Leo sighed, his fingers unconsciously rubbing a metal insignia he had lifted from Arno's corpse.
It was a bronze badge of unknown material, engraved with a pair of crossed swords and a shield.
"Hey! What are you dazing off for!"
Seeing Leo ignore her again, Lucrezia was about to snap when her gaze fell upon the object in his hand.
"Hmph hmph! That is the key to us getting into town!"
She immediately found a new topic to boast about and leaned in triumphantly.
"It was thanks to my divine wisdom that I had you pick up those badges. Those are identity tags from the Adventurer's Guild."
"Without those, 'undocumented' people like us would definitely be interrogated when entering the city. But with these, as long as you pay a few copper coins in entry tax, those lazy guards won't even bother to care who you are."
"Adventurer's Guild?" Leo toyed with the cold bronze badge. "Of course, here comes the classic trope."
"What classic trope... that's the largest neutral power on the continent!" Lucrezia corrected him. "They don't meddle in politics; they only handle posting missions and evaluating ranks. So, many people who travel across the land register for one to make things easier."
At this point, as if thinking of something fun, she leaned closer to Leo and whispered mysteriously:
"And did you know? These identity tags are very high-tech!"
"You just place it on one of the guild's special magic instruments, and with a 'beep,' it can read and write the information inside! Like rank, name, mission records, and stuff! Isn't it amazing?"
Leo's fingers rubbing the metal badge suddenly stiffened.
He looked up, glancing at the dilapidated town in the distance where even the roads weren't level, then looked back at Lucrezia, who had a face saying 'hurry up and praise my vast knowledge.'
"...What did you say?"
Leo's expression was a bit strange. "Delivering letters by horseback, yet using NFC cards?"
"What's an NFC?" Lucrezia didn't catch his joke, but she explained seriously, "It's different! Those magic instruments are artifacts!"
"Artifacts?"
"Yeah! About a thousand years ago, it was the 'Golden Age' when the gods manifested! Back then, the streets were full of flying constructs, and there were even towers reaching straight to the stars!"
The girl spread her arms, making an exaggerated gesture, her eyes full of longing.
"But later, a 'God War' broke out that swept across the entire world. It shattered the heavens and the earth, the gods fell, and civilization was fractured."
"Most of this so-called 'high-tech' today are legacies dug up from that era, or inferior imitations made by later generations based on fragmented records."
I see.
Waste-land punk? Or a lost civilization?
Leo nodded understandingly.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me!"
A huffy little face suddenly leaned in front of him, almost touching his nose, blocking his entire field of vision.
Lucrezia's ruby-red eyes glared at him in annoyance. Her slightly wrinkled, delicate nose was inches away, and he could even feel her breath, which carried a faint milky scent.
"I'm listening, I'm listening."
Leo leaned back half an inch without changing his expression, creating a safe distance, and placed his hand on her forehead to push her back.
"You're saying this world used to be impressive but is now a mess. I get it."
"You! So dismissive! Unreasonable!"
Lucrezia was so angry she wanted to bite someone.
But just as she opened her mouth to give this small-fry a piece of her mind, her peripheral vision went past Leo's shoulder and suddenly froze.
At the end of the sparse woodland, under the afterglow of the setting sun.
The silhouette of a small but bustling town sat quietly on the horizon.
The low, clay-yellow walls shimmered slightly, and a crowd of people, tiny as ants, was gathering at the city gate.
"Ah! We're here! Finally!"
All her annoyance vanished in an instant.
Lucrezia let out a cheer, like a child seeing a playground, and took off running in that direction.
"Pancakes! Hot baths! Big beds! Here I come!"
Leo stood in place, watching the small, joyfully running figure, the smile at the corners of his mouth slowly fading.
He narrowed his eyes, looking at the town that appeared somewhat yellowed and worn in the sunset. There wasn't much relief in his gaze; instead, there was the sharp vigilance of a hunter.
"Kent Town, huh..."
Leo straightened his collar and followed after her.
"I hope it's a place that listens to reason. After all..."
He felt his empty pockets and gave a self-deprecating smile.
"After all, I'm not some kind of demon."
The gate of Kent Town was a tide of noise.
An ant-like flow of people was slowly passing through the narrow gateway.
Farmers carrying loads, merchants pushing wheelbarrows, and dust-covered adventurers with weapons on their backs were all mixed together. The smell of sweat and the stench of livestock fermented in the air.
As for the glamorous noble lords?
Leo's gaze swept to the side. They had a dedicated side entrance, and there were even guards bowing and scraping to clear the way, so they didn't have to crowd with the 'low-towners' and swallow dust.
"Hmph, told you it would be fine!"
A crisp voice filled with excitement and a hint of showing off rang out beside him.
Lucrezia stood on her tiptoes, her ruby eyes scanning the city gate notice board vigorously.
A few yellowed pieces of parchment were posted there, depicting several crooked-looking wanted criminals, but clearly, there were no portraits of the two of them.
"Looks like our portraits haven't had time to arrive yet."
Leo didn't argue with her. He simply lowered his hood and quietly observed for about fifteen minutes.
There were only four guards at the gate, each leaning against the wall with loose armor, barely holding their spears steady.
Rather than inspecting suspicious persons, it was more like they were running a tax checkpoint.
Everyone entering the city had to show something like a 'travel permit' or proof of identity before tossing a few copper coins into the greasy wooden box in front of them to get permission to enter.
"Let's go."
Leo took Lucrezia by the wrist, and like two drops of water merging into the ocean, they blended into the crowd waiting to enter the city.
When it was their turn, the weary-faced, scruffy guard merely tapped the wooden box impatiently with his spear handle, not even lifting his eyelids.
"Entry tax, two copper coins per person."
Leo expertly fished four copper coins out of his pouch and tossed them in.
Clink.
The guard waved his hand listlessly.
Leo tactfully handed over the two adventurer identity tags 'sponsored' by the Grizzly Bear team, a flattering smile on his face.
"Officer, we're adventurers, just passing through for a rest."
The guard took them, didn't even bother to look at the names, just weighed them in his hand, and tossed them back.
"Fine, get in. Don't cause trouble in town."
Both Leo and Lucrezia were slightly stunned.
It was that simple?
He didn't even ask for names?
They didn't even have to take off their hoods?
"Hurry up! Don't block the people behind you!" the guard urged impatiently.
"Yes, yes, of course."
Leo pulled Lucrezia and quickly walked through the dark, damp gateway.
As they brushed past, his keen hearing caught the low, complaining conversation between the two guards.
"...Tsk, more adventurers. Why are there so many new faces lately?"
"Who cares. The Second Young Master gave specific instructions to be quick these few days and not to be so strict. As long as they aren't from that side, just take the money and let them in."
"True, less trouble is better than more..."
Leo's pace didn't falter for a second, as if he hadn't heard a thing. He pulled Lucrezia and quickly disappeared into the sunlight and shadows on the other side of the gate.
Second Young Master? Not so strict?
Leo narrowed his eyes.
Looks like trouble is brewing here. Better get moving soon...
Rate on N.U.
