Maicheng 17
Maicheng is more like an ordinary town, connected to Lincheng by many scattered small villages. Everywhere are lush crops, oat fields, wheat fields, vegetable fields, and even flower fields. Since leaving Lincheng 17, it feels like entering another world, a peaceful and harmonious world like a paradise.
Small groves and meadows are also common here, with herds of cattle and sheep leisurely strolling on the grasslands. Occasionally, people ride past Mi on horseback, and children can be seen on the backs of cattle. This is the first time Mi has seen scattered villages, freely walking people, herds of cattle and sheep, and young children freely roaming outside the city.
Hugh's mother's eldest daughter, Kenan, was just as shrewd and capable as her mother. She was meticulous, efficient, and attentive, taking better care of Mi than a servant, attending to her every need from serving tea and water to stopping for meals and lodging. Mi, used to being lazy, felt embarrassed to be waited on like this by a young girl and told Kenan to look after herself. On the first night, when they stopped to rest, Kenan asked Mi softly, "Can we walk slowly?"
"Sure." Mi really liked this independent, meticulous, and capable girl.
Lincheng 17 wasn't far away yet. The next day, Kainan stopped riding in the carriage and started walking freely along the road, swinging her arms and looking back as she went. Mi got off to walk with her and asked, "What are you looking at?"
“That’s a prison. Women who go in never come out.” Kennan stared in the direction of Lincheng 17. “Women who get out never come back.”
"Do you want to go back?" Mi thought about how she had had a smooth journey and knew that it was thanks to the Adventurers' Guild pass that she had been so lucky.
“I don’t know,” Kainan said somberly. “Mom wants me to go out, but she doesn’t want me to have to send my son to serve in the military after all the hardship of raising him. But if no one serves in the military, who will guarantee our livelihood?” Kainan stared in the direction of Lincheng 17. “Actually, I’m better at fighting than my brother, but the military only needs men. Mom says women have to stay and have children.” Kainan raised her arm, her bulging muscles supporting her clothes; she was indeed very strong.
Mi thought about those strong, muscular women in the Acropolis and wondered what they were saying. If Hugh's mother had been to the Acropolis, she probably wouldn't have thought that way. People always want to live a freer life.
“You came from the border,” Kennan asked softly. “Where have you seen any women?” Mi thought that she hadn’t seen a single woman along her journey, except in Redstone and the Citadel, and she shook her head gently.
Maicheng 17 is far from Lincheng 17. Between Maicheng and Lincheng, there are not only villages, but also post stations and even some towns. Villages with dozens of people and towns with hundreds of people are scattered between Lincheng and Maicheng, connecting this route. It is so ordinary and peaceful that it is almost heartbreaking.
As she slowly made her way here, Mi felt she had finally arrived in a normal world: people working at sunrise and resting at sunset, wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, the distant and near barking of dogs, wildflowers blooming in the fields, children running along the paths—all of this was so ordinary, so precious. Kainan, like Mi, watched the children chasing dogs and chickens in the village, strolled through the market with Mi in the town, and didn't need to be asked where they came from or where they were going when they stayed at the inn. Kainan observed all of this; this was freedom, a freedom completely foreign to the people of Lincheng. Mi knew that Di had arranged everything, but this place was ultimately different from Weicheng and Lincheng; this was life.
Di led Mi and Kennan's group on a slow journey, which took more than twenty days, with a few days' delay due to rain. This made Mi a little confused about the distances; Maicheng seemed to be much farther away, and it had a large outer city, almost like another city built around the city walls.
“Mi, don’t you think the sun in Maicheng isn’t as red?” Kenan looked up, staring at the dazzling red sun overhead, and said, “The sun in Maicheng is golden, like the gold coins you brought back.”
The pedestrians in the outer city hurried by, and those who occasionally stopped to talk were only because they knew each other. Most people just passed by in a hurry, which was completely different from the situation in the neighboring city of the citadel, where almost everyone knew each other. Mi and Kenan were in a comfortable yet unfamiliar environment, and no one paid much attention to their behavior. Under the bright red sun, everything was warm and cozy.
