Acropolis 17 (1)

The coachman didn't say anything more for the rest of the journey. No matter how much help Mi had given to Border Post 17 at the border, the conflict between the Adventurers' Guild and the City Lord's Mansion still stood between them. Just who were these adventurers? Mi thought of Annie's extraordinary skills, and of the old and young left behind in Redstone Town. Except for the lack of young people, it wasn't like a paradise. Why didn't the Sand People go to Redstone Town? Having spent almost a year in Redstone Town, Mi was filled with doubt only two months after leaving.

The road to the acropolis was barely visible. It was a little better than the wasteland, but still quite wild. The sandstorms weren't as bad, and it would occasionally drizzle. Greenery was visible from time to time, and sometimes rabbits could be seen running around. The driver would stop when he saw one. He had a belt; he could pick up a stone from the ground and throw it to hit a rabbit. This was their food for the journey. All the supplies in the cart were left at Border Post 17.

"What if you can't catch any prey?" Mi watched as the driver started a fire. He carefully skinned the rabbit and set it aside before using a twig to roast it.

"Go hungry," the driver replied irritably. He was traveling all the way from the garrison to the border post; surely he could catch at least two rabbits?

Half a month later, Mi arrived at the Acropolis 17. On her first day in the Acropolis, before she could even take a look at the city, the coachman took her to the city lord's mansion.

The coachman went to hand in the Shari's ear, and Mi was directed to a small room to have her pass stamped: "Lev, this is the person Captain Liz entrusted to me. Please register her for entry." Mi looked at her pass and saw an additional stamp below Border West 17—Acropolis 17, Arlo—Mi later learned that Arlo was the lord of Acropolis 17. After having her pass stamped, Mi waited in the small room for a while, but the coachman didn't return. Lev then took her out.

A cold-looking middle-aged man stood by the window on the corner tower of the city lord's mansion: "Is the adventurer you mentioned her?" The middle-aged man looked at the two people walking out of the courtyard. Mi was particularly small, almost like a dwarf.

"Yes, he's very skilled. Captain Liz said he's no less capable than him, and he has a weapon." The one who answered the middle-aged man's question was the coachman who took him back to the Acropolis. The middle-aged man was Arlo, the lord of the 17th Acropolis.

"A weapon?" Lord Arlo looked up in surprise, then glanced back at the coachman and asked, "Didn't your captain stay behind? Liz is known for taking every last penny."

“Everything that could be kept was kept. She has—” The coachman was a little confused. He remembered what Liz had said: “That was a personal weapon. The captain said that outsiders could not get it.”

"A personal weapon? When did the long-lived species evolve again?" City Lord Arlo paced back and forth by the window, lost in thought. He only turned back to ask when he saw Mi's figure disappear around the corner: "How many Sandmen did she kill?"

“She took down four by herself, and blinded seven or eight others. She was incredibly nimble and had excellent anticipation skills, dodging all the fatal and non-fatal attacks without sustaining a single injury.” The driver’s voice was flat. “She also shot down two of the Shali people’s sacred birds—black falcons.” One wall of the room was covered with dried, palm-sized Shali ears, resembling a dark storage room. On another wall hung several huge stone axes, some missing a corner or a handle. Facing the window was a tightly closed black wooden door. Although the window was open, the room remained dim, and there was a faint smell of blood in the air.

"Your archery skills are very good?"

"Yes, Captain Liz kept her bow, and like Captain Liz's bow, it was made of sacred wood."

"She didn't want to go back?"

"No, many arrows were polished and left at the border."

"Is the arrow also made of sacred wood?"

"No, she can make arrows from ordinary wood. Captain Liz suspects she comes from the artisan tribe. She also repaired the chimney in the border kitchen, and the ingredients are clearly separated. She doesn't talk much about her time in the wasteland, is unfamiliar with the Flower Kingdom, and doesn't seem to know much about the Adventurers' Guild. She's a lone adventurer who has never teamed up."

"The Craftsmen Clan—why didn't she enter from the north?" City Lord Arlo stared out the window. "Has there been any news from the Snow Region?"

"No, Captain Liz asked if you could transfer him to the snowy region?"

"What?" The middle-aged man paused, lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Let me think. Go back and tell Liz that even if there is a way, it won't be that quick. He'll have to send me at least a hundred Shari heads first."

Lev, having delivered the rice, quickly returned with the newly registered travel pass and entered the room in the corner tower. Lord Arlo took the pass and glanced at it: "From Redstone Town?"

"Yes, we stayed at the Seventeenth Border Post for eight days."

"How long has it been since Hongshi Town issued a pass?"

"Twelve years."

"How old is she?" Lord Arlo was furious that the age of long-lived species was never registered.

"I can't tell," Lev shook his head.

“He doesn’t seem like a recent adult,” the coachman added. “Captain Liz said he’s very skilled, has real combat experience, and has seen blood.” The coachman thought for a moment and then said, “He’s probably a lone adventurer, rather naive, unaware of the conflict between the adventurers and us.”

Where is she going? Can she stay?

“Sun City!” Lev replied. “She’s too young; the Adventurers’ Guild might not accept her.” Lev cast a vote against keeping Mi.

"Captain Liz said not to keep her and to send her to Sun City as soon as possible."

"What's the reason?"

"The captain didn't say anything. That's how the captain always does things." The driver shook his head, casting a vote against leaving the rice behind.

