The dawn sunlight pierced the mist and spilled over the ground before the village.
Thin wisps of smoke drifted through the air, rising from the fires used to cook breakfast.
The village opened the gate in its wooden palisade.
Mist filled this world, and wild beasts roamed everywhere. By custom, even a village had to have a wooden palisade and a Village Guard.
Unlike here, villages in the Main World did not necessarily need a knight's protection.
In this world, however, newly established villages generally had to have a knight. Although a knight's descendants might not be knights themselves, by then the population would have grown and the village's defenses would have strengthened. Having a knight was best, of course, but even without one, the villagers could protect themselves.
Everyone had started out this way.
Fukangxi, Tom, and their two mounted companions gradually approached.
The dawn grew brighter, and the wooden walls came into view.
"Who goes there?" the Village Guard shouted as soon as they opened the gate.
"It's me, Tom!" Tom rode forward first. His family all lived here, so naturally he knew the guards.
"Oh, Tom! Didn't you go to the trading company to work for the masters? How did you find time to come back?" The captain of the Village Guard looked closely, then relaxed his guard and spoke with a smile.
"The master sent me to bring the young master to see his mother. We're taking her into the city!" Tom called. Drawing closer, he carefully looked the guards over.
The three guards had been on duty all night and were yawning. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Inside the palisade, fields lay in neat plots. These fields were safe from the wild beasts outside, but unfortunately, space within the walls was limited. Most of