A Dog of a Corrupt Official, and It Turns Out to Be Me?
The Young Old Man looked fair-skinned and refined, but he turned out to be a ferocious young man.
Wow, he looks so young! Such a young old man. He's really adorable.
So why is the Young Old Man here? Could it be that he was worried about them, secretly followed them, and then, when they weren't paying attention, followed them into this Ander Kingdom, which dates back more than two thousand years? It's the Ander Kingdom, that's what the Young Old Man just said, and he also said that the city they are in now is called the "Eternal Capital".
As expected of the old man, he has already learned the name of this city and the name of this kingdom from more than two thousand years ago, even though he has only been here for a short time.
The Ander Kingdom became history two thousand years later, and the so-called "Eternal Capital" became ruins.
Ruins and ruins?
Wait, could the Lost Ancient Domain be the former "Eternal Capital"? The Rabbit-Ear Girl Meredith turned around and carefully examined their current surroundings; it was a plaza.
This plaza is somewhat similar to the dilapidated plaza they saw before entering the teleportation array, with some unique buildings that match it.
There's also a small willow tree. Its location seems similar to the large willow tree in the Lost Ancient Domain. The Eternal Capital became the Lost Ancient Domain more than two thousand years later? Yes, that must be it. This is the Lost Ancient Domain, and that small willow tree is the same large willow tree from more than two thousand years later. It didn't disappear with time; instead, it grew strong and became a towering tree. Based on their current location and the information the young man and the Young Old Man obtained, they are currently in the Ander Kingdom more than two thousand years ago, which is the [Eternal Capital].
Their positions remained unchanged; they were still in the same spot.
Times have changed.
They, who were more than two thousand years in the future, were transported back to more than two thousand years ago by a teleportation array.
The Ander Kingdom has not yet reached the point of destruction.
Meredith still had a question in her mind.
Is this "Eternal Capital" they are in now an illusion? Or have they traveled upstream through a teleportation array to the Ander Kingdom more than two thousand years ago?
Is there a real-life Ander Kingdom?
Meredith's gaze fell on the people coming and going around the square, including the children, and their reactions were very real.
The expressions, emotions, and curiosity are all very real. If this is an illusion, then the person or monster who created this illusionary world must be incredibly powerful. They couldn't possibly go on a killing spree here just to verify whether this is an illusionary world, could they?
If it were one of those dark Bounty Guild, they might do something like this.
Even if they were trapped here and died, the members of their Bronze Bounty Guild wouldn't do such a thing. It doesn't matter.
With Old Man Lance around.
Whether the world they are in now is an illusionary world or the real world from more than two thousand years ago, the old man can take them out.
Although the old man looks younger here, his wisdom remains. "What a youthful old man! I thought Grandpa Sheng Lan was already young enough, but I never expected to see an even younger one. His rosy lips, white teeth, fair complexion, and refined appearance are absolutely pleasing to the eye."
"Grandpa, you're quite the charmer! I must say, you look really cute right now. Not only does Meredith want to pinch your cheeks, but I do too."
The moment the Young Old Man appeared in front of Meredith, the other members of the Bronze Guild also saw him. They all gathered around Young Old Man and surrounded Young Old Man.
They had never seen such a Young Old Man before.
They had seen what Old Man Lance looked like in his old age, and they had just seen what Old Man Lance looked like when he was young. Now they saw what Old Man Lance looked like when he was a teenager.
Young Old Man Lance was the cutest! Louis was about to reach out and touch the Young Old Man Young Old Man's fair face when a large knife appeared in his hand.
Upon seeing the gleaming broadsword, Louis quickly lowered his hand.
The Young Old Man was indeed ruthless; if he dared to touch the old man's hand, the Young Old Man would really dare to cut it off.
Strange. Why does it seem like the Young Old Man don't recognize them anymore?
"Meredith, the Young Old Man before me are strange. If I heard correctly, he just called you 'outsider,' the old man wouldn't address you that way."
