As Alex approached the city, he saw that it was unlike what he had envisioned.
Instead of a sprawling metropolis made up of large buildings, what Alex could only see was a large, metallic dome.
This dome covered an area of approximately 10 kilometers, which just show its massive volume.
The metal of the dome was glinting brightly against the sun, creating a dazzling sight which almost blinded Alex.
"This…" Alex was at a loss for words as he was not sure on how to describe the scenery in front of him.
After seeing Alex's dazed look, Asteria let out a hmph as she pushed him forward with her tiny body.
"What are you gawking for? Move your legs!"
"Ok already…" Alex muttered as he continued on walking.
When he was only around 100 meters away from the dome, Alex saw a line of people, all lining in a straight line.
Alex's eyes traced this line of people, and he saw that these people were lining up to enter a rectangular-shaped hole at the base of the dome.
This hole was around 3 meters in width and 5 meters in height, which can allow any person to pass through it.
What made Alex intrigued was the fact that there are no people guarding this hole. Alex could only see people patiently entering the hole one by one, with each of them not doing anything to disrupt the process.
Upon realizing that he will not get any answers by just standing idly. Alex let out a sigh as he joined the line.
Now, Alex was the last person in the line, and with the rate that the people were entering the hole, it will take Alex around 10 minutes to get his turn.
"Hey." Alex tapped the shoulder of the person in front of him as he tried talking to him. "Why are these people lining up like this?"
"Huh? Are you drunk or something?" The person that Alex was talking to was a young adult, around 20-25 years old.
In terms of age, he might be only slightly older than Alex, but his looks and demeanor are that of generic gangster.
He was decorated with tattoos all over his body, and there are countless earrings and piercings on this guy's ears and skin.
The way that this guy looked was so intimidating that Alex noticed that he was the only person that was near to this guy.
The other people in the line were all maintaining a healthy distance from this gangster guy, as if he someone that must be avoided.
"Oh, seems like I asked the wrong person..." Alex thought wryly as he envisioned some countermeasures against a hardened gangster.
"Ah well, I experienced an accident which led to me having amnesia, hahahaha..." Alex said as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Because of that amnesia, I forgot most of the practical stuff…"
"That's the best lie that you can make up right now?" Asteria shook her head as she seemed disappointed with Alex. "What a waste of your brainpower!"
Alex did his best to ignore Asteria as he observed the gangster's next move.
But to his surprise, he was suddenly hugged by the gangster, as if Alex was his newfound friend.
"It must have been difficult for you." The gangster mumbled as he patted Alex's back. "Do not worry, I am here to help you!"
"Umm… so you believe me?" Alex hesitantly asked the gangster as he broke up their hug. "Even though I told you something like that, you are still believing me?"
"Hahaha, of course I believe you! After all, I already experienced amnesia before!" The gangster said as he clasped Alex's shoulder.
"When I got an amnesia, I felt extremely lost." The gangster mumbled as he gave Alex a sympathetic look. "I found it extremely difficult to live, as I do not know how to use the objects around me. I had to rely on the help of my friends and family so that I can slowly recover."
"And you, mister, is having the same lost look as I had before." The gangster said as he gave a confident smile to Alex. "Just seeing that lost look of yours is already enough to confirm that you have an amnesia."
Asteria could not help but cringe after hearing all the words that the gangster had said to Alex.
"Did this gangster's amnesia damage his intelligence to?" Asteria mumbled as she gave a withering look at the gangster. "It seems like you have found a friend with the same level of intelligence as you, Alex!"
Alex tried his best to not look angry as he resumed talking with the gangster.
"So, what is happening in here?" Alex asked the gangster one more time as he looked at the line of people. "Is that hole made so that it can only allow certain kind of people to enter?"
"Well, that hole has countless sensors in it that will scan the appearance and the body of anyone that tries to pass through it." The gangster said, as he seemed to be trying to give his answers as concise as possible.
"If you are not an Esper, then you will not be allowed to enter." The gangster said as he looked at the start of the line. "The sensors are 100% accurate so nobody can cheat against it."
Right after the gangster said these words, Alex saw a commotion happening right at the start of the line.
The source of the commotion was an old man, who was trying to enter through the hole.
"God**nit! I thought I can enter with this gadget!" The old man muttered angrily as he held a phone-sized contraption. This contraption was smoking, as if it was just recently destroyed.
While this old man looked flustered, a robotic voice sounded out from the hole, which was obviously aimed towards the old man.
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"Subject 1432-X. You are not an Esper, so your presence is not allowed here in the Dragon Esper City. Not only that, but you also tried using a Fake Esper Field to fool the sensors. That constitutes a Capital Offense, thus, you shall be sentenced to death."
Before the old man could utter a word, dozens of red beams shot out from the top of the dome, obliterating the old man in an instant.
The people behind the old man seemed unperturbed by what had happened, while the others mocked the old man.
One of these mockers was the gangster, who wore a smirk as he explained what happened to Alex.
