiste pressed on.
“What’s the difference?”
The adventurer patiently explained, “The Adventurer’s Association was smaller, usually using taverns as bases. But the Adventurer’s Guild is much larger. The entire Aoyi City belongs to the Adventurer’s Guild!”
“Who rules here now?”
“No, no, sir. In Aoyi City, everyone is equal. There’s no rank of nobility—only markets and transactions, adventurers and merchants. That’s all.”
“Unbelievable. A place like this exists?”
In five hundred years, this was the first time he’d seen such a thing.
Atiste realized he had indeed been holed up in the Fortress for too long, too out of touch with the world.
“Haha, that said, this place doesn’t welcome adventurers without a registered archive either.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s this Copper Badge I’m wearing. If someone like you goes in, you can only stay for half a day at most, or else the barrier will teleport you out.”
“Is that so?”
Atiste studied the barrier with interest.
The passing adventurer continued, “Legend says it was set up by a Demigod mage. The people who originally founded the Adventurer’s Guild were also companions of that Demigod.”
This piqued Atiste’s curiosity.
“What was their name?”
“No idea. I only know it was a woman—ageless and immortal.”
Atiste thought about it.
It definitely couldn’t be Eileen, because she, like him, rarely left the Fortress.
Then it must be Alisa, the childhood friend of the Hero from five hundred years ago.
Atiste remembered she was also a mage.
But there were more than just those two Demigod-level beings in the world, so he couldn’t jump to conclusions yet.
Seeing that Atiste had stopped asking questions, the adventurer prepared to leave.
“Sir, it seems you have no more questions. I’ll be on my way then. Have a pleasant stay in Aoyi City!”
Atiste grabbed his arm.
“Wait. How do I register an Adventurer’s Archive?”
“It’s actually simple. You just need to find Miss Malian within half a day. She’s in charge of registering newcomers.”
“Where can I find her?”
“No idea. I was lucky enough to run into her myself.”
The adventurer thought for a moment.
“It shouldn’t be too hard. Otherwise, Aoyi City wouldn’t have so many adventurers coming and going, right?”
Atiste figured he had a point, so he let go and bid him farewell.
“Thank you, kind sir. Let me remember your name.”
“Huh? Me? No need for that. I’m just an unknown adventurer!”
The man laughed.
“You possess a very precious quality.”
“Haha, I don’t know what you mean, but good luck to you! I hope you find Miss Malian soon! Farewell!”
With that, the adventurer walked past Atiste and continued on his way.
Atiste didn’t try to stop him.
For now, he suppressed his power and stepped into the barrier.
If he couldn’t find Malian or the Hero within half a day, he would just reveal his true form and smash the place.
He didn’t want to make a second trip.
As soon as he entered the gates of Aoyi City, he bumped straight into a little girl.
Atiste hadn’t even seen her at first.
He only felt something hit his chest, followed by a soft “Ouch!”
“What was that?”
Looking down at the ground, he saw a small Fox Girl lying on her back.
She looked no taller than a child, with an innocent face and human features, quite cute.
Her fur was pure white, and her fox ears were also white and fluffy.
She wore a Chinese-style robe with a white base and sky-blue embroidered edges.
She lay sprawled on the ground in a starfish pose, her white knee-high stockings now dirty, and her fluffy snow-white fox tail caught the eye.
This little Fox Girl was lying there defenseless, stars spinning in her eyes, seemingly unconscious.
“I think I hit something… dense…”
A Silver Badge hung from her waist—she must be a higher-grade adventurer.
Atiste called out to her, “Hey, stop playing dead. People will get the wrong idea.”
Atiste felt a headache coming on.
He muttered, “She’s really out cold? What a weakling…”
“Miss Rena… healing medicine…”
Atiste’s ears perked up.
This girl knew the Hero?
He had searched high and low, only to find her without any effort.
He crouched down and lightly patted the little white fox girl’s soft cheek.
“Hey, wake up. Did you just mention the Hero’s name?”
“Su’er… heal her…”
The little fox girl seemed unconscious, but she was still murmuring about what she needed to do?
She must have been running really fast to get knocked out from a collision like this.
Atiste couldn’t cast a Recovery Spell on her now, as it might expose his true power.
For now, he’d just carry her to the roadside and wait for her to wake up.
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