The Situation in Watch City
Today, in this Watch City, whether it's City Hall officials, local residents, or the Night Watcher, no one knows whether those around them have been corrupted by some strange force.
Just as the Academy's convoy was about to complete its verification and prepare to enter the barbican passage, a brief commotion suddenly broke out on the narrow side passage on the other side of the city gate, which was reserved for local merchants and residents!
A middle-aged local man in a respectable fur coat, who was in the middle of the queue, had been waiting with his head down for his travel permit to be checked. But for some reason, the expression on his face suddenly became blank and dazed. The travel permit in his hand fell to the snow with a thud. He stood there as if he had suddenly lost his soul, staring blankly at his hands, muttering incoherently to himself:
"Who am I... what's my name... why am I here?"
Upon seeing this, Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, and the characteristics of amnesia that the Frostcrow Knight had mentioned in class immediately came to mind. The middle-aged man had clearly been subjected to some kind of mental Contamination or strange aura without realizing it, and was showing signs of memory loss on the spot!
However, when faced with this local resident who had suddenly become unusual, the two local Night Watcher and several city guards stationed at the checkpoint showed no surprise whatsoever, and did not even utter a single routine question.
Without uttering a word, he pounced on it, skillfully and ruthlessly pinning it down with an iron chain soaked in black dog blood and Holy Silver, dragging it like a dead dog behind a dark iron gate at the base of the city wall!
The dozens of locals queuing in the same passage, after witnessing the entire process of the man being dragged away by chains, not only did no one dare to utter a single word, but instead seemed to have long been accustomed to it, numbly shrinking their necks, lowering their heads and taking a few steps back, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
With a clang, the dark iron gate slammed shut again, and the massive iron gate in front of the barbican slowly rose. The City Hall official in charge of verification expressionlessly returned the travel documents and waved for the Knight Academy's convoy to enter the city.
The heavy carriage started again, its wheels rolling over the deep and long gate of the barbican, passing through the thick Blackstone city wall that separated the inside from the outside, and officially entering the interior of Watch City.
To the surprise of many trainees who were visiting Watch City for the first time, the interior of Watch City presented a peculiar scene of external tension and internal stability, compared to the desperate chaos of refugees outside the city and the suffocatingly strict checks at the city gate.
Although every hundred or so steps along the wide and flat main road made of bluestone, one could see a squad of fully armed, serious-looking martial law patrolmen marching in orderly steps, and many more sentry posts had been erected at street corners, the daily lives of ordinary residents living in this giant city were not actually greatly affected.
As the convoy traveled deeper into the city along the main street, it became clear that most of the blacksmith shops, fur trading companies, bakeries, and general stores on both sides of the street were still open for business as usual.
Melted snow dripped from the eaves into the drainage channels, and many pedestrians wrapped in thick cotton coats hurried to and fro to buy things. The air was filled with the aroma of baked flatbread and hot soup, maintaining the basic order and lively atmosphere of daily life in this largest city in the Northern Territory.
Looking out the car window at the somewhat bustling street, one of the students in the car couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Strange, with all that commotion outside the city and at the city gates, I thought the city itself was in complete chaos. But it seems pretty normal inside."
Upon hearing this, another senior student sitting next to him shook his head and whispered a reminder:
"The most dangerous thing is that things seem normal on the surface. After all, Watch City has nearly a million people. Even if the City Hall has to maintain the daily order on the streets in order to prevent a citywide mutiny, the higher-ups have already given strict instructions before we set off: once we enter the city, no one should be fooled by this seemingly lively appearance. No one is allowed to touch the drinks and food sold on the roadside."
The young trainee felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this, and quickly shut his mouth and nodded, no longer daring to glance at the steaming hot food stalls on the street.
Led by the Lantern Knight, the entire Academy caravan did not linger on the main road. Instead, it proceeded along the streets on the east side of the inner city and eventually entered a large compound that the Knight Academy had purchased in Watch City years ago. All the accompanying carriages and the main Academy force were then settled in the compound.
Once the carriage came to a smooth stop in the courtyard of the encampment, the entourage members disembarked, carrying their belongings, and lined up. Lu Yuan, who had been inconspicuously at the back of the crowd, also stepped down from the carriage. He raised his hand to straighten his collar, and through the thick fabric, his fingertips subtly touched the dark gold token of the Rock Grand Knight Commander and the wax-lacquered Parchment Scroll that he kept close to his body.
He raised his head and calmly glanced at the leaden-gray city sky beyond the high walls of the garrison.
Now that we have successfully arrived at the turbulent Watch City, it is time to find an excuse to leave the main force and go to the city to meet the advance team of the Academy that has infiltrated ahead of time, according to the address marked on that top-secret dossier.
As soon as the convoy came to a stop in the courtyard of the Knight Academy's residence in Watch City, the Lantern Knight and the Morning Bell Knight immediately began arranging the deployment of the main force and the distribution of personnel.
Even before the convoy set off, the Lantern Knight and the Morning Bell Knight already knew that in addition to the cadets who were carrying out routine martial law and defense duties, there were also a group of people, including Lu Yuan, who each had their own independent missions that were not made public.
With the situation in Watch City currently unclear, and countless pairs of eyes secretly watching from outside the Academy's compound, allowing Lu Yuan and others with secret missions to walk out of the compound alone would be tantamount to deliberately placing themselves in the open as targets.
To provide cover for these people, the Morning Bell Knight stood directly in front of the courtyard steps, publicly called out the name of a senior student with extensive experience, and loudly ordered him to lead a team out of the hospital to carry out routine street patrols and inventory of supplies in the south of the city.
Then, with a casual gesture, he pointed and included Lu Yuan, who was mixed in with the crowd, and several other people who also had their own independent missions, into the student's team.
The senior student who received the order understood immediately. Without saying a word, he called Lu Yuan and the other seven or eight team members to line up. Under the accustomed gazes of the entourage, they openly pushed open the gate of the base and walked onto the bluestone street of Watch City.
This hastily assembled squad moved quickly along the streets and alleys on the east side of the inner city, passing several sentry posts and bustling intersections.