Chapter 012: The Imperial Capital
On the journey ahead, with the protection of three thousand elite cavalry, they encountered no danger. Yet, seeing Joshua staying close by his side at all times, Du Fan couldn’t help but wonder: It seems the Holy Church sent this Joshua to the Northern Lands to find him for a reason! After all, in the Northern Lands, the Northern Legion could find people faster than the Temple Knights. Lord Anthony likely assigned Joshua this troublesome task not to find him, but so that someone could escort him throughout the journey. Since someone was trying to assassinate him, it meant that returning to the Imperial Capital would surely harm certain people’s interests. In any case, he was an indispensable existence to the Holy Church… Unfortunately, on the surface, his value as a tool seemed quite limited… He wondered what exactly about him Lord Anthony saw worth such a great sacrifice… Since the other party wouldn’t reveal these things, Du Fan could only pretend to know nothing, continuing to chat and laugh with Joshua as if nothing had happened before.
The capital of the Gavin Empire was located in the middle of the empire, with convenient land and water transportation. With the warm spring weather, the conditions were favorable, making the journey easier. Before long, this large convoy arrived at the outskirts of the capital city. Du Fan was very familiar with the capital of the Gavin Empire, but having lived inside it his entire life, he still felt a sense of awe when seeing it from afar. Under the morning sun, the light cast on the massive blue bricks of the city walls gave them a strange glow. The walls were mostly made of blue bricks several people tall, strengthened over countless dynasties and emperors, resulting in formidable defensive capabilities. It was said that the final battle where the Gavin Empire destroyed the Bauhinia Dynasty took place here. The allied forces of the Gavin Empire failed to capture this magnificent city after prolonged attacks. Even the use of great magicians and experts near the level of sword saints couldn’t take it. In desperation, the Gavin Empire resorted to besieging the city, and after a full year, they starved all the soldiers and civilians inside to death, thus capturing the capital without a single battle.
Of course, such secrets are unknown to ordinary people. The official imperial records state that the last emperor of the Bauhinia Dynasty surrendered after a three-day siege, which is why the founding emperor of the Gavin Empire is regarded as the most virtuous emperor in history. Unfortunately, legends remain just that—legends, and history is written by the victors. Aside from occasional mentions in the texts of the Holy Church, who else can truly understand the facts? Du Fan only came across these records because he had nothing much to do in the Holy Church; he hadn’t given them much thought before. But now, compared to the appearance of this mighty city, it’s easy to imagine the hardships and bloodshed of a year-long siege! It was a city that seemed almost impossible to conquer, yet also the easiest to take. Standing outside the city gates, Du Fan couldn’t help but marvel. If not for the bizarre events he had experienced these past days, he wouldn’t have had such an odd idea as soon as he arrived in the capital. Inside the capital territory, the commander of that small city and his troops naturally couldn’t enter. Here, Du Fan wasn’t worried that anyone would try to harm him—he had already sent someone to inform the Green family in advance. He just didn’t know who would come to greet him today. The group arrived outside the eastern gate of the capital, where they saw a group of cavalry approaching. Upon seeing Du Fan’s robe and the insignia on the cavalry of the Northern Legion, their expressions changed slightly. One of the officers, who seemed to be the leader, rushed forward on his horse and shouted, “Are those Young Master Du Fan of the Green family and Lord Joshua of the Holy Church?” Du Fan and Joshua exchanged a glance before responding loudly, “That’s right!” Hearing this, the officer quickly bowed from his horse and said, “Indeed, it’s Young Master Du Fan and Lord Joshua. I only learned about your arrival this morning, so I apologize for the delayed welcome. I’ve already sent people to clear a path. Right now is a busy time for entry and exit—both the residents of the outer cities and the merchant caravans are queuing up. If we don’t clear a path first, it will take at least until sunset to enter the city!” Du Fan was the third young master of the Green family, and Joshua was the grand knight commander of the Holy Church. Naturally, this officer didn’t dare to be negligent and spoke with utmost courtesy. Du Fan nodded at him and said, “Then please take care of it. But I wonder if anyone from my ducal household has come to greet me?”