"I was too excited to notice this when I saw the Young Old Man before, but I noticed it now. I think this Young Old Man is not the old man we know, but he looks very, very much like the old man."
Round-faced Annie came to Meredith's Rabbit-Ear Girl, tugged at Meredith's hand, and gestured for Meredith to come out with her.
Meredith understood. She followed Annie to a place away from the young Young Old Man Young Old Man, where the other Bronze Guild members surrounded him, chattering and asking him all sorts of questions.
"Meredith, do you remember the sketch I drew before we entered the teleportation array?"
"Yes, you draw corrupt officials. The corrupt official you sketched is Old Man Lance."
"Before seeing the Young Old Man, I once thought that there was a problem with my mindset when I was sketching. But after seeing the Young Old Man, I suddenly realized that there was no problem with my mindset when I was sketching corrupt officials."
The corrupt official from over two thousand years ago did indeed look exactly like Old Man Lance. This "Young Old Man" we encountered is very likely the "corrupt official" from over two thousand years ago, before he came of age in our current timeline.
Annie became more and more excited as she spoke. If her speculation came true, wouldn't that mean they could guide the "Young Old Man Young Old Man" so that he wouldn't become a corrupt official in the future? If the Young Old Man wouldn't become a corrupt official, he wouldn't be sent to the gallows.
She didn't want to see such a lovely Young Old Man end up as a corrupt official who brought disaster to the country and was eventually sent to the gallows. "Meredith, are we now back in history more than two thousand years ago? Or are we in an illusion?"
"I suspect we've encountered what's known as ' Historical Reenactment '."
"Historical Reenactment?"
"Yes, [Historical Reenactment]."
"I think I've heard of it before. Is that ' Historical Reenactment ' just an illusion?"
Meredith glanced at the humans coming and going around her, and then at the Young Old Man surrounded by members of the Bronze Guild.
"It is both an illusion and an illusion. To us, the Historical Reenactment is an illusion. To the people in this world of ' Historical Reenactment,' this world is real, because they are people who actually existed in history."
The illusion mentioned in the bounty quest likely refers to "Historical Reenactment." I wonder if the employer is deliberately concealing this, but "Historical Reenactment" is quite different from ordinary illusions.
In ordinary illusions, as long as you find a way, you can leave. Even if you can't find a way, as long as you are strong enough, you can forcefully break the illusion and leave gracefully.
Unlike Historical Reenactment, reenactments require specific conditions to be met or key figures to be found in the events that Historical Reenactment them before we can leave the Historical Reenactment and return to the real world.
Previously, Meredith thought they had returned to more than two thousand years ago, but upon closer reflection, the possibility of this was infinitely close to zero. If a teleportation array could take them back to more than two thousand years ago, their appearance would inevitably affect the original history.
They didn't return to more than two thousand years ago, nor was it a simple illusion. That leaves only one possibility: they entered a world of "Historical Reenactment."
Before them, no member of the Bronze Guild had ever entered [Historical Reenactment], so the Bronze Guild's understanding of [Historical Reenactment] was limited to some legends. If only Old Man Lance were here, with Old Man Lance experience, he would definitely know the reason for the occurrence of [Historical Reenactment].
"If we want to leave here, don't we need to find the key figure who triggers the [Historical Reenactment]? How do we find that?"
"The Historical Reenactment we are in is related to the Lost Golden City, and there are two key figures in the Lost Golden City. One of them is the king who built the Golden City."
Another key figure is likely the corrupt official who resembles Old Man Lance. To escape this "Historical Reenactment," we first need to determine whether the key figure is the corrupt official who looks like Old Man Lance, or the king who built the Golden City.
Annie looked worried. In real history, a corrupt official who looked like Old Man Lance was sent to the gallows.
The emperor seized the gold and silver treasures of corrupt officials and used them to build the Golden City.
The key figure is a corrupt official who looks like Old Man Lance.
"Is it that Young Old Man?"
