In the middle of that city, there was an area encircled by mountains.

There stood a magnificent silver palace, adorned with countless white star symbols, surrounded by many smaller palaces.

The entire area was filled only with grand buildings that appeared to be the center of government for this kingdom.

At this moment, the Flying Magic Vehicle began to descend, though not entering the city itself.

"Lisa, I will drop you here. Let Richard explore to broaden his horizons. I'm sure you also want to look around," said Lilith.

"Yeah…" Lisa nodded enthusiastically.

She clearly wanted to explore the capital.

Though this wasn't her first time here, it had been far too long since her last visit.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, an invisible force sent Richard and Lisa downward.

In an instant, they appeared on the ground, not far from one of the bridges spanning the river.

Athena also appeared beside them, complete with the carriage she pulled.

Only when seeing the bridge from below did Richard finally realize just how long it was.

"Come on!" Lisa climbed into the driver's seat, signaling Richard to get inside the carriage.

If they walked, it would be far too exhausting.

Richard entered the carriage and opened all the windows so he could enjoy the view outside.

Athena immediately stepped forward, pulling the carriage.

The bridge was about thirty meters wide—so wide that it never became overcrowded.

What caught Richard's attention was the sheer number of people fishing from it.

Their fishing tools weren't the simple bamboo rods he had once used.

Instead, they looked much like modern fishing gear, though they only used bottles and similar objects to spool the long lines.

The fascinating part was how often the fishermen struck—and each time, they pulled up enormous fish, larger even than a human.

Even at night, there were still countless people fishing.

Though tempted, Richard restrained himself and merely watched from within the carriage.

Now was not the time for leisure.

In a city this vast, the only thing that mattered was gaining more strength.

Moreover, the farther they went across the bridge, the more astonished Richard became at how dense the Aether was in this city.

Entering the city was entirely free—no fee, no inspection.

But once they arrived inside, Richard noticed a small drawback.

The roads weren't that wide, barely enough for three carriages.

With such a dense population, these narrow streets created endless crowds. Still, he understood why: there were far too many houses and far too little open land for roads.

Even worse, because the city lay in the mountains, every street Richard saw sloped upward.

"Richard, there's an extreme rumor…" Sister Lisa suddenly spoke.

"What is it?" Richard asked in confusion.

"There's a reason the founder of the kingdom chose this place as the capital. You know, it doesn't really make sense, right? Who would build a city on mountains?"

Richard nodded. Indeed, it was illogical to make mountains into a city.

It only made things harder. He even saw many people exhausted just from walking.

"What does the rumor say, Sister?" Richard asked.

"They say there's a giant corpse beneath these mountains, as large as the mountains themselves."

"Ohh…"

Richard wore a strange expression.

The statues in the Dragon Hall were colossal and seemed to have been shaped from once-living beings. But if there truly was a corpse the size of the entire capital, even those statues would be no more than ants in comparison.

"Something like that? Is it even real? Then why build a city on top of it?"

"They say that when people train in this city, they unknowingly absorb the aura of the corpse along with the Aether they cultivate. This gradually consumes the corpse's aura, causing its indestructible flesh to slowly decay until only its skeleton remains. That skeleton is what the kingdom is waiting for."

"What kind of skeleton is that?"

"An Aether Skeleton—but of a different type. I don't know the details. It's said that it can make someone's body completely indestructible. I once asked Lilith about this, but she didn't answer, so I think it must truly be a secret."

"An Aether Skeleton that massive—who could even use it?" Richard gave a wry smile.

"This is something hard to explain, but surely those powerful figures would know," Lisa replied.

"Maybe…" Richard could only say that.

Things like this were difficult to talk about, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious.

It was simply far beyond him—after all, he hadn't even advanced into the Life Aether Realm yet.

Richard continued looking around.

The liveliness of this city was unmatched. He saw more bars than any other kind of shop. Each bar even had beautiful women serving guests—not only pouring drinks, but also offering embraces.

'This city is simply too vast to explore. We've only taken one road, but behind every building, there's another street,' Richard thought.

"What's that?" Richard asked suddenly when he noticed something interesting—a massive cave, dark at its entrance, lit only by a faint red glow, yet many people were entering it.

"The Beast Prison," Lisa answered.

"There's a prison for beasts?" Richard was a little surprised.

"Yes, they imprison Beasts and Primordial Beasts from Tier 1 to 30. It's a training ground where people can test the exact tier of their strength. For many, it's a safer option, since the prison managers can stop their beasts when a challenger is defeated, so there's no risk of losing one's life," Sister Lisa explained.

"It seems like anyone wanting to train there would have to pay," Richard remarked.

"Of course. You're not allowed to kill their beasts either—if you do, you must compensate. It's private business, after all. Are you interested in trying?" Sister Lisa asked.

"No need. I'll only try things that give me benefits, not something that makes me pay." Richard shook his head.

"There's also a place like that, but provided by the kingdom, meant for Magi in the Aether Will Realm. You pass trials, and if you succeed, you'll receive rewards. You can even choose to absorb Aether from the Star Wheel prepared specifically for that purpose. However, it's truly difficult—even the geniuses who reach the finals in the capital struggle there."

"Really? Then take me there." Richard was, of course, interested if it involved Aether.

"I've been there before, but I forgot the way," Lisa replied, trying to recall.

Richard rolled his eyes at that.

"Let's just ask," he said.

After saying that, from inside the carriage, he waved to an old man who looked poor, driving a skinny donkey, beckoning him closer while showing a few gold coins.

How could the old man possibly refuse?

"What is it, young master and miss?" he asked warmly.

Richard looked at Sister Lisa. He couldn't ask, since he didn't even know the name of the place.

"Where's the way to the Monster World?" Sister Lisa asked.

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