Chapter 84: h.e.l.lo, Magic City
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Magic City.
Be it in this life or the past, it truly was the commercial capital of the country.
The economic center, the business hub… These were all t.i.tles afforded only to Magic City.
All paths led to this city. It was a place that harbored the dreams of countless people!
The moment Fang Ping stepped off the train, he could clearly feel the stark contrast between the bustle of the metropolis and Sun City.
Fang Ping was no country b.u.mpkin, and it was not like he had never been to Magic City before.
Even so, the moment he stepped out, Fang Ping still felt the impact like a ton of bricks.
“There are so many martial artists here!”
The moment he disembarked, Fang Ping could sense at least seven or eight sources of roiling Vitality.
Fang Ping did not hide his Vitality either, and in an instant, quite a few people looked his way.
When they saw Fang Ping’s youthful looks, a few pairs of eyes in the crowd dilated.
A martial artist, was he?
Not only that, he was a potential martial artist who broke past his limits and was aiming to hone his bones several times, huh?
At his young age, such intense and powerful Vitality was already a statement of his status.
As Fang Ping was looking around him, a member of the railway security, dressed in a police uniform, walked toward him.
As the stranger approached him, Fang Ping could already tell that he was not a martial artist. Even so, his Vitality was not too shabby — more than 130cal, at the very least.
The railway public safety officer was around thirty years old, and after he walked up to Fang Ping, he said calmly, “May I see your ID, sir?”
Fang Ping frowned slightly, but he gave his ID to the guard without a word.
The man used a machine in his hand and keyed in Fang Ping’s ID number.
Soon enough, the man smiled and said, “This is your first time in Magic City, right, Mr. Fang?”
“Yeah. I’m a freshman with Magic City Martial Arts University, and I came here in advance to feel the atmosphere.”
“Could you please show me your acceptance letter?”
Fang Ping frowned again and said somewhat unhappily, “Is this necessary?”
“Please don’t misunderstand, Mr. Fang. Since you’re a student with Magic City Martial Arts University, that means you’ll be based in Magic City for the next four years.
“Furthermore, Magic City is the Sino Nation’s economic stronghold, which makes it extremely vital.
“Martial artists have superhuman powers and an extremely high destructive force. While Magic City does not restrict martial artists in any way, you must still register your arrival.
“Besides, some martial artists carry restricted weapons around. Without a martial arts license, martial artists aren’t allowed to publicly carry their weapons.”
After that, the man continued to explain, “In the past, students from all the martial arts universities would usually arrive and register within those few days.
“At that time, the schools will send representatives and have everything sorted out.
“However, you came alone and ahead of time, so we’ll have to arrange a temporary martial arts license for you…”
Fang Ping understood. Martial artists were humanoid weapons that far surpa.s.sed the abilities of regular folk, so they were not that different from automatic weapons.
If such people were left completely unrestrained, chaos could easily break out.
Magic City had many martial artists, and that had its own pros and cons. Such a registration might not do much, but at least it showed that they were putting some form of limitations in place.
When he thought of that, Fang Ping said, somewhat frustrated, “I’m not a martial artist, but I have to register as well?”
“You’re not a martial artist?”
The man was slightly surprised, but something occurred to him soon enough, and he hurriedly added, “Anyone whose Vitality is higher than the limit will also have to register.”
“Alright, do we register here?”
“Of course not. Please come with me, and we’ll register at the station’s martial arts office.
“It won’t take too much of your time. It’ll just be a while.
“Once you have your martial arts license, you are free to go as you please.
“If you need any a.s.sistance, you can contact Magic City Martial Arts University. You can talk to the Martial Arts a.s.sociation too, and they’ll provide you with some a.s.sistance.
“The Martial Arts a.s.sociation?”
Fang Ping had never heard about that organization before, so he could not help but ask.
The cop was very friendly too, smiling as he explained, “It’s a casual a.s.sociation for martial artists. I guess you could consider it government-linked.
“Their main role is providing a.s.sistance to martial artists who aren’t from around here, helping them get used to Magic City sooner.
“The members of the Martial Arts a.s.sociation are actually the bigwigs from martial arts universities all over the country, and they’re working with the local government…”
The two of them chatted as they walked, and soon enough, Fang Ping saw the martial arts office in a corner of the station.