The officer nodded and said, “Young Master Du Fan, your family has been waiting in the city for a long time… How about we enter the city now?”
Du Fan nodded slightly and said, “Please lead the way!”
Under the officer’s guidance, the group arrived outside the city gates in less than a moment.
Up close, the city gates of the imperial capital were astonishingly large. Even so, they were extremely crowded with travelers from all directions. Fortunately, soldiers had already cleared a path, and in no time, Du Fan and his party successfully entered the city.
After taking just a few steps, several servants rushed forward and quickly knelt in front of Du Fan. In the distance, another person was walking fast. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Old Mark!
Du Fan jumped off his horse and called out from afar, “Grandpa Mark, it’s really you who came to pick me up!”
A rare smile appeared on Old Mark’s face as he hurried over. Just as he was about to bow, Du Fan stopped him.
He didn’t insist but simply said, “Third young master, you’ve finally returned home!”
At that, he couldn’t help but glance at Du Fan from head to toe, his surprise evident in his eyes.
Du Fan naturally understood what he meant. He quickly gave him a look and then pointed at Joshua, saying, “Grandpa Mark, let me introduce you. This is Lord Joshua, a grand knight of our Holy Church… Lord Joshua, this is our family’s steward…”
Old Mark looked at Joshua and couldn’t help but show a flicker of surprise, saying, “So it’s Lord Joshua. I’ve long heard of you!”
Joshua nodded slightly as a greeting, then gave Du Fan a brief glance and said, “Du Fan, I know you’re eager to return home, and I won’t hold you back. But don’t forget—Lord Anthony is waiting for you at any moment!”
Du Fan frowned slightly but still smiled and said, “I’m well aware of that, Lord Joshua. Please rest assured. After settling family matters here, I still need to return to the temple. Then, I’ll invite Lord Joshua for a drink!”
Joshua nodded slightly, then whipped his horse and rode away quickly, along with the temple knights—and, of course, several carts full of corpses.
Watching Joshua’s retreating figure, Du Fan frowned in thought for a moment… Why did Lord Joshua leave so quickly? What could be so important that he had to go see Lord Anthony in person?
Seeing Du Fan in deep thought, naturally, not everyone hesitated to disturb him. After a while, Du Fan slowly shook his head, turned to look at Old Mark, and said, “Grandpa Mark, let’s… go home.” Old Mark nodded and said, “Please, Third Young Master, get in the carriage!” With that, he waved his hand, and a magnificent carriage slowly approached Du Fan. It was brand new, and in every way, it was not the same carriage Du Fan had before. Du Fan had always been indifferent to such luxuries; he merely frowned slightly and said, “Grandpa Mark, what exactly is this…” Old Mark whispered, “Third Young Master, the master has given orders… Before, he didn’t care about you, but now that you’ve done so much, you’ll surely attract a lot of attention. Since you’re part of the Green family, you can’t let it lose face… That old carriage of yours can be discarded… As for this new one, it was sent by the Belinger family before you returned. They said they’d come to express their gratitude in a few days…” Du Fan examined the carriage carefully. Its body was made of cork, its two huge wheels were adorned with magic stones forming an air-elemental magic array, making the carriage light and stable. Additionally, it was carved with various holy cross runes, each inlaid with platinum, giving it a luxurious yet unconventional appearance. Especially those holy cross runes emphasized the owner’s status. After just a few glances, Du Fan couldn’t help but sneer, “The Belinger family… Hmph, quite clever indeed…” Seeing that Du Fan wasn’t getting in, Old Mark thought he was worried. He stepped forward and whispered, “Third Young Master, this carriage has been thoroughly checked by this old servant; there’s no danger.” Du Fan waved his hand and said, “The Belinger family wouldn’t dare play any tricks with something like this. I’m just curious—instead of giving me anything else, they gave me a carriage… The meaning behind this is worth pondering.” Old Mark was stunned and asked, “Do you mean…?” Du Fan snorted and said, “What could I possibly mean? I’m just a bit surprised… But this isn’t the time to discuss such things. Let’s go home and talk about it.”