Chapter 55

I told Jack to stop here and had someone gather some random goods. I was planning to head to Wasteland City myself.

Margaret frowned, "Mr. Steele, why take the risk? What if Wasteland City attacks? You're the mayor and the top commander of Tortoise City. If you're not here, who’s gonna handle things?"

I shrugged, "I'll just check things out. If it gets bad, I'll come back."

"But what if the people of Wasteland City act impulsively?" Margaret was clearly worried.

"Margaret, why so scared now? Aren't you a legend in the wilderness? You've taken down at least a thousand thieves, right? Are the people of Wasteland City scarier than thieves?" I grinned at her. "If they get impulsive, I'll just fight back." I waved it off. With Jack around, if things went south, I'd just hop on and escape. No animal on this planet was faster than Jack. I needed to go to Wasteland City for a bunch of crystal stones.

Margaret seemed to catch some of my confidence. She shrugged, "Alright then."

The goods were ready, all high-end stuff, worth a few thousand crystal stones. The guards of Tortoise City, carrying the goods, gathered by the city wall. I rubbed my chin, feeling like something was missing. 'Right, I need a companion.' I looked at Margaret.

"What do you want from me?" Margaret crossed her arms, looking annoyed. She probably still didn't like the idea of me trading in Wasteland City.

"Gates, would you like to be my wife?" I bowed like a gentleman and took Margaret's hand.

"What?" Margaret was stunned. "Isn't this a bit too sudden?" she asked.

"I don't think so," I said, shaking my head.

"I'm not ready. I mean, besides some intimate stuff, we don't really know each other." Margaret's face turned red.

"What more do we need to know? I know you better than you know yourself. Have you seen your own back?" I asked with a smile.

Margaret went silent.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to do anything special. I just need a companion. As the mayor of Tortoise City, it would be weird if I didn't have a lady by my side. Plus, I'm going for trade. If I bring guards, the folks in Wasteland City might think I'm attacking. So, Margaret, come with me for a day, pretend to be my wife." I said half-jokingly.

"Ryan, you're such a jerk!" Margaret stomped her foot.

In Tortoise City, only Margaret dared to talk to me like that. But I didn't mind, because her angry look was cute, especially when she stomped her foot, making her chest bounce a bit. It was quite a sight.

"Margaret, not everyone can be my wife. She has to be the most beautiful in Tortoise City, with a unique vibe, and look noble. Honestly, only you fit the bill. But if you're not up for it, I can ask Jessica. She's not as good as you, but at least she won't refuse me." I still held Margaret's hand, looking at her, and she seemed a bit shy.

"Ryan, you're really annoying! Fine, I agree." Margaret, with a serious expression, took my arm. I bet she was happy inside, even though she looked serious. After all, I had just showered her with compliments.

In the city hall of Wasteland City, things were getting pretty intense. All eyes were on the chairman of the city council, Benjamin White.

Benjamin stood at the far end of the long table, glaring at Catherine Jones. "Your father's dead. Why are you still here?"

"I'm the mayor, and I'm not resigning," Catherine said, fists clenched. She knew what would happen if she stepped down. The city her father built would be taken over, and she'd be in serious trouble. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let all those who fought for her family die for nothing.

Benjamin sneered, "You need to leave. Wasteland City will get even more chaotic. No one can guarantee your safety, Ms. Jones. We have thugs and bandits here. If things go south, they'll break into your mansion. Think about yourself."

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed outside the door. Alexander burst in, looking frantic. "There's a giant beast! It's heading towards Wasteland City!"

Alexander's words broke the tension, and everyone went silent. The news hit like a bomb, throwing the meeting room into chaos. The council members were stunned.

"Alexander, tell us exactly what you saw," Benjamin demanded. He remembered Alexander was the captain of the hunting team, promoted by the former mayor.

Using wild gestures, Alexander described the massive size and destructive power of the beast. "It destroyed a mountain with one step," he said, horrified. Other hunting team members confirmed his story, causing another uproar in the room.

"What does that beast want? Is it here to destroy Wasteland City?" The leaders started to panic.

Benjamin quickly made a decision, "We need to intercept it!"

"Right, gather all the guards to stop that monster. Only then can we evacuate safely!" A leader of the city said in a frenzy.

Catherine looked around, a thought suddenly crossing her mind. Maybe she could use the chaos to leave, taking her clan members with her to escape Wasteland City. She knew Benjamin and the other leaders wanted not just the mayor's position but also the Jones family's property. This was her chance.

Catherine quickly stood up and said, "Stop arguing. I'm going to lead the guards to intercept the giant beast!" Her words silenced the room.

"You want to leave the office now? Go ahead. That's what a mayor should do. If you handle this well, maybe you'll keep your position," Benjamin said with a sinister smirk.

"Remember what you said. This is a critical time, and I hope you don't cause trouble behind my back," Catherine shot back, looking directly at Benjamin.

"Don't worry, no one's gonna mess with you," Benjamin said nonchalantly.

