BMG:Chapter 7: Ownership of the Beginner Secret Realm!
Had Jiang Chen come seeking refuge before the contract ceremony, City Lord Li Hongfei would have welcomed him with open arms. But now, with a Genin contractor standing in his office, he offered little more than a polite greeting for his daughter's sake before turning back to his own affairs.
Li Yanran wasn't having it. "Dad, what's going on? You can't tell me? I've graduated now — maybe I can actually help."
Li Hongfei let out a long sigh. "Fine. You'd find out sooner or later anyway."
He began to explain what had been weighing on him.
Some time ago, an uncharted Beginner Secret Realm had been discovered within Jinghai City. Every major faction wanted a piece of it, but no one could agree on who it belonged to. Eventually, the Chen family proposed a solution: each faction would send a team to explore the Secret Realm, and whichever team achieved the fastest clear with the highest score would be awarded ownership.
On the surface, it seemed fair. In practice, everyone knew what it really meant.
The Chen family had two exceptionally talented newcomers this year. When it came to a Beginner Secret Realm competition, no other faction in Jinghai City could realistically compete with them. The outcome was all but decided before it had even begun.
Li Hongfei glanced at Jiang Chen. "I suspect you've already figured out who those two newcomers are — you and Chen Chuxi. You may have left the Chen family, but Chen Chuxi contracted a Kage-level powerhouse. That alone gives them the strongest hand in this competition." He paused. "And I've also heard that the Wang family is moving toward a marriage alliance with the Chens. Their own top newcomer is no slouch either. If those two families combine forces, no one in Jinghai City will be able to stand against them."
Jiang Chen could see that what truly troubled Li Hongfei wasn't the Secret Realm itself. It was what came after — the prospect of the Chen family using this victory as a stepping stone to seize control of Jinghai City entirely.
It wasn't an unfounded fear. It had happened elsewhere. When a family or organization grew powerful enough, they inevitably turned their sights on the City Lord's Mansion, looking to topple it and claim the city as their own territory. The City Lord's Mansion existed precisely to prevent that — to maintain order on behalf of the government in major cities across the Dragon Kingdom. Without it, professional society would descend into chaos. Local powers only looked after their own interests; they had no concern for the people under their rule. Let enough City Lord's Mansions fall, and the Dragon Kingdom would fracture into warring territories all over again.
"Dad, you're giving them too much credit and selling yourself short," Li Yanran said, crossing her arms. "Your daughter contracted a Genjutsu-type Jonin this time around. What's Chen Chuxi compared to that? I'm not worried."
During the contract ceremony, Li Yanran had successfully contracted a Konoha Jonin named Kurenai Yuhi, gaining a powerful set of Genjutsu skills in the process. Genjutsu was extraordinarily potent in this world — particularly against opponents of similar levels, where it could turn the tide of a fight in ways that raw power simply couldn't. Her confidence wasn't unfounded.
Li Hongfei's expression eased slightly. "A Genjutsu-type Jonin — that is good news." He thought for a moment. "The competition is in one week. I'll arrange for you to level up as much as possible before then and put you on the team. Genjutsu has a massive advantage in the early stages — your performance will be critical."
Li Yanran gave a confident wave of her hand. "Leave it to me. Honestly, Chen Chuxi is the person I least want to see succeed at school. I'll give it everything I have."
She then turned and seemed to suddenly remember Jiang Chen was still in the room. "What about you, Jiang Chen? Are you joining the competition?"
Jiang Chen shrugged. "I don't mind."
Li Hongfei's brow furrowed. "Yanran, don't be careless. This isn't something to take lightly."
"I know, but Jiang Chen is already level 20 — which happens to be the exact level cap for the Beginner Secret Realm. He's more than qualified."
Li Hongfei stared at her. "Level 20? That's impossible. He just finished the contract ceremony."
Li Yanran smiled smugly. "You have a Perception skill, don't you? Check for yourself."
Professionals who possessed the Perception skill could actively probe the levels of others. Since City Lord Li Hongfei had contracted the Konoha Jonin Inoichi Yamanaka, he naturally had access to such abilities.
"No need," Jiang Chen said calmly. "If you want to see my level, I'll just show you."
He revealed his character panel without ceremony.
Li Hongfei's eyes went wide. "Well then. It seems contracting two Genin simultaneously isn't quite as useless as it looks."
Like Li Yanran, he had concluded that Jiang Chen's double contract was responsible for his doubled level. He didn't linger on the question. The number in front of him was real, and that was what mattered. Without further hesitation, he added Jiang Chen to the City Lord's Mansion's Secret Realm team.
The level cap for the Beginner Secret Realm was 20. Last year's graduates had long since surpassed it, which meant every faction — including the City Lord's Mansion — could only field this year's fresh contractors. With one week to prepare, even the most talented of the new graduates would be hard-pressed to reach level 15. Jiang Chen was already at the cap. Whatever else people thought of his contracted characters, his level advantage was real — and right now, the City Lord's Mansion needed every edge it could get.
After leaving the City Lord's office, Li Yanran led Jiang Chen to the residential quarter nearby, where the Mansion's professionals lived. Since the world had changed, major factions had taken to housing their members together for easier coordination and management, and the City Lord's Mansion was no different.
As a gesture of gratitude for Jiang Chen agreeing to compete on the Mansion's behalf, City Lord Li Hongfei arranged for him to have his own detached villa — his choice of location.
Since Jiang Chen didn't know the area, he asked Li Yanran to pick for him. She led him straight to a two-story villa and stopped out front.
"This one. The layout is clean, the natural light is excellent, and it has its own swimming pool. You'll be comfortable here."
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know the inside of this place pretty well. Have you been here before?"
Li Yanran smiled. "The layout is identical to mine, so of course I know it."
"And where do you live?"
She tilted her chin to the side.
Jiang Chen followed her gaze — and blinked.
"...Next door?"