Rise of the Alchemy God

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Ethan entered the massive building, shaped like a black bean, to see what it was like inside.

The building was, in every respect, a teleportation station, but unlike what he expected to see, there were no platforms or anything else to indicate that it was one.

'This is supposed to be a teleportation station?'

He thought as he looked around at the large, paved area, completely empty, with no platform or anything remotely resembling a teleportation device.

He would have asked Lin Yu, but the girl knew even less than he did.

Apparently, even though she was born here, she still didn't know all the places in the city, including this area.

According to what she told him, she had been a slave, and after her parents died, she spent her time either working in the mess hall or returning to the accommodations provided for her. These were nothing special but enough for her to at least rest.

Needless to say, those accommodations clearly lacked various daily necessities, but she made do with what she had and in fact, managed to live relatively well.

That said, her routine of going back and forth between her quarters and the mess hall hadn't given her many opportunities to explore the rest of the city properly.

Even on the few occasions when it was her turn to buy some supplies that were running out, she didn't venture far from her usual spots.

So her knowledge of the city was very limited, and Ethan had the impression that the informations he received from the two demons were much more than what she had.

But even that wasn't particularly helpful, because one of the two soldiers was a city guard who had never been on a mission due to his low rank and his fear of dying in one of them.

The other, who did have the opportunity and a decent cultivation base for his age, hadn't gone on any missions yet because he had only recently enlisted, and his first mission wouldn't be for at least a couple of months.

In short, neither of them had any concrete information about the teleportation station.

The only good thing in all of this was that Ethan, with his cultivation suppressed to the fifth stage of the Mortal Realm, had managed to convince the guard to let them in.

But that was all.

Ethan could only shake his head, thinking that he needed to find some time to absorb one of those Spirit Realm demons.

They surely knew more about this place.

Even though he couldn't return to his minor dimension due to the risk of alerting the Demon King of this place, extracting one of those demons was another matter, something he could do even from outside.

In the end, he thought this was all he could do for the moment; it wasn't like he was short on time, after all. He was certain that without some coordinates, he wouldn't get anywhere, and perhaps these demons might actually have the coordinates?

After all, they had activated the portal in the first place to get here, so surely one of them had to know, right?

Ethan had already thoroughly examined Mo Yan's soul and could say that this demon didn't know much about coordinates or related matters.

Ethan only thought that maybe he should have preserved the rest of his soul to get more information about this place, but there was no point crying over spilled milk.

"Come on, let's go," he said to the elf girl, and the two of them headed outside the building.

Getting in could be a problem if you didn't have permission or something to prove you were a soldier, but getting out wasn't, so they simply exited, ready to head back.

As they did, Ethan wondered what he should do in the meantime.

His primary goal was to find a way home, but he knew well that this wasn't something he could achieve overnight.

He knew he would remain here for a while, and depending on the circumstances, that "while" could range from weeks to months, if not years.

Ethan intended to blend into this society, and he had to figure out how to do it.

He had initially considered becoming an alchemist or array master here, but from the knowledge he had gained, these professions, while they existed, were very rare among demons, and those who practiced them were well-known by everyone.

He realized that he would attract the attention of the general or, worse, the Demon King if he stood out in this way.

So, he needed to find something more suitable, something that would allow him not only to live here safely but also to learn more about the place, something that would give him the opportunity to escape at the right moment.

"Master, why don't you join a squad?" Lin Yu said when he asked for her opinion.

Ethan didn't pay attention to how she referred to him, as the explanation she gave was the same as the collar's, namely, that if she wanted to pass as his slave in front of others, she would have to act like one.

And this was one of the things she had to do, at least in public.

"A squad? Like those that go on missions?" Ethan asked, immediately understanding what she meant.

"Yes. All demons are allowed to participate in the admission exam.

From what little I know, the only requirement to join the demonic army and be eligible to join one of the many squads led by commanders is to be at least at the end of the Body Refinement stage.

The higher the rank, the better the squad you can join.

With your strength, I'm sure you can join one of the strongest squads in the base," the elf said with excitement, and Ethan, seeing her reaction, couldn't help but doubt her so-called limited knowledge.

"Little monster, how do you know all this?" he asked the elf girl, who, not long ago, had claimed to know little about the city.

"Who are you calling a monster?" she instinctively replied, but then, realizing she had to play the part of a slave, she adjusted her words:

"Hmph… I mean, it's common knowledge in the city. Even slaves like us know it. In fact, some of us who are more inclined toward combat can even attempt to join a squad.

Of course, our position would still be lower compared to others regardless of our strength, but even this is possible as long as our master allows it," she said, clarifying his doubts.

"Oh? Then why don't you join as well?"