Azure Stone City

The crisis had been resolved, but because of the fire, all the goods the caravan had been carrying on its return journey had burned up, and the wagons had been destroyed as well.

The only fortunate thing was that the yaks and packhorses pulling the wagons were unharmed. They had run far away as soon as the battle began, then returned after the dust had settled.

"Get some proper rest! We'll enter the city with them tomorrow." John reminded Parr, then eagerly ran over to Kunna, bustling around her as they chatted merrily.

"Pfft!"

Parr curled his lip disdainfully again. What's so great about women? They only affect the speed at which I draw my sword!

A classic case of sour grapes. Even if Parr had any thoughts on the matter, his body simply wasn't up to it! He was too young.

Soon, the next day arrived. John and Parr followed Kunna and the others, who now had nothing left but their livestock, toward Azure Stone City.

"We're here! We've arrived."

"We're back! Finally, we're back."

"This is great!"

"..."

Near dusk, Parr, who was dozing atop a Brown Yak, heard the crowd's cheers. They had reached Azure Stone City.

"So that's Azure Stone City? It's spectacular!"

Parr straightened up and looked ahead. At the end of the road stood a small city. Though it was not large, its low walls gleamed exceptionally brightly beneath the setting sun. The city as a whole was azure gold, with less azure and more gold. From afar, it looked magnificent and resplendent.

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

After their cheers, the group resumed their journey. Just then, urgent hoofbeats sounded from the direction of Azure Stone City. A squad of five cavalrymen clad in iron armor stopped before them.

The Patrol Team Leader of Azure Stone City, who led the group, looked everyone over. When he spotted the bandits tied together in a line, his eyes narrowed. He asked solemnly:

"Lady Kunna, what happened here?"

"My lord, we encountered bandits last night..."

Kunna dismounted and approached him. She clearly knew the Patrol Team Leader, and briefly recounted what had happened the previous night. She then exchanged a few quiet words with him. Whatever she heard made her freeze for a moment, after which she slipped five gleaming Wind Wolf Gold Coins into a cloth pouch hanging from the side of the Patrol Team Leader's warhorse.

Once the coins landed in the pouch, the Patrol Team Leader finally smiled. He nodded and said:

"All right, Lady Kunna, rest assured! Leave everything to me."

"Then I'll trouble you."

Kunna gave a slight bow, and the Patrol Team Leader and his men took the bandits away.

The group set off once more. This time, no one stopped them, and they smoothly arrived at Azure Stone City's western gate.

"Stop!"

The gate guards blocked their way. Kunna stepped forward to identify herself, and after slipping them a few Silver Coins, she successfully led everyone into the city.

However, as Parr entered the city, he kept feeling as though someone was watching him. Yet whenever he turned to look, he found nothing. Aside from the gate guards, there was no one else at the gate!

"Kunna, I need to go to the Church first to take care of something."

"Understood, Sir John. Once you're done, you must come find me at the merchant guild! I'll give you a satisfactory reward."

"I will."

After entering the city, John jumped down from the packhorse, informed Kunna, then lifted Parr down from the yak where he had been swaying about.

"Uncle John, I keep feeling like someone is watching me." On their way to the merchant guild, Parr finally voiced the doubts in his heart.

"Someone is indeed watching us."

John strode forward without looking back as he spoke. "The person watching us is the gate guard who let us into the city just now. He's been following behind us the whole time, but ignore him. We'll keep walking."

"Oh!"

Parr tilted his head and glanced behind him from the corner of his eye. Just as John had said, that gate guard was following them at a neither too close nor too far distance, his gaze occasionally falling on them.

"But why is he following us?"

"There could be many reasons. I'm not sure yet. Just ignore him for now."

"Oh!"

As dusk approached, there were few pedestrians left on the streets of Azure Stone City, and most of the shops around them had already closed. Amid this quiet atmosphere, John and Parr arrived at the Green Stone City Church. Once there, the gate guard following them stopped and hesitated for a moment before turning around and leaving.

No matter where it stood on the continent, the Church of Neutral Light used spired architecture. It had no particular requirements for color, so the church in Azure Stone City, like the other buildings around it, was built from Lapis Lazuli. It was dazzlingly magnificent, enough to blind one's eyes.

Bang, bang, bang! John stepped forward and knocked on the broad wooden doors of the Green Stone City Church.

Creak~

A few breaths later, the doors of the Green Stone City Church opened from within, leaving a narrow gap. A pink-haired girl in a white Apothecary Robe emerged while rubbing her eyes. Her cute face looked somewhat haggard. She raised a pale little hand to cover her mouth as she yawned, then carefully examined John and Parr, who looked like beggars. Her pink eyes paused on the Dark Knight One-Handed Sword hanging at John's waist.

"Adventurers? Are you here to have your injuries treated?"

John and Parr's appearance was nothing unusual to Church personnel. Most adventurers looked like this after finishing a journey: their clothes were dirty, they carried bags large and small, and they looked like refugees fleeing disaster. The only difference was that adventurers always carried fine weapons, their most conspicuous mark.

"Yes, we're here to treat injuries."

