At dawn, Yu Zhou piloted his spacecraft back to the outskirts outside Akaru City.
After letting Ria and the dragon cart off and bidding them farewell, he immediately departed.
The capital, Zhongdu, was located right at the centre of the continent.
All he had to do was head toward the middle, and he would reach it.
Anxious and restless, Yu Zhou ordered the ship to accelerate toward the continent's heart.
The spacecraft's speed was tremendous—by noon, he had already approached the grand royal city, Zhongdu.
But the moment he entered the region; he noticed two ships following closely behind.
"What's going on?"
Yu Zhou frowned as he glanced at the radar display. Those two ships were clearly pursuing him; it wasn't just coincidence.
"Spaceship ahead, stop immediately!"
"Please land and show your flight license!"
A commanding voice echoed from the pursuing vessels, clear enough for Yu Zhou to hear.
He froze.
"...Don't tell me I just got caught by the Ancient Era Traffic Authority?"
It seemed his careless, unregistered flight had drawn unwanted attention.
"No good. I can't let them catch me."
He realized that if they intercepted him, he'd be in deep trouble—an unregistered outsider without an ID or flight permit.
He'd be detained immediately.
If that happened, how was he supposed to find Yuzare in Zhongdu?
"You there! Land your ship immediately!"
"This is your final warning—descend now!"
Ignoring the shouts behind him, Yu Zhou quickly gave an order to the ship's AI.
"Direction: Outer Space. Full power, now!"
With a sharp whoosh, Yu Zhou's spacecraft shot straight into the sky like a beam of light.
The two men in blue uniforms aboard the pursuing ships were left dumbfounded.
"Seriously? He's running from the traffic bureau?!"
Clearly, whoever was inside that ship had something to hide.
"After him!"
The two crafts immediately gave chase—but Yu Zhou's ship, at full thrust, was far faster.
Though both were products of the Ancient Civilization, Yu Zhou's ship came from thirty million years in the future.
Technologically, it completely outclassed theirs.
The two officers barely had time to engage pursuit before Yu Zhou's craft vanished from sight.
"That speed…!" one of them gasped. "It's definitely not made on Earth!"
"We need to report this to the Enforcement Division!"
Realizing they couldn't catch up, they stopped the chase.
Still, the alien speed and evasive behaviour left them deeply concerned.
A foreign ship refusing inspection could be a potential threat to the capital.
So, they turned back and headed for Zhongdu to report what happened.
Yu Zhou's ship broke through the atmosphere into space.
Once he confirmed the two patrol ships were no longer following, he eased the controls and brought the ship to a stop.
"If I can't fly straight into the capital, I'll just land outside its borders."
He decided to touch down at a safe distance instead.
Descending back to Earth, Yu Zhou found no sign of pursuers.
He landed his ship atop a high mountain near Zhongdu, then took out his personal flight board and glided down the slope.
The geography around Zhongdu was excellent.
It sat on a wide plain, surrounded by rivers and mountain ranges.
High peaks rose in the distance, while smaller hills dotted the nearby terrain.
The area offered rich resources and convenient transport by both land and water.
In the skies, Yu Zhou noticed large pterosaur-like creatures gliding at low altitude—each ridden by a uniformed warrior.
Occasionally, other spacecraft would lift off from within Zhongdu, flying toward distant regions.
Several main roads converged from all directions toward the centre, forming the great royal city.
As Yu Zhou approached the outskirts of Zhongdu, he put away his flight board and began walking.
The plains were busy with travellers and traders.
Caravans pulled by dragon carts rolled steadily along, transporting goods from city to city.
Zhongdu, as the royal capital, required far more supplies than ordinary cities—dozens of times more, in fact.
So the roads were always bustling.
Yu Zhou walked among the flow of people, silent and focused, heading straight for his destination.
His goal was clear: Yuzare, the princess of Zhongdu.
Meeting her, however, would not be easy.
He had only recently learned of her true identity—a royal princess of the capital.
"How am I supposed to meet her…?"
He muttered as he walked, his eyes fixed on the massive city ahead.
Majestic castle-like structures stood at the city's elevated rear, glittering under the daylight.
From the chatter of passersby, Yu Zhou gathered that those castles were the residences of the King and the royal family.
Beyond those grand castles, the rest of Zhongdu was built in a medieval style, giving the city an ancient, dignified feel.
But the people's clothing seemed oddly mismatched—modern designs in an old-world setting.
"So, this… is the charm of the Ultra-Ancient Civilization."
Yu Zhou smiled faintly.
It was a world that blended medieval atmosphere with advanced technology, unified across a single vast continent.
Cities like Akaru and Fuhuo, along with countless others, were all governed under Zhongdu's rule.
Each city had its own lord, but they were required to report to the capital every month.
At year's end, all the city lords gathered in Zhongdu for the Continental Council,
meeting with the King and ministers to discuss the year's affairs.
These details Yu Zhou had learned from Ria.
Beyond that, even he knew little more.
Eventually, Yu Zhou reached the massive gates of Zhongdu.
Given the heavy traffic, strict inspections were in place.
Every person entering the city was required to undergo a brief check to prevent any suspicious infiltrators.
As the capital, Zhongdu employed numerous gate guards, keeping the process surprisingly efficient.
Before long, it was Yu Zhou's turn.
"State your identification."
One of the armoured guards raised a tablet-like device, snapped a photo of Yu Zhou, and asked flatly,
"Name."
"A-San."
"Place of origin."
"Orion."
Some of the bystanders looked surprised, but not overly so.
Claiming to be from another planet was nothing unusual here—extraterrestrial visitors were a known phenomenon.
The guard merely nodded, entered the data, and then said,
"Show your true form."
Yu Zhou hesitated, then sighed and briefly revealed his Jugglus form before reverting.
The guards gave him a passing glance, then waved him through.
Yu Zhou stepped past the gates—finally entering Zhongdu, the capital of the Ultra-Ancient Earth.