Chapter 011: Entering the City

Under the leadership of Captain Harry, the guards at Rui City stared intently at the approaching horse caravan. Though their skills as soldiers were mediocre, they were still part of the imperial regular army, and even if not exceptional, they retained some military bearing—at least they exuded authority when facing ordinary people.

As the carriage came within less than five meters of the low city gates, Captain Harry finally stopped and shouted, “Ready—”

Dozens of soldiers raised their rusty spears simultaneously, their sharp tips aimed at the leaders of the caravan.

The leader was Feray, and the group consisted of Du Fan and others who had returned from the Northern Temple. Although Feray wasn’t particularly impressive compared to Du Fan, he was still a former Temple Knight. Had he ever been treated like this before? He wanted to explode with anger, but remembering Du Fan’s words, he held back.

Their journey south had been extremely difficult. For some reason, Du Fan refused to let Feray travel under the guise of a Temple Knight, ordering everyone to dress as merchants instead. After leaving the northern ice fields, Du Fan used a magic stone to exchange for several thousand gold coins. Even after dressing everyone up, more than half remained. Throughout the journey, they remained cautious. Whenever they encountered small bands of bandits, they paid them to let them pass—unless it was a critical situation, in which case the Temple Knights were strictly forbidden from fighting.

In short, Du Fan’s principle was to stay as low-key as possible, returning to the capital without drawing attention.

Although Feray didn’t understand why Du Fan gave such orders, he dared not disobey and had to follow them. Over the past half month, their journey had been relatively peaceful.

Feray had encountered similar situations at various checkpoints and towns before, so he knew exactly how to handle them. He dismounted and approached the soldier who seemed to be the captain, bowing slightly and saying, “Sir, please. We are merchants from the north. Taking advantage of the pleasant spring weather, we are heading south to deliver goods. We’ll pass through your city and would like to rest for a few days. We humbly ask for your permission.”

As he spoke, Feray’s hands trembled slightly, and he quietly slipped a small bag of gold coins into Captain Harry’s hand.

Harry gave the bag of gold coins a light tap and immediately estimated its value. He quietly slipped the coins into his bosom before coughing lightly and saying, “So you’re a traveling merchant. I wonder how many times this is the first time you’ve visited our little city of Ruihe? How come you don’t know the rules?”

Ferei smiled faintly and replied, “Well… this is actually the first time we’ve passed through your area. We’re not even sure what the rules are. Just tell us what to do, and we’ll follow.”

Harry took a few steps around, glancing at the horses and the long swords at the guards’ waists before sighing softly. “Since it’s your first time, then it makes sense… Sir Guard, I’m sure you’re aware of the situation in Ruihe City. Our city is located on the front lines of the empire, being the first city to defend against the barbarians from the northeast. Over the years, we’ve made countless sacrifices to fight against those merciless barbarians. I’m sure you know a bit about this—this is the season when the barbarians appear. Although the people of the empire and the barbarians look quite different, we still need to be cautious. If you want to enter Ruihe City at this time, there are a few things we ask of you.”

Ferei nodded and said, “Please go ahead, sir!”

Harry smiled inwardly, but his face remained stern as he said, “To protect the peace of the empire and prevent barbarian invasions, once you enter Ruihe City, you must stay at inns designated by the military. Also, you’ll need to leave your vehicles and weapons behind. They will be returned to you when you leave. If you follow these rules, you can enter the city. Otherwise, you’ll have to take another route.”

With that, Harry stepped back a few steps, his eyes full of vigilance.

Ferei sensed something was off, but he couldn’t figure out what. Under these special circumstances, what the soldiers said seemed reasonable. After thinking for a moment, he didn’t dare make a decision. He quickly went back to the carriage to ask a few questions and soon returned to Harry, secretly handing over another bag of gold coins. “Sir, please be lenient. We can certainly keep our weapons and horses, but could we keep the carriage? My wife has fallen ill recently and can’t stand the cold.”

