NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty Beta (First Subscription Request)
“Hey hoh.”
In the dilapidated city, small figures darted about swiftly. They utilized their magic power to enhance their bodies and lifted debris dozens of times larger than themselves.
Because the roads were difficult to traverse, the beast-eared girls had no choice but to use their powerful physical abilities, leaping over ten meters at a time, moving through the ruins with ease.
“Sister Chun, where should we place these?”
A cute rabbit-eared girl held her hands high, despite being only seven or eight years old, she was carrying several cubic meters of rock—a sight that was visually striking.
“Just place them over there, Yuriko.”
Chun then directed two girls who were wielding large hammers, pounding on an uneven ground: “Honey, Jelly, after leveling this area, go ahead and start entrance work so it’s convenient for everyone to enter and exit.”
“Understood, Sister Chun.”
The girls had a pair of adorable round ears atop their heads, and behind them, small fluffy tails that bounced with every step.
Honey and Jelly were twin sisters from the Bear People Clan, assigned by Hong Ye to level the road.
With the unique magic power of this world, the beast-eared girls transformed into human-sized road rollers.
What is strength?
This!
“Boom!”
“Boom Boom!”
On the other side, three short boys moved with incredible agility, digging trenches and clearing waterways at an astonishing speed. In just a short while, they had completed the reorganization and planning of a small area.
“Taro!”
“Jiro!”
“Saburo!”
The trio, covered in dirt, still managed to strike cool poses: “Mouse Squad, mission complete!”
The Mouse Trio originated from Demon Fox Village and were trained as scouts from a young age.
After being empowered by the Golden Sacred Domain, the Mouse Trio showed signs of transitioning into ninjas and spies.
Of course, Bai Luo didn’t need them to do anything fancy yet.
Compared to gathering intelligence and assassination, tunnel-digging was clearly the top priority now.
And digging tunnels was inherently a strong suit for rodent-like creatures—there was no challenge at all.
“Kero~ Are you three idiots? You didn’t even wash these things properly!”
By the pond, a girl around ten years old stood with her arms crossed, her face showing dissatisfaction as she scolded the children washing various items.
Bai Luo and his group found many objects in the castle and ruins. Most were made of gold, silver, and iron—cooking utensils, tableware, furniture, and many ancient artifacts.
While some could still be used, they needed cleaning.
“Honestly, how many times have I told you to clean the corners and crevices too?”
Raccoon girl Beibei took it upon herself to accept this task and led a group of girls to begin the cleaning work.
Although Beibei had a bad temper and gave off the vibe of a delinquent, the items she cleaned were genuinely spotless.
Perhaps due to her raccoon lineage, Beibei had a significant cleanliness obsession and detested dirty things.
To ensure the items were immaculate, Beibei not only cleaned them but also inspected each one to guarantee they would appear dust-free within the castle.
This significantly increased Beibei’s workload since she went over almost everything once more.
“Too strict… waaah~~”
Beibei’s strictness put pressure on everyone. The little otters had no choice but to cry as they took the plates back to clean them again.
“They’re already so clean!”
“Sister Beibei is so scary…”
“Waaah~~”
Despite her harsh demeanor, everyone respected Beibei. After all, she alone completed a third of the work, leaving no room for complaints.
Such a diligent and responsible squad leader deserved her strict personality.
“This is wonderful…”
At that moment, Bai Luo sat on a cliff high above, watching the hardworking children below: “To forget past sorrows and start anew.”
The pain of losing family wasn’t easy to forget. Immersing oneself in work could heal childhood wounds over time.
Bai Luo had saved 33 children from Demon Fox Village and Xia Fog Village. Among them, there were seven boys, and the rest were adorable beast-eared girls.
Bai Luo planned to train the Mouse Trio as ninjas, assigning them the responsibility of securing the surrounding forests and mountains to prevent outsiders from discovering their hideout.
There were also two tanuki brothers, the elder named Jiao and the younger named Hua.
The two were very clever and eloquent, known for playing pranks in the village—they were pure troublemakers.
During the massacre at Demon Fox Village, the brothers escaped by setting traps in the mountains to hunt small animals.
Though mischievous, they weren’t bad kids. Especially after witnessing their parents’ murder and the abduction of their youngest sister, whose fate was unknown, the brothers matured quickly.
They wanted to travel outside to investigate their sister’s whereabouts and gather intelligence for Bai Luo about this world.
Besides, the beast people had joined the Gray King Clan. Bound by clan ties, betrayal was out of the question.
Exactly what Bai Luo needed—eyes to observe this world for him.
