After running for another hour, a city appeared in the distance. Surrounding the city was a 20-meter tall city wall. Covering the dark-grey city wall were murals of fierce warriors, beasts, and weapons, making it appear magnificent. On top of the city walls, warriors were standing proudly, and artilleries were ready for battle at any time."The security here sure is high," the man said to the old man. "The Golden Sun Kingdom and the Red Sky Kingdom have been embroiled in a war for two years. The city before us is the Warrior City, one of the main border cities in the Golden Sun Kingdom. The city is one of the earlier lines of defense," said the old man.
"Um..." the old man wanted to say something but hesitated. "Say it," the man said from behind. Gathering his courage, the old man said, "Sir, you are a great person, mightier then anyone else I have seen before, but the armor you are wearing might cause trouble for you. The guards might annoy you regarding it."
"Oh..." with that, the armor around the man transformed into black robes. There were still those glittering symbols though. After a few moments, the two arrived before the city gate. The city gate had 30 soldiers dressed in new armors guarding it. As the man looked towards the soldiers, he could see that their Cultivation was mostly at the Nascent Soul Formation Stage with some True Spirit Integration Stage Cultivators supervising the place.
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Arriving there, the two could see a long queue. Guards were checking the people one-by-one and only allowed entry after a thorough investigation and charging a required toll. "Sir, please follow me. We don"t need to stand in the queue to enter the city!" The old man turned towards the young man and said to him.
The man behind nodded. To him, it didn"t matter even if there was a queue. If he wanted to pa.s.s, it was as easy as flipping his hand, nothing more. The two went around the line and arrived before the guards. The people who saw them break the queue were about to get angry when they heard,
"Welcome, City Lord!" All the guards stood upright and saluted towards the old man. As soon as the people saw the guards salute to the old man, they kept their complaints to themselves. No one was foolish enough to complain about the City Lord.
"Hmm," the old man nodded and then turned towards the man wearing the best armor, "Ah Lang, the Sir with me is an honorable guest of our Warrior City, prepare a special permit for the Sir!" Ah Lang, the captain of the City Guard nodded towards the old man and then turned towards the man.
Ah Lang was a smart man. Looking at the respectful expression the City Lord had towards the young man, he knew that the man was no ordinary person, he must be someone great. Respectfully, Ah Lang said to the young man, "Respectable Sir, please tell me your name and place of birth so I can prepare the permit card for you."
"Zhu Long, that"s my name. You need not know anymore," the young man said. It was only now that the old man came to know about the young man"s name. On the way, the old man couldn"t muster the courage to ask for Zhu Long"s name. "It"s good that the guard asked for it!" the old man thought.
While he was thinking, the guard turned towards him. He didn"t know what to do. The man only said his name and refused to give his place of birth. Place of Birth was necessary when making a permit as the information was pa.s.sed over to the Capital as a record.
Looking at the guard"s difficult expression, the old man knew his dilemma, but he too didn"t dare ask for what Zhu Long refused. So the old man said to the guard captain, "Write the Xing City, it will be enough. No need to fret over it so much." Listening to the City Lord"s words, the guard felt better and immediately left to do his job.
"How long will that permit need?" Zhu Long asked the old man. "Sir, the permit will be ready in a few moments. Though Sir doesn"t need the permit, it will be helpful when you need the City Guard and others to do something for you. It saves a lot of ha.s.sle."
"Oh," that was all the old man heard. After a few moments, the guard returned and deferentially handed over a golden parchment to Zhu Long, "Respectable Sir, this is the Golden Permit, the highest permit, issued by the Warrior City. The permit is accepted all over the Golden Sun Kingdom. Once the City Lord puts their seal on the permit, you can use it freely."
"Good, good. Ah Lang is indeed a good child!" the old man praised Ah Lang in his heart. He had not said what permit was needed, but Ah Lang didn"t fail to do good work. Zhu Long took the Golden Permit from Ah Lang and handed it over to the old man. The old man took the permit and said, "Sir, I will put my seal on the permit as soon as we arrive at the City Lord"s Residence."
