After leaving the office commonly called the Shipping Bureau, Wu Jixing took her people to another office, commonly called the Divine Martial Bureau.
The Divine Martial Bureau's full name was the "Great Xia Government Registry for Martial Arts Experts." It was not a permanent office and generally existed only in large cities, such as the provincial capitals throughout the Nine Provinces.
Its main job was to register Martial World groups entering the city.
A lone wanderer like Pan Long could register or not as he pleased. But a group like Qionghua Pavilion, with dozens traveling together, was all but required to register.
It was not that Qionghua Pavilion was more dangerous than Pan Long. Its members openly wore swords and sabers, and often carried strong bows, powerful crossbows, even armor. They made quite an impression on the streets. To put it bluntly, they looked like armed robbers in broad daylight, ready to loot shops and slaughter passersby at any moment.
Registering voluntarily showed that they were willing to obey local laws—or at least give the Imperial Court its due and refrain from casually breaking the law.
In Guangling, Qionghua Pavilion would not have needed to tread so carefully. But away from home, a person's standing counted for little. Cape City lay more than ten thousand li from Guangling, and none of Qionghua Pavilion's connections carried any weight here. Naturally, they had to keep their tails tucked.
The Divine Martial Bureau was far quieter than the Shipping Bureau. Apart from the plaque over its entrance, it did not even have a door. Inside, there was not a clerk or constable in sight. The place was so deserted it might have been a haunted house.
Wu Jixing frowned. "Are we sure this is the right place?"
"It should be," Song Xiaoha said.