Chapter 481: The Oblivious Crowd
White Cloud City.
Despite the comfortable environment of the hotel, Mu En and his group, who had just arrived, were immediately given an unintentional show of strength. This left them with no thought of rest, their hearts filled with worry and uncertainty about the future.
After spending the entire night anxiously waiting
The next day.
Around nine in the morning, the hotel staff finally arrived to inform them that they were to proceed to a certain administrative sub department of White Cloud City, where public officials specialized in handling such matters were waiting for them.
This left Mu En and his group stunned. They had assumed that specialized personnel would come to them to negotiate a cooperation agreement. Being used to asserting dominance, they failed to realize that in the eyes of a top tier force like White Cloud City, they were nothing more than wealthy upstarts from a backwater land. Would an emperor personally receive a mere country noble?
Moreover, their continent itself had nothing particularly desirable to White Cloud City whether it be spirit bones or other resources. Even in terms of spirit tools and other artifacts, the Douluo Two continent simply could not compare to Douluo One. If there was anything of slight interest, it would likely be the various minerals used in crafting spirit tools and the rare medicinal herbs used for refining elixirs.
Mu En and his group failed to grasp the vast disparity between them and White Cloud City. They still viewed Douluo One through historical records, believing that their own foundation was deep and that they were not much weaker in comparison. This was a narrow minded perspective akin to a farmer believing the emperor plows his fields with a golden hoe. Given their limited outlook, it was no surprise that they harbored such delusions.
Though they felt angered by being belittled, they were in no position to protest. When under another's roof, one must lower their head. Since they needed something from White Cloud City, Mu En and his group ultimately chose to follow the rules. Guided by instructions, they set off for the department designated for foreign visitors like them.
Along the way, as they occasionally glanced at the pedestrians around them, Mu En and the others finally began to grasp just how deep the waters of Douluo One ran.
Everywhere they looked, soul masters were abundant. Even an ordinary looking vegetable vendor on the roadside turned out to be at the Soul King level. A seven or eight year old child, dressed plainly, was already at the Soul Elder level. Such talent would be considered a one in ten thousand genius in their world.
Yet here, such individuals were everywhere. Even if this was White Cloud City, the holy land of humanity where elites gathered, wasn't this a bit too exaggerated?
In White Cloud City, even a Title Douluo was nothing more than a gatekeeper. A Soul Douluo was insignificant, while a Soul Sage or lower was considered merely an ordinary person. Only god tier powerhouses were truly regarded as superior.
Over the years, due to frequent incidents where demonic limbs, divine artifacts, and other powerful objects from different worlds had fallen into this world, the overall energy concentration of the realm had risen rapidly. Because of this, White Cloud City had long since become incomparable to its past self.
What Mu En and his group saw was merely the norm, not some grand display arranged specifically for them. In truth, they weren't even worthy of such a performance.
To be honest, when the existence of the Douluo Two world was first discovered, certain factions within Douluo One had already begun scheming. They saw it as an unclaimed land waiting to be carved up.
After all, from their perspective, the strongest being in Douluo Two was merely an Ultimate Douluo. Their power was weak, yet they occupied such rich resources how could this be fair? To monopolize such bountiful land without divine punishment seemed almost absurd.
If not for White Cloud City, the nominal leader of the realm, remaining inactive for now causing other factions to hesitate in making a move Mu En and his group would have never made it to White Cloud City in one piece. They would have been devoured along the way.
Over the years, as energy levels increased and White Cloud Academy introduced the ring condensation cultivation method, many talented students had emerged. Among them were heirs of major factions, while others had married into powerful clans after graduation. As a result, divine tier powerhouses were no longer exclusive to White Cloud City.
Other forces now had god tier experts as well, all of whom were connected to White Cloud City in some way. Most had been students of the academy.
Because of this, Douluo One had gradually come to revolve around White Cloud City, which had even become the holy land of humanity.
To them, the Douluo Two world was a delectable cake waiting to be sliced up. Everyone wanted a piece, but since their leader had yet to make a move, no one dared to act rashly. In secret, however, they had already begun sending scouts to investigate and prepare contingencies. Once they determined the time was right, they would rush in to claim the largest portion.
Mu En and his group, trapped within their narrow worldview, remained oblivious to the fact that disaster loomed over them. They were like fish laid out on a chopping board, no longer in control of their own fate.
This trip to White Cloud City was their final opportunity. If they failed to seize this chance, their fate would be to be torn apart and devoured by the ravenous wolves and tigers lying in wait.
Following the hotel staff's earlier instructions, Mu En and his group arrived at a towering building. It featured White Cloud City's signature architectural style, with elaborate brackets and upturned eaves. The entrance was wide open, revealing only a sparse number of staff inside. Clearly, this was an idle government office with minimal workload perhaps going months without visitors.
Their destination was right before them.
Yet, at this moment, nervousness took hold. They stood rooted to the spot, taking deep breaths. The calm confidence and arrogance they once carried as strong individuals seemed to vanish in front of this imposing building. Their past composure was nowhere to be found.
It took several minutes of mental preparation
Before Mu En, leading the group, finally stepped forward. Together, they ascended the stairs and slowly entered the building.
At the front desk sat an employee who appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, possessing the strength of an Ultimate Douluo. Mu En and his group hurriedly stepped forward and handed over their documents.
The staff member seemed accustomed to this sort of thing. Over the years, he had seen plenty of foreign envoys from the Sun Moon Continent and beyond.
After taking a brief glance at the documents, he nodded and instructed them to wait a moment. Then, he pressed a button on his desk and entered a sequence of commands. The device on his left ear a headset like object suddenly lit up.
The staff member seemed to be listening to someone, responding with phrases like "Yes," "Understood," and "Alright." Once the conversation ended, he turned back to Mu En and his group and said, "Come with me. You're in luck. The supervisor is here today and has decided to personally handle your case."
Just a supervisor?
Mu En and his group frowned. Was this not a blatant sign of disrespect?
Noticing their dissatisfaction, the staff member remained expressionless. He merely said in a calm tone, "Given your status, being granted an audience with the supervisor is already a great fortune. When you meet him, I suggest you restrain your emotions."
With that, he rose and headed in a certain direction.
Mu En and the others quickly followed.
(End of Chapter)
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