Before long, the guard returned, with Lillian Carter following behind her. Lillian Carter looked at William Carter in surprise, very curious as to why he, unlike the other men before, hadn’t been killed the next day. But she understood that she shouldn’t ask about things she wasn’t supposed to know, so she said, “Third Miss gave me 1,000 crystal coins. What kind of medicine do you want to buy?” As she finished speaking, she suddenly noticed a black piece of paper placed on the stone table in the courtyard, and a look of astonishment appeared on her face—she recognized it as proof of a free person’s status!

William Carter closed his book and stood up, smiling slightly. He said, “Take me to the place where they sell medicinal herbs first.”

Chapter Three: E-Rank Cultivation Method

With Lillian Carter accompanying him, the guards in the residence no longer blocked their way. After smoothly leaving the Purple Residence, William Carter took a deep breath. What unfolded before him was an extremely wide street, lined on both sides with all kinds of buildings in various styles.

Strolling down the street, William Carter was shocked to discover something: in this city, up to now, he hadn’t seen a single man—everyone was a woman.

His appearance immediately made him stand out from the crowd, attracting the gaze of every passerby, their eyes filled with surprise and disdain.

What kind of empire is this? A nation of women? William Carter’s expression became odd.

Lillian Carter noticed William Carter’s unease and, thinking he wasn’t used to it, whispered, “You’ve never been outside before, so it’s understandable you’d feel this way. You should know that in the Springwater Empire, men are not allowed to leave their homes. This is a rule set by the Springwater Queen.”

“Springwater Queen?” As soon as William Carter heard this name, an inexplicable sense of disgust rose in his heart.

“Yes, the Springwater Queen is one of the three queens of the Empress Continent, and she’s the emperor of our Springwater Empire.”

As she spoke, the sky suddenly darkened. A strange octagonal airship suddenly descended from the sky, and an aura no weaker than those powerful figures in the Purple Residence instantly locked onto William Carter.

William Carter stopped in his tracks and looked up, his eyes grave, glancing around constantly.

The airship was pitch black, made of some unknown material, about six meters long, and its overall appearance was menacing.

“First law of the Springwater Empire: non-free men are not allowed in public places. Violators will be executed!” A cold voice came from inside the octagonal airship.

Lillian Carter immediately took out a token from her bosom and said respectfully, “Honored one, this person has done a great favor for my young lady and has already been granted free status by the Phoenix Clan.” William Carter saw that the front of the token was clearly engraved with a purple flame.

The aura locking onto William Carter instantly disappeared. The airship, without another word, swiftly ignored William Carter, ascended, and vanished into the sky.

Lillian Carter put away the token and smiled at William Carter, saying, “Although this is Tianshui City, far from the imperial capital, inspections are still strict. If I didn’t have this token, you’d be in trouble today.”

William Carter looked up in the direction where the octagonal airship had disappeared. Outwardly, he seemed calm, but inside, his mind was in turmoil. The moment that octagonal airship appeared, a scene flashed through his mind like lightning.

In the scene, a cold, stern man in black was surrounded by hundreds of octagonal airships, and with a wave of his hand, those airships vanished one after another.

At the same time, the man said mockingly, “So these are Cloudpiercer Sails? Nothing special.”

“Cloudpiercer Sails!” William Carter blurted out the term instinctively.

Lillian Carter was taken aback and asked in surprise, “What are Cloudpiercer Sails? These are Springwater warships, unique to our Springwater Empire. Being able to pilot a Springwater warship is every citizen’s dream. Unfortunately, only honored ones can command them.”

“The ‘honored one’ you mentioned earlier—is that a title?” William Carter changed the subject and asked.

“You’re from Prison Island, so it’s no wonder you don’t know these things. As long as your internal yuan power reaches level six, you’re designated as an honored one. Depending on how you use your yuan power, you’re further classified as a physical honored one or a spiritual honored one.

After that, the empire will assign you a government post, and you’ll become a member of the city defense force. Unfortunately, I have no talent—there’s not a trace of yuan power in me, not even level one, and the cultivation method I practice is the lowest E-rank. I have a sister who practices a D-rank method and has already reached level two.” As she spoke, a trace of envy appeared on Lillian Carter’s face.

Along the way, William Carter and Lillian Carter chatted intermittently, and before he knew it, he had gained some understanding of this world. For example, cultivation methods here are divided into five ranks, from A to E.

The results of practicing different ranks of methods vary greatly. E-rank methods can only reach a maximum of level three yuan power, while A-rank can be cultivated up to level nine.

As for these cultivation methods, they’re actually sold in bookstores, which greatly surprised William Carter.

Also, the technological civilization of this world is highly advanced, especially in mechanics—Springwater Empire is among the top three empires in this regard.

Another issue that troubled William Carter—literacy—was also resolved through his conversation with Lillian Carter.

There’s a device called a card reader that can help him recognize dozens of the most common scripts on the Empress Continent.