Chapter Thirty-Five: Conversation
Hearing Wang Xiao speak, Ike ate with even more gusto.
The old man’s eyes twitched. You’re disgracing our entire Rabbitfolk!
Wang Xiao, however, didn’t mind in the least; to him, eating was only truly enjoyable when one took big bites.
…
“What would you like to know?” Adal asked.
Wang Xiao smiled slightly. “Sir, perhaps you could tell us about this world.”
Adal pondered a moment, then said, “Many races inhabit this world. Our Beastfolk are just one among them.”
“There are many subgroups within the Beastfolk.”
“The largest place I’ve ever visited in my youth was a city.”
Wang Xiao couldn’t help but ask, “How does that city compare to our Infinite City?”
The old man laughed heartily. “There’s simply no comparison.”
“No comparison?” Xia Mengsi frowned.
The old man glanced at her and replied, “Yes, truly no comparison. The strongest there are only at the seventh tier.”
An eighth-tier? There’s really no comparison, Wang Xiao nodded.
“But…”
“But what?” Ji Weijie asked.
“But that city isn’t as good as yours.”
Xia Mengsi responded with a faint smile. “That’s only natural.”
“Your city—or rather, this fortress—offers vegetables, something their city cannot provide.”
“Moreover, you have no class divisions. They say the big city is paradise, but this place is even more like paradise.”
“Are vegetables so precious?” Wang Xiao inquired.
The old man paused. “Vegetables are reserved for the nobility, and not just any noble.”
“Why?”
Adal gazed out the window. “The land in this world is extremely barren. Very few things can be grown.”
Wang Xiao was puzzled. Wasn’t it possible to obtain special items?
Suddenly, the old man seemed to recall something. “Where did you acquire your soil?”
Wang Xiao didn’t know why Adal asked, but answered anyway, “We got it from the mists.”
A look of astonishment appeared in the old man’s eyes, and Ike behind him was equally shocked.
“What is it?”
After a moment, the old man said, “These mists appeared suddenly, just over a month ago.”
---
Now it was Wang Xiao and his group’s turn to be shocked—even Yang Ming’s mouth parted ever so slightly.
The old man continued, “We have also ventured into the mists, but aside from encountering monsters, we found nothing else.”
“No treasure chests?!” Ji Weijie voiced the doubt in everyone’s minds.
The old man shook his head. “None.”
“No strange sounds?” Ji Weijie pressed.
“None.”
Wang Xiao spoke up, “Then the skill Ike spoke of yesterday?”
Finally, Ike had a chance to speak, and boasted, “That’s a legacy skill of our tribe.”
The old man shot him a glare and explained, “There are certain legacy stones in this world that grant abilities—skills, in other words.”
Wang Xiao’s eyes lit up in understanding. “I see. Truly wondrous.”
The old man sighed, “Compared to you, what are we, really?”
“So, there are mountains and rivers, then?” Xia Mengsi asked.
“Of course.”
“Why aren’t there any here?” Xia Mengsi was puzzled.
The old man said helplessly, “This was originally a plain.”
“If resources are so scarce here, why did you come?”
He sighed. “We had no choice. We came to evade enemies.”
“What enemies?”
“Lizardfolk among the Beastfolk.”
Lizardfolk—could they be the ones they’d slain earlier?
“Why?”
“They wanted to seize our legacy stones.”
“Your Beastfolk…”
A look of sorrow appeared in the old man’s eyes. “Our Beastfolk are not united. We must guard not only against other races, but also our own kin.”
…
Wang Xiao and his group escorted Ike and the others as they departed.
Three hours of conversation had passed, and Adal had shared all he knew.
Firstly, the mists in this world had appeared suddenly, and Wang Xiao’s current location was a plain.
Through Wang Xiao’s questioning, they learned that humans also exist in this world.
---
The city Adal once visited was built by humans.
Next, the city’s population was at least a hundred thousand.
Any settlement with fewer than a thousand residents was called a village; more than a thousand was considered a tribe, and most tribes had populations exceeding ten thousand.
But population alone wasn’t enough—there had to be powerful individuals to defend it; otherwise, it would only become a target for plundering.
Lastly, regarding methods of increasing strength: Wang Xiao had already noticed that it was becoming increasingly difficult to grow stronger. The gains from eating fierce beasts were limited now—unless they were higher-grade beasts, or even wild beasts.
Adal also revealed the key to improving strength: the breathing technique. The more advanced the breathing technique, the greater its effect.
For example, their Rabbitfolk breathing technique was just the ordinary Beast Breathing, with limited benefits.
Otherwise, Ike wouldn’t have spent over twenty years training and still only reached the fourth tier.
And Ike was considered a genius among the Rabbitfolk.
Before leaving, Adal gifted them the Beast Breathing technique as a token of gratitude for their hospitality.
As for the supplies they wanted to offer, Wang Xiao decided to first learn more about the Rabbitfolk, as he had told Adal earlier.
…
“What do you all think?” Wang Xiao nodded.
“Shall we try this breathing technique?” Ji Weijie whispered.
Xia Mengsi shot him a look. “Not that—I meant, what do you think of this world?”
“Only by growing strong can we walk freely here,” Yang Ming said calmly.
“That’s right. If you fall behind, you’ll get beaten. I’ll go study this breathing technique and see if I can improve it,” Wang Xiao said lazily.
Back in his room, Wang Xiao unrolled the parchment Adal had left behind.
It was densely covered with writing—but Wang Xiao couldn’t recognize a single word.
Ah, how frustrating—not even a chance to reference it?
Looks like he’d have to ask about it when he visited the Rabbitfolk village tomorrow.
In truth, Ike and the others hadn’t meant to leave them in the dark; their hurried arrival had made them forget that Wang Xiao and his group couldn’t understand Beast Tongue.
Helplessly, Wang Xiao put the parchment aside and left his room.
He went to inspect the others’ work, checking if anything needed adjustment.
And to see whether the egg in the farm had hatched yet.
That egg had been obtained by Xia Mengsi from a legendary treasure chest. It was covered in golden stripes and radiated a blistering heat.