Lu Zhiyu stood before the ruins. Stones, collapsed walls, and pillars were scattered around. The past glory was gone. All that was left behind were ruins.
One thousand years ago, this place used to be the royal city of the orcs, Saga City. It used to be bustling with activities, and was the thriving cultural center. The bronze civilization, the iron age era, started in Saga City. It was the center of trading, and the ancestors of the orcs had left their traces behind. They had led the orcs out of the primitive era, leaving a legend behind them. They had become heroes of their own mythical epic.
The orc kings had died by now, bringing along with them the city and its glory. The city that had been built over the span of 200 years, had now been reduced to ruins. One could only read about the magnificent city in books, or hear from the orcs about its majesty. One thousand years was a long time to an ordinary person. In fact, it was like infinity.
Lu Zhiyu walked past the ruins of Saga City. It was late winter and extremely cold in the northern region. Even the air that had been breathed out turned into frost.
Saga City was within the borders of the Kingdom of Menkaure. It was part of the Saelvig Empire, built by the Grand Duke, Menkaure. It belonged to the territory of the leopard-people. There were many races who looked up to the leopard-people in the Kingdom. This region had become the accommodation quarters of the cat-people and the dog-people. Hence, many of their tribes were nearby.
Ayers Mountain was also not far from here. The largest city was at the foot of Ayers Mountain. It borrowed its name from Ayers Mountain, and was known as Ayer City. This province was directly under the rule of the royals of the Kingdom of Menkaure. They had sent a consul to oversee the city. As compared to the Kingdom of Orcs, this place was different. It was quiet and peaceful.
Lu Zhiyu put on a black cloak and carried a big piece of luggage with him. He followed a group of merchants to Ayer City. As they were approaching the main street, and were at a T-junction, he alighted from the carriage and left the merchants.
The merchants had set forth from the human world, the Crete Empire to be exact, and had gone over the plains of Red River. They would be pa.s.sing through the valleys of Ayers Mountain, then traveling to the trading center of the Kingdom of Menkaure.
They had obtained their permits from the royals of the Kingdom of Menkaure. These were, in fact, the n.o.ble merchants of the Crete Empire, and could, therefore, move around freely in the Kingdom of Menkaure.
Every year, they would send large amounts of tributes and goods from the Crete Empire to the royals of Menkaure. They were well received by the Kingdom of Orcs. In fact, the pottery, paper, herbs, tea leaves, sweets and other artworks were the best selling items in the Kingdom of Orcs.
The gemstones, jewelries, gold and spices of the orcs were hard currencies in the Crete Empire. Thus, one trip alone could bring much wealth to the merchants. These merchants not only did their normal trading while visiting, but they also brought in goods strictly prohibited by the Crete Empire.
These contraband goods included armaments, armor, weapons, crossbows, books, horses, camels and beasts. Due to their nature, these transactions had been carried out privately, and the stakes were high. The n.o.bles and merchants would stop at nothing, as long as it was profitable.
Lu Zhiyu joined the merchants as a doctor. He hitched a ride from them and set forth to Ayer City. He had been staying in the dimensional castle and Wizard Tower all year round. Although he had been observing the developments in the human world and the orcs from the outside world, it was different from being there to actually find out things for himself.
In fact, Lu Zhiyu felt bored, so he had decided to get out and have a closer look. He would find a spot in the city to settle down for a period of time. In any case, he could carry out his experiment anywhere, and at the same time, be able to better understand the situation of the orcs.
The weather was cold. The stationed guards in Ayer City were hiding behind the door due to the frigid wind. They s.h.i.+vered and stomped about as the wind blew onto their faces. There was not much traffic at the city gate. The people queued up as the soldiers impatiently checked on them.
Lu Zhiyu got in line behind the people, carrying his luggage. Many of them standing in the queue were the cat-people and dog-people. They had their iconic ethnicity literally on them. They either had fine furs on their faces or possessed noses that looked vastly different from man.
The dressing style of the orcs was also quite different from man. Their attire"s tops and bottoms were joined together, like a dress. Even the male"s among them put on such clothing, to enable theirs tails to move more conveniently.
"Hey, remove your hood. What are you hiding inside?"
The soldier who was guarding the city gate cupped his hands together. The sword that was hanging on his waist had turned rusty, and it looked as though it had not been polished or used for a long time. This was the sign of a peaceful city.
Lu Zhiyu removed his hood, and the people around him shouted, "It is a human! Are humans coming here again?"
"Is he a merchant? Sir, merchants usually come in a group. He is alone, and only has one piece of luggage with him."
"Oh, he is so good looking!"
Many of those who were present had only heard of humans, but they had never actually seen one. They did not know what a human looked like. The children secretly watched Lu Zhiyu, as their parents carried them in their bosoms. The soldier suddenly became alert, and two other soldiers, who were standing beside the fireplace, walked over.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" they questioned Lu Zhiyu.
Lu Zhiyu put down his luggage and spoke fluently in the Sophoc language, "h.e.l.lo, I am a doctor. I am bringing the art of healing from the human world, to promote it to the people here. I hope that those who are suffering from diseases can be treated."
The eyes of all the people brightened up after hearing this. Ever since Bohr Kelermo had written the Kelermo Medical Coding, many from Gracchus Duchy had become doctors.
Many countries valued the clinics and the nurturing of doctors. Although the Light Clan discriminated against the doctors, many having tried to oppose and suppress them, they had to eventually let them go about freely upon the orders of the higher authority.
There were many rumors about the doctors in the Kingdom of Orcs. In the tribal areas, medical science was lagging behind. When one fell sick, they either resigned to their fate, or waited to be healed during their tribunal rites. Those who performed the rites were usually doctors as well. They treasured Kelermo"s Medical Code, regarding it as being the holy code.
Even in the Kingdom of Orcs, the doctors had been rumored to be able to resurrect the dead, including those who had died of plagues. All of them hoped that they would have doctors in their tribes or cities to bring healing and light to them.
The number of deaths from accidents and diseases had been extremely high recently. Many did not live to full age. Thus, their desire and hunger for a doctor was beyond the imagination of ordinary persons. After Lu Zhiyu had mentioned his profession, the eyes of all the people lit up.
The soldier was stunned as well. After a long while, he rubbed his palms together and said, "You, are you really a doctor?"
Lu Zhiyu smiled, nodded his head, and said, "Yes. I hope to be able to stay in Ayer City to promote medical science and healing. At the same time, I will nurture a few trainee doctors."
Everyone shouted out with joy. The soldiers immediately showed due respect to Lu Zhiyu, inviting him into the city. Very soon, Lu Zhiyu received an invitation from the governor, who was the official consul sent by the king.