Dead End (Part 1)

　　"Impossible!" shrilled River Monster.

　　River Monster, or rather, Miss E, never adopted a different surname irrespective of the appearance she a.s.sumed. Abels never denied her right to keep her surname for it was her pride. The "E" surname was the equivalent of the "Ji" surname in Nanjiang and "Shenzhou" surname in the Central Plain. The surname's genesis could be traced as far back as thousands of years.

　　Unlike in the Central Plain, where surnames and more changed with each dynasty, those part of Nanjiang emphasised heritage more than other regions. Those enthroned had to hail from the "E" lineage. Thus, all of the monarchs of Nanjiang's countries carried the surname "E". River Monster came from the country closest to the Central Plain. Her bloodline was considered pure and venerated, and her surname was held in the same high esteem as her ability to tame wild beasts, which was a skillset Nanjiang's imperial family pa.s.sed down.

　　The Central Plain's Emperor from three generations ago once attempted to conquer Nanjiang, enlisting a hundred thousand soldiers, including elites from the Seven Champion White Princes, yet they were decimated at the hands of Nanjiang's beast tamers, who introduced beast soldiers the army of the Central Plain's had never encountered in their lifetime.

　　Nanjiang's imperial family wasn't the only population who were fans of taming rare beasts. It was the norm for elderly and even children on streets to tame beasts. Some of them honed their taming skills to turn themselves into valuable a.s.sets. Furthermore, Nanjiang was reputed for being the home to many precious and rare beasts. As such, the elephants and apes they sent to battle toppled the Central Plain's formations in no time and laid waste to their invaders. Nanjiang only had two generals in their defence line, yet the Central Plain's army were unable to make a dent in their defences.