Lincheng 17 (8)

Mi recalled the old man's words at the girls' school gate: the people of Lincheng No. 17 believed that every individual was a star, and a shooting star was a person. A shooting star appeared again? Mi thought of the star map she had just seen and asked, "So, does that mean shooting stars bring good things?"

“In the world of astrology, meteors are also called comets, and they are celestial phenomena that bring wisdom and change. In star charts, comets are indeed auspicious symbols.” Yana glanced at Mi and nodded. “I heard you’re planning to go to Sun City? Can I ask you for a favor?”

“Of course,” Mi nodded. “Just tell me if it’s within my power.”

“I know that Sun City and Lin City are completely different,” Yana thought for a moment. “If possible, please visit Lord Zara’s daughter and tell us about her recent situation.”

“The daughter of Lord Zara? Okay, give me the address, I will visit her. If you have any letters, I can send them to you as well.” Mi felt that this matter was easy to handle.

“She,” Yana hesitated for a moment, “lives in the Derek Palace, and letters don’t always get through. If—I’ll prepare a package, if it’s convenient.”

"It's alright, just tell me your name and appearance, and I'll figure something out." Mi An only wanted to smuggle some things, and she could do it without anyone noticing.

Yana suddenly realized something, her expression changed, and she pulled Mi out, saying, "Okay, I'll tell the city lord right now, and he'll arrange for you to leave the city tomorrow."

As evening fell, Yana went to see the city lord, while Mi was taken to the home of soldier Hug. Upon arriving at Hug's house, Mi's first words to Hug's mother were, "Hug is very kind; he asked me to bring you some things back."

Hugh's mother was a shrewd and efficient woman. She untied her apron, dusted herself off, and opened the wooden fence to let Mi in: "Who cares if he's dead or alive? What did he bring me back?"

Mi took out a marigold coin and gave it to her. Hugh's mother took it with a puzzled look: "The person is alive and well, why did you bring me back a gold coin?"

“Yes, a very important person passed by and gave it to me,” Mi said, using a pretext to fool Krus’s mother.

"Someone important went to him?" Hugh's mother smiled noncommittally and turned around, saying, "Come in. You brought it all the way here. Come in and have a cup of tea." Seeing Mi's reluctance, Hugh's mother added, "Tell me how that boy is doing now."

Hugh's mother also invited Mi to stay, warmly treating her to dinner. The dishes in Lincheng were not much different from those in Weicheng, both mainly consisting of meat and dairy. The difference was that Lincheng had vegetables, although there was only a small plate, and it was extremely salty. Mi gratefully ate two wheat cakes wrapped with salted vegetables.

"You came from the Acropolis 17?" After the meal, Hugh's mother even served tea.

"Yes." Mi took a sip of tea and sighed comfortably. Lincheng was much more normal and better than Weicheng.

"Where are you going?" Hugh's mother grabbed another handful of tea leaves and put them into the teapot, then put the lid on and let it steep.

"I want to go to Sun City."

"Sun City, huh? It's not a good place to live."

Mi smiled but didn't answer. Hugh's mother looked at Mi and smiled back. That evening, Mi overheard the conversation between Hugh's mother and her daughter.

“This was brought back by your brother,” Hugh’s mother said to her eldest daughter. “I want to send you away. The woman who came today is very easy to talk to. Go with her to Maicheng to see your aunt. I wrote a letter to your aunt. Just take the letter to her and give it to her. She will arrange everything for you. Remember, don’t let anyone decide your life. Make your own decisions in everything.”

"Mom, let my little sister go out."

Hu Ge's mother looked at her sleeping youngest daughter on the bed and shook her head, saying, "No, your sister is too soft-hearted. I won't be able to take care of her if she goes to Maicheng. Your aunt is also soft-hearted and indecisive." Mi's mother paused for a moment and said, "If, I mean if, you can establish yourself in Maicheng and take better care of Grandmother and your aunt. I didn't listen to her back then and ran away on my own."

"Mom, do you regret it?"

“I don’t regret it,” Hugh’s mother stroked her eldest daughter’s hair. “You’re just like me, you can handle anything. No matter where you marry, you won’t let yourself suffer. You’re also very skilled, no ordinary man can handle you. You’re freer in Maicheng than in Lincheng.”

The next day, Hugh's mother used gold coins to exchange for a spot to leave the city. Tommy took his daughter to his sister's house in Maicheng. Everything seemed normal in the city lord's mansion, but Tommy still felt a tense atmosphere. Everyone was doing things with serious expressions, and to Tommy, it seemed like everyone was wearing the same mask.

“These are students going to Maicheng to settle accounts,” Qiu said, pointing to seven or eight female students. “They will go to Maicheng with you. When you get to Maicheng—” Qiu raised her hand and beckoned to one of the girls, “This is Di. She will take you to change your travel permit. When you get to Maicheng, Di will take you to change your Maicheng pass. Don’t say you are an adventurer anymore.”

"Why?" Mi was a little confused. She explained, "Actually, I'm not an adventurer."

“You can’t take your travel permit to Sun City,” Qiu told Mi. “Redstone Town hasn’t issued any permits for twelve years, unless you want to be captured by the royal family or have your life decided by the Adventurers’ Guild as soon as you enter Sun City. With the Maicheng permit, you’ll be much freer.”

Okay, thank you.

* * *

On the city tower, the city lord and Qiu watched Mi and his group depart, while Roger, the captain of the city defense team, kept an eye on their figures at the city gate.

"Have you received all the replies?" Lord Zara asked Roger at the city gate. Roger, sensing the lord's gaze, raised his hand and waved to Lord Zara.

"I've received everything. The date is set for the third day of next month, which is twenty days away." Qiu said, supporting the city lord Zara.

