Linde wanted to ride his horse closer to the rift to take a look, but was stopped by the soldiers around him.
The leading soldier said:
“My lord, we cannot go any further. Our lord has ordered that no one is allowed to approach this area without permission.”
The leading soldier, fearing Linde wouldn't give up, continued:
"My lord, the magical remnants in this area release some terrifying magical flows that can cause terrible damage to anything that gets close. It would be best if you stayed away from here."
After receiving a positive reply from Alice beside him, Lind could only give up on the idea and left dejectedly.
"Notify Nazla behind you, tell her to prepare to enter the city."
Led by Linde, the group of several hundred people marched in a grand procession toward the city gate.
The free people and small caravans queuing along the way made way for them, and soon Lind and his party arrived at the city gate.
The soldiers at the city gate, who had been lounging around, perked up as soon as they saw Lind's party from afar. They dispersed the crowd that was still blocking the city gate and made them stand up straight to welcome Lind and his entourage.
"My lord, welcome to the Fortified City! You must be Lord Lind of the Truk family."
At that moment, a fat man who looked like a clerk ran out from behind the soldiers.
"Who are you?"
“Lord Linde, I am the scribe under Lord Swift, the lord of this place. He is aware of your arrival and has sent me to make arrangements for you.”
Lind glanced at the linen robe he was wearing, which had a noble crest sewn on it, presumably the crest of the Swift family.
"Alright, lead the way."
"Yes, sir."
The fat clerk took a nag from a servant and struggled to mount it.
"Sir, this way please."
With that, he led Linde into the city.
The soldiers at the city gate watched the procession slowly enter the city. One of them, who looked like a new recruit, asked:
"Captain, a caravan is following them, and it looks like they're carrying live animals. Should we stop them...?"
Before he could finish speaking, the recruit was hit by the captain, who angrily shouted:
"Fool, didn't you see they were also flying noble flags? They came with the nobles in front of them."
"It's one thing to skim a little profit from small caravans, but you dare to stop a noble caravan? I think you're tired of living."
————
Led by the fat clerk, Linde quickly arrived at his lodgings, a mansion-style building specifically prepared for nobles.
During their conversation, Linde learned that the portly clerk was named Hermann and had been working for Swift for many years.
This capable clerk left a deep impression on Linde, and also made Linde realize that he should have someone similar under him, otherwise it would be very time-consuming and laborious for him to do things such as issuing orders personally.
We should select a few clever soldiers and servants, train them well, and strive to cultivate them into capable domestic affairs personnel.
This time, when leaving the Earl's house, he didn't bring many servants. Apart from a few personal maids to take care of his daily life, his number was pitifully small compared to other barons.
"My lord, we would be grateful if you could stay in the city for a few more days. Our lord has been quite busy lately and may not be able to see you until tomorrow at the earliest. We apologize for the inconvenience."
Linde frowned. Theoretically, Viscount Swift should have known that he was passing through Fortified City, and given his earl family background, he should have come out to see him long ago. This was a bit unusual.
We should hurry back to our own territory; these days, it's never safe to be on someone else's land.
“Is that so? We just plan to replenish our supplies and rest our troops. Since the Viscount is busy, we won’t trouble Viscount Swift to receive us.”
Linde wanted to take this opportunity to test Viscount Swift's thoughts, to see if he was genuinely busy or if he was hiding something and didn't want to see anyone. After all, his territory wasn't far from Linde's, and if anything happened, he would probably be the next one to suffer.
"Ah... that's fine. My lord has indeed been very busy lately and it's really unavoidable that I can't meet with you. If you have anything to do, you can come and find me. I'm in the town hall next to the mansion, and I will do my best."
——
As Herman left, Lind pondered. He had just used his Aura of Activation to observe the scribe, and he hadn't expected the scribe to be so capable, actually a mid-level mage. Appearances can be deceiving.
Since Viscount Swift refused to meet him, so be it; there were plenty of ways to get information about the area around here anyway.
Linde summoned Astaire and Alice, who were now his right-hand men and the strongest fighting force he had at his disposal.
"Let's pack a little and go for a stroll in the city."
Soon, three more people appeared on the street, all wearing thick cloaks: Ellie with a hood, and Astaire and Lind wearing large cloaks to conceal their armor and noble robes.
All three were visiting for the first time. The last time Aster was in Fortified City was during a war. At that time, he lived in the military camp outside the city with the army and only entered the city once during a siege. This was also his first time visiting Fortified City in peacetime.
Walking down the street, Linde sighed, "It's definitely different from the previous earldom. This used to be a city of the Sass Empire, and the various buildings here reveal a strong Sass Empire style."
The buildings here mostly use a combination of stone and wood construction methods, unlike their homeland, the Cree Empire, which is mostly made of stone and rarely uses wood.
The people don't look much different; they all seem to look quite similar. However, the food is incredibly diverse, with many dishes and seasonings that Linde has never seen before.
A type of bluish-green, round, bead-like fruit grows densely on the same stem. Locals call it "pearl grapes." It tastes somewhat like orange-flavored grapes, which is quite unique.
There is also a powdered spice made from unknown dried fruits. It doesn't smell like much, but when you dip a little in it and taste it, the flavor is very strong, like dark soy sauce powder. Locals add it to soups, and it is said to taste quite good.
After enjoying the local snacks, Linde led the two back to the mansion, just in time for dinner.
It must be said that the aristocratic food is quite different from the local snacks. The aristocratic meals here are mostly roasted and smoked meats, as well as pastries made from refined flour, which is quite different from what I had eaten before.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Lind returned to his room and arranged for Alice and Astaire to sit next to him.
Linde also forbade his soldiers from drinking alcohol in the city these past few days, all to prevent any unexpected incidents.
"I hope I'm just overthinking it..."
After checking the room for any hidden spells or alchemical remnants, Linde slowly fell asleep in a semi-conscious state.
————
At this moment, in an inconspicuous house in the fortified city.
Several hooded figures sat in a circle, seemingly discussing something, with some of the orcs appearing quite excited.
"What do you mean by saying the Spirit-Smelling Beast isn't working anymore?"
"Impossible, this has never happened before."
"What will happen to the Wrath of the Beast God if we can't find new Holy Blood Beastmen?"
"Quiet!"
The leading orc woman sternly rebuked him.
The orcs immediately fell silent. If Lind were here, he would be extremely shocked, because the female orc in the lead was none other than Nazra, who had entered the city with him during the day.
At this time, Nazla also underwent a huge change; her originally brownish-gray fur turned silvery-white, like moonlight.
You should know that in the fox clan, silver-white fur is the symbol of royalty. Lin De probably never imagined that the fox girl he met by chance on the road was actually of royal blood from the beastmen.
"It's not uncommon for Holy Blood Beastmen to die prematurely, but this is the first time we've seen a Spirit-Scented Beast like this."
As she spoke, Nazla touched the enormous beast head at her feet. The once majestic and imposing beast head now looked listless, appearing very confused and frustrated.
"Let's discuss this matter further. Those who need to maintain the facade should continue to do so, and avoid attracting unnecessary attention, after all..."
"We still have time."
"……yes!"
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