On the moving train!
Ul closed his eyes slightly, quickly recalling the information he had about the Jiying Kingdom...
......
After much deliberation!
Ul finally decided to go to the Jiying Kingdom and continue pursuing Jericho.
Failing the mission would have a significant impact on Ul right now. It would slow down his progress toward becoming a B-rank Mage, and it would also delay his ability to make money. That was something Ul couldn't tolerate...
That said, Ul still felt rather apprehensive about this trip!
The Jiying Kingdom was unlike the Kingdom of Fiore!
It was a country that had been mired in war for years. What's more, the Jiying Kingdom belonged to the dark faction. Its internal situation was even more chaotic and dangerous than Stigug.
Most Mages in countries belonging to the dark faction were followers of Zeref—in other words, Black Mages.
Across the continent!
Black Mages were generally at a disadvantage. Once someone became a Black Mage, they became an enemy of the official guilds and were also wanted by the Magic Council!
That was why Black Mages were rarely seen anywhere outside these dark-faction countries.
At the same time, official guild members were rarely seen in these countries either. Even when they occasionally went on a mission in a dark-faction country, they usually kept their identities hidden.
After all, not every Black Mage studied Black Magic. As long as they were careful, concealing their identities was relatively easy!
Besides all that!
The dark-faction countries had one other defining trait.
Generally speaking, guilds in neutral countries and countries belonging to the light faction formed cooperative relationships with their respective governments. Only that way could a country's security be ensured to the greatest extent!
But dark-faction countries were different. They were often controlled by Dark Guilds. In other words, although these places were called countries, the ones who truly held power within them were the Dark Guilds.
The Jiying Kingdom was no exception!
And according to the information Ul had, the most powerful Dark Guild in the Jiying Kingdom seemed to be... the Devil's Fang!
"Surely it can't be that much of a coincidence?"
As he recalled this information, Ul couldn't help feeling uneasy.
He didn't want to get caught up in a major event like a guild war just yet. With his current strength, he could throw his weight around among Mages below B-rank, but once he went up against anyone stronger than a B-rank Mage, he couldn't afford to get involved. People could die...
"It can't be that much of a coincidence. The Jiying Kingdom may not be large, but it still has a population of five or six million. Surely Jericho wouldn't pass up so many other places just to head straight for the Devil's Fang's territory!" Ul reassured himself with sound reasoning.
But... for some reason!
Ul couldn't shake the feeling that this trip had all the makings of a suicide mission.
......
......
The Jiying Kingdom wasn't very far from the Kingdom of Fiore!
Although there were quite a few countries on the Ishgar Continent, most of them were so small that, by land area, they might not even be as large as a single province in Ul's previous life.
After getting off at the station closest to the Jiying Kingdom, Ul went to a shop and bought a black robe that covered him from head to toe. Only then did he hire a carriage and set off for the Jiying Kingdom...
The Jiying Kingdom's situation was somewhat similar to Stigug!
Good-looking people easily attracted attention there, so to keep his identity hidden, Ul had to disguise himself.
A boy had to protect himself when he was out and about!
......
According to the information Ul had gathered from a server at the Pati Tavern, Jericho's main reason for coming to the Jiying Kingdom was most likely to fence stolen goods. After all, precious treasures like these were easiest to sell in countries belonging to the dark faction.
So, after entering the Jiying Kingdom, Ul headed straight for Starfish City, its most commercially developed city!
Commerce was an indispensable part of any country's development.
Even dark-faction countries were no exception!
The Jiying Kingdom was chaotic and dangerous, but there were huge profits to be made here. And for those merchants, profit was everything—even risking their lives was worth it...
The sky over Starfish City was gloomy. Ul couldn't tell whether the weather was just bad that day or if it was always like this there!
As he made his way through the city!
In less than half an hour, Ul had already seen seven or eight fights break out in the streets of Starfish City. One of them had nearly ended in a fatality.
The people of Starfish City weren't the least bit surprised by Ul's black robe, which covered him from head to toe.
If anything!
Ul's attire was the norm around here!
Ul saw all kinds of expressions in the eyes of passersby: wariness, curiosity, indifference, despair... but not a trace of light or hope!
War always hurt ordinary people the most!
......
As Ul walked through Starfish City, he went into every large shop he saw to ask around.
After doing this at seven or eight shops!
At last!
The owner of one shop gave him the information he was looking for.
"Moya City? An auction?"
After leaving the shop, Ul immediately hired a carriage and headed for Moya City...
Along the way.
Ul kept muttering the words "Moya City" to himself. He felt as though he had heard the name somewhere before, but he just couldn't remember where...
......
It wasn't until more than an hour later!
Ul climbed down from the carriage and stared at the Devil's Fang guild flag floating in the sky not far ahead, lost in thought for a long while...
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