Chapter 2: Meeting at White Feather City
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Inside the City Lord’s Mansion of White Feather City, amidst the Chaos Forest.
Gongsun Ding couldn’t help but be a bit sentimental as he gazed at the grandiose meeting hall, shimmering like gold and radiating an air of importance. Memories of thirty years ago flooded back.
He remembered accompanying his master here, trailing behind him with a heart full of trepidation, only to be greeted by the respectful smiles of all the great demons. The shock and pride he felt at that moment were etched in his memory even now.
At that time, he was a young disciple of the Inner Door, chosen by the Sect Leader to be the personal disciple due to his exceptional talent and diligent study. When the Sect Leader announced it publicly, he felt like he could soar into the skies out of sheer pride.
He was undoubtedly the rising star of Thousand Bird City.
What an honor it was—one could hardly overstate it.
If all went as planned, he might have even broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage within twenty years.
Back then, he was full of vigor, ready to conquer the world.
But who could have guessed that thirty years later, he was still stuck in the same place, unable to make a breakthrough.
Now… not only did his master seem weary of him, growing increasingly harsh and critical, but even the younger Inner Door disciples held him at arm’s length.
All his peers had already stepped into the Foundation Establishment ranks, but they were currently off on a decade-long mission far away at Half Moon City and other Immortal Gates, leaving him “fortunate” enough to remain as the Chief Disciple.
In a way, it could be considered a gift from others.
Once they returned, his status would inevitably plummet.
Counting the days, the ten years seemed almost up.
Gritting his teeth, he vowed to make this mission a glorious one, at least to please the Sect Leader. Only then could he continue to survive in Thousand Bird City as just another ordinary Inner Door disciple.
“Honorable Immortal, please come in; the City Lord is inside.”
The Goat-Headed Man respectfully opened the door to the reception hall for the two.
The light inside was a stark contrast to the dimness outside; the room sparkled with treasure. Over a dozen fist-sized luminous pearls adorned the ceiling, casting a gentle glow throughout.
A massive Bull-Headed Man lounged on a throne, propping his chin up with one hand, lazily observing the two newcomers enter.
“Lord, these two nobles are the messengers from Thousand Bird City.”
After introducing them, the Goat-Headed Man bowed and retreated, leaving only the three of them in the vast hall.
Tang Tong, trying to play it cool behind Gongsun Ding, couldn’t help but look around in awe. This room was a veritable treasure showcase, like an exhibition of newly rich displays. Those treasure trinkets were impressive enough, but what really got him were the piles of golden beans scattered across the carpet—a casual grab could probably net a decent sum at the auction house.
Not just him, the players in the live streaming room were going wild.
“Enough chit-chat, let’s hurry and level up! One day, the flag of our guild will fly high in White Feather City. Can you believe they’re treating these precious materials like a carpet? Such a waste! This uncultured demon deserves a good beating for that!”
“Right? I can’t believe a mere demon lord is such a tycoon. It’s tempting me to declare war right now!”
“Pfft! You guys are overthinking it! Did you see how the system analyzed the city lord? It’s all question marks! I estimate this dude is at least level 100, a regional boss! With your trash guilds, do you think you can take on a siege? That’s just laughable.”
“Who the hell are you to talk? If you have the guts, step out and face me one-on-one!”
“One-on-one, huh? If anyone dies before leveling up to one, they’re my son!”
The live streaming chat exploded with competition and tension.
Yet most viewers had their eyes glued to the Bull-Headed Man lounging on his throne.
Gongsun Ding bowed slightly, “I hope you’ve been well, City Lord.”
The Bull-Headed Man seemed to just notice Gongsun Ding then, bursting into laughter as he stood up. His towering presence was imposing, like a mountain looming over Gongsun Ding.
“Have a seat.”
The Bull-Headed Man didn’t seem to care much about their statuses as he gestured for them to sit at the round table surrounded by shiny gold artifacts.
At that moment, several catgirls with soft and curly tails wandered in, serving tea to the three.
Needless to say, the sight of these voluptuous cat demons instantly captivated the players.
The bickering stopped; everyone was now glued to the enchanting catgirls.
When they finally disappeared from Tang Tong’s view, the chat exploded: What the heck was that? Are those demonesses? They’re stunning!
The Bull-Headed Man led a life of gluttony and decadence; it was infuriating to think about.
Enough of this! That guy has to go!
“So, you must be the noble Gongsun, right? What brings you to my White Feather City?” the Bull-Headed Man asked.
“Indeed, I am Gongsun Ding. I assume the City Lord is aware of the demon attack on human adventurers in the forest a couple of days ago?” Gongsun Ding got straight to the point.