“Alright, you—” Lord Arlo pointed at Lev, “Go and arrange for someone to follow this adventurer.” He turned to the coachman: “Next time, remember to ask Liz what exactly happened. Don’t be so reckless next time. If the Adventurers’ Guild finds out that I’ve let an adventurer go, they’ll impeach me again.”

The city closest to the border is called the Citadel. All these cities are called Citadels, numbered sequentially. Border Post 17 corresponds to Citadel 17. Citadel 17 is not only where the families of border guards reside, but also the main force fighting against the Shali people. Citadel 17 is predominantly inhabited by soldiers and veterans, the entire city exuding a heroic atmosphere. The women in the city are also robust and carry swords at their waists. Little Mi, entering Citadel 17, is like a chick entering an ostrich's nest, appearing particularly weak, helpless, and pitiful. Leaving the city lord's mansion, Mi looks back at the tall, square city gate. Inside the mansion is a tall tower, echoing the tower at the city gate. Soldiers stand guard on the towers. This city is like a cold, sturdy fortress, with towering towers and soldiers in leather armor visible everywhere.

Mi turned and walked towards the city gate. She had only caught a glimpse of it from the car, but she felt she had overlooked something. Weicheng 17 was located to the east of Biansuo 17. It was a fortified city with a particularly tall gate tower. When Mi left the city, she was checked. After she took out her pass, the guard looked at the newly stamped red seal and told her, "You cannot re-enter the city after leaving the city gate."

The guard was quite robust and didn't look very old. Mi asked him for directions: "I need to get to Taiyang City, how do I get there?" The coachman led Mi through desolate wilderness, with no discernible roads. The wheels frequently got stuck in mud pits, requiring the coachman to get off and lift the entire cart. Sometimes Mi even had to help lift a section to cross muddy puddles. Mi couldn't imagine how the coachman, carrying a cartload of supplies, had managed to reach the border post from the garrison city alone. But the fact that both the mustachioed captain and the coachman dared to let the soldiers get drunk suggested that the coachman, like the mustachioed captain, possessed some special bloodline; at the very least, his fighting ability was stronger than the four soldiers combined.

"There's only one road leading to the border post. To get to Taiyang City, you need to exit through the east gate," the guard said, pointing to a low corner tower in the distance. "Go there, and they'll let you leave."

Michelle returned to the citadel after passing the guards. Standing at the entrance, she looked up at the towering gate tower, atop which stood a watchtower at least three stories high. On either side of the gate, patrolling soldiers stood atop the tower, and there were two gleaming, cannon-like objects. Michelle stared at them for a long time. Were those telescopes?

Such a tall city gate was paired with a gate only about two meters high. On either side of the main gate were two even shorter gates, each less than two meters high. These gates looked more like tiny holes in the towering gate. Considering the height of the Shali people, Mi was speechless. Beyond the border, the sandstorms subsided, and the garrison town was largely free of sandstorms. Occasionally, large, fluffy white clouds drifted across the sky. Few people walked near the city gate, and under the bright sun, everything seemed so peaceful and serene.

Mi walked through the city gate and stepped back to observe the 17th Citadel from a distance. The entire city was surrounded by tall walls, as high as those on the border. Everyone was confined in such a sturdy fortress. At the city gate, there were only lonely water carriers' wagons, and hardly any citizens could be seen entering or leaving.

At the four corners of the Acropolis 17 stood enormous obelisks, each adorned with carved stone slabs. Mi discreetly extended a wisp of his consciousness to examine them. He noticed four different images carved on each obelisk, one of which depicted an enormous Shari. Why did they carve the Shari onto the obelisk? Mi continued examining; opposite the Shari was a crown, below which were the inscriptions of Derek in a conjoined pattern. The other two sides of the obelisk depicted a flower and a ship.

Mi walked further into the city, and after about ten meters, he came to an inner city, where rows of huge stone pillars formed a stone forest. Every so often, there were two soldiers guarding the area. These soldiers were younger, with energetic faces, and they stood ramrod straight in the sun.

The soldier guarding the Stone Forest stopped Mi. He repeatedly verified Mi's travel document, and finally returned it to Mi without saying anything. It turned out that the City Lord's Mansion was located between the inner Stone Forest and the outer city wall, some distance from where the city's residents lived. The City Lord's Mansion was the first line of defense for the 17th Garrison City.

As Mi left the stone forest, he looked back and saw a bright yellow light emanating from the soldier. Mi hesitated for a moment before turning away. The people of Weicheng and Biansuo were very similar, extremely vigilant. They were like alert little animals, raising their heads and looking around at the slightest disturbance.

The main street of the acropolis was exceptionally wide, with a pair of stone pillars standing every few meters on both sides. These bare, square pillars, about a foot in diameter, were two meters high. At first, Mi thought they were some kind of totem or lamppost; the city had very little greenery, so perhaps they were just decorations. Behind the pillars was a sidewalk more than a meter wide before the houses on both sides of the road. The houses were also exceptionally tall; two-story buildings were at least five or six meters high, and many three-story buildings were seven or eight meters high. Mi felt like a dwarf entering a land of giants on the street. From the city gate to the lord's mansion, most of the residences along the street had their doors and windows closed, and there were very few pedestrians. The occasional sight of them was either soldiers in armor or burly men carrying swords and axes, their eyes fierce, staring at Mi like wolves.