With that, the two entered the city. The people nearby who saw this scene had respect and admiration for the young man who could get such treatment. Everyone from the Kingdom knew about the Golden Permit. It was the highest honor that any citizen could get. A Golden Permit was equal to granting n.o.bility of the highest rank.
Only seven cities in the entire Kingdom had the right to give out Golden Permits. One of those cities was the Warrior City. And the City Lord of Warrior City was second only to the Emperor of the Kingdom. Not even the Princes, Princesses, or Imperial Officials have more authority than him!
After entering the city, Zhu Long could see the people roaming around the streets. There were people of different cast, colors, and races. The streets overflowed with people. First, they pa.s.sed from the commoner"s residential area. The area was clean, and houses appeared to be cozy. The sanitation system and hygiene of the city had a lot of effort put into them.
"Your city isn"t bad," Zhu Long said to the old man. "Thank you, Sir, for your praise!" The old man said. "It is necessary to provide good conditions for our people after all. If the people are happy and healthy, the Kingdom will prosper. If the people aren"t well, the Kingdom won"t stand proud for too long."
"True!" Zhu Long replied. After crossing the commoner"s residential area, the two entered the business district. The two sides of the road had a lot of shops, both big and small. There were stores selling vegetables, medicine, clothes, daily necessities, books, and many other things. The business district was bustling, people and vendors haggled over the prices of goods, and the city appeared full of vitality.
There wasn"t any semblance of a city in a Kingdom embroiled in war. Instead, the city appeared to be more like part of a peaceful Kingdom. On the way, the old man introduced Zhu Long to the attractions, culture, and the local foods that he could taste in the city.
While introducing him to the various places, they soon arrived in the heart of the city. It was where the City Lords Manor was. The City Lords Manor was a luxurious manor painted in white and gold. The entrance of the estate had a plaque with the words "Ding Family" written in bold and domineering calligraphy.
Looking at the manor, the old man felt proud of his residence. He was one of the highest authority holding people in the Kingdom after all. As he looked towards Zhu Long, he was disappointed. Zhu Long looked towards the building as if it was just an insignificant place. Nothing special.
Indeed, to him, this luxurious manor was not worth mentioning. He had seen places even more luxurious, built with pure jade and precious metals. After looking towards his expression, and confirming that there wasn"t going to be any reaction, the old man entered the manor followed by Zhu Long.
Though the old man wanted to send Zhu Long away as soon as possible; he didn"t have the guts to say it out loud or tell Zhu Long to leave. He could only lead the man and give whatever he could. Even that Golden Permit wasn"t something easily given. He still had to report to the King and let him know that a monster had appeared in the Kingdom.
As soon as the two entered the residence, another old man walked over to the City Lord, "My Lord, welcome back!" The City Lord nodded towards the old man, "Old Xiao, this respectable Sir is our honorable guest. Prepare the best guest room and provide him with the best hospitality. Make sure there is no lack in our hospitality."
After giving his orders to Old Xiao, the old man turned towards Zhu Long and said, "Sir, Old Xiao is our steward and is a very trustworthy person. You can rest a.s.sured that he will answer all your questions. He will lead you to your room. You can rest for now. Old Xiao will bring you food and other necessities."
"Oh. Okay then," with that, Zhu Long turned towards Old Xiao. Old Xiao was also respectful and gestured Zhu Long to follow him. Following him, Zhu Long arrived before a luxurious room. The room had a s.p.a.cious bed, cozy chairs, and two sofas. There was a closet to the side, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.
The room was too grand for an ordinary guest. Zhu Long entered the room and laid back on a sofa, closing his eyes. Old Xiao respectfully exited and closed the door. He went to the City Lord"s study as he needed to know what was going on. Just what sort of person was the young man to receive so much respect from one of the mightiest men in the Kingdom?