African region, Lusaka base city .

Since the Cataclysm, the Lusaka base city was like any other base city in the world . However, half a year ago, the place had become an international hotspot .

Zambia, a landlocked country in Africa, was instantly turned into an important commercial hub in the region with the appearance of a permanent Spatial Rift there . Trainers of all shapes and sizes began converging on Zambia from every corner of the African region . After all, beyond a Spatial Rift laid a whole new world of resources just waiting to be exploited for profit . This attracted a lot of attention inside and outside of the continent .

Housing prices in the Lusaka base city jumped up exponentially overnight, making it impossible for younger people to buy a house there .

Given the economic significance of the Spatial Rift, there was no way the Lusaka base city would be able to keep it all to itself . The New World Development Union was established in an attempt to regulate the exploitation of the Spatial Rift .

Zambia, Kokang, Zimbabwe, and Angola were the main const.i.tuents of the union . Its other members included large-scale security companies and military contractors, such as the Falcon, Crimson Leopard, and Nine-headed Lion groups .

Out of the four const.i.tuent countries, Kokang was the most influential .  It lay north of Zambia, with Zimbabwe to the southeast and Angola to the west .

These three countries had already laid claim to large swathes of land in Zambia .

Since the appearance of the Spatial Rift, Zambia had experienced considerable economic growth . Every day, large groups of monster trainers would enter Zambia to investigate what lay beyond the Spatial Rift . These trainers had ventured as far as 300 miles into the unknown on the other side of the rift .

Every day, large numbers of extraterrestrial monsters were carried out from the Spatial Rift to be sold worldwide . Some of them were used as guinea pigs in laboratories, while others were taken in to be trained as familiars . For some reason, these extraterrestrial monsters saw more demand than their terrestrial counterparts . An extraterrestrial monster would be sold at five times the price of a terrestrial monster at the same level and grade . Even still, people just couldn't get enough of them . The demand for them soon outweighed their supply .

The sale of these creatures was also subject to something called an "international tax . "

These extraterrestrial creatures had to go through a rigorous procedure, including a thorough sterilization stage, before they were allowed to enter this world . The procedure required a lot of money and manpower . Only those directly involved in it would know just how much money and manpower were required to bring these creatures into this world . . .

The Spatial Rift in the Lusaka base city had grown considerably since its appearance . It was now at least 13 feet wide and 32 feet tall . It looked like a huge door on the outside .

Most normal-sized familiars wouldn't find it difficult to pa.s.s through the Spatial Rift .

On the other side of the rift lay the desolate remains of what had once been a city .

It was evident that an intelligent species had once lived there . Most of the buildings in the abandoned city had been left in a state of disrepair . Now, after the New World Development Union ordered the repair of the city, the place looked much better than before . Forts were even built around the city walls to fortify its defenses .

"Boss, we've just discovered a new building that hadn't been touched . There's something inside . I think you should take a look at it . " A monster trainer was training his familiar in the plains, where a streak of black and white was chasing after a group of black-and-white streaks in front of it .

"Hm?" A dark-skinned man took down his sungla.s.ses and turned to his subordinate .

"Black King," said the man, calling his familiar back .

The black-and-white streaks collided with each other for a moment before pulling away from each other . They were a couple of six-foot-tall black wolverines . One of them, a wolverine with a particularly streamlined body, impatiently licked its claws and swept back the fur on its head with them .

It then walked back towards the man with the sungla.s.ses without a sound, ignoring everything else around it .

Upon entering the Spatial Rift, they found themselves in the middle of a seemingly empty city . The place was painted in shades of yellow and gray, the walls and roofs of the buildings overgrown with all kinds of plants . Even though some of the buildings had caved in, no one had bothered to repair them . The only sign indicating any manner of repair had ever taken place here was a distinct lack of weeds on the ground .

Some of the roofs and walls were adorned with winged sculptures and elegant carvings, respectively . These all supported the idea that a civilized species had once called this place home .

One could also see a figure or two flitting through the buildings, scavenging for anything of value .

In the ruins of an extraterrestrial city, there was still a chance that something valuable could turn up .

When the Spatial Rift was first discovered, a lot of people had gone through it to see what was on the other side . A craze had gripped everyone at that time . Hundreds of thousands of people flooded through the rift to explore every inch of the ancient alien city . The furor had died down ever since, as every valuable object in the ruins of the city had long been taken . Even those that couldn't be removed from the ruins had been destroyed during the exploration craze .