The tanuki brothers were smooth operators, rare among beast people who lacked scruples, hence naming themselves after cunning traits.
In them, Bai Luo saw shadows of Cid’s future two notorious friends.
Yet compared to those two, the tanuki brothers were evidently stronger.
Lastly, in the boy’s group, there was also a bear and a wolf.
The bear was named Zhu Lu, the older brother of Honey and Jelly, and the eldest among all the boys.
Unlike his petite sisters, Zhu Lu had thick fur and a broad frame. After receiving Alpha’s blessing, he underwent secondary development, changing remarkably day by day.
In less than two days, Zhu Lu transformed from a chubby child into a furry ball.
Yes, a ball.
Zhu Lu’s sisters had black and white hair respectively, while his hair was distinctively black and white.
Upon seeing him, Bai Luo almost thought he was a pandaren from World of Warcraft.
It was foreseeable that in another ten days or so, he might lose all human resemblance, becoming a true beast person with a round head and body.
“Master Bai Luo!”
As Bai Luo pondered the children’s affairs, two figures appeared behind him.
They were wolf beast people, the brother named Lan and the sister named Quan.
They were orphans from Big Wolf Village, adopted during a visit by Snow Princess’s mother and brought to Demon Fox Village.
Like Snow Princess, both had pure white hair, belonging to the rare White Wolf Tribe of Big Wolf Village.
“The surroundings have been thoroughly explored.”
“The beasts in the mist have been driven to the foot of the mountain, away from our base.”
The two knelt on one knee, respectfully reporting their tasks to Bai Luo.
“Hmm, you’ve done well.”
Bai Luo didn’t hesitate to praise them and even patted the two children on the head.
Undeniably, head-pats had a fatal allure for anime characters, especially beast people.
Especially Bai Luo’s head-pat.
He was their savior, the great deity they vowed to follow forever!
Ugh~
So comfortable.
Bai Luo’s hand seemed magical, always finding the perfect spot to scratch their itches.
Luckily, the siblings knew their limits and didn’t indulge in it.
“Additionally, how’s the tally going?”
Bai Luo gave the siblings time to savor the afterglow before asking.
“It’s done.”
Quan handed Bai Luo a document: “This is the personnel list compiled by Lady Snow Princess.”
Taking the document, Bai Luo skimmed through it briefly.
It recorded information about the 33 beast people, including names, ages, genders, heights, weights, basic skills, career plans, and current overall strength evaluations.
Of course, Bai Luo’s numerical system didn’t apply here.
Unlike Xi Wu and Hong Ye, the children were merely Snow Princess’s Gray King followers, and the powers they received couldn’t be accurately positioned using the rank system.
To better distinguish them, Bai Luo devised a combat strength system suitable for the current environment.
[Ten-figure]
F-class: Ordinary people, non-ability users
[Nine-digit]
E-class: Shadow World apprentice Magic Swordsmen, ordinary students of the Magic Swordsman Academy
D-class: Graduates of the Magic Swordsman Academy, Kingdom Knights are at this level
[Eight-digit]
C-class: Named Sons of the Diablo Sect
B-class: Round Table Knight candidates, roughly equivalent to the highest combat force in the surface world; the first princess Alice is at this level
A-class: This tier spans a vast range, including numbered members of the Shadow Court, Round Table Knights, and the Seven Shadows.
Generally speaking, possessing A-class combat strength means having military-level capabilities.
Even facing hundreds or thousands of Magic Swordsmen, one can easily slaughter them all.
One could say, A-class is the dividing line in this world.
Just like Princess Alice without ancient relics, she would still be easily suppressed by regular members of the Shadow Court.
(afdi) Above A-class is Special A.
The difference between Special A and A-class lies in the fact that Special A possesses the destructive power to annihilate an entire city.
In this world, they are the legendary Twelve Demon Kings.
The Mist Dragon that previously battled Bai Luo and his group belonged to this tier.
Of course, the current Xi Wu has surpassed Special A, reaching Bai Luo’s defined S-class.
[Seven-digit]
S-class: The original Cid, the top-ranking few among the Twelve Demon Kings, and Aurora at her peak.
Moreover, the current Xi Wu, Alpha, and Snow Princess all fall under the S-class category.
The beast children’s strength originally barely reached E-class.
But after joining Snow Princess’s ranks and becoming her clan members, the children’s powers greatly increased.
After all, in K, ordinary people who become ability users can become as strong as B-class fighters in the Shadow World.
How much more potent were the altered Gray King Sanctuaries inherited from Bai Luo?
Superpowers controlling various elements combined with this world’s magic system could unleash far more than simply 1+1.
