First Encounters in Seven Hills

Chris felt as if she were surrounded by a burst of light, as if countless moments of time were flowing over her.

When she slowly opened her eyes, she was instantly stunned by the world before her.

Towering buildings stood before them, while strange, unnamed conveyances zipped along the main thoroughfare.

She stood in the very center of the street, surrounded by a ceaseless flow of people.

Here, everyone moved with hurried expressions, utterly oblivious to their presence.

Their attire, starkly different from her own, lacked the intricate patterns and charming pendants adorning her clothes, yet offered a refreshing simplicity.

Such garments were entirely new to her.

“Sister, Sister!”

“Could this be some sort of secret realm, or perhaps a forbidden zone?”

Chris called out her sister’s name with a hint of panic; everything here felt profoundly alien to her, and she could sense the world’s energy was peculiar, a chaotic blend of various systems without any singular, governing principle.

Typically, a world adhering to a single law was an undeniable truth.

“Chris, calm yourself. This might very well be where we are meant to go.”

“! Are you saying…?”

“Look at the writing around us; doesn’t it closely resemble the script in Master’s diary?”

She gestured towards the distant, bustling shops.

“Now that you mention it, it truly does.”

The two quickly processed their current information: to find their Master in this world, they would undoubtedly require two things.

“Shelter and money.”

Chris meticulously surveyed the distant shops, an idea spontaneously forming in her mind.

“Let’s go take a look, Sister. Come on.”

Observing the movements of the surrounding crowds, she gradually deciphered some of the rules.

“Red means stop; only green permits movement.”

“The meaning of yellow remains unclear.”

These appeared to be some of this world’s fundamental laws, and based on her observations, everyone adhered to them, a fact she silently committed to memory.

“I can understand their speech, but I can’t decipher their writing.”

Chris, holding Eliza’s hand, approached a fragrant roadside stall named ‘Tai Chi Steamed Buns.’

The vendor kneaded dough with an unusual technique, ultimately shaping it into pristine white steamed buns with practiced, fluid movements.

Truth be told, she had never witnessed such a peculiar method, and the pervasive steam and aroma made her swallow hard.

It had been an age since she had last eaten.

“Chris, how utterly undignified…”

“Hah! I—I’m not being greedy, I just want to find someone to inquire about information! Definitely not greedy!”

As she spoke, she wiped away saliva that hadn’t yet escaped her mouth, then refocused her gaze on the vendor.

Coincidentally, seeing that the newcomers remained silent, the vendor was already observing them with keen interest.

In their estimation, while the two were dressed strangely, such sights had become commonplace since the Cataclysm.

No one could claim to fully comprehend the affairs of those with supernatural abilities, and it was hardly unusual for them to travel vast distances from other regions to Seven Hills to join the Ability Coordination Bureau.

Both novice and veteran individuals with abilities represented immensely valuable assets.

Early investment, therefore, was certainly not a bad idea.

A smile blooming on her face, the vendor girl addressed the two.

“Are the two of you individuals with abilities? Here to report to the Ability Coordination Bureau?”

“Ability Coordination Bureau? What’s th—mmph mmph mmph!!” Chris’s mouth was swiftly covered by Eliza.

“Mhm! Yes, yes! That’s right! The Ability Coordination Bureau! We are indeed here to report to that very Ability Coordination Bureau!”

“I had a feeling that was the case. Your long journey must have been exhausting, hasn’t it? Here, young lady, take this.”

She pressed a steamed bun into Chris’s arms.

“The Ability Coordination Bureau is just ahead—it’s a building that stands out starkly from its surroundings; you absolutely can’t miss it with just one glance.”

“It’s truly wonderful to be an individual with abilities, able to accept quests for money…”

She spoke with a hint of envy.

“Money!”

Chris’s eyes lit up, and she nodded emphatically at Eliza.

“Thank you.”

Eliza bowed deeply to the vendor, then strode forward, pulling Chris, who was still stuffing the steamed bun into her mouth, along the way.

“Chris, you’ve completely shamed our House Claudius.”

“But Sister, this really is delicious! Ah! You wouldn’t happen to want some, would you? No, not for you!”

Eliza forcefully shoved the rest of the steamed bun into Chris’s mouth.

As expected, the building named the Ability Coordination Bureau was indeed imposing; the moment they laid eyes on it, they knew they couldn’t possibly be mistaken.

Both spiritual energy and magic were exceptionally dense here, and the people within were distinct from the passersby they had just seen.

Chris keenly sensed an inexplicable energy flowing through them.

Its internal, web-like structure was intricate and complex, and as it was the sisters’ first visit, they naturally had no idea where to go.

As for men, she had no desire to speak with any man other than her Master.

Soon, she fixed her gaze on a young woman speaking in front of a shop.

The girl’s expression was remarkably vivid, portraying the dismay of someone whose almost-claimed man was about to slip away.

