Transcendent Dawn

In a patch of woodland.

Messiah stood on a huge boulder, looking down at a ring of animals around her.

Among them were crows, gray rats, and lured reptiles such as grass snakes, foxes, and even a few wolves.

The mixture of predators and herbivores did not immediately start chasing each other. Instead, they knelt quietly, like subjects worshipping a monarch.

Messiah pulled a stern face, commanding the animals to complete one move after another.

Mysterious patterns expressive of wildness emerged on her face, like a combination of the stripes of a tiger and spots of a cheetah.

“Congratulations, you have successfully taken office as a [Shepherd]!”

Next to her, Su Lu clapped his hands: “The next step, [Wolf Shepherd], requires you to herd a pack of wolves and subjugate at least one transcendent species, preferably a wolf.”

For the following [Beast Shepherd], several transcendent creatures are needed.”

“The most important task of a [Beast Master] is to master the skill of cultivating ‘mysterious’ creatures, elevating ordinary species to ‘transcendents’ via rituals, feed, and modifications.”

“The final [Dragon Shepherd] is still too early for you.”

He took out a metal box, inside which were four crystals of different colours: “This is the inheritance of Dragon I…now it is time for them to return to their rightful owner.”

All the professional information had been recorded in the attribute bar, and the experience points had been completely extracted. The box of crystals was of no significant use now, so it might as well be given away as a favor.

“Thank you, Master!”

Messiah took it and asked cautiously, “Are you planning to leave?”

“Oh?”

Su Lu was surprised; this young girl had a highly sensitive intuition.

“Indeed…I’m going on a great adventure across the continent! Seeking out the mysterious, exploring knowledge…” Su Lu continued, “And here at the Western Region, you are a transcendent now. From here on, the journey and whatever comes later, will be a test for you!”

“I understand, Master, I will definitely succeed.”

Messiah clenched her small fist.

“Good!”

Su Lu waved his hand and left casually without taking any cloud with him.

Only leaving behind Messiah standing in place, looking at his retreating figure, biting her lip with a complex expression.

Several months later.

In a small inn at the Western Region.

Su Lu sat in a corner, with a meal served in front of him. The main dish was a roasted lamb leg and a blueberry pie, with little cakes for dessert and grape wine for drink, all exuding a mouth-watering aroma.

While skillfully cutting the meat with a knife and fork, he pricked up his ears, overhearing quite a bit of news from the boasting and cursing of the diners.

“The Queen has ascended to the West, proclaiming the Duke of Wolf Fort as a traitor!”

“The Duke of Wolf Fort thus rallied his forces to attack the Western Region… but this hasn’t gone smoothly. As for the noble clans with the most power in the south and east, they are all waiting and watching…”

“It seems that Messiah is doing well, at least she hasn’t just died off at the start…You can’t ask too much more of a little girl.”

He quickly finished his food, nonchalantly flicking a silver coin to the innkeeper’s son, a slightly plump young man serving as a chore boy: “I want to find a guide, preferably one well-versed in local history and legends, who has been to the nearby Meteor Forest…where shall I go?”

The young man’s eyes lit up as he caught the silver coin: “Sir, the old huntsman Bal lives nearby. He sometimes goes to the outskirts of Meteor Forest for hunting.”

“Very good. I am a History enthusiast, bring Old Bal to me, I will reward you.”

At this point, Su Lu considered himself an archaeologist with a love for adventuring.

This continent had once given birth to ‘legends’, so it definitely had some unique ruins and inheritances. Moreover, because of the Twilight of the Gods, they had become less dangerous, making it a good time for exploration!

Just like in the Main World during the Twilight of the Gods period, all the major countries dispatched pioneering teams and exploration teams…to the edge of the world, to the Dark Continent!

He a gold coin on his hand, whose brilliance immediately attracted all the attention of the young waiter.

“Wait here for me, I’ll be right back!”

The young man shucked off his apron in a hurry, promising swiftly, “As long as Old Bal is here, I will definitely bring him over.”

This scene also attracted a lot of attention, bringing with it greedy gazes.

But Su Lu sipped his wine, unconcerned.

His clothes, his weapons, his horse, all indicating that he was an ‘upper class citizen’ from a noble family. Even in the turbulent times of war, there was some deterrent power in crowded public places.

By the time he had drunk two-thirds of the grape wine in the bottle, the young man had brought an old man over.

Old Bal wasn’t actually that old, only in his forties. But among the lower-class people of this era, that was already considered ‘old.’

His temples were slightly frosty, his hands full of old callouses, and his right arm slightly deformed – a deformation caused by frequent archery carried out in a wrong posture.

“Were you looking for me? Sir?”

Old Bal looked at Su Lu, alertness apparent on his face.

“Yes, I’m an archaeologist, you can call me Su Lu. I’ve recently heard that there exist ruins in the Meteor Forest, and I’d like to go and see them…”

Su Lu tossed a

colin to the ecstatic waiter: “Get him a serving of smoked meat, plus a barrel of wine.”

Gurgle!

Old Bal’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, then he casually sat down across from Su Lu: “I’d be glad to assist you, my lord!”

He had never heard of the term archaeologist before.

Even in the previous peaceful era, such scholars were very rare.

After all, what the nobles and lords needed were scholars who could help them calculate each year’s harvest and taxes, design castle blueprints, write letters, and even better if they understood a bit of medical art!

As for researching ancient history? Only those who were full and bored would waste manpower and resources on such pointless tasks.

Only a very small number of wizards and well-living scholars paid a little bit of attention to this type of content.

The information on the ruins and dangerous areas in the continent was actually obtained by Su Lu from Silver Eye.

Although wizards aren’t interested in history, they love exploring ruins, hoping to gather more cutting-edge knowledge from the ancient times.

“Eat slowly, no need to rush!”

Even huntsmen often have to go meal to meal.

Looking at the wolfing down Old Bal, Su Lu had a smile on his face: “Let’s start by discussing some of the local myths and legends and stories that are passed down.”

In the past few months, Su Lu was not only exploring ruins but also collecting myths and legends and religious stories about the world.

At this point, he had quite a harvest.

“As per the legend…from the distant era of darkness, human beings have lived on this continent, suffering from various kinds of monsters and disasters…until the Mother Earth Goddess descended.”

“She annihilated countless monsters, taught human beings farming, spread faith and the power of the Knights, brought hope to humans.”

“While the remaining monsters merged with the evil humans, transforming into wizards!”