Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

Chapter 86 The Twelve Divine Generals in Reserve: Code Name: Qilin!

The moment the electronic "friendly reminder" ended, the atmosphere inside the carriage became subtly tense.

The six animal trainers began to look at each other simultaneously, their eyes filled with both wariness and curiosity.

Cheng Yuan stroked the Arc Light Machine in his hand, already understanding that the Ancient Music Beast's special ability had brought him into the Digital Spacetime Secret Realm that Xu Xin had once mentioned.

This secret realm is said to be a special space formed by capturing fragments of history from the digital world. Tamers can explore lost histories here and acquire resources and technologies scarce in the real world. Of course, opportunity often comes with danger.

The digital world before them was far more magnificent and complete than the digital space and dark zone that the tamers were familiar with. It was as if a veil of mystery had been lifted, revealing what the digital civilization looked like at its most prosperous period.

However, in the real world, the true form of this complete world remains nowhere to be found; all that humans can access are fragmented digital spaces and dark areas.

The steam locomotive, spewing thick smoke, sped along the tracks toward Forging Village.

Inside the carriage, six animal trainers from different backgrounds each had their own thoughts: three men and two women, ranging in age from eighteen to thirty, plus sixteen-year-old Cheng Yuan.

The boy stroked the sleeping puppy in his arms, having no doubt about Gu Le Beast's arrangements. That instruction to "seek the light of evolution" must be the key that led him into this secret realm of time and space.

"Are there any newcomers here?" A young man in off-road gear broke the silence first. His sharp gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally settling on Cheng Yuan.

Of the six, Cheng Yuan was indeed too young.

The other four passengers in the carriage each had their own unique characteristics:

A man in a white coat, who looked to be in his thirties, exuded a calm and composed aura and was very likely a Digimon doctor.

A sophisticatedly made-up professional woman sat diagonally across from me, her legs elegantly crossed, exuding the capable and efficient aura unique to business elites.

The most eye-catching person was the young woman sitting in the middle of the carriage.

She was dressed in the standard uniform of the Beast Tamer Association, and was playing with the latest Arc Light Machine in her hand.

Cheng Yuan immediately recalled what Xu Xin had said: this high-end equipment is currently only issued to professional animal trainers, and only the most outstanding ones can obtain it first.

Beneath the girl's neat short black hair, her bright eyes were appraising everyone in the carriage with interest. Unlike the wary expressions of the others, her gaze shone with confidence. Suddenly, everyone's digital transceiver vibrated; a new message popped up:

[Secret Realm Teleportation Completed]

【Destination: Ancient Digital Continent - Humanoid Digimon Alliance Territory - Activated Volcano - Forgefire Village】

Historical Background Files (Top Secret Level: A)

In the ancient times of digital civilization, the entire continent was still in a state of chaos and undeveloped potential. Humanoid and beast-type Digimon once coexisted peacefully on this land, exploring the mysteries of the world together. However, as civilization developed, fundamental differences arose between the two types of Digimon in their evolutionary philosophies and ways of life.

What began as sporadic conflicts gradually escalated into a full-scale war that swept across the entire Digital World, a protracted battle of forms that completely shattered the balance of the Digital World.

Shortly after Jeanne d'Arcmon, the first leader of the humanoid Digimon Alliance, fell in battle, the war machine of the beast-type tribes began to operate at full speed. If it weren't for the guardian beasts of the humanoid faction, the beast-type army would have already swept through the enemy lines.

Jeanne d'Arc's sacrifice had a far-reaching impact—as the only link to the angelic race of Sky City, her departure deprived the Humanoid Alliance of its most powerful ally—the angelic race of Sky City.

Amidst internal and external troubles, the second-generation Alliance leader, Dragonmon, used his extraordinary political wisdom to win the support of the dragon-type Digimon race and pioneered the development of Digi-Armor forging technology.

The digital weapons and armor systems he created contain the power to change the course of battle.

Armor made from specially forged ores and materials can provide Digimon with incredible power boosts, making them even stronger.