Maicheng was a bustling and lively city, lined with shops and restaurants. There were guards at the city gates, but they didn't check anyone entering or leaving; their presence seemed merely symbolic. Di told Mina that their carriage bore the insignia of the Maicheng lord, and they still needed a pass to enter and leave. The city walls weren't high, and there was no moat. Houses stood side-by-side not far from the walls, and Maicheng's outer city was very well-planned, clean, and orderly.
Mi glanced at the city gate: Maicheng 17. The order of Maicheng is the same as that of Weicheng and Lincheng, one Weicheng corresponds to one Lincheng, and one Maicheng corresponds to one Lincheng. This is the real stronghold of Lincheng 17.
Kainan's aunt's house was in the south of the city. Walking slowly along the main street of Maicheng, everything about Maicheng unfolded before Mi and Kainan. The shops along the street varied in size, and passersby stopped and went. People carrying loads hurried along the roadside, while adults strolled leisurely with their children. There were even small stalls on the street: a small carrying pole with golden sugar paintings at both ends, dough figurines at street corners, and stalls selling sculpted boys and girls. A vendor carrying a hawthorn skewer called out, "Candied hawthorn skewers—for sale!" Mi could even see the golden sugar syrup flowing on the surface of the hawthorn skewers under the sun.
Passing through the bustling shops, the next lane is long and winding. The lane isn't exactly quiet; there are vendors carrying tofu on shoulder poles and selling firewood from carts. Every now and then, a courtyard gate opens, and someone might be buying two pieces of tofu or carrying two bundles of firewood. There are vendors carrying pears on shoulder poles and selling flowers in baskets. Children cradle over pear baskets, calling out, "Pick the big ones!" "Pick the sweet ones!" Little girls come out in pairs to buy flowers, and when they've bought them, one will tuck them into the other's hair, and the other will tie them into the end of their braid.
Mi and Kainan were so engrossed in observing this everyday life that they could hardly move. Kainan found everything fascinating, while Mi felt a sense of familiarity with everything. They walked for quite some time before finally arriving at the south side of the city. Kainan's aunt lived there. Following the address on the letter, they knocked on the door. It was a small family home. Hearing the knock, a gentle and quiet middle-aged woman came out. The woman was surprised to see Kainan's face, which resembled her mother's, and pulled her inside: "You're Kainan?" The aunt and nephew, who had never met before, recognized each other.
Mi exchanged his travel permit in Maicheng; the travel document issued in Redstone Town was taken away. Mi looked at the newly issued travel permit.
Certificate Holder: Mi-Janda
Features: Black hair and black eyes
Skills: Farming and cooking
Place of issuance: Maicheng 17 Nora
Mi did not meet Nora, the lord of Maicheng, nor did he receive the new pass. When Di delivered the pass, he asked Mi, "Are you waiting for news from Lincheng before you leave, or are you setting off now?"
"Any news from Lincheng?" Mi asked, startled. "I'll wait and see."
Mi stayed there for almost half a month. The latest news from Lincheng 17 was that both city lords had passed away: the old city lord Zara and the new city lord Roger. Currently, Qiu is temporarily serving as the acting city lord of Lincheng 17, awaiting the appointment from Tai*Yang*Cheng.
"What happened?" Mi couldn't believe that Zara, the city lord who had spoken to her just a month ago, with such a loud and energetic voice, was gone. Zara was so strong and looked so robust. And Qiu, the quick-witted, intelligent, and capable woman, had lost her husband so soon after her wedding.
Qiu and Roger's wedding was thwarted by an assassination attempt. Following the attack, City 17 was closed for half a month, with entry restricted to the general population until the case was solved. It turned out that after the wedding, the officiant, as usual, asked, "Is there anyone who objects to their marriage?"