John nodded with a smile, then grabbed Parr's arm and said quietly:

"Don't speak. We'll talk after we get inside."

"Mm."

Parr nodded almost imperceptibly. Though he did not understand John's purpose, he chose to trust him. Ever since entering Azure Stone City, he had felt something strange in his heart, making him uneasy.

"If you're here for treatment, then come in!"

The girl pushed the Church doors open wider and let John and Parr in. Then the doors slammed shut behind them.

Bang!

The gate guard following John and Parr did not return to his post. Instead, he took a roundabout route to the headquarters of Azure Stone City's Patrol Team and knocked on the vice captain's door.

Bang, bang, bang! "Come in!"

Creak~

The gate guard pushed the door open and entered. He saw Vice Captain Ma Xi, a towering man built like a bear, gnawing on a piece of roasted beast meat. The meat had not been fully cooked, and its bloody appearance was frightening.

Gulp!

The gate guard swallowed and looked away. Lowering his head respectfully, he said, "Lord Ma Xi, two adventurers came from the west today, one adult and one child. After entering the city, they headed to the Church."

"..."

Vice Captain Ma Xi, imposing and robust, furrowed his thick brows. After swallowing the meat in his mouth and thinking for a moment, he took a handful of Silver Coins from his pocket and tossed them to the gate guard.

Clink, clink, clatter...

The Silver Coins scattered across the floor. The gate guard hurriedly picked them up one by one. During this, Vice Captain Ma Xi spoke:

"You've done well. Go back and keep watch. You won't be short on rewards."

"Yes, yes, yes."

After gathering the Silver Coins, the gate guard lowered his head and left the room. Vice Captain Ma Xi waited for a while, then wiped his hands, changed into plain clothes, and left his room for the Adventurers' Association in Azure Stone City.

Yawning, the pink-haired girl, whose hair reached her waist, absentmindedly led John and Parr into a room. This was the Church's treatment room. It was somewhat dim, furnished with several wooden chairs and two crude plank beds.

After entering the room, the girl rubbed her eyes and turned around. "Which one of you is injured? Where are you injured? If it's not serious, I can handle it."

"..."

John said nothing. Instead, he silently took out his Church Honorary Knight Badge. Upon seeing it, the girl's eyes widened instantly, and her expression turned solemn. She clasped her hands before her chest and performed a Church healer's salute.

"So it's an Honorary Knight! What are your orders, sir?"

Within the Church, an Honorary Knight was equivalent to an official Church Knight.

"Call your Knight Captain or Physician Captain. I have important intelligence regarding cultists." John spoke with a solemn expression, then handed the Honorary Knight Badge to the girl.

"Please wait a moment."

The girl nodded, accepted the badge, and left the room.

A few minutes later, a white-bearded old man wearing the same white Apothecary Robe pushed the door open and entered. His weathered gaze swept over the two people in the room before settling on John. Stroking his beard, he chuckled.

"Isn't this John? It's been four or five years, hasn't it? You're back from the Eastern Border? Did your journey go smoothly? How many cultists did you cut down this time? You're here to collect a bounty again, right? You need to be more careful yourself too..."

The old man clearly knew John. Once he started talking, he seemed unable to stop.

"Old Larry, stop rambling for now. I have serious business this time."

John hurriedly interrupted the old man, his solemn expression unchanged. This made the old man realize that John truly had urgent business this time rather than coming to beg him for alcohol, so he stopped his endless chatter.

"Go on!"

"It's like this. When I came from the east this time..."

As John spoke, he had Parr take out the small bundle containing Bolen Knight's ashes and belongings. He also took from his chest a list recording all the Death Cult cultists within the Azure Stone Viscount Territory.

"This..."

Looking at the unremarkable little bundle, sorrow appeared on Old Larry's face. But this was not the time for grief. What John had said was far more important—a list of all the cultists within the Azure Stone Viscount Territory! With this, Bolen Knight's sacrifice had not been in vain.

"That's what happened. When we came here, we found Bolen Knight's body in the Deep Forest..."

Suddenly, John stopped speaking. He turned toward the tightly shut door and slowly drew the Dark Knight One-Handed Sword. Then he signaled with his eyes for Parr, who was closest to the door, to pull it open.

Parr had also heard the faint sound outside the door. He walked up to it, took a deep breath, and yanked it open. Yet the expected Danger Prediction did not trigger at all. Parr, who had prepared to dodge, froze for a moment. Then he saw the girl who had brought them in earlier crying as she turned and ran away.

Sigh~ Old Larry sighed, stroking the small bundle containing Bolen Knight's ashes. With sorrow on his face, he said to John and Parr, who wanted to chase after her:

"Don't chase her. Ithil and Bolen were very close. She must have heard everything we said just now. Bolen is dead—she's probably the one most heartbroken by it."

"I understand."

John nodded. Even so, he turned to Parr and quietly instructed him, "Kid, just in case, go keep an eye on her. Be careful yourself too."

"Mm."

Parr set down all his bags, then turned and chased after Ithil.

In truth, John was sending Parr away because he had something to say to Old Larry.