Everyone Tames Beasts, So Why Are You Taming Goddesses? - Chapter 32

On the exclusive train from Magic City to Imperial Capital, Su Yu gazed out the window, enjoying the scenery with great interest.

Ever since the demonic lairs emerged over a century ago, the development of this world had diverged drastically from what it might have been.

In addition to rice and wheat, the farmlands now cultivated a type of magical plant called Pearl Rice.

Although it didn’t meet the threshold to be classified into a sequence, this Pearl Rice produced fruits weighing over ten kilograms per plant. Moreover, it didn’t deplete soil fertility, as it absorbed magic from the air. With a few hundred plants per acre, yields could easily reach several thousand kilograms.

The demonic lairs didn’t bring only war.

Without such advancements, Great Xia wouldn’t have been able to sustain the massive expenses required to combat the demonic lairs.

Inside the train, the atmosphere was tense.

The first-year students, including Su Yu’s team and a handful of other S-rank participants from other departments, got along relatively well.

But the second- and third-year upperclassmen kept glaring at Su Yu, their hostility palpable.

The reason was simple:

Alia was lying on Su Yu’s lap, munching on grapes, occasionally feeding him one. It was a heartbreaking sight for many.

Mu Changwei exchanged a brief glance with Su Yu before looking away.

Beside Mu Changwei sat the Blood Spirit Squad, who were the main contenders for the second-year category. All of them had recently returned from the demonic lairs.

“Ah Wei, you really fought him?” one of them asked.

Mu Changwei sighed helplessly. “Yeah, and I lost.”

“What?”

The other six squad members turned their heads in unison.

Although Mu Changwei was the youngest member of the Blood Spirit Squad, he shouldn’t have lost to a first-year, right? Even if their former captain was now with Su Yu.

Mu Changwei shot an annoyed glance at them. “If you want to pick a fight with the captain, go ahead yourselves. Don’t drag me into it.”

The fifth squad member, Wu Xinghao, seemed to recall something terrifying. “No, no, no. If even you lost, that means the captain’s rank hasn’t dropped much. I’m not going to humiliate myself.”

The others nodded in agreement.

When they had first heard that Alia’s rank had fallen, they finally felt freed from the terrifying oppression they had endured for a year and dared to dream about her again.

But seeing Mu Changwei’s dejected demeanor, it became clear that Alia still had them completely under her thumb.

In the end, they could only glare at Su Yu with a mix of bitterness and jealousy.

Su Yu found it somewhat amusing.

Were they more jealous or more afraid?

Whatever the case, it didn’t matter.

“Alia.”

Alia leaned closer. “Hmm?”

Su Yu whispered, “I had someone look into something for me a few days ago. I just got the results.”

In Su Yu’s hand was the small medallion Mu Changwei had given him earlier.

Alia’s expression turned serious. Did this mean there was finally a lead on who had ambushed her?

The medallion bore the crest of the Ishikawa family from Sakura Nation.

Su Yu had asked a friend studying at the customs office to pull some strings and investigate Great Xia’s customs records.

What they found was shocking.

In the past month, a large number of individuals with the surname “Ishikawa” had entered Great Xia.

Alia’s ambush was highly likely related to them.

This matter had always puzzled Alia.

The ambush occurred not far from Redstone City, an area generally considered safe.

Yet on that day, she was surrounded by over a hundred Beastmasters.

All four of her female attendants were killed in battle, and the clash shook the heavens and the earth, yet the Dragonhawk Guard stationed in Redstone City made no move—as if they hadn’t noticed.

Severely injured, Alia had fled toward the passage connecting the demonic lair and Magic City, only to find more ambushers waiting for her.

This forced Alia to escape at the cost of nearly falling into deathly slumber, eventually leading her to meet Su Yu.

Su Yu’s decision to join the Dragonhawk Guard was partially motivated by a desire to uncover the truth about that day.

Alia furrowed her brows. “What do you think?”

Su Yu replied softly, “I have a hypothesis. If their goal was to kill you, they wouldn’t have acted near Redstone City. Wouldn’t it have been easier to strike deep within the demonic lair?”

“Then, ten days ago, I realized something. Just as I desire a God-Tier Sequence, so would others. Their goal wasn’t to kill you—it was to capture you alive.”

“That’s why they acted near Redstone City—so they could escape Great Xia quickly after capturing you.”

Alia nodded slightly.

If the attackers were from Sakura Nation, there were two possible routes they could take to return:

One would involve retreating through the Calamity Lair and back to Great Xia before heading to Sakura Nation.

The other would require crossing the dangerous forbidden zones.

Through tremendous effort, humanity had learned that all demonic lairs were interconnected. However, crossing between them meant traversing forbidden zones where survival was impossible for anyone below the Mythic level.

Su Yu’s hypothesis made the most sense.

He continued, “If this assumption is correct, then they undoubtedly had inside help—a lot of it!”

“Someone within the Dragonhawk Guard, perhaps not a direct member, but someone with enough influence to allow such a large-scale ambush to take place under their noses without raising any alarms. They even replaced the guards at the lair’s passage. This person’s position must be quite significant.”

“There must also be an informant within the school. Otherwise, how could they have identified you as a God-Tier Sequence? However, this informant likely didn’t know you were God-Tier themselves; otherwise, they might have kept the secret to themselves. Sakura Nation must have had separate intelligence, and only by combining both sources did they confirm your status.”

“Think about what Mu Changwei said.”

“Your Blood Spirit Squad must have had a traitor too! Otherwise, how could they track your movements with such precision? And how could they act on information from the school alone to determine that you’re God-Tier?”

Alia’s deep purple eyes turned stormy as her gaze fell on the Blood Spirit Squad. A shadow of suspicion crossed her face.

This squad, with whom she shared no genuine emotional connection but was relatively familiar, harbored a venomous snake plotting to harm its protector.

Su Yu was equally shocked.

For a God-Tier Sequence, they had gone to such great lengths…

What secrets could be hidden within the sequence rankings?

Alia tried to rise from her seat, but Su Yu held her back.

“Little one, move aside.”

“Mei, Lan, Zhu, Ju—they died in the lair protecting me.”

“This queen promised them revenge.”

Su Yu shook his head. “Don’t alert the snake.”

“Alia, you’re everything to me. Your enemies are my enemies. But I told you this for a reason—not to act now.”

“We need to uproot them completely.”

“What if someone escapes?”

Alia calmed herself. “What do we do? Tell Old Ning?”

Su Yu shook his head. “We could, but not yet.”

The three types of people Su Yu had identified were all in tricky positions.

Telling the principal that there were traitors among the students and faculty or telling the governor that there were spies within the Dragonhawk Guard—neither would go over well.

Besides, Su Yu’s speculations were still too broad in scope.

And the influence of Beastmaster families complicated matters. The spy within the Dragonhawk Guard might not be a direct member but rather someone influenced by their family ties.

“What should we do, then?”

Su Yu smiled.

“Test them.”

“Start with the smallest target!”

The Blood Spirit Squad would return to the demonic lair after the exchange tournament. There wouldn’t be a better opportunity.

“Don’t blow your cover, Alia~”