It was quite large. At the very least, it took up a relatively vast area in proportion to the station!
They called it an office, but it was as large as a regular service center. There were many people walking in, out, and around it, and quite a few of them were escorted by a public safety officer, just like Fang Ping.
On the way here, Fang Ping found out what this policeman’s name was too.
He was Chen Zichuan, and he was part of the public safety system, but he was also in charge of greeting and guiding the martial artists who had just arrived in Magic City.
Fang Ping was still rather curious, so when he saw that there were quite a few others in the hall whose turn would come before theirs, he asked, “Big Brother Chen, how did you know I might a martial artist?”
Chen Zichuan’s Vitality was not low; it was probably about 130cal.
However, Fang Ping’s Vitality was much higher than his, so Chen Zichuan should be hard-pressed to sense anything from him. After all, Fang Ping did not purposely do an outburst.
Back then, there had been quite a distance between them, but Chen Zichuan had still made a beeline for him.
On the way, Chen Zichuan chatted with Fang Ping a little, and now that they had gotten to know each other a little better, he started speaking less formally to Fang Ping. Laughing, he said, “It’s simple, really. The truth is all of you have to walk past the platform exit after disembarking.
“I’m sure you’ve used a Vitality Chamber before, right? The entrances and exits to the station platforms are all equipped with something similar to a Vitality Chamber.
“If your Vitality is over a certain limit, you will trigger the sensor, which will then send a signal to these receptors we carry with us.”
“I see. It sounds rather high-tech…”
Fang Ping was impressed, but then Chen Zichuan said in a whisper, “Actually, it only works on lower-ranked martial artists.
“Once you reach the middle ranks, the sensors can’t pick you up anymore.”
Fang Ping raised an eyebrow slightly. That meant that middle-ranked martial artists did not have to register then, right?
As though reading his mind, Chen Zichuan said with a laugh, “To be honest, very few middle-ranked martial artists take the train. I barely see a handful every year.
“Besides, once they get to the middle ranks, their information will be pretty well-doc.u.mented anyway.
“If they really did come by train, we could see them coming from the details on their ticket…”
Fang Ping wanted to ask, what if they bought the ticket using someone else’s information? What then?
After he gave it some more thought, though, he realized that if middle-ranked martial artists really wanted to camouflage themselves, they would be able to find a way. Even if they did not take the train, they could easily just drive or even walk here.
As they continued to chat, one of the registration counters opened up.
Chen Zichuan led Fang Ping to the counter hurriedly, and a young woman dressed professionally sat behind the desk.
When she saw Fang Ping, the woman said in a gentle voice, “Sir, could I have your ID or martial arts license, please?
“If you don’t have a martial arts license, an ID would do.”
Fang Ping took out his martial arts license and said, shaking his head, “I don’t have a martial arts license, and I’m not a martial artist, either.”
“Mr. Fang here is a freshman with Magic City Martial Arts University,” Chen Zichuan informed her.
Realization dawned on the uniformed woman’s face, and she checked Fang Ping’s ID. However, she did not ask Fang Ping for his acceptance letter. Instead, she stared at the computer, reading up on some information.
After some time, she laughed softly. “Did you break through your limits lately, Mr. Fang?”
The computer screen clearly displayed some of Fang Ping’s information, including the results of his physical a.s.sessment.
“Yeah.”
“In that case, if you don’t mind, Mr. Fang, could you kindly undergo a simple test for us…”
As the woman said that, she stood up and invited Fang Ping to stand on a small device next to the registration counter.
Fang Ping glanced at it. It was similar to those machines on the street that measured one’s height and weight, but it was slightly more complicated and slightly larger as well.
Unlike the Vitality Chamber, this one was not sealed up. It was only half-covered.
It was probably a contraption that measured his Vitality. With that in mind, Fang Ping walked over and stood on it without protest.
Not long after he stepped onto it, two red lights lit up on what looked like the indicators next to the machine.
A slight change came over both the woman’s and Chen Zichuan’s face. The uniformed woman prioritized actions over words, so she did not say anything.
Chen Zichuan, however, gasped. “You’ve honed your bones twice? Magic City Martial Arts University really is where prodigies gather!”
“Hmm?”
Confused, Fang Ping said, “You can tell that, too?”
“It’s a simple indicator. One red light means your Vitality is over the 150 mark.