"I don't know, but for now, we can only follow the Young Old Man. I don't know why, but seeing the Young Old Man suddenly appear in front of me, I feel inexplicably at ease. Annie, do you think this Young Old Man might be the past life of Old Man Lance?"
Otherwise, why would I feel a certain affinity for the Young Old Man?
"That's possible, hehe. When we leave here and return to Saint Blue, we can tell Old Man Lance about what happened here. Old Man Lance might not believe it."
They certainly wouldn't believe he was a corrupt official in his past life.
"It's decided. We'll follow the Young Old Man for now. Hmm, let's ask him what his Young Old Man is first."
The Rabbit-Ear Girl, Meredith, appeared before the [Young Old Man]. "Sorry, we've mistaken you for someone else. Young man, may we know your name?"
"I like being called 'Young Old Man,' you can continue to call me that." The boy grinned and asked, "What do you call this 'Old Master'?"
"Lance."
"???"
Lance?
Not only does she look like him, but she also has the same name? That's interesting.
"Young Old Man, are you also named Lance?"
"Yes, he shares the same name as the old man you know."
The world is so big, it's not surprising to see people with the same name.
Upon hearing the Young Old Man's words, the remaining resistance of the Bronze Guild members, including Meredith, Annie, Louis, Dalton, and Bazel, vanished instantly.
Not only do they look alike, but they also share the same name.
It must be the past life of Old Man Lance!!!
"Young Old Man, please don't become an official in the Ander Kingdom. If you really want to be an official, how about you become an official in another kingdom? If that doesn't work, you can become a potion Potion Master. Being Potion Master has a much better future than being an official."
Upon hearing that the Young Old Man was also named Lance, Louis couldn't help but try to dissuade Young Old Man from becoming an official.
If the Young Old Man were to become an official, he would become a corrupt official who brings disaster to the country and its people.
His fate was even more tragic; he was sent to the gallows and hanged. "Why can't I be an official?"
"Because of you. Because of you. Because of you."
Louis's face turned red, but he didn't dare to say, "You will become a corrupt official and eventually be sent to the gallows by the king."
The Young Old Man in front of him was clearly not the corrupt official he would become in the future.
If he were to say it, it would be tantamount to revealing the Young Old Man's future fate in advance.
"Because you are not suited to be an official."
"It's too late. I'm already an official, the Andrew Kingdom Eternal Capital Constable, responsible for the security of the Eternal Capital."
Since you've just arrived in the Eternal Capital and don't speak the language, you'll need to get temporary ID Card to make a living. Even with temporary ID Card, you won't be able to find suitable jobs anytime soon. I'll give you a chance because you keep calling me "Young Old Man." You'll become my subordinates, maintain the order of the Eternal Capital, and apprehend those criminals who disrupt the Eternal Capital.
There's no salary during the probation period, but room and board are provided.
"???"
The members of the Bronze Bounty Guild looked at each other, bewildered. No salary during the probationary period. Tsk. The old man's familiar aura immediately came through.
"Young Old Man, can you accommodate so many of us?"
"After studying hard for so many years, if I become an official and don't even have this much power, it would make me seem too incompetent."
"."
It's over. Not only can they not change the Young Old Man's future fate, they might even have to watch him being hanged. Because they really can't refuse the old master's thoughtful arrangement. "Young Old Man, are you planning to make us your lackeys?"
"What lackeys? You are all Extraordinary Person. Once you learn the language of the Ander Kingdom, I will make you real sheriffs. I will also Promotion and Salary Increase."
I will work part-time as your teacher, teaching you the language of the Ander Kingdom, and I will also have someone process your temporary ID Card as soon as possible.
That evening, the members of the Bronze Bounty Guild became sheriffs of the Eternal Capital on a three-month probationary period without pay. They spent their mornings learning the language of the Ander Kingdom and their afternoons patrolling to maintain order.
In order not to embarrass the Young Old Man, they put in extra effort when patrolling and maintaining order.