Tang Tong, merely a follower, had no right to speak in this conversation.
But he focused intently, sensing he was about to hear exactly what he wanted.
The Bull-Headed Man laughed heartily, “I’ve heard about it.”
Gongsun Ding hadn’t expected such a clear acknowledgment, “And what do you think of this matter, City Lord?”
The Bull-Headed Man’s smile faded, and his large black nostrils flared as if releasing visible gasses.
“Ah, so Thousand Bird City is here for this. Since you ask, let’s discuss it rationally.
The Chaos Forest is indeed monster territory; humans occasionally fish and hunt on the fringes, and we generally turn a blind eye. There’s hardly ever any monster harm to humans.”
“But isn’t it a bit much for the humans to trespass into the heart of the forest, killing little demons left and right?
The great demons had planned to tolerate it, but you humans just kept pushing, overstepping. Given their nature, how could they endure such provocations? Naturally, they lashed out to deter you!”
Gongsun Ding fell silent.
He hadn’t expected the Bull-Headed Man to throw that kind of reasoning out there, completely exonerating the demons.
While a part of him felt there might be a shred of truth, how could he, as a representative of Thousand Bird City, agree with the monsters’ viewpoint? And besides, they hadn’t even hit the main topic of discussion yet.
He needed to stay grounded.
Gongsun Ding took a moment, then continued, “The City Lord’s perspective concerns me. Even if those human adventurers trespassed upon the demons’ territory, it wouldn’t justify a d*ath sentence, would it? At the very least, they were under the protection of Thousand Bird City; any disciplinary actions should have been communicated with us first, allowing us to determine their punishments.”
He looked courageously into the Bull-Headed Man’s dark yellow eyes, “That’s clearly outlined in the treaty between our two cities. If the City Lord has forgotten, I have a copy with me…”
The Bull-Headed Man chuckled, “Oh, I believe I recall such details.”
Gongsun Ding smiled slightly, “In that case, Thousand Bird City seeks to discuss matters with you, City Lord.”
“Come, come, let’s drink tea. This tea is bl**d Tea unique to White Feather City; you’ve tried it before, Gongsun, but this young brother here is perhaps tasting it for the first time. It’d be a shame not to.”
The Bull-Headed Man didn’t seem inclined to engage with Gongsun Ding further.
Tang Tong obediently lifted the steaming tea cup, taking a careful sip. To his surprise, the dark-brown liquid carried an indescribable fragrance, lingering in his mouth long after he drank.
Gongsun Ding glanced at Tang Tong, then explained, “This ‘bl**d Tea’ isn’t made from snowflakes. It’s made from bl**d. The transformed demoness waters the tea tree with her bl**d daily. There’s only this one tea tree in all of White Feather City, which makes it exceptionally precious.”
When Gongsun Ding put it that way, Tang Tong suddenly felt the tea morph into something entirely different, as if the cup were overflowing with dark bl**d, and he nearly dry-heaved.
What the hell, why didn’t you mention this earlier?! How can I drink something so sinister?!
No wonder Gongsun Ding hadn’t touched the tea cup.
“City Lord, how about this? You seem to be in a bit of a bind; I have a suggestion.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I believe this issue can’t possibly involve White Feather City. It must be due to certain great demons acting independently, leading to this conflict with Thousand Bird City—the real culprit behind it all.”
The Bull-Headed Man nodded, “You have a point. Had I known, I wouldn’t have let them run wild.”
“Through our investigation, we have identified a prime suspect—a demoness by the name of Cold Moon Witch, who entered the Chaos Forest about seven to eight days ago. If White Feather City captures her and hands her over to Thousand Bird City, we can consider this matter settled. Otherwise, under the treaty, we’ll have to determine how much a human life is worth in silver. Who knows, the City Lord might have to cough up all his shiny treasures here.”
As Gongsun Ding spoke, he casually swept his eyes over the glittering treasures piled around.
The Bull-Headed Man’s expression shifted dramatically.
One hundred years ago, White Feather City had been defeated by Thousand Bird City, resulting in a brutally humiliating agreement—while monsters still controlled the Chaos Forest, the real power lay with Thousand Bird City. Any hint of rebellion would be met with retaliation from Thousand Bird City.
To this day, they hadn’t encountered any great demons powerful enough to rival Thousand Bird City.
Now Thousand Bird City was asking for the capture of a minor demoness whose name was barely known in White Feather City. If that sufficed to quiet their discontent, how could it be more fitting?
After a moment’s contemplation, the Bull-Headed Man nodded, “As you say, we in White Feather City will indeed capture that troublesome demoness soon and deliver her to Thousand Bird City.”
“Is that a promise?”
“That’s a promise!”
