Chapter 6

Citibank Ark City Zoo

On the bus, Cesar sat by the window, staring blankly outside. Beside him, Dorothy was enthusiastically playing with the dog in the arms of the old man in the front row. The old man faced forward, unaware of what was happening behind him, while Dorothy shamelessly pulled out a strand of Cesar's hair and continuously harassed the pitiful little dog. Whenever the dog could no longer bear it and barked fiercely, the old man would slap it, rendering it motionless.

Ignoring the mischievous child, Cesar looked out the window, bored. This was still the wealthy district, with the streets abnormally quiet. Rows of large trees blocked the sunlight, and the clean pathways were devoid of pedestrians. Villas were arranged in a staggered manner, with no high-rise buildings in sight. This was the best neighborhood in Ark City.

Listening to the rumbling of the bus, Cesar fell into his own world again.

Unlike Earth, the planet he was on was called 'Ceylan Emun,' which translates to 'Heart of Ten Thousand Worlds,' or simply 'Ceylan.' According to legend, in the ancient era, many thousands of years ago, 'Ceylan' had an exceptionally advanced civilization, serving as the core connecting countless planets.

After a disaster destroyed everything, the planet entered the prehistoric era, also many thousands of years ago. It was a grand era of gods and extraordinary beings vying for dominance. Then, energy gradually disappeared, the gods fell into slumber, and humans lost their power.

Following that, the planet entered the ancient era familiar to many. Similar to Earth's history, it progressed from slavery to feudalism, with various nations on the continent warring against each other. From stone and wooden clubs to bronze and iron swords, and then to smoothbore muskets, until 150 years ago, when the steam engine appeared, leading to the grand steam revolution...

Unlike Earth, the myths across the continents were largely the same. Although the residents of the continents did not believe in the ancient, powerful myths, this world indeed possessed extraordinary powers. Gods, monsters, and magical creatures truly existed, and humans mastered magic, alchemy, bloodlines, and talents. Elves, dwarves, demons, and humans lived together, with more powerful beings hidden among humans. Ordinary humans were well aware of all this and lived their lives calmly.

For example, dragons existed all over the world, often seen in newspapers or in the wild. As described in myths, they were oviparous, could fly, and breathe fire, possessing supernatural powers. However, that was the extent of it. In the eyes of the humans of this world, they were like the wild elephants of Africa on Earth—huge and strong, one of the strongest creatures, capable of crushing a human with a single step. But if a dragon angered a kingdom, it could be taken down with a few hundred missiles.

Unlike the descriptions in myths, the extraordinary powers in the present world could not destroy the heavens and earth. After a century of development, technology had suppressed these powers. Over the past century, technology and magic had continuously clashed. In this unique environment, the technology tree had naturally grown in a skewed direction...

Compared to Earth's technology, Cesar found that the 'steam engine,' the source of all evil, had become completely out of this world! Under the influence of various alchemy, magic, and extraordinary powers, it had eliminated internal combustion engines and countless other normal technological developments, giving rise to many strange things. Airships, ornithopters, steam spaceships, and even flying steam castles in development... and super steam spaceships that could soon leave the atmosphere... who knew what principles they operated on? In short, this was a world of rampant black technology.

Moreover, Earth's proud 'electrical civilization' had not appeared. As the various energies in the air continued to rise, electricity, the most basic form of energy, became extremely active and uncontrollable. Although someone had invented a generator, electricity did not follow the usual path. Wires were irrelevant; it no longer flowed from positive to negative, and electric motors could not function properly.

Over time, the balance between technology and magic had slowly changed.

A century ago, the depleted energy of this world had returned, and countless ordinary people had awakened to their talents, mastering unique powers. The demons in the shadows had grown stronger, and the old gods had begun to awaken. Supernatural events occurred frequently across the continent. Rapidly developing technology could no longer keep up with the pace of supernatural powers, leading to the emergence of magical technology... In short, the once balanced world had begun to tilt.

All of this content was what Cesar had deduced over the years based on various reports. As for how powerful the gods and demons could become, whether the current technology could produce intercontinental missiles, and how many battles took place in the city every day, these were things that a minor about to graduate from elementary school could not know.

