Konola City

Konola City lay on the frontier of the Kingdom of Kamos. Mountains surrounded it to the west, while the Aegma Wasteland—the wasteland Punk had crossed—lay to the east. A canal also ran through the city, making transportation and freight exceptionally convenient. Its location allowed it to advance or retreat as needed, making it an unquestionable strategic stronghold. Although the region where the Kingdom of Kamos stood was barren and had seen no wars for many years, its relations with the Kingdom of Dilon had grown tense in recent years. Konola's southern side bordered the Kingdom of Dilon, so the city had gained many additional garrisons.

Punk and Kane walked toward the city gate. A huge dark crimson banner hung directly above it, embroidered with a rather abstract griffin. Fluttering in the wind, it looked impressively imposing. The twenty-meter-high city walls had been built from massive blocks of granite, their surfaces still bearing countless deep scars left by bladed weapons. Combined with the sharply angular wall stones, they exuded a heavy sense of history.

At the gate, commoners and merchants entering and leaving the city stood in line for inspection by the soldiers. The soldiers were all broad-shouldered and burly, and extremely rude. They openly demanded bribes from those entering the city. One elderly man in ragged clothes failed to satisfy the guards with the bribe he had "paid," so he was shoved to the ground. The guard even cursed as he kicked the old man in the leg.

Beside the main gate in the city wall was a smaller side entrance, apparently reserved for nobles and Professionals. Compared with the noisy bustle of the main gate, the side entrance was far quieter. Ordinary poor folk kept well away from it. Only an old man dressed as a warrior sat in a wooden chair, seemingly the gatekeeper. Punk gave him a rough scan and found that the old man, who was taking small sips of wine, was an Apprentice Level Warrior at around Level 1. Judging by his age, he was the type with no hope of advancing further.

"I don't want to stand in line here for half the day. Right now, I just want to get into the city and find somewhere to have a big meal. Let's go in through there. That old man definitely won't dare stop us." Kane stretched and pointed at the side entrance.

Punk had been thinking the same thing, so he carried his staff toward the side entrance.

When the old gatekeeper saw someone dressed as a mage and someone dressed as a knight approaching, he hurriedly stood up and pulled out a sheet of parchment from his robes. Then he tilted his head back, took a swig of wine, and stood in the middle of the entrance.

Punk's expression darkened at the sight. The old man looked as though he intended to demand a "service fee," but Punk only had five gold coins on him. While one gold coin was enough to cover half a year's expenses for an ordinary family, it was desperately scarce for Punk, who wanted to learn knowledge as quickly as possible. He had no intention of wasting it on some inexplicable "service fee."

"If that old bastard asks me for money, I'll stab him with my lance and make a run for it!" Kane looked even more indignant. He had so little money that he was practically broke, and a week of arduous travel had turned the impatient man into a living volcano. Now that they had finally reached their destination, only to be stopped by a greedy gatekeeper, anyone would feel the urge to punch someone.

Punk did not think they would be given trouble. After all, Kane and he were both Level 4 Professionals—levels came quickly in the early stages. Offending two Level 4 Professionals over a little money would be extremely unwise. An experienced old warrior should understand that.

Sure enough, the old man did not hold out his hand for money like the soldiers at the main gate. He merely asked Punk and Kane to register their professions and levels, without even asking their names. When he saw that Punk and Kane, who looked around fifteen, were actually Level 4 Professionals, he was so shocked that he dropped the parchment onto the ground.

Seeing the old man's incredulous expression, Kane smugly released the pressure of a peak Apprentice Level Professional and strode through the gate. He even deliberately made his armor clank loudly, paying no attention at all to Punk's contemptuous gaze.

Once inside the city, a cityscape rich with medieval character unfolded before Punk's eyes.

As a "major military city," Konola's roads were paved with crushed stone to facilitate troop movements. During the damp Greenleaf Season, scattered patches of moss grew beside the gravel roads, adding much greenery to Konola City. Directly opposite the city gate was a market. Many shops had simple names painted in large letters, usually the owner's name followed by the goods they sold, such as Shibako's Hat Shop and Gugo's Fresh Meat Shop. Many merchants who had failed to rent storefronts also set up roadside stalls, promoting their wares to every passerby. Although the various shops were scattered in a disorderly fashion, the place still gave off a thriving air.

"So, brother, what are you planning to do next?" Kane reached out to pat Punk on the shoulder, looking like a close friend who could talk about anything. But Punk sidestepped him. "What are you planning to do?" Punk did not answer and instead threw the question back at Kane.

"Me? I'm going to the Adventurers Guild to begin the adventuring career of the super-great Knight Kane!" With that, he turned toward the bustling food stalls. "But first, I'm going to have a feast and reward myself!"

"Then goodbye." After saying that, Punk turned and walked down a comparatively quiet street.

"Bye-bye!" Kane casually waved without looking back, then happily began haggling with a food-stall owner.

Punk was actually quite happy to part ways with Kane. Although Kane seemed unreliable on the surface, careless and "sunny," he was actually both clever and cold-blooded. Punk had always been accurate in judging people, especially someone like Kane, who resembled him deep down. Cooperating with such a person meant never having to worry about a teammate doing something foolish, and efficiency would certainly be guaranteed. But during the partnership, both sides would have to guard against the other. Given enough profit, two brothers who had been ready to live and die together one moment would definitely pull out knives and stab each other in the heart the next. That was why Punk preferred working with people of the Good alignment. As long as he acted hypocritically kind, he would not need to worry about being stabbed in the back by a teammate. At critical moments, those "righteous heroes" might even make some grand sacrifice for justice. They were, in a sense, the finest meat shields.

Punk was now walking straight toward a highly distinctive building: a grand hall with a tall pointed roof, built from genuine green bricks and glazed tiles. That building was one of the Mage Guild's countless branch halls. The banner atop its roof bore a nine-petaled purplish-red flower, the symbol of the Mage Guild—the Flower of Vermis. Punk had no idea why the Mage Guild had made this entire branch green, but its conspicuous, flamboyant magical fluctuations still allowed him to identify it as the Mage Guild from several miles away.

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