Kus City was not far from Stone Forest Village, only some forty or fifty kilometers away. Liu Lin had even ridden in a carriage part of the way, so although he set out in the morning, he reached his destination by evening.
After entering Kus City, Liu Lin headed straight for the Chef's Association. After a twenty-minute walk, he saw the towering building.
The headquarters building of the Chef's Association.
Heaven Dou Royal Guards in silver-white armor stood guard outside.
"Strange. Why do these guards all seem so tense?"
Liu Lin watched as every one of them wore a grim expression, their faces looking as unpleasant as if they had swallowed flies. He could not help feeling puzzled.
Liu Lin adjusted his collar and slowly walked toward the entrance of the Chef's Association headquarters.
"Stop! Who goes there!"
When he was still over twenty meters from the entrance, the guards stopped Liu Lin.
Two guards held long halberds forged from refined iron, crossing them in front of him to block his path.
"I am Duke Yan. I heard that His Majesty is in Kus City, and I have an urgent matter to report."
"Duke Yan?"
Confusion appeared on both guards' faces. They exchanged glances, then both shook their heads in unison.
"Do you have proof?"
One of the guards asked.
As though he had anticipated this long ago, Liu Lin's ring flashed. Yes, it was the spatial ring he had obtained from Li Qing.
A fiery red token then appeared in his hand. It was shaped like a flame, and holding it felt as though he were grasping a blazing fireball.
The front of the token bore the emblem of the Heaven Dou Empire, while the back was engraved with a large character: "Yan."
The guard respectfully accepted the token