Underground City

Times changed, the world shifted; things remained, but people were no longer the same!

The biography of Flameburner Norman Martin had long since ceased to have even half a coin's worth of connection to the present Flame-Burners Association.

Today, the Flameburners had changed from a large native organization that rose up to resist foreign invaders into a tiny border power serving wizards and warlocks.

"Oh, right! Eno! The organization's main functional divisions are Scholars, Explorers, and Flameburners. Which division are you planning to join?" After finishing the history lesson, Johnny Green sighed with emotion for a moment before abruptly changing the subject and asking Yin Ming.

"Tell me which division you belong to first, so I can eliminate it as a priority," Yin Ming said after a pause.

"Explorers! We serve as vanguard scouts. Whenever abnormal circumstances are detected, people like us are always the first to investigate and gather intelligence." Johnny Green had grown used to Yin Ming's manner of speaking. After pausing, he continued explaining.

"Scholars are responsible for appraisal and decipherment. You must master three languages. Besides Wizard Script and Demon Tongue, you must also be proficient in one language from a Lost Civilization."

"Flameburners require a combat assessment. At minimum, you must possess the strength of an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice, have a physique beyond that of a Grand Knight, and be skilled with all kinds of weapons. It is the organization's core combat division."

Yin Ming: "..."

Explorers—scouts of the supernatural world.

Exploring unknown mysteries was their job.

Forget First Ring Abyssal Quasits. With bad luck, he might even run into a Seventh Ring Evil God.

More dangerous than danger itself was uncertainty. Explorers were eliminated first. Clever as I am.

The requirements for Flameburners were a little easier to meet. If he stretched, he could probably reach them. But as a combat division, their casualty rate definitely would not be low.

Scholars were undoubtedly the best choice: low risk, plus free access to knowledge of ruins. But he was still short one Lost Civilization language.

"Excuse me... are there any divisions with secondary functions?" Yin Ming asked as an idea flashed through his mind.

"Yes! The Logistics Department. As long as you're a potion master or alchemist, you qualify. But there are no Merit Points every month, and you won't receive the internal benefits of the Flame-Burners Association," Johnny Green replied.

Yin Ming: "..."

Wasn't this just an externally hired temp worker with no salary and no insurance?

Besides, if he could not enjoy the Flame-Burners Association's benefits, and could only exchange for relic-produced goods after becoming a One-Ring Wizard, then what the hell was the point of joining?

"..."

"Gentlemen! Landon Royal City is just ahead!" The coachman raised his whip and called out a reminder.

The carriage rested at a post station for the night. Around noon the next day, it swiftly passed through sparse woodland. The view suddenly opened up, revealing a magnificent giant city before them.

A white-stone clock tower rose a hundred feet high, carved with intricate patterns. Its bells boomed deep and low. Buildings stood jagged as dog teeth, gray cobblestones paved the roads in orderly rows, and steam cars crisscrossed with horse-drawn carriages.

"Eno, have you never seen anything this..."

Yin Ming took one look, then withdrew his gaze, showing no particular surprise.

The mortal world's technological level was not low. Building a city like this was nothing surprising. It had merely stagnated for several centuries, with all knowledge being wealth left behind by their predecessors.

"Coachman, stop here. We're not entering the royal city."

Finding this rather dull, Johnny Green led Yin Ming to a somber ancient castle. A strange mist shrouded its surroundings. Those with insufficient spiritual power could not discover the castle beneath the mist; they could neither enter nor leave it.

They continued down the stone steps, yet the light grew stranger and brighter.

Until, hundreds of meters underground, a miniature town appeared before them.

The houses stood in neat rows. Aside from the low civilian residences, distinctive stone structures rose at its core.

"Eno! Welcome to the Flame-Burners Association Underground City!!"

At last, Johnny Green caught a trace of surprise on Yin Ming's face.

However, Yin Ming was not surprised by the Underground City itself. Supernaturals ought to be capable of what mortals could not. Carving out an Underground City was hardly some great undertaking.

The Underground City's space was roughly three hundred meters high. It was not a fragmented world, a minor plane, or a mustard-seed space.

The ceiling resembled a cave filled with stalactites. There was no artificial sun hanging overhead, yet the light was far too strange! It was as though it came from the void itself.

"That black building belongs to the Explorers. That barrel-shaped building belongs to the Scholars. That sword-shaped building—the tallest one—belongs to the Flameburners..."

"That building with the statue belongs to the Logistics Department. It is also the Merit Points exchange point, as well as the place where the organization trades with outside wizards."

Johnny Green began introducing Yin Ming to the more important places in the Underground City.

He guessed inwardly that Yin Ming would most likely choose the Logistics Department. Sharp-minded people usually did not like taking risks.

That was only human nature. After all, the man was a Wizard Apprentice. There was nothing to envy.

As long as Wizard Apprentices possessed a complete inheritance, they all had a chance of becoming One-Ring Wizards.

Unlike bloodline warlocks like him, who needed to accumulate enough Merit Points and exchange them for Bloodline Potions to develop their bloodline power if they wished to break through and become First Ring.

"If you join the Explorers, I can approve it right now. For the other divisions, you'll have to rely on your own abilities."

"As for joining... the Logistics Department, you'll need Anthony's certification."

"Prove that you're a potion master or alchemist. If you fail, he'll recommend that you become an apprentice. Don't pay him—he'll pocket at least half the difference."

With that, Johnny Green tossed Yin Ming an identification badge. After pausing, he continued, "I have to return to camp now and report the mission. When I have time, I'll treat you to a drink."

"See you around!"

"..."

Johnny Green left quickly. Yin Ming walked to the center of the Underground City, where the four buildings stood right before him.

Rather than heading toward the luxurious palace, Yin Ming walked toward the cylindrical Scholar Building.

Inside, it was cold and deserted. The shelves were packed with books, a thousand times, ten thousand times more than the Adams Lineage library.

Yin Ming casually pulled out a black-covered book and opened it. It turned out to be a novel about a knight rescuing a princess.

He opened another book. It was an insipid illustrated tale of secret affairs among court ladies.

He opened yet another. It was another one...

"Stop flipping through them! Knowledge is more precious than gold. Are you expecting to turn over gold in a desert?"

At a desk by the window, an old man with white hair and beard, a large bushy mustache, and gold-rimmed glasses was examining an inscribed stone slab.

He took a sip of red tea and asked without lifting his head, "Appraising an antique: thirty Element Crystals per item. Translating ancient text: one Element Crystal per character. For apprenticeship, go out, turn left, and walk thirty steps."

Having walked here, Yin Ming naturally knew that thirty steps to the left was an inn. Was this old man telling him to keep dreaming?

He returned the illustrated book to the shelf exactly as it had been, shook his head, and said, "No appraisal, no translation, no apprenticeship. I'm here to be certified as a Scholar."