Under the leadership of the Dragon-Beastman, the Humanoid Alliance, relying on its intelligent armor system and exquisite tactical coordination, finally managed to stabilize its position in the protracted war with the Beast-type tribe.

However, the balance of the war never truly tilted.

Although Ancient Species Digimon possess astonishing primal power, their brutal data copying method severely depletes their life essence. Neither the intelligence that humanoids pride themselves on nor the brute force upon which beastoids rely for survival can break through this fatal evolutionary bottleneck.

Both sides are racing against time, urgently seeking a key evolutionary method to break the deadlock... [Current Mission Objective: Obtain Junior Blacksmith Certification]

(Note: This information was compiled and provided by the Historical Research Institute of the Digital World Administration.)

"Searching for a way to evolve?" Cheng Yuan stroked his chin thoughtfully. Could this be related to the "Light of Evolution" mentioned by the Ancient Music Beast?

As the information was updated, the expressions on everyone's faces gradually changed from confusion to shock.

Did they hear me right?

Learn forging?

It's a rare opportunity to enter a secret realm of time and space, especially an ancient digital continent, and yet they're making us stay home as apprentices to learn a craft?

Don't you want resources? Don't you want historical secrets? Don't you want opportunities to become stronger?

Are you kidding me?

The short-haired woman, who had been full of confidence because she had reached the level of a professional animal trainer, suddenly froze.

"Damn it, is there any more hints?" the short-haired woman snapped, "We've entered a special secret realm themed around war! Shouldn't we be on the battlefield? Are we being made to learn blacksmithing? Have the old men at the Bureau gone mad?"

The man in the white coat was also surprised and said, "Does that mean we don't need to compete for this special secret realm, and we can just find this village together to take the test? No, that's not right either. What if there's a limit to the number of tests we can take—"

"Miss, are you Captain Xu Bing of the professional squad stationed at Love Outpost?" The young man in off-road gear sized up the short-haired woman, finding her somewhat familiar. The elite young warriors of each of the dark zone outposts were all on the military's roster. "I'm a beast tamer warrior from Courage Fortress."

"Ah, I'm from Honestyburg," said the doctor in the white coat.

"Ma Yunlin, Strategy Department, Tencent." The elegant woman nodded gracefully.

"I'm Lin Xiaoyang from the Shanghai University team, and I'm currently interning at Friendship Castle," the shy-looking young man said.

"Young and promising." Several people gave a thumbs up.

The group looked at Cheng Yuan.

Cheng Yuan was completely bewildered. He had never heard of any of the "fortresses" they mentioned. Only the words "Shanghai University" mentioned by the college student and the Tencent Group mentioned by the sophisticated woman proved that they came from the same world.

Everyone there seemed to have impressive backgrounds, elites in their respective fields. What if I said I was just an ordinary high school student? Would that sound pathetic? Anyway, nobody knows me, and it doesn't seem like I'll ever see them again.

Cheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, then, amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, suddenly lowered his voice and said, "I am a reserve beast tamer for the Twelve Divine Generals, codenamed Qilin!"

"Hiss—" A collective gasp filled the room.

"???" The puppy beast was also dumbfounded, and then quickly covered the gear beast with its paws to stop it from ruining the show.

The short-haired woman immediately stood at attention: "Excuse me! I am Xu Bing, a one-star professional animal trainer from Love City, reporting for duty!"

"No wonder he could enter such a special secret realm at such a young age..." The young man in the off-road uniform stood at attention and saluted. "Greetings, Commander. I am Cheng Yi, a beast tamer from the military!"

Even the usually composed Ma Yunlin showed surprise: "I didn't expect to meet a Divine General trainee here—to be able to bring two Digimon into the secret realm alone, he is indeed a hidden talent."

The doctor also looked solemn and respectful: "I am Cui Zhuo. I have long admired the Twelve Divine Generals, and this is the first time I have met them."

Aside from Lin Xiaoyang, the college student who had never heard of the Twelve Divine Generals, Cheng Yuan didn't seem particularly stern.

Cheng Yuan appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was pounding.

Have we gone too far?