Before Lord Zara announced the completion of the ceremony, a young woman covered in wounds ran out of a perpetually locked room next to the city guards. She said she was Roger's lover, that she was pregnant with his child, and that according to the laws of the neighboring city, Roger should marry her.
Roger denied everything, swearing he had never seen the girl. The girl said Roger had imprisoned her in the city guard before the city lord announced his marriage to Qiu. There had never been a child in Lin City whose father was unknown; Roger was forcing her to die. The girl shouted angrily, "If you won't let me live, you won't live either!"—and ran forward, pulling a pre-prepared dagger from her bosom and plunging it into Roger's chest.
City Lord Zara, who had been guarding against her assassination attempt on Qiu, rushed over to stop the dagger when she saw it aimed at Roger. The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. In the ensuing struggle, the dagger pierced Roger's heart. By the time the girl was subdued and the crowd quieted down, Roger was only exhaling and not inhaling; he could no longer speak.
City Lord Zara immediately launched an investigation. One of the city's guard rooms was filled with traces of the girl's life. A doctor had diagnosed her as three months pregnant. According to the laws of Lin City, the girl was not only innocent, but all the guards who had confined her were guilty of the same crime as Roger. Lin City's 18th Lord, Sidney, only regretted that Roger hadn't told him the truth beforehand. His subordinates were incompetent; with so many people, they had allowed a girl to escape. If he had known earlier, this girl would never have made it to the viewing platform alive.
With the facts and evidence overwhelming, there was no room for resistance. Harvey, the newly appointed captain of the city defense team, and all the former members were sent to Border Post 17 to replace the Leeds Border Guard Squad. Zara's old injuries flared up, becoming increasingly severe. After presiding over the investigation into the Roger case, she fell into a coma. The lords of neighboring cities—Sidney (City 18), Galina (City 19), and Atreli (City 16)—witnessed the event, and Qiu, in this perilous situation, assumed the position of acting city lord.
The signing of the investigation report by the three city lords of Lincheng was tantamount to their tacit acceptance of Qiu's position as city lord. The title of acting city lord would be removed once Taiyang City officially appointed Qiu. The messenger from Maicheng had traveled with the messengers from Lincheng 17 who were also sending messengers to Taiyang City. This messenger included not only the investigation report on the Roger case and reports of the deaths of the two previous city lords, but also Qiu's eldest son, Colin, who was being sent to Taiyang City as a hostage by the new city lord.
The visitor calmly recounted the whole story. Mi thought that Yana had hurriedly arranged for her to leave. Neither Sidney, the 18th city lord of Lincheng, nor Galina, the 19th city lord of Lincheng, nor Atreli, the 16th city lord of Lincheng, had ever met Mi.
Di arranged for someone to escort Mi away: "Miss Mi, please be careful on your journey. We entrust our young lady to you. The news of the city lord's passing has already reached Taiyang City. We don't know how heartbroken our young lady will be. These—" Di took out another package, "Please take these to our young lady as well. These are the city lord's sentiments over the years."
Mi opened the package; inside were layers of small jackets, each larger than the last, with coarse stitches and crooked sewing, barely recognizable as the outline of a top. These were Zara's needles and thread; Mi imagined Zara's strong fingers gripping a slender needle to sew these clothes. Mi carefully put the clothes away, promising, "I will give them all to Petrus, please rest assured."
"Miss Mi, you've forgotten about Lincheng 17, haven't you?" Di handed Mi a small black wooden board with "Mai" engraved on it, and the two small characters below it refer to 17. Di hesitated for a moment and continued, "This is proof that Miss Mi and our young lady recognized each other. When she sees this, she will know that you are from Maicheng 17 and will not ask you about Lincheng 17. Please keep the matter of Lincheng 17 a secret, Miss Mi."
Mi set off again from Maicheng 17, passing through the city of Shoucheng Xingcheng, and finally arrived at the capital, the capital of the Flower Kingdom—Sun City—after two blue moons.
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