Rise of the Alchemy God

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When Ethan learned of the existence of another continent, he was somewhat surprised.

He had always assumed that the land he lived on was the only one in existence, believing it to be a vast, singular landmass.

After all, Earth itself had once been a single large supercontinent.

But discovering that this world had already split into three separate continents, and not through natural causes, but because of someone's actions, was undoubtedly a major shock for him.

Since then, he had often wondered whether the beast race here resembled the ones he had imagined while reading novels in his previous world.

Depictions of intelligent beasts, as humanlike as they were diverse, capable of assuming humanoid forms, were not uncommon in the novels he had read.

He found himself wondering if that was the case here.

At the moment, Ethan was walking through the streets of the grand city built around the colossal Tree of Life, observing his surroundings.

He had retained his usual appearance, and although he was walking openly in public, no one seemed to notice him.

'

Hmm, so this is how it is,' he thought, watching the city's inhabitants go about their daily routines.

The city itself resembled those of humans, with the sole exception being the unique features that distinguished its residents.

They had humanoid forms, all of them bipedal rather than the quadrupeds one might typically associate with beasts.

Despite their humanlike appearances, they each bore distinctive traits such as tails, fur, long muzzles, large ears, and so on.

The image of fully human girls with nothing more than animal ears and tails was quickly dispelled, something that disappointed him slightly.

Bai Yu, who still had part of her soul linked to his, sensed his thoughts and nearly kicked him.

Currently, just like Ethan, she was walking alongside him, examining the city.

Unlike Ethan, who was seeing the beast race for the first time, Bai Yu was not surprised.

Coming from the higher heavens, where a wide variety of races coexisted, this was nothing new to her.

"If it makes you feel better, there are also beastkin like the ones you're imagining," she said, shaking her head.

Ethan feigned indifference, but inwardly he was pleased.

That said, he began to wonder if such beastkin existed in this place.

After all, he had no intention of blending in by pretending to be covered in fur, nor could he remain camouflaged forever.

He expanded his spiritual sense across the entire city to see if there were any other types of beastkin and, to his surprise, he found some.

Eventually, Ethan decided to cast an illusion spell on himself and Bai Yu.

With this, the two of them would appear as natives of this continent in the eyes of the city's inhabitants.

He had no desire to walk around with a mask again, so he opted for this solution.

Given his current level, his illusion was flawless and could not be discovered by anyone weaker than him, in other words, no one on this plane could uncover his true identity.

After some investigation, he and Bai Yu discovered that the city was called

Tiān Shù Chéng,

meaning "Celestial Tree City."

It seemed the people of this city revered the giant tree to some extent.

According to what he had heard, once every decade, the giant tree would bless the city, healing all illnesses and, according to some, even bringing good fortune.

Ethan could understand the part about curing diseases. After all, the tree was anything but ordinary.

As for the claims about luck, he was skeptical.

The wood-attributed Qi emanating from the tree could certainly aid in healing, but it had nothing to do with fortune.

What interested Ethan more was how the tree had ended up here.

Judging by its size, he estimated that it had been here for millennia, if not longer.

He had tried asking around, but no one seemed to know when the tree had first appeared.

It seemed to have always been there, with the city gradually built around it over time.

Ethan spent the day investigating further and eventually decided to stay at an inn in the city.

Aside from a few minor details here and there, the city was very similar to a human one, so Ethan had no trouble navigating it.

Arriving at the inn, he asked for a room for two.

Though a single room would have sufficed, since neither of them slept and could retreat into his minor dimension if needed, he opted for a room for two to avoid suspicion.

The receptionist, a rabbit beastwoman, said:

"Of course, we have several rooms available.

It will be 3

fest

for one night, and an additional 2

fest

if you'd like meals included," the receptionist said.

Hearing the unfamiliar currency, Ethan was momentarily at a loss for words.

'Shit, why didn't I think of this earlier?' He had spent the entire day exploring but hadn't once considered that the currency here would be different.

He had seen some people using what appeared to be silver coins with a distinctive engraving on them.

He assumed those were the local currency.

"Dear, did you forget the money at home? If you want, I can lend you some," said the dragon woman pretending to be his companion, clearly enjoying the opportunity to tease him.

Ethan was tempted to punish her on the spot but restrained himself as he quickly thought of a solution.

'Spirit stones should be a universal currency, right?' he suddenly thought.

"Do you accept these?" he asked, pulling a spirit stone from his pocket.

Upon seeing the stone, no larger than a fingernail, the rabbit woman nearly jumped in shock.

With a panicked expression, she stammered,

"Esteemed sir, a spirit stone is far too much. I don't have enough

fest

to give you change!"

It seemed spirit stones were a bit too valuable here, Ethan thought.

"There's no need for change; you can keep the rest," he said and finally headed to his room.

Upon entering, they found a slightly spacious room with a double bed, a table with what appeared to be a lamp, and a window on the left side that offered a view of the city's darkened streets.

It was already nighttime, so aside from a few lights, there wasn't much to see.

Unlike some human cities, the inhabitants here didn't seem to stay up late, at least not in this part of the city.

"What are you planning to do with him?" Bai Yu asked as she threw herself onto the bed.

"Eh, I was thinking of waiting a bit longer to see what his intentions are.

But maybe it'd be faster to ask him directly," Ethan replied, vanishing from where he stood.

"Don't bully him, or you'll have to deal with me." Bai Yu warned.