Catherine took a deep breath. She could finally leave the office. She had thought today was the end for the Jones family. As she passed by Alexander, she called him to come with her. She knew he was loyal to her father and the Jones family. She decided to save him.

"Ms. Jones, I want to follow you too," some of her father's old subordinates said, stepping forward to support her.

With this loyal group, Catherine walked out of the city hall. Just as she stepped outside, she saw the giant beast. "Oh my God, it's here!" She instantly understood Alexander's fear. The beast was even larger than she had imagined, like a moving mountain. Its eyes were red like flames, looking devilish.

"Ms. Jones, look, there are people coming down from it..." Alexander pointed at the beast, astonished.

Tortoise City moved again and, in less than an hour, docked next to Wasteland City. To avoid causing a stir, I specifically ordered the black skull flag to be put away. It was too flashy.

'Is this a reservoir here?' I stood on Jack's back, looking down. The low outer perimeter of the reservoir made it seem like Jack could step right in. But I abandoned that thought; it would scare the residents.

Actually, the residents were already scared. They were running around, shouting.

Judging by the size of Wasteland City, there were at least forty to fifty thousand people living here, much larger than the prison camp. I signaled to the guards and walked towards Wasteland City with the goods. We stood at the gate for a long time, but no one came out to greet us.

"Ryan, these people look more like they're fleeing for their lives than welcoming us," Margaret said beside me, her tone calm, her expression unreadable.

I didn't answer immediately but kept watching the movements at the city gate. The wooden gate of Wasteland City was half open. Through the crack, I could see some city guards moving back and forth. They seemed unsure whether to close the gate completely, but none of them dared to approach.

"They're testing us," I said quietly.

"Testing?" Margaret tilted her head, curious.

"They don't know why we're here. Every move they make is to see how we react." I pointed to the crack in the gate.

"Should we keep waiting?" Margaret was getting impatient. She frowned. "Where's the mayor of Wasteland City? This is a waste of time."

"Don't worry, they'll come out," I said calmly.

After a period of chaos, the guards of Wasteland City finally climbed up a makeshift wooden tower, some holding guns, some holding homemade crossbows, carefully watching us.

Once the guards were in position, the wooden city gate finally opened. A middle-aged man in a fancy robe walked out, his steps hesitant, but his gaze fixed on us. Behind him followed a group of attendants, all looking nervous, their eyes constantly darting to the huge figure of Jack.

"They're coming," I said with a slight smile.

The middle-aged man stopped about 300 feet away from us, clearly hesitant to come any closer. "Who are you? Why are you here in Wasteland City?" he finally spoke, his voice trembling as he tried to appear calm.

"I'm Ryan Steele, the mayor of Tortoise City. I've come to make friends," I replied simply.

Hearing my name, the middle-aged man showed a look of a mix of surprise and confusion.

"You're the mayor of Tortoise City? And you came to make friends?" he asked again.

I nodded slightly.

"Then what about the giant beast? What exactly are you trying to do? Please tell the truth!" he asked, his tone a bit nervous.

"We're just passing through," I smiled.

The middle-aged man was clearly dissatisfied with my vague answer. His gaze shifted back and forth between Margaret and me, trying to figure out our intentions.

"We don't mean any offense, we just want to exchange some things and then leave," Margaret suddenly spoke, her tone calm.

After hearing about trade and seeing the goods we brought, the middle-aged man relaxed a bit. He tentatively asked, "If you're here for trade, why did you park the tamed beast here?"

"For observation," I answered simply.

The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment. He turned and whispered a few words to his attendants, then finally spoke, "In that case, please follow me into the city. Wasteland City does not welcome armed individuals, so please do not bring weapons inside."

"Alright," I nodded, instructing Michael to collect everyone's long knives and take them back to Tortoise City. Then we entered the city.

"What do you think of him?" I whispered to Margaret, pointing at the middle-aged man leading the way.

"He's nervous, but not hostile," Margaret said calmly.

I nodded in agreement. With my mental power 505 times that of an ordinary person, I could easily sense the man's breath, from initial fear to calmness now.

There was an unpleasant smell in the air of Wasteland City, and the huts were haphazardly built, reminding me of the chaotic suburbs of another world's country.

"This place is poorly managed. Compared to our Tortoise City, it's like hell," Margaret covered her nose.

I shrugged, feeling helpless. We had to endure and complete the trade for the thousands of beast crystals.

Fortunately, the stench was only on the outskirts. As we entered the inner city of Wasteland City, it was a different scene. The original reservoir buildings seemed to have been converted into the city hall. The tall city hall was as high as ten stories. If we looked down on Wasteland City from the top of the building, the view would probably be quite nice. There were no haphazardly built huts in the inner city; the wooden houses were very neatly constructed. Occasionally, well-dressed people could be seen curiously eyeing us.

"Sir, Madam, please wait here," the middle-aged man bowed to us, then led his attendants into the city hall.

"Are we going to wait again?" Margaret crossed her arms.

"Well, just wait. Perhaps this is the way Wasteland City treats guests," I didn't mind. It was an opportunity for me to observe the city more. I had heard from Selena that Wasteland City was very wealthy.