Chapter 700 What a complicated situation!
William could tell that Walker not only thought he was living off women, but also that he was indiscriminate in his relationships.
"You mentioned Garen,I just taught him some basic swordsmanship, and he came to admire me, that's all," William said calmly, not bothered by how others viewed him. It was meaningless to him.
"Oh!! I get it now!" Walker exclaimed, having an epiphany. "Don't worry, I won't judge you. Just don't get any ideas about me,I'm only interested in women!"
Swordsmanship, huh?
Two men fencing, huh?
Having been down from the mountains for a while, Walker had indeed picked up quite a few new phrases.
Although he thought William was being cryptic, he felt he understood what William meant.
In these times, just surviving was an achievement, and there was no shame in using one's looks to get by.
William turned to look at Walker, wondering what exactly was going on in his head.
The two of them continued walking towards the original city center.
Along the way, Walker was quite impressive, skillfully using his throwing knives to kill many mutated monsters, while William casually followed behind, carrying a bucket and holding a fishing rod.
"Most of the monsters in downtown New York have been cleared out; there aren't many tough ones left," Walker explained the current situation as they walked.
"I don't know what happened, but there was a sudden global energy surge, and chaos ensued everywhere. You must have seen it on your way back to New York. If you're not strong enough, surviving is tough," Walker said with a frown. "You shouldn't be too optimistic. Someone like Garen might get tired of the old and find someone new at any moment. Only by becoming stronger can you truly prevail."
"When we get back, I'll give you a set of methods to boost your strength. Try practicing them; you might make a breakthrough," Walker said solemnly. "Nowadays, it's like the end of the world. We should take it upon ourselves to save the planet and create a better future!"
"Hmm, that's a good thought!" William quite admired Walker. Although his abilities weren't great, his heart was in the right place. If he hadn't chosen the wrong path when he came out of the mountains, he might now be a local strongman.
"You keep trying. I heard that Zoey also has a special relationship with you, but it's been six years since anyone has seen her. I heard she's in secret training," Walker said. "I won't be in New York for long. If she comes out of her training, you could stay with her. She can protect you."
William was silent for a moment.
Six years!
In just six years, the world seemed to have changed a lot.
Alice had entered a meditative state and, after five years, went to the Divine Realm. At that time, the sea god Poseidon also took Zoey to the Divine Realm for secret training, and Zoey is still there now.
Thinking of Zoey, William had a lot on his mind.
Indeed, Zoey was a reincarnation of Artemis.
But now, William had created another Artemis.
What a complicated situation!
To put it simply, the reborn Artemis was just another creation by William, the creator, modeled after the previous Artemis and now possessing an independent soul.
However, Zoey, being a reincarnation of Artemis and having lost the memories of Artemis, also had her own distinct personality and soul, and couldn't be simply equated with the original.
Since William had already decided that Alice was his wife and had even deleted some of the new Artemis's memories about him, naturally, he had no thoughts of rekindling anything with Zoey.
In six years, even Amy was no longer the snotty little kid she used to be.
Walker had also transformed from a youth eager to join a gang into a young man wanting to save the world.
"Hey! I'm telling you, kid, you might really have a knack for living off others. All these years have passed, and your skin hasn't darkened a bit; you look just like you did six years ago," Walker joked. "I'm starting to suspect you're one of those eternal novice Soulmancers with all attributes maxed out."
Although it's true that high-level Soulmancers don't age visibly, to Walker, William seemed just a novice Soulmancer, yet his face bore no traces of the passing years.
William raised an eyebrow and said, "I really focus on wellness. After all, health is your greatest asset."
"Yeah, I can understand that!" Walker burst out laughing. Living off others, a healthy body is naturally the capital.
William and Walker continued their journey to what was called the inner city, only to see walls hundreds of feet high encircling it, topped with various weapons. Apart from Soulmancers who could fly into the city, the massive city gates were tightly closed.
It was a complete fusion of high technology and magical civilization.
In just six years, Earth's civilization had developed rapidly, and various high-tech weapons were enough to make Soulmancers pale.
"Open the gates!" Walker shouted, pulling out a metallic ID card. A purple light scanned William and Walker, and the city gates slowly opened a crack about three feet wide, not fully.
"Let's go! I'll take you into the city," Walker said as they walked. "I'm now the captain of New York City's Third Security Squad, with over three hundred Class B strongmen under my command. Just stick with me!"
"Class B strongmen?" William chuckled. "So, we're categorizing strength differently now? Not using the Soulmancer system anymore?"
As they approached the gate, Walker explained, "Many in the city with abilities haven't become true Soulmancers, so it's hard to classify strength by that system. Plus, there are these 'Doors of Terror' appearing around the city. Ordinary people who go in and come out alive can significantly boost their powers. You might want to give it a try."
"Doors of Terror," William laughed, he certainly knew about it, a new trick played by Dolly. "So what level of strength do I count as now?"
"You'd probably be Class D, but at least you're a Soulmancer. Once inside, you can also collect some supplies each month," Walker said with a smile as they reached the gate. "Don't worry, with me covering you in the city, you'll gradually get stronger."
"Thanks!" After entering the city, William saw the well-
organized streets, clearly revamped, and the people walking around dressed somewhat oddly.
There were pure Soulmancers, dressed in the unique garb of mages, seers, shamans, and others.
There were also those in technologically advanced mechanical armor.
Before William went to the Divine Realm, many new Soulmancers had risen, but ordinary people also feared the world being dominated by Soulmancers. Technological development accelerated rapidly, especially with Dr. Lopez from the former 13th Bureau leading scientific advancements, and various high-tech equipment and weapons emerged.
The intertwining of these two forces made the power dynamics complex.
Because of this, even as Earth's environment underwent significant changes again, humanity still had the strength to fight and had not completely fallen.
"Walker! You go out and bring back such a weak person, is that really appropriate?"
As soon as William and Walker entered the city, a young man in metallic armor started mocking them.
"I heard you ran into a mutated centipede and almost died! Hahaha!"
William glanced at the young man, hmm, he's mocking Walker, it has nothing to do with him.
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