The bright afternoon sun shone on the Holy City, and a gentle breeze blew through the calm yet bustling streets, where people came and went like flowing water.
The calm surroundings stand in stark contrast to the outbreak of the plague months earlier!
Those who survived that plague seem to cherish the present situation all the more, and even months later, their faces still bear the smiles of those who have survived a catastrophe.
Perhaps this is why, even though that plague wasn't the most terrifying, those who experienced it firsthand still feel a lingering sense of unease to this day!
Seeing those seventy or eighty thousand people groaning in one place, waiting for their deaths, is something no one will ever forget, never!
Of course, all of that is in the past now, and things have come to a satisfactory conclusion. Now, all we need to do is learn from this experience!
At this moment, the Holy City, a place that would normally not have many visitors, has become unusually bustling, and this is not because of the previous plague.
Although the plague brought many officials from the Aila Empire, it was not the cause of the current situation, and had absolutely no connection to it whatsoever!
The main reason the Holy City is bustling with activity is because of an upcoming grand event: the continental school Ranking Tournament!
Originally, the name of this Ranking Tournament would attract the attention of the entire continent, and many people would come to watch the Ranking Tournament for different purposes, causing the local population flow to surge before and after the competition.
And since this event is being held in the Holy City, even more people will come!
The Holy City is the most mysterious and sacred place on the continent, a place many people want to visit on pilgrimage. However, this place is not open to the public. Apart from the believers who work inside, only high-ranking clergy of the Holy Church or special guests can enter. Therefore, ordinary believers basically have no chance to enter the city on pilgrimage.
Because of this Ranking Tournament, the Holy City is temporarily open to the public, which has attracted a large number of believers and curious people from all over the continent, all wanting to climb the Holy Mountain and enter the sacred Holy City!
At this time, the Holy City is not yet open, so everyone who comes here can only wait in the cities below. Therefore, the several subordinate cities at the foot of the Holy Mountain are now overcrowded!
Just then, a group of people arrived and joined the crowd. Although this group seemed extraordinary, they too were swept away by the tide.
Even if there weren't so many people here at this moment, there are many extraordinary individuals in the Holy City, and now there are even more, so their existence would go unnoticed.
There weren't many of them, only a dozen or so, both men and women, mostly teenagers around twenty years old. Their leader was a middle-aged man; his broad shoulders and muscular build suggested he was—
Strongman!!
Ahem, muscles don't necessarily mean someone is a master, but they definitely represent strength!
Among the young men and women in this group, the men were handsome and the women were beautiful, and three of the girls, especially one of them, were almost too beautiful.
In the words of the people of the Holy City, she was too beautiful; even if the Holy Maiden were next to her, she wouldn't be overshadowed!
In the Holy City, the Holy Maiden can be said to be the most beautiful representative. Although they have only heard of her or seen her portrait, and have never seen her in person, the more they have only made them imagine Holy Maiden to be perfect.
Of course, their imagination might be an underestimation, after all, the Holy Maiden has never appeared and has always been a legendary existence.
Therefore, although this group of people looked like an ordinary crowd, they did attract some attention, though not much. At this time, everyone was busy and didn't have much leisure to look at beautiful women.
The three girls didn't care about this. They were already tired from their long journey and just wanted to find a place to rest. If there were no other important matters, they would definitely do so.
"Chen Pi ..." the strongman leading the team shouted, frowning slightly. He still found the name a bit strange.
If this name were a nickname, people would be more accepting of it, but it is actually a person's real name, not a nickname, which makes it quite amusing.
The boy called Chen Pi was dressed in coarse linen clothes. His skin was dark and rough, and he stood in stark contrast to the boys and girls around him, making it seem as if he didn't belong among them.
Among this group of young men and women, none of them were commoners. At least in terms of clothing and appearance, they all looked like nobles. Although they didn't all look like high-ranking nobles, they certainly didn't look like Chen Pi.
It seems unlikely that Chen Pi might simply enjoy dressing like this, or that he might just be doing it for fun, given the simple, rustic aura he exudes, which is far removed from that of an aristocrat.
However, such an aura did not make people look down on him. At least at this moment, no one in this group looked down on Chen Pi. On the contrary, they had an inexplicable respect for him.
"Yes, I'm here! I wasn't asleep, I just dozed off for a bit..." Chen Pi said, scratching his head.
"I didn't say you were asleep. Even if you were asleep, no one would blame you!" the strongman said weakly.
"Then what do you want me to do? Is there something you need my help with?" Chen Pi asked honestly. For him, when others called him, it usually meant they were either scolding him or asking him to do something.
"You Chen Pi, look where we are now! We've arrived at the Holy City!" the strongman leader said, frowning. At the same time, he pointed to the Holy Mountain ahead, making sure Chen Pi could see it clearly.
"Ah, we've arrived?! Then I'll go find the Divine Physician right away. My mother's illness depends on Divine Physician!" Chen Pi replied immediately, and went into the carriage, picked up a weak old woman, and carried her on his back.
This old woman, without a doubt, is the "my mother" Chen Pi mentioned, his elderly mother!
Chen Pi's elderly mother looked very old, giving the impression that she should be Chen Pi's grandmother rather than his mother, perhaps because she was seriously ill!
"Little Pi, what's wrong? Where are we going?" The old man asked, unaware that they had arrived, though his voice was very weak.
Under the sunlight, the old man's body appeared very thin, and his illness was clearly exposed.