Although his father and aunt had always loved him, giving him the happiest and most peaceful 'ordinary' life and keeping him away from anything supernatural, Cesar knew that this was a cruel world, and without power, one could not survive.

Since the age of seven, he had realized that he could not be an ordinary person. His incredibly strong father, his non-human stepmother, his demon-like aunt, and his own mediocre talent were all clear evidence. Guided by those 'useless memories,' he became a power-hungry, insecure middle schooler.

Now thirteen, his second talent was about to awaken. Cesar only hoped that this talent would be powerful. Even if he couldn't be 'Magneto,' he wanted to be at least 'Wolverine.' He didn't have high hopes; he just wanted to feel a bit more secure.

...

"Hey! Big brother, stop daydreaming! The next stop is coming up!" Dorothy poked Cesar's soft side, whispering a reminder.

"Huh? What about the dog? Did you bully it to death?" Cesar asked curiously, noticing that his sister was no longer teasing the dog.

"It got off three stops ago. Although it didn't kill itself, it was almost beaten to a pulp by the old man..." Dorothy replied with great satisfaction.

"We're almost there; I can see the Citibank building." Cesar's gaze swept out the window, spotting an exaggeratedly designed skyscraper among the many high-rises.

That was the headquarters of 'Citibank' in Ark City. This group of goblins spanned multiple countries, specializing in drug research and development. Whether it was hospital medications, military stimulants, rage-inducing agents, various professional 'bloodline potions,' or the most popular 'hallucinogens' in street bars, they all came from Citibank. As a side business, Citibank also operated farms, orchards, and... zoos!

At the zoo entrance, Dorothy jumped up and down, urging, "Buy tickets! Buy tickets!"

"Stay close, don't run around." Cesar patted his sister's head and led the way to a small, goblin-style fortress.

As they walked, the roars of various wild animals echoed from within the zoo, making Dorothy even more excited, her eyes occasionally flashing with a bloodthirsty red light.

"Ugh! I regret it; you're in no state to visit a zoo. If you suddenly go crazy and awaken, it'll be a disaster." Cesar regretted.

"Aww, I'll be good! Big brother, you're the best!" Dorothy tightly hugged Cesar's arm, twisting and cooing in a cajoling manner.

"Fine, I'll go along with it. I want to see what a dragon looks like too." Cesar, who preferred to be soft rather than hard, gave in. He then spent 100 yuan to buy two half-price tickets and entered the zoo with his sister.

The zoo was vast, with three paths at the entrance: the free general animal area, which was the largest and had the most branches; the dangerous monster area, which was the most perilous, with limited time and restricted entry, only accessible during the time marked on the ticket; and the special creature area, which required additional payment and housed the world's rarest special creatures, more valuable than monsters and beasts. Some were experimental failures from Citibank, some were expensive materials purchased from around the world, and some were high-level creatures captured from other continents.

For the wealthy siblings, the money was a small matter, but for ordinary people, it was a painful expense. Fortunately, the dragon was in the monster area, serving as the main attraction to draw in tourists.

"Tch! How annoying, it's in the timed monster area! I wanted to play with it more!" Dorothy said, displeased, looking at the information board.

"Beautiful young lady, you can actually pay extra to extend your time in the monster area!" A sharp-eyed green goblin immediately noticed the newly arrived siblings. Their attire could be changed, but their noble aura could not be hidden, despite the brother's casual and the sister's mischievous demeanor.

"Oh? Good news!" Dorothy smiled happily. "What are you trying to sell?"

"Ha, would the two of you like a tour guide? I am Dorgom Arakin, a seasoned guide! I know this zoo like the back of my hand. With me, you won't waste a single step. Of course, if you're willing to spend a little more, you won't even have to walk!" The goblin said enthusiastically.

"Rides?" Dorothy's eyes lit up, seemingly knowledgeable.

"Of course, here's the list, please choose..." The goblin pulled out a roster and began to introduce it.

This business of riding mounts, which was more profitable than the zoo's restaurant, was usually chosen only by super-rich people who were too fat to walk or by mischievous children.

...

...

Vote! Cast your vote!

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends