Drafting Able-Bodied Men

Little Jack was fairly efficient, though the gleam in that single eye of his made Su Li uncomfortable.

Less than two hours later, a sheet of parchment was slapped onto the counter.

Its edges had yellowed, and it reeked of old mildew. It looked authentic enough. The red clay seal was stamped crookedly, bearing the double-headed eagle crest of the Orenda Kingdom.

Su Li picked up the parchment and held it close to inspect.

Name: Su Li.

Status: Freeman of Grey Gull Port.

Place of origin: Blue Leaf Town in the north, destroyed by war (location no longer on record).

"So this is the fallen noble identity you promised me?"

Su Li pinched the thin parchment between two fingers and gave the leering old man behind the counter, who was counting Gold Coins, a faintly mocking look.

"A freeman? How is that any different from an ordinary commoner? I wanted an identity belonging to someone whose family used to be well-off, and who still had a noble title, even if he was poor now."

Little Jack shoved the last Gold Coin between his teeth and bit down. Only after confirming it was real did he happily tuck it into his shirt.

"Come now, young master, that just shows you don't know the first thing about this."

Little Jack grinned, showing a mouthful of crooked yellow teeth. He looked exactly like his grandfather, who used to rob people on the roadside.

"These days, claiming to be a fallen noble is the most dangerous thing you can do. Baris's spies love pretending to be people like that, so the city guards check them like hawks. They can haul eight people in a day. A 'freeman,' on the other hand, might not sound impressive, but here in Grey Gull Port, it's the best protection you can get."

"Besides, Blue Leaf Town was blasted flat by a magic cannon three years ago. The household registers all burned to ashes, so no one can check whether your identity is fake."

The old man spoke with such confidence that spittle flew from his mouth.

Su Li curled his lip.

As if I believed a word of that.

The old geezer clearly thought forging noble papers was too much trouble—or didn't have the connections for it—and was fobbing him off with a generic identity.

But it didn't matter.

An identity was just a pass that let him rent a room and buy a meal.

As long as the patrols didn't mistake him for a vagrant and drag him off to work in the mines, that was good enough.

Su Li folded the parchment and casually tucked it into his shirt.

"Fine."

He turned to leave, grabbing the straw hat by the door and settling it back on his head to hide his conspicuous face.

"If this thing doesn't work, I'll come find you again."

Su Li's voice drifted back to him.

"And next time, I'll seal up your other eye too."

Little Jack was happily patting his money pouch. At those words, a chill inexplicably ran down his neck.

He hunched his shoulders and watched Su Li's tall figure disappear into the shadows at the end of the alley. "Weirdo," he muttered.

After leaving the Dark Alley, which reeked of urine, the air outside smelled a little better.

Only a little.

Grey Gull Port still had the same stench.

The salty sea breeze carried the stink of dead fish and rotting shrimp, along with the sour sweat that only came from a crowd of people.

Su Li led the skinny black horse along the flagstone road, wandering without a destination.

This place was nothing like the Grey Gull Port he remembered from his first life.

Back then, Grey Gull Port had been chaotic, but it had brimmed with life.

The docks had been full of bare-chested men hauling heavy loads. They were all dog-tired, but their eyes still held a light—the hope of a better life.

And now?

Su Li glanced around.

There were plenty of people on the street, but most were elderly, women, and children.

Old men crouched by the wall, basking in the sun, their faces as numb as tree bark.

The fish sellers were elderly women or children who barely came up to a cartwheel.

Able-bodied young men were few and far between.

Every so often, he spotted a young man. Either he was a cripple with a missing arm or leg, begging in a filthy old uniform, or he was some rich young master with powerful connections, swaggering through the streets with a few vicious servants in tow.

"This war's nearly torn the whole place apart by its roots."

Su Li sighed inwardly.

He passed a stall selling grilled squid. The vendor was an old woman in her sixties, her hands trembling so badly she could barely brush on the sauce.

"Two skewers."

Su Li tossed her a silver coin.

The old woman froze. That was far too much. She hurriedly handed him two slightly charred skewers, her hands shaking. "S-sir, I don't have change."

"Keep it."

Su Li took the squid and bit into it.

It was fishy and salty, with a burnt, bitter aftertaste. Absolutely awful.

Still, he chewed without changing expression, savoring the taste of cheap spices bursting across his tongue. This was what it felt like to be alive.

Just as he was about to find an inn and settle in, the crowd up ahead suddenly began to stir.

"Move! Get out of the way!"

A series of harsh shouts rang out.

The crowd parted like water cleaved by a blade.

Two soldiers in iron armor swaggered toward him.

Neither looked like the sort of man to be trifled with.

Their armor was a patchwork of mismatched pieces, and dark reddish-brown bloodstains still clung to their breastplates. The tips of the spears in their hands, however, had been polished to a gleam.

Their eyes swept over the crowd like hungry wolves, lingering on anyone who looked even a little sturdy.

Su Li had meant to step aside.

His Sword Spirit Root was powerful, but he had only just arrived in this place and didn't want to cause trouble.

But he'd forgotten what he looked like.

He wore a clean, fine linen robe and stood tall and straight. Although he had a straw hat on, his air of standing head and shoulders above the rest made him look like a glaring beacon in a crowd of gaunt refugees.

"Stop!"

The two soldiers stepped directly into Su Li's path.

The one on the left had a thick beard and a face full of hard angles. He looked Su Li up and down, then glanced at the black horse he was leading. He made no effort to conceal the greed in his eyes.

"Take off that hat!"

The bearded soldier rapped the shaft of his spear against the ground. "Routine inspection! What are you looking at? I'm talking to you!"

Su Li stopped.

Slowly, he raised a hand and took off the straw hat.

For a moment,

the air around them seemed to freeze.

His face was now fully exposed. His sharp eyebrows swept toward his temples, his bright eyes seemed to glow, and his skin was so fair that even the finest porcelain couldn't compare.

The bearded soldier stared.

The lanky soldier beside him stared too.

Then, at the same time, a deep jealousy welled in both their eyes.

The other soldier blinked and cautiously nudged the lanky soldier with his elbow.

But the lanky soldier seemed not to notice.

"Papers!"

The bearded soldier snapped back to his senses. "Where are you from? What are you doing here?"

Su Li didn't answer. He pulled the parchment he'd just warmed against his chest from inside his shirt and handed it over.

The bearded soldier snatched it from him, crumpling the parchment in his rough hands with a rustle.

"Su Li... freeman... Blue Leaf Town..."

As he read, the bearded soldier's mouth suddenly curled into a malicious smile.

"A freeman, huh?"

He casually tucked the parchment into his shirt, clearly with no intention of giving it back to Su Li.

"So you're just a commoner, then?"