SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

Chapter 144: Exploring the Central City

As the two convoys passed each other, the air seemed to grow noticeably colder.

The Velhari looked at the human convoy with icy expressions.

The human guards did not relax either. But neither side stopped. They simply passed each other.

Not long afterward, Zich spotted another convoy.

It was a merchant caravan. The people in the caravan were tall, with pale gray skin, wrapped in heavy cloaks. A faint white mist surrounded their wagons, and even the ground beneath their wheels was left covered in a thin layer of frost.

"The Sorath," Helen said.

"The winter people?"

"Yup... They’re not especially warm in personality, but they follow Central City’s rules very strictly."

Zich watched the gray skinned figures with noticeably more interest than before.

It was the first time he had seen a race other than the Velhari at such close range.

They did not stare at the human convoy for long. Nor did they display any obvious hostility. They simply continued forward quietly. They were more pleasant to look at than the Velhari.

At least they did not seem so eager to start trouble with their eyes.

Time continued to pass, and the road gradually rose as the convoy drove up a long slope.

When the armored transport vehicle crossed the ridge, the view suddenly opened up.

Zich finally saw Central City.

It was not a shelter... At least, not a shelter as he understood it.

Enormous city walls stretched across the distance like a gray black mountain range, their surfaces covered in glowing formation patterns. Several floating watchtowers hovered above the city, slowly rotating as they monitored the roads approaching from every direction.

At the city’s highest point stood a colossal tower.

Above it floated an enormous Neutral Emblem whose light belonged to no single race, but instead was formed from multiple colors woven together.

Roads stretching in from every direction converged upon Central City.

The armored vehicle continued forward, gradually approaching the city gate assigned to the Human Route.

Huge banners had already been raised outside the city walls.

One bore the emblem of the Chosen Tournament.

The other continuously updated the list of participants.

Zich quickly spotted his name. His name was no longer displayed only on the projection screen of the First Shelter.

It now appeared outside Central City, in a place where every race could see it.

Helen looked at him.

"How does it feel?"

Zich looked at the enormous participant banner and remained silent for a moment, then grimaced.

"Bad."

Helen froze for a second before she could not help but laugh.

The armored transport vehicle passed through the Human Route gate, and only then did Zich truly see what the inside of Central City looked like.

From a distance, Central City was already enormous, but after actually entering, that sense of scale became even more obvious. Wide roads stretched toward different districts. A massive Neutral Emblem floated above the city, and among the crowds moving back and forth were not only humans, but also the Velhari, Sorath, Keth, and some figures wrapped tightly in robes whose aura made people feel rather uncomfortable.

Outside the window, countless sounds continuously poured in.

The cries of merchants hawking their goods, the heavy footsteps of transport beasts, conversations between players, the shouts of tournament staff maintaining order, and the chaotic mixture of different languages all intertwined together, making this place feel less like a shelter on the First Layer and more like a truly enormous city that belonged to multiple races.

Zich sat inside the vehicle, his gaze sweeping across both sides of the street.

Beside the human writing hung the symbols of the other races. The wheels of Sorath caravans left thin traces of frost across the ground. Several Keth merchants squatted beside water tanks, arranging glowing aquatic weeds, while a patrol wearing Neutral City Guard armor walked down the middle of the road, separating two groups that had almost collided.

"It’s noisier than I expected," Zich said.

Helen sat beside him. Looking at the lively scene outside the window, she smiled faintly.

"This is still before the tournament officially begins. Once all the race representatives arrive, you’ll think it’s quiet right now."

...that sounded very terrible.

The armored transport vehicle did not stop in the ordinary inn district. Instead, it drove all the way toward the inner section of the Human Accommodation District. There stood several tall guest towers, their outer walls engraved with Association emblems and defensive runes. Fully armed Association guards stood at the entrance.

This was not an ordinary inn.

It was more like a temporary base.

After the transport vehicle stopped, Association personnel led them into the guest tower. Inside the hall were already a registration desk, treatment room, restaurant signs, the entrance to the training floors, and a mission bulletin board. Most of the players walking back and forth wore representative uniforms from their respective shelters.

Helen explained to Zich, "Every race has its own accommodation area in Central City, mainly to reduce conflicts before the tournament. The Velhari have their own district, the Sorath have theirs as well, and because the Keth require a water environment, their accommodation area has even been specially modified."

Zich looked toward the defensive runes on the wall.

"It doesn’t look like it’s just for accommodation."

"Of course not," Helen said. "The people staying here are all participants and candidate representatives. If even one dies, it would cause a huge problem, so the protection here is much stronger than that of an ordinary hotel."

After entering his room, Zich quickly inspected everything.

There were detection runes on the windows, the door lock was connected to identity recognition, and guards patrolled the hallway regularly. Overall, the security was indeed excellent.

But still, Zich was dissatisfied because it lacked privacy.

After observing for some time, he walked out of his room.

Helen was already waiting in the hallway.

"You’re not planning to stay in your room the whole time, are you?" she asked.

Zich paused for a moment and then replied, "Actually, I could."

"It’s your first time in Central City. Aren’t you going to have a look around?"

Curious, Zich couldn’t help but nod.

"Sure. Let’s check it out."

So the two of them left the guest tower and headed toward Central City’s Trade District.