Another World: When a Necromancer Possesses the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls

After flying for a while, the outline of a small town gradually became clear below a relatively gentle slope on the eastern edge of the plateau, which resembled a huge staircase.

That place seemed to be a gateway to the plateau, with several clearly man-made paths, like thin blood vessels, converging here from various places and then winding upwards along the zigzag paths carved into the steep cliff face, disappearing into the shadows of the plateau. The town itself looked quite large, far more prosperous and expansive than the towns we had encountered before.

"Flameme, land in that rocky hollow ahead." Li Xingyao gave the command through the mental link, choosing a landing point far from the main road.

The bone dragon let out a low roar, adjusted its posture, and its massive body began to swoop down, finally landing silently like a gray cloud in a rocky hollow about a kilometer away from the town. Its huge bone claws crushed the pebbles on the ground, stirring up a small cloud of dust.

Li Xingyao gracefully leaped off the dragon's back, patted Flamel's cold dragon claws, and said, "You've worked hard. Go back and rest now." With a thought, the legendary bone dragon's massive body transformed into specks of gray-white light, dissipating into the air and returning to the undead realm.

Next, he needs to enter the town as a relatively "normal" adventurer or mercenary. Appearing directly riding a legendary bone dragon would be too shocking and would likely attract unnecessary attention and trouble immediately.

This contradicted his original intention of quietly integrating into the environment, acquiring resources, and enhancing his strength. Li Xingyao felt that it was always better to act cautiously.

His consciousness sank into the undead realm, where five skeleton sword saints stood silently to his side. He selected four of them, and with a slight thought, summoned them to his side.

A flash of greyish-white summoning light appeared, and four tall figures clad in bone armor and wielding runic bone swords silently materialized before Li Xingyao. The soul fire in their eye sockets was condensed, radiating a chilling aura of death and a sharp sword intent.

Li Xingyao took out four large gray robes he had prepared beforehand from his backpack and gestured for the skeleton sword saints to put them on. The robes effectively concealed their inhuman features, revealing only the shadows of their hooded heads, making them look like four taciturn, chilling "people." Although they might still attract some attention, in the Central Plains, where races were numerous and people had bizarre appearances, this attire was considered quite inconspicuous.

"Let's go." Li Xingyao adjusted his power armor, put on a headband that covered half his face, and took the lead towards the town. The four skeleton sword saints followed silently behind him with almost synchronized, steady steps, forming a loose squad formation.

The closer you get to the town, the stronger the noisy, rugged, and vibrant atmosphere becomes. The town has no uniform walls, only a few scattered, simple watchtowers built of large logs and boulders, with sharp-eyed archers or crossbowmen standing on them.

The architectural style is extremely rough, with most of the buildings consisting of a base made of huge stones, on which a thick wooden structure is built. The roofs are covered with unknown dry grass or animal hides, making them appear heavy and sturdy, seemingly to withstand the harsh weather and... attacks that may occur on the plateau.

The streets are made of solid ground, worn down by the constant flow of people and vehicles. The air is filled with the pungent smell of livestock, the aroma of leather, the scent of roasted meat, the sour smell of cheap liquor, and a faint hint of blood and sweat, all contributing to the unique atmosphere of this remote little town.

The "people" walking on the streets were an eye-opener for Li Xingyao, making him truly realize that he had left behind the human-dominated Blue Star and its cities. Apart from a small number of human adventurers dressed in various leather or metal armor and covered in dust, there were many more alien races.

Not far in front of him, a burly figure over two and a half meters tall strode past, his skin bronze, his muscles bulging like rocks, his face covered in red tattoos, wearing a helmet with a pair of curved, thick horns, and carrying a giant axe as big as a door on his back. Every step he took caused the ground to tremble slightly.

The aura emanating from him was as vigorous as a small furnace, brimming with a wild power. He was clearly a barbarian warrior.

On the other side, a slender figure caught his eye. It was a female elf, but unlike Su Muyao in Lin Wei's team, who gave off a cool and elegant vibe. This elf wore tight-fitting, tanned dark leather armor that perfectly outlined her curvaceous figure. On her back slung a beautifully crafted longbow that shimmered with magical light, and her quiver was filled with emerald green arrows.

Her ears were long and pointed, her face was exquisite yet possessed a wild beauty, and her eyes were sharp as an eagle's, scanning her surroundings with undisguised vigilance and scrutiny, like a beautiful cheetah.