Without exaggeration, any one of these working children venturing outside could take on a thousand enemies, undoubtedly A-class combatants.
The only issue was that the children hadn’t fully mastered their newfound powers yet.
This required time and more practice, something that couldn’t be rushed.
“Joining a ruler’s clan grants the A template.”
Bai Luo mused: “If this world’s demonic possession victims stabilize their internal magic under the influence of the sanctuary, achieving Special A isn’t impossible.”
Of course, Bai Luo had no demands regarding the children’s strength.
Being so powerful himself, whether or not he had subordinates made little difference.
Returning to the initially renovated castle, Bai Luo ate dinner and then read books from the Demon Fox Village that Snow Princess had brought back.
“Master Bai Luo!”
About half an hour later, Alpha burst in anxiously.
“I sincerely apologize.”
Alpha apologized for entering the study without permission.
“No problem.”
Bai Luo wasn’t bothered by it and noticed that the Pokémon girl wasn’t alone.
Behind Alpha was someone else. Bai Luo looked and identified her as another elf by her pointed ears.
This silver-haired elf wouldn’t be Beta, would she?
Bai Luo asked Alpha to lay the girl down. Her legs had completely deteriorated into grotesque masses of rotting flesh, and her body was covered in monstrous, writhing blood vessels, resembling someone on the brink of death.
“She was my friend when I was in the Elf Nation.”
Alpha said, “I never imagined they’d even kidnap this child.”
Both girls were nobles in the Elf Nation—one inheriting the bloodline of ancient heroes, the other being direct royalty.
Now, both were forcibly brought here, showcasing the sect’s outrageous behavior.
“Don’t worry, I’ll heal her.”
“Thank you.”
Though Alpha possessed sufficient magic to lift the curse of demonic possession, she lacked the fine control necessary.
Thus, Bai Luo had to personally intervene.
“Ugh~”
Gently stroking the girl’s hair, Bai Luo’s warm magic began reconstructing her body, causing her to emit a soft sigh of comfort.
When the light faded, a delicate figure with flawless white skin fell into Bai Luo’s arms.
He immediately draped clothing over her to cover her snowy skin, preventing any indecent exposure.
“Where am I…?”
The silver-haired girl regained consciousness, her memory somewhat hazy.
However, she soon recalled her previous terrifying experiences, making her body ache with phantom pains.
Subsequently, the girl noticed Alpha beside her and recognized her.
“My past identity no longer concerns me.”
Before the girl could speak, Alpha stated: “My name is now Alpha, and only Alpha.”
“Alpha…”
The silver-haired girl murmured a few times: “But after you disappeared, Lord Warrior was deeply worried…”
Alpha was aware of the treatment she endured in the Elf Nation.
Especially when she herself exhibited symptoms of demonic possession, the despair of falling from grace was enough to crush anyone’s will.
“Aunt?”
Alpha sighed, saying: “I have a more important mission now, and I’ve sworn to dedicate my life to Master Bai Luo.”
For elves, vows were more important than life itself.
As an elf herself, the silver-haired girl understood.
“Did you save me?”
Then, she looked at Bai Luo, sensing the aura around him: “What a warm magic, like the sun itself.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Bai Luo stood up, gently patting the girl’s head and smiled: “Do you have any plans for the future? If you wish to return to the Elf Nation, I can have Alpha escort you back.”
However, the girl shook her head.
Her thoughts aligned with Alpha’s—she no longer wished to return to her homeland: “You saved me. Without you, I would have died soon.”
“If possible, please allow me to serve you and repay your kindness.”
“Though I lack talent, simple tasks like laundry and bedding, and even warming the bed, I will learn diligently!”
By this point, the girl’s cheeks were flushed red, showing how shameful it was for her to utter such words.
Still, compared to the salvation and reversal of her certain death, how could a princess of the proud Elven race back down?
“Uh…”
Bai Luo felt it wasn’t necessary.
After all, the little elf before him looked no older than eight or nine, far too young.
In Bai Luo’s former world, such actions would warrant legal consequences.
“Warming the bed is unnecessary.”
“Alright…”
The girl seemed a bit disappointed but gathered her spirit and asked: “Is Alpha’s name given by you, Master Bai Luo?”
“Yes.”
Bai Luo replied: “Alpha wants to start anew and doesn’t intend to use her old name anymore.”
“Then please give me a new name as well.”
Compared to Alpha’s calm demeanor, the silver-haired little elf clung to him like a cat, speaking softly and sweetly.
Thus, the girl received the name she was destined to have—Beta.