Chapter 4 - The Mei Kingdom
"Do you have any questions? She asked smilingly.
No one knew what to say. YES! Of course they had questions, many questions, but they had to take it all in first. Everyone was just looking at each other at this point, not knowing what to say.
"Um, I have one, how can you speak English?" Maaz asked while raising his hand awkwardly with a weird smile.
"I am not. When you were transported over here by the Ancient ones, they unlocked the limitations of your human bodies, which allowed you to receive information at a much higher rate. The most basic and common languages of the beast world were transplanted into your brains, so now without even realizing it you can speak and understand our language," said Liu Yifei while staring at Maaz.
"Oh, that-I-wha-" not even being able to get a whole word out, Maaz was stuttering, as he did whenever he was nervous or just in front of a beautiful woman.
"Let me explain a bit more in detail. There are thousands of different worlds that are being 'reared' by the ancient ones, just like yours was. To make sure the world doesn't stray from their plan, Ancients send their own people to 'nudge' the civilization in the right direction, the direction decided for them by the Ancients. World leaders, artists, people in different levels of power, all of them are sent to these worlds by the Ancients, to slowly get you ready for the end. For example, almost all of the monsters and demons that were portrayed in your "movies" are actual creatures and races found everywhere in the universe. The myths and legends foretold in your stories and scriptures are all real as well. Everything that you saw and experienced in your old world was chosen by the Ancients. Even clothing, languages etc were all picked out for you," she said with a serious face.
Hao Xuan thought about everything he had seen so far and it made sense. The dressing style of these women, the language, the images he was shown in the crystal ball of different races seemed like they were out of a fantasy novel or a movie because they probably were. Because otherwise for normal human beings to get used to this new reality and entirely new concepts would not even be possible in one or two generations.
"Wait a second, so you're saying vampires, ghosts, werewolves, demons are all actually different alien races?" Hao Xuan asked suddenly. "Yes of course, everything is real. The mythical creatures like Dragons also exist, but they are overlords and are capable of destroying entire continents with a swipe of their claw," replied Liu Yifei with another little smile.
"For some reason, that damn smile is really starting to piss me off now," Hao Xuan thought to himself.
"Any other questions?" she asked looking around the room.
"Yes, you said we will be sent to this Mei kingdom, how will we live over there? Do they know who we are? Will there be any support from the local government?" Asked Mr. Khan.
"Naturally. Many kingdoms in the Beast world are from races that immigrated here or were transported like you. The others are the native species or those alien races that have been here for many millions of years and even forgot their true origins. These people think they are superior to folks like you and me, and that they deserve all the resources the Beast world has to offer. So there are many fights and wars between different empires and kingdoms because at the end of the day, resources are still limited, and unless one wishes to go out in the wilderness and tread into unknown territory, there will be fights. Sometimes entire kingdoms are eradicated in a matter of days."
"The Mei kingdom's royalty also immigrated here several thousand years ago. Its a comparatively new kingdom but its royalty and people are much more open-minded and accepting to newer species, especially if they have similar physical appearances, which you do. So the government has created a simple lodging area on the outskirts of some of the main cities, with fertile land for cultivation and opportunities for the young ones to develop their skills and find their calling. It's actually one of the best options available right now," Liu Yifei said while looking at the paper on the desk in front of her, which apparently was the map of the Mei kingdom and surrounding areas.
"Once you actually get to the kingdom, there will be someone to guide you to your residences and give a bit more detail of the culture and people in the kingdom. Your main objective right now is to get fully assimilated into the kingdom, do what you must to achieve that goal," she said while pointing towards the marking in the middle of the room.
Everyone moved inside as Liu Yifei clicked a few times on the screen built inside the desk which was covered by the papers, and a humming noise was produced by the markings as they started to light up.
"Close your eyes," she said from the other side of the room. Hao Xuan and the Khan family followed her orders as they suddenly vanished from the spot.
Hao Xuan felt like he was falling but he could still feel the solid ground under his feet, it was a weird case of vertigo which made everyone very uncomfortable. After what seemed like an eternity, the feeling subsided and Hao Xuan slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was in a huge public square. It must've been a few kilometers in length and width as he could barely see any other buildings.
"Hello, welcome to the Kingdom of Mei," said a very chipper voice. Hao Xuan turned around and saw a very petite young girl standing in front of them with something that looked like a pen and some papers.
"Hello, my name is Hao Xuan, you said this is the Mei kingdom? Are you our guide?" he asked looking at her. She seemed a bit too young to be working already, but maybe kids matured faster in this world.
"Yes, my name is Yu Yan, nice to meet you. I'll help you get settled in and explain some things about the kingdom, please follow me," she said with a big smile and started walking away.
Hao Xuan and co. looked at each other and followed her without saying a word.
"The kingdom of Mei might not be the biggest or the strongest, but we are famous to have very brave and courageous warriors. Our kingdom is surrounded on two sides by other kingdoms, and one side is facing the Azure ocean. One of the kingdoms is called the Jia kingdom, and its the one we have been to war with several dozen times already. Their people think they are so much better than us just because they came here a little earlier and fight us for every resource, but we always fight back," she said very proudly. If one didn't know better, you would think she herself had led the troops to fight against the Jia kingdom.
"Anyways, you don't have to worry about them for now. Your family has been given a farm in District 12 in the outer area of Fortuna city. There are a lot of cities in our kingdom separated by vast jungles and forested areas. We have tried to clear the way between them, but because the spiritual energy in this world is so thick, it only takes a few months for everything to grow back. Since you are located in the outer area, you will have to be careful of demon beast attacks."
"They come out of the forests randomly, looking for food or by accident. The closest city to our Fortuna City is about 9500 Kilometers away. On average, each major city is at least such a distance away from each other if not several times more," she said in a single breath. Hao Xuan was once again amazed by the vastness of this world. On earth, the distance between Beijing and New York City was a little less than 11,000 km, and over here the distance between a couple of cities in a single kingdom was almost the same? Unbelievable!
"Oh, beasts are the creatures that are native to this world. They are equivalent to the wild animals you had in your old world, with the difference being that they are anywhere from a few inches to several hundred meters big. Every few years their quantity becomes too much and they come rushing out in a stampede towards the closest human settlements.. At such a time, you must move as quickly as possible to the inner area, behind the city walls for cover," she said while slowly picking up her pace.