After rounding a few corners, the group of trainers finally arrived at a building, which somewhat resembled a European church from the Middle Ages . It had a roof that tapered to a pointed end . There had once been a huge, wooden door at the front of the building, but it had been taken down long before . A stainless steel door now stood in its place .

When they entered the building, a musty smell a.s.saulted their nostrils . Patches of mold covered the walls around them .

They went up to the third floor, where a wooden table stood in the middle of the room . Intricate letterings were carved onto its surface .  There were also concentric circles on it .

In the middle of the circles was a marking that showed a city . Other markings indicating mountains and rivers were around it, along with symbols emphasizing certain parts of the intricate map and more lettering carved around them .

"Has no one tried to decipher what these letters mean?" asked the dark-skinned man . He frowned at the jumble of letters on the table .

"Well, we showed them to a couple of linguists . Most of them said that these letters don't appear to be of terrestrial origin . . . However, one of them said that they seem to resemble an Atlantean language . "

"Atlantean?"

"Yeah, as in the Island of Atlas . "

"I don't care if it's your mother's island . I just want to know if anyone has already deciphered these letters!"

"Sorry, boss . I don't think there's anyone on earth who can read them . We've tried looking for someone who could at least give us a hint, but so far . . . nada . "

The dark-skinned man put his sungla.s.ses back on and began tracing a finger across the table's surface, carefully feeling its smoothness . Suddenly, his finger came to a halt at something .

"What's that?"

The dark-skinned man was pointing at what appeared to be the layout of a building . It was neatly sketched out on the table, with a few more lines crisscrossing its interior . It didn't look like a natural formation .

"Oh, yeah, this was what I was going to tell you about, boss . It seems to be another city . "

"Another . . . city," repeated the dark-skinned man . "How far is it from here?"

"The closest mountain range is around 300 miles from here . There are two mountain ranges drawn here . We figured out that the other city must be at least 600 miles from here," said his subordinate excitedly . "We've already picked all the ruins in a 300-mile range from here clean, which means that we only need to extend our search radius another 300 miles . "

The dark-skinned man furrowed his brows, deep in thought .

After a while, he said, "Let's go back and discuss this further with the others . See if it's possible to reach the other city from here . "

