A hundred-meter-high wall of iron-black metal surrounded the city. Heavy cannon towers stood atop it, while thick smoke billowed from the towering chimneys within, blackened with soot yet streaked with crystalline blue.
The old, unrepaired streets and the steps on either side were crawling with scavengers, thieves, mercenaries, assassins, and streetwalkers. Together, they formed the frontier metropolis known as Iron Bastion City.
If every major city in the Beast Race faction were ranked, Iron Bastion City would unquestionably be at the bottom in terms of public order and civilization. Only Wolf Spider City could rival it. Yet this city, bordering both the main battlefield and ancient ruins, possessed a distorted prosperity.
As Su Xiao walked along the street, he found that the most common establishments on either side were taverns, inns, and gambling houses. Demand determined the market. Since this place almost touched the main battlefield, most visitors stopping here were beast races who had just come down from the front. The pressure of the battlefield made them crave alcohol's numbness and the release of lust. Over time, that had created Iron Bastion City's peculiar landscape.
Earlier, in the main city of Eternal Ring City, Su Xiao had already felt a hint of autumn's chill. But after arriving in Iron Bastion City, he found himself in the blazing heat of midsummer. This was perfectly normal. Throughout the Beast Race's territory, different regions could experience all four seasons at the same time.
Iron Bastion City was not as large as the main city. After boarding a public train, Su Xiao reached the teleportation tower in the southern part of the city in about half an hour. As for where he was going, naturally, he was returning to the main city of Eternal Ring City.
Although he intended to recruit subordinates from