A magnificent city.
Grand and magnificent.
Guards holding sharp blades and long spears stood before the city gate, scanning the flow of people coming and going outside the city.
This—
Is this fantasy?
Chen Yu, with a vacant stare, looked at the dilapidated city before him. The city walls were covered in cracks, and some gaps seemed to be plugged with mud.
At the city gate stood a few hunched figures, old soldiers who looked like they would fall with a gust of wind.
The city plaque at the top was crooked.
"This?"
Chen Yu couldn't help but blink, glancing at Hei Dou on his shoulder.
"Are the conditions in the underground so poor?"
"Uh..." Hei Dou, who was asked, was also confused. He scratched his head. "It shouldn't be like this. This city… it does look a bit run-down, doesn't it?"
"Huh?"
Hearing the word "city," Chen Yu was stunned.
"You're saying this is a city?"
Goodness.
If Hei Dou hadn't said it, he would have thought it was some small village under a city.
"Although it's hard to believe, something with a city plaque is indeed a city," Hei Dou grinned and said, "For a city, the name is directly carved on the top of the city gate. For a village… villages actually don't have walls."
Chen Yu: "..."
For a moment, Chen Yu thought of the feeling of excitedly, joyfully, and urgently rushing to the city after settling the camp.
How much he had looked forward to it!
Imagining entering a magnificent city like in an anime, experiencing the local customs and traditions, and perhaps even encountering a princess or a noble lady.
With his perfect profile, making the princess, who was as naive and ignorant as a blank sheet of paper, instantly fall for him.
She would marry no one but him.
When the kingdom dispatched guards to arrest him, the princess would give up everything she had and resolutely elope with him.
Who would have thought that all his fantasies were now shattered?
Princess?
Noble lady?!
He was afraid it would be difficult to even find a fair-skinned, beautiful beast-eared girl here.
"Since we're here, why don't we go in and take a look?" Hei Dou grinned and said, "A sparrow is small but has all its internal organs. Perhaps this city looks poor, but it has many interesting things inside?"
*Hoo!*
Chen Yu, standing at the city gate, let out a breath.
It was indeed affecting his mood.
It was simply that Chen Yu's expectations for this place were too high, and seeing this dilapidated city caused a significant psychological gap.
If he didn't go in—
"Go in and take a look?"
Chen Yu also murmured, and Hei Dou nodded his little head like a pecking chicken.
"Let's take a look."
Adhering to the principle of "since we're here."
Chen Yu coughed lightly, raised his head, and strode towards the city gate.
Walters City-state.
Arriving at the city gate, Chen Yu could see the words on the city plaque.
In fact, they were no longer very clear. The plaque was covered in dust, and Chen Yu could only make out the general shape.
"These city walls feel like they could collapse at any moment."
Chen Yu muttered.
It was too broken.
It wasn't that Chen Yu was exaggerating. Standing at the city gate, he could see cobwebs under the archway. If this were a vibrant city, how could it be like this?
Moreover, this city-state was strange.
No people could be seen!
Chen Yu stood at the gate and looked inside, but he couldn't see anyone moving. And the buildings inside the city gate also seemed very dilapidated.
"Are we really going in?"
This time, it was Hei Dou who asked nervously.
"Why, didn't you insist on coming? Now you're the one chickening out." Chen Yu glanced at him sideways. "It's not you who said 'since we're here'?"
"This city-state..."
Hei Dou wanted to say something but stopped.
Honestly speaking, this city-state before him was too different from his impression of a city-state.
"What are you panicking about? Since we're here." Chen Yu clenched his fist. "No matter how poor a city-state is, it should at least let me come in and have a look. Look, there are two old men there, let's go and ask them."
"Listen to Big Brother!"
Hei Dou, who was on Chen Yu's shoulder, was now lying down.
Chen Yu walked towards the two old soldiers at the city gate with a smile. The two old soldiers were holding wine gourds, sitting on two wooden chairs, raising their gourds to drink together.
"Hello?"
Chen Yu, walking over, whispered softly.
The two old soldiers seemed not to hear him and continued drinking. Chen Yu frowned slightly and raised his voice a little.
"Hello!"
"Hmm?"
Only then did the old soldier holding the wine gourd turn his head. His face was flushed with wine, his eyes were already a bit blurry from drinking, and he craned his neck, looking at Chen Yu back and forth for a long time.
Then, he suddenly laughed, pointed at Chen Yu, and glanced at his old friend.
"No, no, don't drink anymore. We have guests."
At this time, the other old soldier, who was still drinking, stood up.
"You want to enter the city."
*Gulp.*
Why do these two old soldiers seem a little strange?
Chen Yu muttered in his heart.
With a distressed expression, he softly replied and nodded.
"Ah... ah!"
"Welcome, welcome, distinguished guests. We are sorry for not welcoming you sooner. We brothers will apologize... apologize to you." The two old soldiers raised their wine gourds and took a big gulp.
Chen Yu was dumbfounded.
Apologize.
Meaning, punish themselves with a big gulp?
Ultimately, this was the territory of the city-state, and Chen Yu couldn't afford to fuss. Seeing the two old brothers' faces become even redder, Chen Yu tentatively whispered.
"Excuse me, this... this is a city-state, right?"
"Yes!"
The drinking old soldier staggered outside, pointing at the plaque above.
"Walters City-state."
Walters.
This meant Chen Yu hadn't misread it earlier.
"Our city-state, it's not a deserted city, right?" Chen Yu whispered.
"Deserted city?!" The old soldier immediately frowned upon hearing this. "How can it be a deserted city? If it were a deserted city, why would we old brothers be guarding it? Would we sit and watch over a dead city?"
"..."
To be honest, Chen Yu did have this thought. From the outside of the city gate—
This city-state was too desolate. He had also experienced the undead dungeon, and who knew if he would encounter another dead city.
"Little brother?!"
"Ah?"
"You're asking so many questions, do you want to enter the city or not!" The old soldier suddenly became impatient. "If you want to enter, pay the fee. If you don't, scram quickly, don't delay our drinking."
*Hiss!*
Are they so bad-tempered?
Judging by the posture of these two old soldiers, they looked like they could fight at any moment.
"Don't worry, I'm a traveler, and I'm not very familiar with this place," Chen Yu explained with a forced smile, but the moment he finished speaking, the expressions of the two drunken old soldiers changed drastically.
"Little brother, you're a traveler?"
"Yes!"
"Oh dear, then we're truly sorry." The old soldier, who was fierce and menacing a moment ago, suddenly became amiable and even put down his wine gourd on the table. "Sorry, sorry, we brothers had a bit too much to drink, our attitude might have been a bit poor. Please don't mind it, little brother."
What's going on?
This attitude was a complete 180-degree reversal.
Traveler?
Is their status in the underground very high?
Chen Yu frowned slightly and took a deep look at the old soldiers. From their eyes, he couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but there was a hint of ill intention.
It was exactly like the smile of a unscrupulous merchant who wanted to kill when he saw a live sheep!
--
Author's Note:
Good evening, eat heartily!