Chapter 92

Inside the Senate, He Ping followed the Grand Elder down a long corridor. The corridor was desolate, with no signs of life except for the two of them. On the walls, He Ping saw many bas-relief murals, seemingly telling a grand story. Some depicted two human armies in battle, others showed a person wearing a crown receiving cheers from the people, and still others depicted destroyed cities.

The Grand Elder's voice, echoing in the corridor, sounded even more ethereal: "This land was once glorious. Humans thrived and multiplied, building villages, towns, cities, and nations. But because of this, wars never ceased. A few hundred years ago, Emperor Randton emerged, leading his army to conquer all the nations, unifying the continent and establishing the Randton Empire. He unified the human language and ended the wars."

He Ping looked at the surrounding murals, and indeed, many of them depicted the founding of the Randton Empire as the Grand Elder had just described. Just listening to the Grand Elder's story and looking at these murals, the historical atmosphere was palpable. He Ping felt as if he could see the people of that era struggling for survival. When the Grand Elder mentioned the Randton Empire, he also sighed, seemingly lost in thought.

However, after a pause, the Grand Elder's nostalgic expression turned to sorrow, and his tone became somber: "Everyone thought that with the Randton Empire as a backing, humans would enter a period of peaceful development. Without wars, the population would rapidly increase, and the world would become more prosperous. But at this time, a sudden and inexplicable accident occurred. Over a hundred years ago, the giants appeared."

"Giants?" He Ping finally heard something that interested him: "Is it the bear-like giant I saw before? And the one we're standing on now is also a giant, right? According to what you said, these things didn't exist before. How did they appear?"

"I don't know." The Grand Elder shook his head: "We don't know where these things came from, or why they appeared here. Some say they are extraterrestrial beings, some say they are underground dwellers, and others say they are sudden mutations, but there is no definitive answer. What we know is that they appeared suddenly and destroyed our civilization with a power that humans could not match, destroying the Randton Empire."

He Ping was stunned. This fact was bizarre and hard to accept. No wonder the Grand Elder had such an expression when he mentioned it. A well-functioning nation was crushed by an overwhelming force without even knowing the specific reason, causing humans to be displaced. Such a mysterious disaster would make anyone feel utterly frustrated.

The Grand Elder's expression eased slightly, and he continued: "Humans tried to resist, but unfortunately, with the level of civilization at that time, they could not inflict any damage on the giants. All human resistance ended in failure. Even the temporary settlements humans established were swept away by the giants. Humans faced the threat of extinction. Without a place to live, humans might survive, but civilization would disappear, and humans would regress to primitive animals. But at this time, the giants saved humans."

He Ping looked down. This crocodile giant was different from the bear giant. The bear giant attacked him on sight, but the crocodile giant not only did not attack him but also protected him and brought him to the city on its back. The other people in the city were also protected by the crocodile giant. Seeing He Ping's gaze, the Grand Elder nodded and said: "Yes, the giants that saved humans, including the one we're standing on, are called 'City Beasts'!"

"City Beasts?" He Ping had heard this term before, when the young people mentioned it when he first arrived. But at the time, he didn't understand its true meaning. Now, hearing the Grand Elder use the term again, and from his tone, the crocodile giant underfoot was indeed a City Beast.

"Initially, humans thought all giants were the same, wanting to destroy humans and unable to communicate with them. But later, among the many giants they encountered, they found that some giants not only did not attack humans but also protected them from other giants. Most importantly, these giants could communicate with humans. These giants even allowed humans to build settlements on their backs. As the settlements grew larger and the population increased, they gradually became cities. Thus, humans called these giants 'City Beasts' and the others 'Wild Beasts'."

So, City Beasts and Wild Beasts came from this. The two terms He Ping had heard before were now explained, and his mind was somewhat at ease. In the Grand Elder's words, he also found something interesting: "Communication? Humans can communicate with City Beasts? You mean you can communicate with this crocodile giant? How exactly? Can the giants use human language?"

"Ha ha, no need to rush." The Grand Elder turned to He Ping with a childlike twinkle in his eye, deliberately leaving him in suspense: "I'll take you to the council chamber to meet the other elders. As for how to communicate with City Beasts, you'll find out soon."

As they spoke, they reached the end of the corridor, and a large door appeared before He Ping. This time, He Ping finally saw other people. On either side of the door stood a man and a woman, dressed in the same clothes as Owen and the others who had welcomed him. They looked to be no more than twenty years old. When they saw the Grand Elder, they bowed and then pulled open the door.

A round council chamber appeared before He Ping. The chamber was not large, with a round table in the center and chairs arranged around it. At the table, nine people were seated. These people, it seemed, were the elders who governed the Senate. What surprised He Ping was that, contrary to his expectation that the elders would all be venerable old men and women, the nine people included both the elderly and the young.

There were three elderly people, one woman and two men, all similar to the Grand Elder, with white hair and beards and wearing white robes. The three middle-aged people were dressed differently: a muscular man, a fat man who looked like a merchant, and a woman who looked like a typical schoolteacher. The three young people were dressed the same as Owen and the others: a young man with a hairstyle and aura similar to Owen, a red-haired young man with a spiky hairstyle, and a young woman with luxurious blonde hair, not much older than He Ping.

---

[End of Page]