Chris was certain this was the look of a girl in love, an expression she had witnessed many times on Noyu.

“Um…”

“Hm?”

Bai Wanting turned around, freezing in place.

A vibrant, golden-haired girl stood sword in hand amidst the bustling world.

Before her was a woman with long black hair.

They appeared as if they had crossed over from another realm; their attire and their very aura seemed utterly out of place in this world.

Most importantly, there was the power hidden beneath their slender forms.

Bai Wanting considered herself a genius, yet in the presence of these two, she felt nothing but a wave of dread.

Unfathomable! If it came to a fight, it would be a three-seven… no, a zero-ten split.

The golden-haired girl spoke:

“Um, my sister and I want to go to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs? Hmm… is that how you pronounce it? To register, yes, register. We’re ability users!”

The young woman gazed at Chris in a daze, having never before seen such a breathtakingly beautiful girl; her flowing skirt and the tight stockings embracing her legs made the woman involuntarily swallow.

Had the immense magical power she’d just sensed vanished in an instant? Was it merely an illusion?

Regardless, her first thought was to absolutely prevent Xiaoqian from seeing this girl.

Swiftly regaining her composure, she inquired,

“Are you newcomers? Forgive my directness, but what are your abilities?”

“What abilities?”

Chris hesitated for several seconds before answering with a touch of uncertainty,

“I possess light-attribute power, and my sister wields darkness.”

“You both possess mage abilities, which is quite common. I, however, am a Cultivator (TL Note: A practitioner of ‘Xianxia’ or immortal cultivation, focusing on spiritual and physical refinement to achieve transcendence), so we’re quite different.”

Chris let out a sigh of relief. She hadn’t yet grasped the world’s classification system, but from what she could tell, it seemed this world, as she had speculated, lacked a unified order or fixed cultivation methods.

This, she realized, would be advantageous for concealing her true identity.

Bai Wanting suddenly noticed the sword at the girl’s side and tilted her head.

“If you’re a mage, why carry a sword?”

“Eh? Ah! That, that’s actually a magic staff! It just happens to look like a sword.”

Chris lied without a flicker of change in her expression or heartbeat.

“Is that so? It’s a very beautiful sword. I’ll take you to register.”

Bai Wanting offered the two a slight smile and walked ahead of them.

She had her own considerations: with the emergence of secret realms and a current lack of reliable combat power, the two sisters were undoubtedly a godsend.

Moreover, they were mages, second only to Cultivators in power.

In this era, too many abilities could awaken, whether it be cultivation, martial arts, magic, battle qi, breath techniques, or mental flow…

This world was far vaster than people imagined, concealing even more secrets.

Yet, when it came to cultivation and magic, these were the two most popular abilities among the people of Seven Hills.

She desperately needed certain materials, and the young women, she surmised, also had things they required.

Bringing them into her exploration team would undoubtedly significantly reduce the time needed to conquer secret realms.

This was the very essence of mutual utilization… no, mutual support, wouldn’t you say?

She deliberately walked ahead of the girls, ensuring they wouldn’t see her smile.

“Incidentally, regarding your strength…”

Bai Wanting carefully chose her words, hoping to glean some information from them.

“Oh, we’ve only just awakened, so our strength is quite weak.”

“Is that so? Don’t be disheartened; mage abilities are quite easy to improve.”

She consoled Chris, inwardly musing that her earlier sensation had indeed been a misconception.

The girl now exuded an undisturbed calm, not a single ripple of magical energy detectable by Bai Wanting.

Just as she was about to enter the registration room, a tremendous crash echoed.

The commotion originated from an upper-floor room, accompanied by the screams of the crowd and crude, boisterous laughter.

“Hoo ha ha ha ha, do you Seven Hills folks have no one stronger to fight? Just a bunch of trash!”

“Where’s Bai Wanting? Isn’t she your rising star? Come out and fight me!”

The man, wreathed in dark energy, descended from above, and the True Qi (TL Note: A vital energy cultivated by practitioners, often used for combat or spiritual enhancement) he casually unleashed effortlessly obliterated the walls on both sides of the corridor.

“You must be Bai Wanting, right? Hmph, let’s see what you’ve got.”

The newcomer appeared to be a powerhouse at the Foundation Establishment (TL Note: A stage in cultivation where practitioners solidify their spiritual foundation, a significant milestone in their journey) stage. Bai Wanting’s eyes narrowed; though she was also in the Foundation Establishment stage, she wasn’t confident she could instantly defeat him.

Ever since she became famous, countless people had sought her out for challenges. While she remained undefeated, she had grown somewhat weary of it all.

“Ugh! How annoying, Xiaoqian is still waiting for me!”

Just as she was about to draw her sword to face the enemy, Chris, unbeknownst to her, had already appeared behind the man, who didn’t even react.

With a muffled groan, the man rolled his eyes, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed to his knees.

Bai Wanting stood frozen in place.

‘Didn’t you just awaken, with weak strength?!’