She seemed to sense Li Xingyao's gaze, her cold eyes sweeping over him and lingering for a moment on Li Xingyao and the four "guards" behind him. She seemed to be slightly aware of the chilling aura, but then she looked away without a care and continued on her way.

In addition, there were the Cavemen, short and stocky with bulging muscles, carrying huge toolboxes and battle axes; the Hunters, with green skin, exposed fangs, and fierce eyes; and even some races that Li Xingyao had seen in the records but were seeing in person for the first time, such as the Shadow Clan, whose figures were elusive and shrouded in a light mist, and several High Elves who wore magnificent robes, had elegant manners, but whose eyes carried a condescending air?

Although he might only be the lowest-ranking hybrid or servant, the unique, subtle elemental fluctuations still caused many people around him to subconsciously keep their distance.

This place is practically a race expo! Various languages ​​and accents are mixed together, and the sounds of bargaining, arguing, tavern noise, and blacksmithing can be heard everywhere.

The town's order seems to be built on a delicate and fragile balance. Occasionally there are minor frictions, and both sides will refrain from drawing their weapons. However, before they actually fight, a town patrol team wearing uniform leather armor and some kind of badge will often appear, nipping the conflict in the bud with their cold eyes and domineering aura.

"This is the real Central Continent..." Li Xingyao thought to himself. Scenes from various fantasy works in his previous life were vividly displayed before his eyes, giving him a sense of unreality. However, the real and tangible auras and energy fluctuations in the air reminded him that it was all real. He had finally broken free from textbooks and videos and truly come into close contact with otherworldly races.

Following the directions of a simple sign at the town entrance (written in multiple languages ​​including the common language of the Celestials, the Barbarians, and the Elven), he headed towards the tallest and busiest stone and wood building in the town center. That was the town's reception hall, the place where information was exchanged, quests were posted, and jobs were registered.

Stepping into the hall, an even more boisterous wave of heat hits you. The hall is vast, with the first floor divided into several areas. Near the entrance, there's a tavern-like setting, with rough wooden tables filled with adventurers of various races, loudly chatting and drinking alcohol or some strangely colored beverages.

Further inside was a row of service windows resembling counters, behind which sat staff of different races, handling various services for adventurers. Huge wooden notice boards hung on the walls of the hall, covered with parchment listing all sorts of quests, from gathering materials and escorting caravans to hunting specific types of star beasts. Some adventurers were gathered around the notice boards, carefully selecting their tasks.

Li Xingyao's gaze swept across the windows, finally settling on one manned by a human woman. The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, with a pretty face, but her brows betrayed a weariness and caution born of long-term stress. She wore a uniform with the town's emblem pinned to her chest.

Li Xingyao walked to the counter, removed his headband, revealing a young but composed face, and said in fluent Tianlong language, "Hello, I would like to learn about and participate in the recent barbarian tribal war."

The woman behind the counter looked up and was visibly taken aback when she saw Li Xingyao's young face and the four "team members" behind him who exuded a restrained yet subtly dangerous aura.

Her lips moved, and a hint of surprise and... a sense of regret for why she had gone to her death appeared in her eyes.

She seemed about to say something to dissuade them, but in the end it just turned into a soft sigh, and she asked professionally, "Please show your identification or adventurer's badge. We need to register you and make a preliminary assessment of your team's strength." Her voice was calm and businesslike, but the subtle surprise was not completely hidden.

Li Xingyao handed over his badge representing a high-level professional, which he received when he left Huaxia City. It contained his identity information and professional level certification.

The female staff member took the badge and scanned it on a special device, whose screen quickly flashed some data. She didn't delve into the specific strength of the "guards" behind Li Xingyao, only confirming the basic configuration of the team, which included spellcasters and melee fighters. In this remote place, certification was merely a formality; after all, if one's strength was insufficient, accepting missions beyond one's capabilities would simply result in death.

"Mr. Li Xingyao, a high-ranking necromancer... and four team members." She took notes, her expression becoming even more complicated. "Are you... sure you want to participate in the barbarian war? It's not an ordinary mission, but... an extremely brutal war mission with a very high casualty rate. Especially recently..."

She hesitated, seemingly implying to Li Xingyao that, given his abilities, choosing this kind of mission might be very unfortunate.

"I'm sure." Li Xingyao's tone was calm, but with an undeniable firmness. "Please tell me about the recent war missions, their background, and the recruitment conditions of each tribe." He needed as much information as possible to make a judgment.