Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven: Integration

After a brief moment, Lando had already arrived in a dense forest. Although the world membrane of Astraea provided some protection, to someone like Lando, equipped with specialized devices, it was nothing more than a thin film, barely causing a ripple.

This time, in this world, Lando was prepared to move cautiously and stealthily. But caution did not mean keeping a low profile. He already had several plans in place; first, he needed to gather detailed information.

Aral Patel’s diary recorded some details about this world, but he had arrived here by accident. After landing, his identity as an outsider was discovered, and he was relentlessly pursued. He barely escaped. Moreover, his intelligence was from several centuries ago, and who knew how much of it was still valid? Naturally, Lando wanted to verify everything personally before feeling at ease.

He turned toward a direction he had scouted upon arrival—a small town, just the right place for him to make contact with this world.

Half a day later, Lando stood deep in thought in an empty alley of the town, refining his plan based on the intelligence he had gathered. The sculpture he found clearly depicted a priest, a member of the Dead Corner clan, fully awakened. Yet, perhaps due to the town’s isolation, the locals only knew that the world was governed by the Imperial Court. They were completely unaware of any church.

This made Lando realize that trying to gather information from the grassroots was useless; he needed to gain some standing within the Imperial Court. Fortunately, in the world of Astraea, there was a way for commoners to rise rapidly: awakening!

At this thought, wisps of mist emanated from Lando’s body, slowly engulfing the entire town.

One week later.

Lando dragged his freshly caught prey back into the peaceful town, greeting friendly townsfolk along the way.

“Hello, Aunt Lisana, doing laundry?”

“Oh, young Lando, quite the catch today, huh?”

“Yes, I’ll break down the game later and bring you a big piece.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t trouble yourself!”

“Nonsense, if you hadn’t fed me when I was little, I might have starved to death.”

“Sigh, that was ages ago, don’t bring it up.”

“For you it might be small, but to me it was a lifesaving kindness. Lando won’t forget!”

“You’re such a good kid…”

After Lando walked away, a fellow laundress asked Lisana, “That young man looks familiar. Do you know him?”

Lisana chuckled. “How could you forget? That’s young Lando. His parents died early, and he grew up alone in town. Later, some hunters from the mountains took him in to teach him hunting. Now he’s returned skilled. Remember, we even fed him ourselves!”

Her companion looked puzzled—some of it seemed familiar, some not—but seeing Lisana so certain, she quickly said, “Oh right, I remember now. That’s young Lando. Didn’t expect he’d grown so much. Hard to recognize him.”

Lisana sighed. “Yes, young Lando’s not only handsome now but also a skilled hunter. Wonder which lucky girl he’ll end up with!”

Such conversations continued as Lando moved through the town, greeting people. Over a week, he embedded the image of a boy who had grown up here deeply into the hearts of the townspeople. They spontaneously filled in details—like which chickens he had stolen as a child or which ducks he chased—making his persona richer and more believable.

Lando returned home—a dilapidated abandoned house he had patched up just enough to live in. He first broke down the large prey, keeping a small portion for himself, then went door to door distributing the rest. He often paused to chat with familiar faces. After giving the best piece to the town mayor and leaving his house, night had already fallen.

Back home, he cooked meat, repaired his weapons, and went to sleep. Lando knew the time was nearly right.

The next day, he went hunting as usual at dawn. The town, though isolated, remained peaceful and stable.

In the afternoon, suddenly the town guards raised a piercing alarm, shouting desperately.

The long peace had left the townspeople unprepared; they turned toward the source of the alarm with growing unease. Then, a corpse torn in two was flung into the town.

“Skeleton Beast! Skeleton Beast! Run!” the guards shouted, causing the townsfolk to panic belatedly.

A three-meter-tall skeleton beast, shrouded in dark gray-black mist, had entered the town. Its imposing figure could topple sturdy houses with a mere touch. All who caught its gaze were torn apart, their souls devoured.

As the town faced imminent ruin, a fierce roar echoed from outside.

“Stop!”

Strangely, the skeleton beast actually halted and turned toward the newcomer.

Lando’s face darkened, his gaze resolute. He dropped his prey, drew the long sword from his back, and charged at the seemingly invincible skeleton beast with a death-defying resolve to protect his home.

Every townsfolk who witnessed this scene was entranced, as though witnessing the birth of an epic hero.

Though Lando was determined and skilled, the skeleton beast was overwhelmingly powerful. Time and again, he charged, only to be knocked down repeatedly.

When he noticed the townspeople’s hope fading back into despair, he knew it was time.

With a mighty roar, his aura shifted. A dense deathly mist, even more solid than the skeleton beast’s dark haze, radiated from him. Using this power, he forced the beast back step by step until it lay on the ground, emitting submissive whimpers.

At that moment, the old mayor emerged from hiding, his face alight with excitement.

“Awakening! This is awakening! The skeleton beast has submitted! Lando, quickly tame it.”

Lando nodded and theatrically placed his hand atop the beast’s skull. Death energy surged forth and entered the creature. This was a natural ability of every awakened one. Of course, this skeleton beast had been pre-tamed using the Binding Ring he had bargained for in the Crystal World with Jens.

Once the beast lay quietly behind Lando, the townspeople cautiously gathered, then erupted into overwhelming praise and gratitude, mixed with thanks from those who had lost loved ones. This reflected the world’s unique beliefs: they generally thought taming a spirit creature meant its soul had been transformed, replaced by a new soul, as if it had died once and been avenged.

The old mayor approached Lando, scrutinizing him before trembling as he said, “Congratulations, Lando. Though this isn’t a perfect ancestral awakening, your power at awakening is exceptional. You should not stop here. The capital of the Imperial Court, Gusman City—that is your true future!”

Lando seemed lost in a distant reverie, murmuring, “The Imperial capital, Gusman City…?”

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