That evening, Lance's family did not stay in Maple Forest Town, but headed straight west. They traveled until midnight, when Howard found a sheltered spot and stopped.
"Let's rest here tonight and continue tomorrow morning." Howard took two gazelle legs from his bundle, roasted them over the fire, and handed one to Janice. He and Andrew shared one, while Janice and Ling'er shared the other.
Ling'er was too sleepy to eat. She lay down against Golden Tiger's belly and fell asleep. Golden Tiger lay perfectly still, afraid of waking her. Andrew found the sight rather amusing. Golden Tiger had more and more uses: not only could he fight and carry them on their journey, he could even serve as a bed.
After a while, Janice grew sleepy too and lay against Golden Tiger's belly just like Ling'er. Golden Tiger seemed quite willing to serve as a bed for the two beauties. Not only did he remain still, he even spread his wings to cover them. Andrew and Howard sat cross-legged by the campfire to cultivate, keeping watch over their surroundings. Both were fairly powerful warriors, so going a night without sleep was no problem at all.
After a night of quiet cultivation, Andrew's Battle-qi had grown considerably again. His Fusion Battle-qi, combining lightning and fire, already grew quickly, and he had only just broken through his bottleneck, putting him in a period of rapid improvement. In just half a night, his Battle-qi had increased by one percent. At this rate, he would probably become an Eighth-level Warrior in less than a year.
A twelve-year-old Eighth-level Warrior-what incredible talent!
As the morning sun rose, Lance's family ate a little and continued east. By midmorning, the four of them and the tiger reached a river. Across it, a magnificent city stood silently.
"This is the White River, and that city is White River City. It's the closest city to Maple Forest Town. Come on, let's head inside!"
Howard grew a little excited at the sight of White River City. He had once come here to make his way in the world and had spent quite some time in the city.
Andrew gazed at the broad river, feeling a little stirred. The White River was over a hundred meters wide, its current swift. As he approached the bank, he discovered that its water was actually milky white, a very unusual sight.
"Dad, how are we going to get across?" Ling'er asked from Golden Tiger's back.
Howard looked into the distance, a little troubled. "I remember there should be boats here. Why can't I see any now?"
Andrew laughed. "Why look for a boat? We can just fly across. Don't forget, Golden Tiger can fly."
At that, Golden Tiger raised his head and gave a low growl, as if to say it was no problem.
Ling'er was delighted. "Great! I'm going to fly! Golden Tiger, hurry up and fly!"
With a helpless look, Janice lifted her down and scolded her. "Ling'er, you're still little. What if you fall off up in the air?"
Ling'er pouted unhappily, but had no power to resist.
Andrew walked over. "Mom's right. If you want to fly, let your big brother go with you." Picking Ling'er up, Andrew jumped onto Golden Tiger's back. Golden Tiger spread his wings and leaped lightly into the air. Within moments, he had landed on the opposite bank.
"Big brother, I want to fly some more!" Having experienced the thrill of flight, Ling'er refused to get down.
Andrew coaxed her down. "All right, I'll have Golden Tiger take you flying again later. For now, let him bring Mom and Dad over first. And that's not all. Once you become a powerful mage, Ling'er, you'll be able to fly on your own."
"Really? Then Ling'er wants to be a powerful mage!"
Before long, Golden Tiger brought Howard and Janice over as well. Once on the ground, Howard sighed. "That was my first time flying. Golden Tiger really is amazing. The White River is so wide, yet he only had to flap his wings twice."
Janice smiled. "Yes, flying is much faster than walking. But the White River hardly counts as a large river. The Yulan River is truly large. Even at Golden Tiger's speed, it would probably take a while to fly across."
The Yulan River? Andrew remembered. It was known as the mother river of the Yulan Continent, running through countless countries and sustaining the continent's people.
After walking a short distance, the family arrived outside the city gates.
"White River City doesn't seem all that big!" Andrew remarked quietly after looking at it up close.
Hearing him, Janice smiled. "Of course. In the Yulan Empire, cities are divided into ranks too. White River City can only be considered a small city of the lowest rank. Below that are country towns."
Andrew found this a little strange. Ordinary people probably would not know such things. Remembering that Janice had just mentioned the Yulan River as well, he could not help becoming curious about her background. Thinking back, Janice seemed never to have mentioned the family she came from.
Could Mom have been born into a noble family in a big city? Andrew wondered.
Still, she was his mother, after all. If she did not wish to speak of it, Andrew could not force her.
As they approached the gates, Lance's family attracted everyone's attention. Everyone, including the guards, was drawn to Golden Tiger, who stood three meters tall and five meters long. Especially when he drew close, everyone hurriedly backed away more than ten meters, afraid he might hurt them.
