Federal Calendar 7708, December 4th, afternoon.

The Federation's nominal territory — the Beastkin Star Domain.

Canbera City, on the eastern edge of the Novasilis Continent.

At this moment, in this quiet and harmonious coastal city,

five Superhumans, each giving off a clear "not to be messed with" vibe, pushed open the door to a small tavern halfway up the mountain in Canbera City!

From the tavern called Illusionary Night's Dream, leisurely stepped out...

The group consisted of four men and one woman, and judging by her attire, that female Superhuman was clearly a noble Mage.

Notably, standing inside the tavern and bowing respectfully to the five as they left was a burly Minotaur dressed in a neat suit.

"Mr. Cook, Mr. Destiny, please take care on your way..."

The Minotaur bartender's somewhat rough voice echoed through the quiet alley halfway up the mountain.

Faced with the Minotaur bartender's farewell, none of the five turned back; they all chose to lower their heads, looking awkward.

There was a simple reason: the bartender's voice was just too loud...

Other residents of the quiet alley poked their heads out at the sound to watch.

They wanted to see who the two major figures were that the formidable Minotaur bartender was respectfully sending off...

After all, beings who could make a thick-skinned seventh-rank Minotaur Warrior use honorifics were not plentiful in Canbera City...

Racial talent grants obvious bonuses to Superhuman professions.

Don't be fooled by this suit-wearing Minotaur's rustic charm and forget the terrible brute strength hidden beneath.

When a seventh-rank Minotaur Warrior loses his temper, he can pound down beings other than Mages at the eighth rank.

After beating them, he could angrily spit on them...

Of course, if an eighth-rank Mage is caught in close range by a seventh-rank Minotaur Warrior, it's not just a beating anymore.

Most fragile eighth-rank Mages would die beneath his hooves...

The Warrior profession does have drawbacks like single-mindedness and clumsiness, but combined with some orcish racial talents, it becomes overpowered...

"Security" and "ferocity" are proper nouns for Beastkin Warriors.

Warriors and Martial Artists, often looked down upon in the Federation's Superhuman hierarchy, in the Beastkin Star Domain's peculiar alien civilization can hold their own against noble Spell Lords beneath the Legendary tier.

Orc Warriors and Beastkin Martial Artists capable of directly resisting ninth-tier offensive magic aren't everywhere, but they appear regularly...

Not to mention the occasional Beastkin Warrior-Monk or Beastkin Druid — rare aberrations who cultivate both body and magic and are essentially "Mage killers"...

Spell Lords are noble, but in the Beastkin Star Domain that depends on engagement distance.

The difference between a "fragile Mage" and a "noble Spell Lord" is sometimes indistinct...

It was precisely the special status of the Warrior system in the Beastkin Star Domain that stirred the alley residents' intense curiosity about Loren and his party.

A seventh-rank Minotaur Warrior already counted as a formidable figure in this city.

Unfortunately for those odd-looking residents peeking from windows, they couldn't identify anything particularly special about Loren's group.

Because the five had just exited a large cross-star-domain teleportation gate,

they all felt a bit dizzy, their steps unsteady, spirits a little listless.

Most Superhumans experience such "disorientation" after passing through long-range magical gates.

Clearly, none of the five possessed spatial talent; they were all to varying degrees "rejected" by space...

The five's listless state, combined with their heads bowed in embarrassment because of the Minotaur's loud send-off,

made it very difficult for the alley residents to see any noble bearing in them.

Aside from being hard to read, they lacked the usual signs that mark powerful figures—no overwhelming presences...

After seeing the group's bedraggled state, the curious residents drew their heads back inside in disgust.

Whether they were major figures or not, human Powerhouses loved to play dumb before striking; best not to gawk, bad luck...

Loren and his companions continued, heads bowed and unsteady, walking out of the quiet alley in a low-key fashion...

When they emerged into a more open street, they finally lifted the heads they'd been hiding away.

The five felt their eyes suddenly brighten!

An endless, magnificent view spread before them.

Canbera City is a unique city built between mountains and the wide sea.

It sits between the high mountains to the west and the ocean to the east, half built on an expansive coastal plain, half clinging to the mountain slopes.

The salty, humid breeze from the sea blows year-round through this grand multi-species metropolis.

From their spot halfway up the mountain, the five took in the vast distant panorama.

Scattered ships quietly sailed on the distant sea, heading out toward the blue beyond...

Nearer to the shore, many unknown white sea-birds slowly hovered, preparing to dive and catch fish beneath the waves.

Their gazes dropped slightly...

They were once again stunned by the city's distinctive scene!

Because Canbera City is coastal, most of its architecture favors a white, modern style.

Thus, occupying the entire seaside plain, Canbera City shone like a pearl wedged between mountain and ocean.

The varied buildings within formed a white staircase,

layer upon layer, rising progressively to the mountain's peak!

Within this great "white staircase" lived nearly all common races found in the Beastkin Star Domain.

Green-skinned orcs, goblins, dwarves, half-elves mixed with humans, Minotaurs, pig-headed folk, half-dragons—the racial diversity was staggering...

All those parody images Loren had seen on the Interstellar Hunter Forum came alive before his eyes...

In Canbera, you could see most races in the Beastkin Star Domain on the streets.

Nothing here would make a mighty dragon feel out of place, nor would a lowly pig-headed person be looked down upon.

The diversity of residents is the city's hallmark.

You might see a human woman walking hand in hand with a male Beastkin, leading an adorable half-beast child.

On that human woman's face you could even see a satisfied, happy smile... a model city of multi-racial integration.

This is a strange city built by humans together with various races.

The simple, almost pure reason why so many races built the city together:

To commemorate the hard-won victory of that cataclysmic war!

To remember that Human Civilization had stepped in at the Beastkin Star Domain's moment of greatest danger!

And to give the Federation reason to help the Beastkin Star Domain out of the post-war mire...

After the interdimensional expedition launched by Abyssal Demons, the Beastkin Star Domain's strongest magical civilization — the Elf Empire — fell amid the demons' chaotic war.

With the Elf Empire destroyed and pure-blood Elves nearly exterminated, and the Orcs suffering losses of half their numbers...

The Beastkin Star Domain became a juicy prize coveted even by the gods of the Star Realm.

At that time, the Federation and the Empire stood up together, blocking all greedy gazes toward the Beastkin Star Domain.

The Emperor of the Empire, revered as the God of Gods, personally went to the Nine Hells and found something for the restless Abyssal Demons to do!!

He banished the demons' mortal enemies — the devils — all back into the Abyss...

Meanwhile, the Federation dispatched massive elite legions to forcibly join the war!

In the end, that demon-initiated expedition ended abruptly under the Federation and the Empire's exceedingly strange maneuvers...

It is worth mentioning that after the war,

under the suspicious gazes of the Star Realm's gods and tribes,

all races within the Beastkin Star Domain declared together, joining the Federation!

The Beastkin Star Domain became the Federation's nominal territory and enjoyed absolute autonomy.

The Empire's leader quietly returned to his empire as if he had never left...