Chapter 289: Enemies on a Narrow Road
Claire leaped onto the Landstrider first, gently stroking the feathers on its wings, then extended her hand to me. “Come up.”
Damn, this Landstrider was so tall. I really didn’t know how to climb it. I watched Claire scramble up like a monkey in a few steps, but I didn’t have her agility. There were no stirrups like on a bicycle, and I didn’t dare to grab its yellow and red feathers. Would this bird peck me?
Meanwhile, Jayad mounted his in a very smooth manner. I truly envied him riding a horse; Sebastian easily pulled him up.
“Gosh, don’t peck me,” I stammered, awkwardly grasping Claire’s hand to hoist myself up, carefully avoiding startling the Landstrider. But I could have sworn the bird turned its head, its gaze filled with contempt.
Finally, with the help of the Spirit Cat Potion that granted me dexterity and agility, and Claire’s assistance, I managed to clamber onto the bird’s back, straddling it in front of Claire. This meant Claire had to wrap her arms around me to hold the reins. It looked as if Claire was hugging me, which made me feel a bit embarrassed.
“Can I sit in the back instead?” I suggested.
“It’s better not to. It’s bumpier in the back, and you might fall off. Do you want to climb down and then climb back up again?” Claire replied. She was now trying to gently guide the Landstrider to walk, getting accustomed to the mount.
I could only shake my head, not wanting to go through that climbing ordeal again.
“Then, let’s set off,” Sebastian said, pulling on his reins. Jayad was actually able to sit behind him. I envied him again.
So, the horse and the Landstrider carried the four of us out of the stable and jogged down the street. The dazzling city scenery around me made me close my eyes again. I still wasn’t used to this instantaneous imaging, especially during high-speed movement.
Riding the Landstrider was a peculiar sensation. The bouncing from below made it easy to imagine the sight of its two bird legs sprinting, and as Claire mentioned, it could indeed carry two little girls, as both of us were quite light.
“Woohoo~” Claire whistled from behind, seemingly very excited. She enjoyed talking a lot, constantly asking for my thoughts on the case or sharing her own deductions. Her thinking was always so wonderfully strange, and I could only respond.
Before long, I learned how to observe my surroundings even while riding on the bird’s back. I narrowed my eyes, leaving just a tiny slit open. This allowed me to focus on one point without looking at too many things, and through this, I could observe my surroundings.
On the street, besides various vehicles, I saw quite a few people riding mounts like us. After overcoming my initial fear, I could also feel a hint of joy in riding the Landstrider. It was no wonder that people in my previous life enjoyed going to stables to experience horse riding or watch horse races; there was a unique pleasure in it. I could feel it too. I had never experienced horse riding in my previous life, and unexpectedly, in this life, I’d jumped straight to riding a bird.
Thus, the two mounts carrying the four of us arrived at the edge of the City. I could already see the towering city walls, with even taller spires at intervals. These watchtowers could observe distant situations and could be used to shoot from. These towers had a distinct medieval Western flavor, but I could still see some elements that didn’t quite fit the aesthetic, such as the large and small gears embedded behind the city walls, constantly rotating to operate lifts that transported soldiers and supplies up and down the walls. Inside the gatehouses, there were continuous metallic clanking sounds, like those of bearings or clockwork. These made me realize that Cando City’s defenses were not that simple; there were internal secrets. Unfortunately, I wasn’t authorized personnel, so it was impossible for me to investigate further.
As we neared the city gate, I suddenly heard a roar from beside me that sounded somewhat familiar yet also unfamiliar. “Ah! It’s you, it’s both of you!”
“Hmm?” Was he calling me? I opened my eyes in confusion. Maybe he was mistaken? I didn’t have much recollection of this voice. But Jayad trembled all over and immediately turned his head. This voice was etched into his soul; even after not hearing it for some time, he instinctively looked over immediately.
“MacDuff… Boss!” Jayad’s voice carried a mix of fear and respect.
Ah? Hearing Jayad’s address, I paused to recall who MacDuff represented before turning my head. I saw a fierce-looking bald man with tattered clothes and numerous scars, his face contorted in rage as he glared at Jayad. This face was both familiar and strange. My memory presented a contradiction: he was the first person I saw after crossing over, but I had never seen him again. Even after meeting so many people since my transmigration, his face was the most ferocious.
In Parul’s memories, he was all too familiar. All that came to mind were his brutal scenes of beating children daily. Parul’s memories included playmates whom he had beaten to death, children who had died from illness, all of whom he had discarded. Originally, I would have met the same fate, but Jayad saved me. That was the first time Jayad truly rebelled against MacDuff. From then on, he took me and we fled to another part of the City. We absolutely avoided the district where the Slums used to be, to prevent encountering him again. To Jayad and Parul, MacDuff was like a demon in their hearts; no, he was a real demon that existed in reality, a memory too terrible to recall. The moment I saw him, even my body ached faintly, an instinctive reaction from the physical abuse and torture I had endured.
“It really is you!” MacDuff gritted his teeth as he spoke to us. Although he had seen a similar back and hair color earlier, he hadn’t been sure because these two were riding a horse and a Landstrider and were dressed in decent clothes.
“Jayad!” When MacDuff called his name, I clearly saw Jayad shudder again. “You ungrateful bastard! You son of a bitch! I valued you so much, cultivated you, taught you how to live, and you dare to run away!”
MacDuff strode forward. Even the horse and the Landstrider sensed his malice and neighed, backing away. Jayad looked nervously at MacDuff, clearly intimidated by his forceful presence.
“One moment.” Just then, Sebastian pulled on his reins, steadying his horse, and looked at MacDuff. “Who are you? Do you know each other?”
Sebastian interrupted MacDuff, causing his aggression to falter. He had been too furious when he saw Jayad and hadn’t noticed the other person on the horse. Sebastian, dressed in a tuxedo and riding a tall horse, holding a cane and pointing it at him, exuded an air of high society, which made MacDuff hesitant to act rashly. Speaking of which, as a Detective who worked closely with the police, Sebastian was indeed a person of social standing, if not high society, then certainly middle class. In the past, thugs like MacDuff would never dare to approach him. However, he was now consumed by hatred for Jayad’s betrayal, his anger boiling over. He glared at Jayad but dared not approach, hesitating whether he could afford to offend Sebastian.