African region, Lusaka base city . Since the Cataclysm, the Lusaka base city was like any other base city in the world . However, half a year ago, the place had become an international hotspot . Zambia, a landlocked country in Africa, was instantly turned into an important commercial hub in the region with the appearance of a permanent Spatial Rift there . Trainers of all shapes and sizes began converging on Zambia from every corner of the African region . After all, beyond a Spatial Rift laid a whole new world of resources just waiting to be exploited for profit . This attracted a lot of attention inside and outside of the continent . Housing prices in the Lusaka base city jumped up exponentially overnight, making it impossible for younger people to buy a house there . Given the economic significance of the Spatial Rift, there was no way the Lusaka base city would be able to keep it all to itself . The New World Development Union was established in an attempt to regulate the exploitation of the Spatial Rift . Zambia, Kokang, Zimbabwe, and Angola were the main const.i.tuents of the union . Its other members included large-scale security companies and military contractors, such as the Falcon, Crimson Leopard, and Nine-headed Lion groups . Out of the four const.i.tuent countries, Kokang was the most influential .  It lay north of Zambia, with Zimbabwe to the southeast and Angola to the west . These three countries had already laid claim to large swathes of land in Zambia . Since the appearance of the Spatial Rift, Zambia had experienced considerable economic growth . Every day, large groups of monster trainers would enter Zambia to investigate what lay beyond the Spatial Rift . These trainers had ventured as far as 300 miles into the unknown on the other side of the rift . Every day, large numbers of extraterrestrial monsters were carried out from the Spatial Rift to be sold worldwide . Some of them were used as guinea pigs in laboratories, while others were taken in to be trained as familiars . For some reason, these extraterrestrial monsters saw more demand than their terrestrial counterparts . An extraterrestrial monster would be sold at five times the price of a terrestrial monster at the same level and grade . Even still, people just couldnt get enough of them . The demand for them soon outweighed their supply . The sale of these creatures was also subject to something called an international tax . These extraterrestrial creatures had to go through a rigorous procedure, including a thorough sterilization stage, before they were allowed to enter this world . The procedure required a lot of money and manpower . Only those directly involved in it would know just how much money and manpower were required to bring these creatures into this world . The Spatial Rift in the Lusaka base city had grown considerably since its appearance . It was now at least 13 feet wide and 32 feet tall . It looked like a huge door on the outside Most normal-sized familiars wouldnt find it difficult to pa.s.s through the Spatial Rift . On the other side of the rift lay the desolate remains of what had once been a city . It was evident that an intelligent species had once lived there . Most of the buildings in the abandoned city had been left in a state of disrepair . Now, after the New World Development Union ordered the repair of the city, the place looked much better than before . Forts were even built around the city walls to fortify its defenses . Boss, weve just discovered a new building that hadnt been touched . Theres something inside . I think you should take a look at it . A monster trainer was training his familiar in the plains, where a streak of black and white was chasing after a group of black-and-white streaks in front of it . Hm? A dark-skinned man took down his sungla.s.ses and turned to his subordinate . Black King, said the man, calling his familiar back . The black-and-white streaks collided with each other for a moment before pulling away from each other . They were a couple of six-foot-tall black wolverines . One of them, a wolverine with a particularly streamlined body, impatiently licked its claws and swept back the fur on its head with them . It then walked back towards the man with the sungla.s.ses without a sound, ignoring everything else around it . Upon entering the Spatial Rift, they found themselves in the middle of a seemingly empty city . The place was painted in shades of yellow and gray, the walls and roofs of the buildings overgrown with all kinds of plants . Even though some of the buildings had caved in, no one had bothered to repair them . The only sign indicating any manner of repair had ever taken place here was a distinct lack of weeds on the ground . Some of the roofs and walls were adorned with winged sculptures and elegant carvings, respectively . These all supported the idea that a civilized species had once called this place home . One could also see a figure or two flitting through the buildings, scavenging for anything of value . In the ruins of an extraterrestrial city, there was still a chance that something valuable could turn up . When the Spatial Rift was first discovered, a lot of people had gone through it to see what was on the other side . A craze had gripped everyone at that time . Hundreds of thousands of people flooded through the rift to explore every inch of the ancient alien city . The furor had died down ever since, as every valuable object in the ruins of the city had long been taken . Even those that couldnt be removed from the ruins had been destroyed during the exploration craze . After rounding a few corners, the group of trainers finally arrived at a building, which somewhat resembled a European church from the Middle Ages . It had a roof that tapered to a pointed end . There had once been a huge, wooden door at the front of the building, but it had been taken down long before . A stainless steel door now stood in its place . When they entered the building, a musty smell a.s.saulted their nostrils . Patches of mold covered the walls around them . They went up to the third floor, where a wooden table stood in the middle of the room . Intricate letterings were carved onto its surface .  There were also concentric circles on it . In the middle of the circles was a marking that showed a city . Other markings indicating mountains and rivers were around it, along with symbols emphasizing certain parts of the intricate map and more lettering carved around them . Has no one tried to decipher what these letters mean? asked the dark-skinned man . He frowned at the jumble of letters on the table . Well, we showed them to a couple of linguists . Most of them said that these letters dont appear to be of terrestrial origin . However, one of them said that they seem to resemble an Atlantean language . Atlantean? Yeah, as in the Island of Atlas . I dont care if its your mothers island . I just want to know if anyone has already deciphered these letters! Sorry, boss . I dont think theres anyone on earth who can read them . Weve tried looking for someone who could at least give us a hint, but so far . nada . The dark-skinned man put his sungla.s.ses back on and began tracing a finger across the tables surface, carefully feeling its smoothness . Suddenly, his finger came to a halt at something . Whats that? The dark-skinned man was pointing at what appeared to be the layout of a building . It was neatly sketched out on the table, with a few more lines crisscrossing its interior . It didnt look like a natural formation . Oh, yeah, this was what I was going to tell you about, boss . It seems to be another city . Another . city, repeated the dark-skinned man . How far is it from here? The closest mountain range is around 300 miles from here . There are two mountain ranges drawn here . We figured out that the other city must be at least 600 miles from here, said his subordinate excitedly . Weve already picked all the ruins in a 300-mile range from here clean, which means that we only need to extend our search radius another 300 miles . The dark-skinned man furrowed his brows, deep in thought . After a while, he said, Lets go back and discuss this further with the others . See if its possible to reach the other city from here .