Although Harry took the gold coins, he shook his head and said, “That won’t do. This is a rule set by our city lord. If we don’t follow it, we won’t be able to account for ourselves. Since it’s inconvenient, please take another route. Just follow the southern road for three more days, and you’ll reach the capital of the Kot Province. There, there probably won’t be so many rules, right?”
Ferey didn’t know what to say for a moment, hesitating. With brute force, he could easily defeat these soldiers, but they represented the power of the entire city. If he resorted to violence here, unless he left immediately, it would be impossible to live peacefully in the city.
“Never mind… Since this lord says so… then let’s continue our journey,” a calm voice suddenly came from behind Ferey. Du Fan lifted the curtain of the carriage and stepped down slowly. “The horses haven’t rested in days, and you all are tired too. Since we’ve encountered a city, it’s only right to rest properly. Ferey, have them hand over their horses and weapons to the guards at the gate. As for us, let’s rest at a place arranged by the military for the night.”
Ferey quickly nodded in agreement. He gave a few quick orders, and the Temple Knights handed over their weapons and horses to the soldiers. Eventually, Du Fan’s carriage was also pulled outside the city gate. Du Fan jumped out of the carriage, holding a unconscious woman, followed by the cold-faced Sister Tasia.
The soldiers, who had been holding the Temple Knights’ swords and clearly enjoying them, were stunned when they saw Tasia appear. In a place like the Northlands, who had ever seen such a beauty? As for Du Fan and the woman tightly wrapped in a blanket in his arms, they paid them no attention at all.
“Damn! This woman… I guess even the Drunken Dream House in the capital doesn’t have a beauty like her. If I got a chance with her, I’d be willing to live a few years less…”
One soldier muttered in a low voice, his eyes filled with lust.
A soldier nearby kicked him under the table. It took him a while to react, but his gaze became even more unrestrained.
With Du Fan and Tasia’s sharp hearing, they heard every word without missing a bit. Even the Temple Knights could hear most of it clearly.
But Du Fan was too lazy to pay attention to these insignificant people. He frowned slightly and nodded at Ferey.

Ferey hurriedly climbed into the carriage and carried out the last unconscious man inside.
Nicholas’s complexion was now extremely poor. He had woken up once a few days ago, and Du Fan hadn’t hidden much about Alfred’s death. Upon learning the truth, Nicholas nearly collapsed and tried to end his life several times. Ferey, with no other choice, finally knocked him out with a punch. These past few days, they had only managed to feed him a little water and thin porridge, with the Temple Knights occasionally injecting some combat energy into him—just enough to keep him alive.
At this moment, Nicholas was incredibly weak. His face was pale, he was extremely emaciated, and his body was limp from being unconscious. It was hard to see any signs that he was a man. His hair hung down, but in Ferey’s arms, it appeared utterly pitifully beautiful.
One of the soldiers, with a particular interest, took a deep breath and murmured, “This man… I never thought there could be such a handsome man in the world!”
“If he wore women’s clothes, he would be absolutely stunning!” another soldier added. “If only he could smile again…”
“Yes, even I’m somewhat tempted! If he wore women’s clothes and lay in bed with the hem of the dress slightly lifted…”
…
After finally handing over all the weapons, horses, and carriages to the city’s defense forces in Rui Gen, and after registering them, Du Fan and the others entered the small city under the leadership of Captain Harry.
Taking a glance around the city, the first impression was one of decay and poverty. Although there were a few stalls selling goods, they mainly offered things like grain and rice.
Du Fan looked around and then at the dozens of fully armed soldiers surrounding him. As if remembering something, he said in a low voice, “Sir, since almost all of your city’s defense forces have come to escort us to the inn prepared by the military, isn’t that a bit problematic? Your city gates aren’t even closed. What if the barbarians invade at this moment?”
Captain Harry was momentarily stunned, thinking it was risky, but after a moment, he smiled and said, “My lord, you’re overthinking it. The men from the Northern Legion are currently in Rui Gen. I sent someone to inform them before bringing you here. They will naturally take over the defense in the coming days.”