"That's a magical beast-a tiger-type magical beast!"
"Who are these people? They actually have such a powerful magical beast!"
"How terrifying. When that magical beast came near me just now, my legs went weak with fright. That aura was horrifying..."
"Of course. Even the weakest tiger-type magical beast is a high-rank magical beast. This one's aura seems stronger than an ordinary high-rank magical beast's. It might even be an eighth-level magical beast!"
"An eighth-level magical beast? That's incredibly powerful. Has one ever appeared in White River City?"
"Exactly. I've heard the viscount's family keeps a One-Horned Cloud Leopard, which is also a high-rank magical beast. But even a fully grown One-Horned Cloud Leopard probably wouldn't be a match for this giant tiger..."
With Golden Tiger clearing the way, Andrew and the others entered the city without any obstruction. After the family left, many people at the gates began discussing them... but none of that had anything to do with them anymore.
"Wow, there are so many people here." Sitting on Golden Tiger's back, Ling'er watched the people coming and going in wonder. Both Maple Forest Town and the Keli Tribe had very few people. This was the first time in her life that she had seen so many.
Howard looked around, seemingly trying to recapture his old memories. Andrew and Janice were the calmest. Janice aside-she might well have come from a big city-Andrew thought nothing of White River City. A city of this size would have been no more than a small town in his previous life.
The family strolled along White River City's streets with Golden Tiger. With him there, no one nearby was foolish enough to come and cause trouble. Ling'er was intensely curious, exclaiming in wonder at everything she saw. To satisfy her, the family deliberately spent a little longer wandering the streets.
Clop, clop, clop!
Rapid hoofbeats came from the other end of the street. Andrew listened closely and heard at least a dozen horses approaching together.
Sure enough, before long, more than a dozen knights appeared, fully armored and carrying lances. They reined in their horses a little over twenty meters from Andrew. Then one of them dismounted, hung up his lance, and approached empty-handed.
"I am Clayde, captain of the Frey Clan's guards in White River City. On behalf of the viscount, I welcome you all to White River City!" Clayde respectfully performed a knight's salute, his movements meticulous.
This man was none other than Captain Clayde, who had once conducted a trade with the grand elder.
Seeing someone he knew, Andrew greeted him with a smile. "Captain Clayde, it's been a long time!"
Andrew remembered Clayde well. Back in the Keli Tribe, Clayde had wanted him to join the Frey Clan. Andrew had refused in the end, but Clayde had not gotten angry. That alone had given Andrew a favorable impression of him.
Clayde straightened in confusion and stared at Andrew for a long while.
"Do we know each other?"
Howard stepped forward. "Captain Clayde, it's me. This is my son, Andrew. Thank you for looking after us back at the Keli Tribe."
Clayde remembered too. "Howard, these are all your family?"
"That's right." Howard nodded.
"Then, this... with your strength, you shouldn't be able to tame this magical beast yet, should you?" Clayde asked, pointing at Golden Tiger.
Howard smiled. He understood what Clayde meant.
"Golden Tiger is the magical beast Andrew tamed. Andrew surpassed me in strength long ago."
Clayde looked incredulous. Surpassed Howard? Howard was a talented sixth-level warrior. If Andrew had surpassed him, didn't that mean he was already a High-Level Warrior? If Clayde remembered correctly, Andrew should only be a little over ten. A High-Level Warrior in his early teens?
Not only was he a High-Level Warrior, he could even tame a tiger-type magical beast. Such strength...
Three years ago, he had merely been a warrior of the fourth rank. In just three years-was that possible?
A string of questions surfaced in Clayde's mind.
Andrew shook his head. Such a reaction was perfectly normal. Never mind Clayde-even Howard and Janice had needed a great deal of effort to accept Andrew's strength.
"Captain Clayde, you came specifically to find us, didn't you? May I ask what this is about?" Andrew asked.
Clayde recovered a little and answered instinctively, "The viscount heard that a powerful expert with a high-rank magical beast had arrived in the city, so he specifically sent us to invite the esteemed expert to a banquet..."
A banquet?
Andrew considered it, then nodded in agreement.
"All right, lead the way."
Andrew had not agreed because he feared the other party's power or influence. After all, the Frey Clan was merely a viscount's clan. It had no experts who could threaten him, and its influence was limited to White River City. Andrew could simply ignore him...
There's no harm in taking a look. Ideally, I can get some information and maps of the Yulan Empire. If they dare provoke me, I'll make him regret it.
Following Clayde, Andrew thought to himself.