Myron and Sidney ultimately arrived at the Cape’s Royal Capital under circumstances they had never anticipated.
At this moment, Myron was stretching his body while conversing with the Lars Knights beside him.
It must be said that these Lars Knights, clad in heavy armor, were quite formidable; not only was their defense impressive, but they were unexpectedly agile. Coupled with their array of chaotic ranged weapons, Myron realized that the so-called “Turtle Knights” had indeed evolved into a more refined style.
If these knights had appeared one by one, Myron could still rely on his more agile combat style to cope, but if they charged together like before, Myron would find it quite difficult to gain an advantage in direct combat.
Sidney was in an even worse situation; the strengths of a mage were not suited for one-on-one confrontations. While Myron was entangled, the opponents seized the opportunity to brutally assault Sidney. Despite the heavy armor, the knights exhibited extraordinary mobility, and with their commanding officer also equipped with a variety of ranged weapons, Sidney had no chance to catch his breath, ultimately leading him to reluctantly choose surrender when he couldn’t create distance.
“What is that huge thing? Is it a Mage Tower?”
Sidney stroked his beard in curiosity while looking at the obelisk under construction in the center of the Royal Capital.
“That is meant to supply power for the magical devices in this city; you can understand it as an enhanced version of a traditional Mage Tower,” Hammond explained.
After hearing Hammond’s explanation, Sidney nodded and examined the obelisk closely, saying, “The structure looks both simple and exquisite, and there are many places for expansion. It truly is a masterwork.”
Upon hearing Sidney praise the obelisk, a Lars Knight retorted, “Hey, old man, you can understand human speech? I thought you only understood the sounds of ray guns and cutting swords.”
Hammond immediately reprimanded the knight, “Watch your words; no matter what, the person in front of us is our guest!”
Then, Hammond turned back to Sidney and said, “Master, please don’t take it to heart; these are just some young fellows, and they can’t help but speak inappropriately. It was just a misunderstanding, and it’s all good now.”
Listening to Hammond’s tactful approach, Sidney found even the dull voice coming from Hammond’s helmet quite pleasant, even though it was uncertain who had dealt those bruises on Sidney’s face.
Hammond had already noticed that this high-level mage preferred a softer approach; as long as he was appeased, he would speak quite amiably.
Of course, the other party had indeed been a bit overbearing, but it was alright. If they overstepped just as before, Hammond would inform them of the local regulations as he had previously.
In contrast to Sidney, Myron was more curious about the surroundings and asked, “Are we already outside the Inner City?”
“That’s correct; the walls separating the inner and outer cities are currently being dismantled. The Lord Governor said building a wall in the city is a waste,” Hammond zealously guided the two high-level professionals and introduced them to everything about the Royal Capital.
“No, I’m not saying that; we are in the Outer District, right? Why doesn’t it smell as rotten as before?”
Although Myron was a knight and Sidney a mage, Myron seemed to be the one responsible for thinking things through compared to the overbearing Sidney.
“Indeed, the Lord Governor indeed went to great lengths to solve this issue,” Hammond replied.
Even though Hammond’s helmet had a simple purification function, the mere thought of the Outer District’s stench made him appear as if he were subconsciously frowning.
The situation in the Royal Capital was complex; even with Lind constructing public toilets, the situation had not improved. It was ultimately Lilith who, backed by the Church, helped clean up the Outer District, transforming it from a stinky place to a somewhat more tolerable one.
Listening to Hammond recount the changes in the Royal Capital, Myron began to understand the situation better, especially upon seeing the old nobles still hanging around the new streetlights.
This Northern Border Governor was indeed bold, having wiped out most of the nobles in the Royal Capital in one fell swoop. It was said that this happened after the Governor’s wife pleaded for those nobles; otherwise, more than two-thirds of the nobles would have been caught up in it.
Despite eliminating so many people, the efficiency of the Royal Capital’s operations not only did not decline but actually saw a noticeable improvement.
The Governor’s methods were quite straightforward and rough—decisively effective—and so simple that Myron couldn’t find any faults to pick.
The meeting with this down-to-earth ruler was not as extravagant as Myron and Sidney had expected; instead, it was quite ordinary as they casually conversed in the ruler’s residence.
“I’ve heard about you from others; welcome to Cape,” the Governor said.
Sidney snorted, clearly dissatisfied with such an informal meeting, but Myron seemed more relaxed, casually sitting down to chat with this Northern Border Governor.
The imagined grand welcome ceremony no longer mattered to Myron; he was more curious about what Cape had turned into now.
After sending the two guests to the residence, Hammond took his leave. Once Myron sensed Hammond’s aura fading, he curiously asked, “Governor, your Lars Knight seems to have left.”
Lind simply nodded and replied, “That’s right; there are still quite a few high-level professionals returning from the Tower like you, so the Lars Knights are currently quite busy.”
“No, Lord Governor, what I mean to say is that you are easily susceptible to ambush,” Myron intended to remind him sincerely. However, at that moment, Sidney suddenly burst forth, the Thunder Light Blade appearing in his hand as he lunged toward Lind.
“Interesting; the Holy Light actively protects you.”
Seeing the Thunder Light Blade blocked by a barrier, Sidney was not embarrassed. After all, he hadn’t genuinely intended to harm Lind, instead, he began sizing up Lind from head to toe.
Although he still maintained his composure, Lind admitted he was startled. Despite being a mage, this little old man’s explosive power was no less than that of ordinary knights, and with 550C backing him, Lind wouldn’t have felt so at ease meeting two high-level professionals alone otherwise.
“I apologize, Lord Governor. Sidney has always been like this; he doesn’t really want to harm you,” Myron repeated, firmly pulling Sidney back. Lind waved his hand and said, “It’s fine. During this meeting, I primarily wanted to discuss matters concerning high-level professionals with you.”
For these high-level professionals who had been detached from humble society for a long time, Lind did not intend to directly incorporate them. Some of these high-level professionals could constitute independent factions by themselves, so cooperation was preferred.
Lind did not expect these high-level professionals to serve him but merely hoped to maintain their neutrality or at least prevent them from taking strong sides.
After hearing Lind’s request, Myron was not too surprised; the only surprise was the other party’s calm and composed thoughts. Thinking about those Lars Knights, they certainly had the disposition to remain calm and composed.
However, this was not enough for Myron.
After dealing with those Lars Knights and arriving in the Royal Capital, Myron already had some thoughts regarding the situation.
“Lord Governor, I have no interest in these things.”
Myron dismissed the series of exchange conditions proposed by Lind, saying, “I want to join the Lars Knights.”