Three months later, they were promoted to permanent positions and became official security officers.
The Young Old Man had officially embarked on his path to becoming a corrupt official.
During the time the Young Old Man served as a sheriff, he gradually progressed from accepting gifts to accepting bribes. Criminals arrested by them and taken to the police station, as long as they hadn't committed murder or were not extremely vicious, could be released in a few days if their families gave the Young Old Man gifts.
The Young Old Man treated everyone equally, whether commoner or noble. As long as no one had committed murder, he would release them for money. Strangely enough, the Young Old Man's actions should have earned him a bad reputation, but the citizens and nobles of the Eternal Capital praised him for his Young Old Man talent and integrity. During the Young Old Man's tenure, the Eternal Capital City was indeed quite safe, and no one dared to cause trouble in the streets or oppress the people.
The Rabbit-Ear Girl Meredith, along with the other members of the Bronze Guild, did not forget their original mission during these three months.
The longer they spent with the Young Old Man, the more they felt that the key figure triggering the "Historical Reenactment" was very likely the Young Old Man.
Is it possible for them to escape the "Historical Reenactment" simply by preventing the Young Old Man from becoming a corrupt official? Or is it possible for them to escape the "Historical Reenactment" by helping the Young Old Man become a corrupt official as soon as possible? There is also a key figure: the emperor of the Ander Kingdom, whom they have not yet met.
Unable to leave, the members of the Bronze Guild, known as "Historical Reenactment," decided after discussion to continue staying by the Young Old Man's side and serving Young Old Man.
At the very least, what the Young Old Man is doing can only be described as both righteous and wicked.
Although they didn't receive a salary during their probationary period, the Young Old Man would occasionally take them for a stroll in the streets, buy them some daily necessities, treat them to meals, and even buy them clothes.
In the blink of an eye, a year has passed, and the Young Old Man has been promoted and transferred to the military.
The Rabbit-Ear Girl Meredith, Louis, Bazel, Dalton, Matthews, Jerome, Leisente Recent from the Bronze Bounty Guild were also taken to the military headquarters by the Young Old Man and took up positions there.
In his first year at the military headquarters, the Young Old Man was either reasoning with ordinary people or persuading others with reason. Meredith and Louis initially thought that the Young Old Man, newly transferred to the military, would be submissive and silently endure being ostracized and bossed around by the higher-ups. Unexpectedly, the Young Old Man didn't take it lying down. Whoever ostracized him, he beat up; whoever spoke ill of him, he beat up; whoever dared to give him attitude, he beat up. In less than a month, the Young Old Man, relying on his talent and fists, quickly gained access to the military headquarters. After spending more than half a year as Young Old Man in the military, he won the favor of many generals because of the issue of military pay. During the Young Old Man months he served, the military headquarters never again delayed paying the soldiers on the kingdom's borders.
When the military couldn't pay its soldiers, the Young Old Man dared to go directly to the Ministry of Finance to ask for money. When the Ministry of Finance had no money, the Young Old Man went to the King of the Ander Kingdom to ask for money. The Young Old Man was using a brave and dashing method to quickly advance his career in the officialdom.
To the relief of the Bronze Bounty Guild members, the Young Old Man at this time did not seem to show any signs of becoming a corrupt official. "Meredith, do you think I can use the Young Old Man's method to quickly navigate the officialdom of our kingdom after we go back?"
"???"
"It's not good to dream in broad daylight. The Young Old Man looks greedy, but he's not greedy at all. He seems to want to get promoted and make money, but in reality, he doesn't care about the size of the official position at all."
The Young Old Man, gives me the impression that he's just here for fun. Yes, like he's here for fun; if he's having fun, he'll keep playing, and if he's not, he can leave at any time.
"I wonder what Old Man Lance would think if he knew that the corrupt official he was talking about was his past life."
"Is there even a question? Old Man Lance will definitely say: The Golden City has always been his property."
"."