“Two red lamps indicates that you’re a Rank-1 martial artist.
“But you’re not a martial artist yet, which means you must be a twice-honed potential martial artist. A twice-honed potential martial artist has about as much Vitality a newly-minted Rank-1 martial artist.”
Chen Zichuan explained patiently and even said with some envy, “Mr. Fang, once you enroll into Magic City Martial Arts University, you’ll probably reach Rank-2 and even Rank-3 in no time at all.”
“Let’s hope so,” Fang Ping said with a laugh.
By then, the woman had returned to her seat. She took out a piece of card, about the size of an ID card, and began to work with it.
With Fang Ping’s cooperation, they took a picture, and within five minutes, Fang Ping was holding a brand new martial arts license in his hands.
“Name: Fang Ping.
“s.e.x: Male.
“Address: Nanjiang Province, Sun City, Lake Center Area, Lakeview Gardens, Block 6, Room 101.
“School: Magic City Martial Arts University.
“Level: Rank-1.”
Fang Ping examined his so-called ‘martial arts license’ for a bit. It resembled an ID, and it had his picture as well. If anything, it was slightly simpler.
The uniformed woman introduced it to him. “Mr. Fang, this is just a temporary martial arts license. Once you’ve officially enrolled, your school will provide all of you with your own martial arts licenses.”
“Then, what do you mean by Rank-1 here…?”
Fang Ping pointed at his supposed level. He was no martial artist.
The woman explained again, “Twice-honed potential martial artists enjoy the same benefits as their Rank-1 counterparts.
“After all, be it in your Vitality or potential destructive power, you’re not so different from new Rank-1 martial artists.
“For the first three ranks, martial artists are ranked according to their Vitality. After that, there will be other professional determiners.
“Once you enter your martial arts university, you will see that this knowledge is commonplace inside the school as well.”
In truth, the woman found Fang Ping slightly strange.
Usually, if someone became a twice-honed potential martial artist before entering a martial arts university, that must mean that they had a martial artist at home, and a relatively powerful one as well.
However, Fang Ping was clearly clueless about some very basic aspects.
That showed that he had not been sufficiently exposed to such knowledge. Could he be the type of person who only ever focused on his cultivation?
She had many questions running through her mind, but the woman did not ask about anything superfluous.
Their job was only to register these newcomers.
Everything beyond that was not for them to worry about.
Once the registration was complete, the woman smiled at him professionally. “Mr. Fang, your license is done. I hope you have a good time.”
“Thanks.”
Fang Ping thanked her and looked at Chen Zichuan. The latter smiled and said hastily, “You’re all done. There are many uses for your temporary martial arts license, and it’s even handier than your ID.
“You can use it as an ID, but it’ll only work for three months. Of course, your school would’ve made you an official one by then.”
After some thought, Chen Zichuan added, “If you want to carry a cold weapon with you, you’ll need a license for that too. You can get that done at the Martial Arts a.s.sociation.”
“Got it. Thanks again, Big Brother Chen.”
Fang Ping thanked him again. The license Chen Zichuan mentioned was basically like a firearms license, so Fang Ping understood it without needing much explanation.
“No worries.”
“…”
After he bid Chen Zichuan farewell, Fang Ping took his luggage and walked out of the station.
The moment he left the station, Fang Ping felt the urge to laugh. It felt to him like martial artists were already a different species from regular people.
After all, he needed a new license just to leave the station.
Raising his head, he looked into the distance. There were skysc.r.a.pers forming a jungle of concrete, cars coming and going like the tide, and pa.s.sersby running rather than walking.
Compared to Sun City, Magic City was a completely different creature.
“First, I’ll go to Magic City Martial Arts University and see if I can rent a place nearby. Once I got a place to stay, I can start figuring out how to make money.”
Fang Ping listed out his plans. He was all alone in this foreign city, without any friends or family, so he had to rely on himself for everything.
A normal high school graduate would probably feel completely lost.
Fang Ping was not exactly lost, but he did feel rather lonely.
Now that he was away from home, he did not have his parents worrying over him or his younger sister blabbing away by his ear. He was not very used to it just yet.
“I wonder if Round Face will be all skinny when I see her next…”
Fang Ping mumbled as he dragged his luggage into the crowd. He would never approve of his sister changing her looks!