"Do you think Petrus will receive the letter this time?" Lord Zara asked worriedly.

“Since Mi agreed, she must have a way.” Qiu was still bothered by the fact that she hadn’t been able to find out if Mi had the seed of longevity, but she also inexplicably trusted her.

"How old is Bertram this year?" City Lord Zara, looking rather old, gazed across the courtyard and landed in an unknown distance. It was a beautiful day, perfect for an outing. The sun hung high in the sky, the sky was clear and blue, like a single jewel, without a single cloud.

“Petrice will be ten years old soon,” Qiu comforted Lord Zara. “Sun City sends a portrait every year, and this year’s portrait will arrive soon. Little Petrice will surely grow into a beautiful young lady.”

"She's grown into a young lady?" City Lord Zara seemed a little dazed. "It feels like just yesterday she was a tiny little bundle lying in my arms." City Lord Zara squinted at the sun. "I still remember how she used to run around like crazy in the courtyard. The day the people from Sun City came, she hid in the Hopea tree, and no one could find her." City Lord Zara pointed to the forty-meter-tall tree in the courtyard. "Is the wooden house in the Hopea tree still there?"

“Yes, we’re here. Once Beatrice has her baby, we’ll go and bring them all back. We’ll let them climb the Hopea tree together.”

* * *

The next day, Lord Zara announced Qiu and Roger's marriage, and the entire city of Lincheng was filled with busy joy. The VIP building was to be cleaned and decorated again, as guests who had come from afar to attend the ceremony would soon be staying there.

Lincheng 17 hadn't seen anything like this in a long time. Qiu—the most successful merchant guild leader in Lincheng—had joined the city lord's guard after her divorce three years ago, and more than half the men in Lincheng were now vying for her attention. Roger—the most handsome, refined, and powerful man in Lincheng—had half the girls in Lincheng willing to marry him. Now that news of their engagement had spread, Lincheng was filled with drunken men and women, embracing and weeping over their broken hearts. The city defense team's workload suddenly increased significantly as they had to send these drunkards home.

With the arrival of Sidney, the 18th city lord of Lincheng, the first to offer congratulations, Qiu and Roger's wedding was officially on the agenda. Sidney was staying in a room on the third floor of the VIP building, towards the back. Roger, who had just come from the city gate, hurried up the stairs and entered. Sidney poured Roger a glass of wine as he entered: "Why is your fiancé Qiu?"

“Yana’s health isn’t good; she can’t have children.” Roger downed his drink in one gulp and handed the glass back. “Another one.” He drank another glass before pulling up a round-backed chair, relaxing, and leaning back. “I’ve never understood Yana. Women who read too much tend to be a bit wicked. Qiu is easier to handle; I just need to pretend to be a little dumber than her.”

“Don’t underestimate any woman,” Sidney gave him a disapproving look. “Choi is a well-known, notorious old fox.”

“You don’t need to worry, Qiu did all that for the girls’ school. She didn’t do it all by herself—” Roger sneered, “that self-important little thing.”

“That Qiu and Yana,” Sidney was still uneasy, “I heard they’re classmates?”

“Yes, they are all graduates of girls’ schools.” Roger stroked his chin. “I’ve thought about it. Qiu needs to have at least two children, and at the very least one daughter. I want to get my hands on the girls’ school.”

"How many years will it take for Qiu Sheng's daughter to grow up?" Sidney shook his head. "Have you never thought about finding a lover?"

“You know perfectly well that if I had a mistress, according to the laws of Lincheng, she could immediately force me to marry her,” Roger said through gritted teeth. “The reason I’ve insisted on not getting married for so long is for the position of city lord.”

“I mean after we’re married, once you become the city lord, I think,” Sidney leaned back in his chair, “it would be easy to find a lover from the girls’ school.”

“Let me think about it, and this is indeed a good idea.” Roger nodded in agreement.

“I heard that the girls’ school’s array detection device is going to be rolled out to all the acropolises?” Sidney frowned. “You need to resolve this as soon as possible.”

"Don't worry, Yana's health is so poor, she'd collapse before she even got out of the city gates," Roger shook his head. "She only has one brain."

"Yana is quite capable, don't underestimate her. I heard that the array detector is really useful, you should destroy it as soon as possible."

"It's just a small observation and detection device; it can't kill any Sandmen, so don't worry," Roger said nonchalantly.

“You need to understand that once the citadel is fortified, the Shari people will not be able to breach it,” Sidney said seriously. “If the citadel doesn’t fall, why should I ask Sun City for money, food, people, or supplies? You are going to be the city lord soon. You need to know that the citadel and the neighboring city are just tools in your hands. Don’t worry about the lives of those criminals. Even if you manage to stop the Shari people, the military merit won’t go to you. Only when the citadel needs to be rebuilt and needs people can these become your bargaining chips.”

"I understand. I will handle this matter as soon as possible."

"And Qiu, her caravan?"

“I have promoted Harvey to captain of the city defense,” Roger waved his hand dismissively. “I plan to appoint Qiu’s eldest son, Colin, as captain of the city lord’s guard. Qiu will no longer have time to run around.”

"How could Qiu, the guard of the City Lord's Mansion, be willing to let go?"

“I need an heir, and Sun City needs a hostage,” Roger laughed. “The first thing Qiu did after we got married was to have a child for me, hahaha. She doesn’t know that I’ve already tamed Colin. He’s busy running around making money all day long. Has a single penny ended up in her pocket? She even let both of her sons go. Where is her intelligence? She’s a woman who’s been played by Zara.”

“I won’t be at ease until you become the city lord,” Sidney said, still worried. “I have an appointment with Zara tomorrow. I want to see what this woman is really planning!”