"There are 1,024 Esper Cities around the world, and these cities will only allow Espers inside them. If someone that is not an Esper tried to enter, the energy forcefield in the Esper City will force them out."
The gangster then pointed at the dust particles of the old man as he continued talking.
"As for that old man, not only he tried entering while not being an Esper, he even attempted to fool the sensors! For that old man to die is just right."
"....." Alex knew that since this was a different world, some of the values of its inhabitants will inevitably be different from his.
Even if these values are obscure to Alex, he will still try to understand and respect them.
"Since I already have an Esper Body, I surely will have no problem with this entrance." Alex thought to himself as he let out a sigh of relief.
Since he still has to wait a little longer before he can enter the city, Alex decided to chat with the gangster more, as he liked this man's friendliness.
Asteria could only pout and glare at Alex angrily as if she was not happy with Alex's attention not being on her.
"Hmph, you are just deliberately ignoring me!" Asteria mumbled darkly to herself as she observed Alex's facial expressions. "Well I don't care whether you ignore me or not. After all, you are my hooman, and you will inevitably still serve this Fairy Queen!"
When Alex heard these words, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he thought to himself,
"This fairy really had the gall to treat me as her pet huh… Maybe I have to show her later who really is the boss!"
********************
Just like what Alex had expected, he was able to enter through the entrance easily.
As for Asteria, it was as if the sensors were not able to detect her at all.
But once Alex went through the hole, Asteria suddenly flew and hid inside Alex's collar, with her tiny body trembling greatly.
"Don't tell me this fairy is scared of the dark?" Alex mused as he found himself inside a long tunnel.
According to the gangster, the whole Dragon Esper City was actually just 9 kilometers in diameter. The extra 1 kilometer in diameter was actually a tunnel.
This tunnel was filled with more sensors and weapons. The gangster said that this was made in order to make sure that there is nothing suspicious that will enter the city.
"...…"
Upon seeing that Asteria is still huddling inside his collar, Alex smiled as he realized that this little woman is actually scared of the dark!
"Hehehehe…" Alex let out a creepy laugh as he could already imagine all the pranks that he can do to Asteria.
"So Alex, what is your plan going here into the Dragon Esper City?" The gangster, whose real name was Clint, said as he and Alex rode a mobile vehicle that will lead them to the city. "You are not here for any ordinary business, right?"
"Ah well, I am actually here to awaken my Esper Ability…" Alex said as he tried to make himself look as excited as possible. "The one who took me in while I have an amnesia said that I have the potential to be an Esper, so he told me to come here."
"Wow! That's impressive!" Clint suddenly blurted out as he clapped Alex's shoulders.
"Alex, do you know that the chance to awaken the Esper Ability appears when a person is around 8-10 years old? Any time earlier or later than that will be almost impossible already. But you, you are already a teenager! For you to have the chance to awaken your Esper Ability at this age is actually miraculous!"
"Oh, is that so…" Alex resisted the urge to facepalm as he did not expect it to be like this!
"S**t! If I awaken my Esper Ability right now, many people will surely give their attention to me… I do not know if that attention will be good or bad for my mission…"
"Sigh, since it has already come to this, then I just have to continue. There is no merit if I back out now." Alex thought to himself as he leaned back on his ride.
"Woosh~" The mobile vehicle plodded on, bringing Alex and the trembling Asteria towards the Dragon Esper City.
*************************
"I apologize for my failure to kill the intruder." The black-haired swordswoman, who was the one who attacked Alex earlier, was currently kneeling with one of her knees on the floor.
Her head was bowed down, as if she does not dare to look at the person in front of her.
This person in front of her was wearing a long, white cloak which trailed across the floor. This person's face was obscured by the darkness, making it hard to see his/her features.
He/she then started to talk while looking down at the swordswoman.
His/her voice sounded both feminine and masculine at the same time, making it hard to know his/her gender.
"Oh, you really are a waste of my resources and time…" The black-haired swordswoman resisted the urge to tremble as she heard this person saying these words to her. "You already have the advantage of a sneak attack, and yet you failed to kill him. Are you really skillful?"
Before the swordswoman could give a reply, the white-cloaked person continued his/her tirade.
"You are so boring! Your sister was better than you! I had so much fun with her! But you? You are just a trash in my palace."
"Swish!"
The white-cloaked person left the swordswoman still kneeling on the floor as he/she told her,
"Go, that intruder is still alive. Go kill him for me. If you do so, then I might give you some extra minutes of visiting time…"
The swordswoman's body, which was trembling uncontrollably earlier, started to calm down as she heard what the white-cloaked person said.
"Extra minutes. Extra minutes. Extra minutes…" The black-haired swordswoman muttered these words like a chant as she left the place.
"Extra minutes. Extra minutes. Extra minutes…"
"She's really a loco." The white cloaked person muttered as he/she threw the matter about the matter of the swordswoman at the back of his/her mind.
He/she then rubbed his hands excitedly as he/she headed towards a certain place in his/her house.
"Today is playtime day! Have you prepared yourself yet?"