But before doing anything, Michael decided to take a look around first. It wouldn't hurt to get the lay of the land in order to get a better perception of the different cultures of the Beastfolks.
He couldn't just start building concrete skyscrapers out of nowhere. Perhaps, some cultures wouldn't appreciate that kind of stuff, especially if it was done out of nature.
More probable than not, constructing concrete buildings would be okay, but it was still best to make sure.
He walked back over to Reptar's hut and asked him about entering inside New Sparta.
"You want to take a look around? Yeah, sure! Anyone is allowed inside as long as you're just there to have a tour. But beware that some
Beastfolks value their privacy, so you can't just enter inside a home where you're not invited."
Of course, Michael wasn't planning on doing that. He was just going to have a look around and see the different cultures of Beastfolks he had yet to see.
He had seen the Vampires, the Elves, and the Mermen out of their habitat. It would be a cool sight to see them in the comfort of their own homes.
He then walked alongside the walls of New Sparta, which was made out of big stone blocks fit together like a puzzle.
On the way, he saw many other huts and cabins housing people from all over the Royal Continent. After eavesdropping on a few conversations he came across, he found out that there were even some visitors who were from the Northern part of the Queens regions.
Beyond Metropolis was the lands where most of the conglomerates were stationed. This meant that the quality of life and cultivation
there were generally a lot stronger than that of the people in the lower regions.
"I heard that even the conglomerates are interested in New Sparta!"
"Damn. And here I thought Metropolis was going to be our biggest competition. Can't they have just stayed up north?"
"They can't-not when there's Draconians involved."
Michael continued on and eventually reached the entrance of New Sparta.
As he stepped inside, he found himself in the middle of two vastly different environments.
When he looked to the right side, he immediately knew which race it belonged to.
Instead of buildings, this quadrant only had a large lake inside. This was the Mermen's side.
He peered through the ocean blue water, seeing glowing corals and other fuzzy lights buried showing signs of an aquascape underneath all of this lake.
It must have taken immense magic to create this lake.
In contrast to that environment, the left side of the quadrant was vastly different and more earth-like.
It contained a forest made out of tall, thin trees that reminded him of
the countryside. All it needed were vast mountain-ranges, and this would have been a sight to see.
In the distance, he saw wooden cabins and shacks forming a tight-knit community-a tribe, perhaps.
That's the Werewolves' side.
There was a very thick fog that obscured people from peering
through inside, but Michael used his Supreme Skill to see through the Light mana signatures in the forest.
Finally, he saw the first signs of Werewolves in the area.
On the closest tribe near him, he saw a few Light mana signatures cutting down logs, presumably to use as firewood.
They're... werewolves?
From a mana perspective, they looked...human.
He saw no difference between himself and them. If they weren't living in this quadrant, then he would have thought that they were a normal
person.
No wait... there is a difference.
Now, he used his Drone's Aubility Vision to see through the fog. And finally, he saw their hearts beating with an intense orange glow.
That was a Dao Heart.
I guess they look human because they are human. They just haven't transformed into a Werewolf yet.
Once he got a look of the two quadrants beside him, he then put his attention in front of him.
Following a straight path of the rough road head, he would be face to face with tall spires that littered the skyline.
That was the Draconians' side.
He was interested in meeting them as well.
Which place should I go to first?
Right now, it seemed better to go and visit the Mermens' place given
that he was most familiar with them out of all the Beastfolk races.
He walked to the edge of the lake and readied a simple water-breathing spell to keep him alive as he dove down to the
depths of the water.
But before he could even take a single step into the water, someone
called out to him.
"You can't enter through there."
He turned around and saw a human man wearing an attire that wasn't
a custom in Metropolis.
"Why not?" he asked.
"No one's able to visit the Mermen as of late," the man replied. "Try it out. You can't enter the water."
Michael turned around and dipped his feet into the water, only to find himself walking on a solid surface.
It was as if he was walking on ice, yet the water under his feet was clearly liquid, still rippling from the quiet waves brought about by the
wind.
"The Mermen seem to be quite busy with something," the man said, walking beside Michael. "Hi, I'm Brock."
"Michael," he replied as they shook hands.
Brock looked at him up and down. "Say, you're pretty young for this aren't you? Are you alone? Where's your group?"
"They'll come later," Michael replied.
"Well, you better have come with a lot of backup because there's a lot
of competition going around. Metropolis, Zenthaven City, and Bonacore Town... there's lots of big names that I do not want to cross.
I'm just from a small town near the Eastern shore. Nobody even knows its name, so nobody is going to take me seriously. That's why us small groups should work together. We stand no chance against those big guys if we fight each other."
It seemed that Brock approached Michael in the hopes of recruiting him for something. Seeing his obvious youth, Brock thought Michael was a young, scrappy, businessman who hoped to make a name for himself in New Sparta.
Michael didn't correct him.
"What do you say?" Brock asked him.
"Sure. What are we doing?"
"Come, I'll show you around," Brock said, gesturing for him to come
along.
Brock led him near the boundary of the Werewolves' quadrant. There, he saw a big gathering of humans who all seemed to be ready and
geared up for a fight.
Judging from the look on their faces, as well as the heavy armors and well-polished weapons they had on their backs, it seemed that there was something going on in this place that involved a fight.
"What's happening?" he asked Brock.
"These are all the people who are going to be fighting for a chance to
enter the Brownblood Tribe," Brock replied.
"Brownblood Tribe?"
Brock nodded. "Yep. That's one of the tribes in the Werewolf race.
They are currently one of the few who are offering a chance for humans to enter into their place and have a chance to establish a relationship with them."
Michael was pleasantly surprised to have lucked in on this event.
After all, that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted to try and meet with the Werewolves, and it seemed that this competition was what was going to give him that. "What's the competition about?"
"We still don't know. But given that most of the Werewolves value
physical strength above all others, we think that they're going to be
giving out a test of physical feats. That's what we are all preapreing
for."
Brock and the others were looking as prepared as possible, bringing all kinds of weapons and armor that would make them seem appealing
to the Werewolves. They didn't want to look feeble. Just then, Michael heard some murmurs coming out of the group.
They seemed to be talking about a person in the far distance. Michael saw an old man with white hair and a hunched back, walking along with a few other tanned humans wearing fur clothes.
"Those are Werewolves!" Brock whispered to Michael. "Even that old man?" Michael asked.
Those brawny men looked like the typical werewolves he saw in
fantasy. But not the old man. He seemed more fit for sci-fi books.
"No, that old man is different. Don't you know him?" Michael shook his head.
"That's Professor Lichtenstein. He's a famous historian that even Yze
Vanderbilt greatly respects! He might not be physically strong, but the knowledge he possesses makes him a very powerful human." Michael stared at the professor, seeing him walk with the Werewolves
who gave him respect by walking at his slow pace. "Why is he here?" he asked Brock.
"That, I don't know. But if Professor Lichtenstein is here, then there
must be some kind of discovery that has been unearthed. That's the only reason why he has shown himself in New Sparta."