[The editor urged me to write something. I can't do two chapters today, and I'll only do three chapters tomorrow.]
Ainphent patiently burned the bodies of the five mercenaries, dismantled their magic weapons, and put them away in his backpack.
"Salin, we can't stay here for long. The town ahead isn't safe either." Fearing that Salin didn't understand the situation of the Qinyin Empire and its affiliated duchies, he explained patiently, "Even if the town isn't destroyed by black magicians, we might be forcibly recruited if we encounter an army. We have to try to avoid everyone. "
Salin didn't dare to stay any longer. Pulling the five horses left behind by the mercenaries, the four of them hurried on their way.
Ainphent wasn't in good health. Fortunately, he was good at horsemanship, or he wouldn't have been able to hold on. They didn't dare to take the main road. Hiding, it took them five days to reach the border of the Phoenix Duchy.
There were only two roads from Phoenix to the Qinyin Empire. Seeing the city in the distance, Ainphent stopped his horse.
He jumped off and walked to Salin's horse. He took out a badge and handed it to Salin. Salin took it and looked at it carefully. The badge was silver in color and was a little heavy in his hand. It was much smaller than his mysterious badge.
There was a lion totem in the center of the badge, but it was the symbol of the Clyde family. The Clyde family didn't have a fief, but they were earls, hereditary. The silver badge was only given to direct descendants. Those who had the silver badge had the opportunity to enter the core of the family, or even become the next leader.
Although Ainphent had lost the magic string and had no future, his bloodline couldn't be erased, and the family didn't take back the badge. Salin was somewhat dissatisfied. If Ainphent had taken out the badge, Baron Cook might not have killed him.
Ainphent smiled and said to Salin, "This badge is just a souvenir for me now. As long as I become a necromancer, the family will make me a new gold badge. The badge has my alchemy mark on it. Take it to Karen County. My uncle's name was known locally as Lance. He saw the alchemy mark on the badge and will give you the magic potion. "
Salin frowned and jumped off the horse. He grabbed Ainphent and asked, "Why don't you come with me in your current condition?"
"It doesn't matter. My family has people in this city. I have to stay here and prevent Baron Cook from returning to Qin Yin. The three of you, abandon your horses and cross the mountain ridge to avoid trouble. "
Salin was silent. After a long while, he smiled and put away the badge that Ainphent had given him. Then, he took out a gem. The gem was sparkling and translucent. Under the illumination of the sun, there were black threads that looked like smoke or mist, as if they were gently drifting.
He stuffed the gem into Ainphent's hand and patted his shoulder. "Take care."
Ainphent was in a bit of a daze. He looked at the backs of Salin and the others as they left. He clenched the perfect black crystal in his hand and suddenly shouted in the direction of Salin's departure, "Salin, remember to find me after you become a great mage …"
Salin heard Ainphent's shout, but he didn't turn around. He just waved at Ainphent.
If Ainphent was ten years older, Salin wouldn't dare to be close to him no matter what. But now, Ainphent's thin body and sickly face reminded him of his own childhood. The two of them were so similar.
After climbing over dozens of mountains, Salin and the others finally entered the Qin Yin Empire. The border city of Phoenix was very small, but the Qin Yin Empire stationed a large number of troops at the border. It wasn't that the emperor didn't trust the Grand Duke of Phoenix, but that this army was left behind at the beginning of the country's founding. Its main purpose was to prevent the resurrection of black mages.
The scale of the city was huge. It was the first time that Salin had seen such a magnificent city tower since he left Scotia.
Looking from afar, the city tower itself emitted a purple bronze glow, and the top of the city tower was covered with seven-colored glaze. Salin was dazzled. Such a large sum of money couldn't be made by a nouveau riche. The seven-colored glaze was a product of alchemy. With this thing on the city tower, mages below the level of Magic Shooter couldn't even use magic to lock on.
The city wall that was dozens of meters tall was made of huge green steel bricks. Under the light of the setting sun, it glistened. Obviously, to prevent the city wall from being corroded, it was frequently washed (it was similar to the castles in Europe, but on a larger scale).
The closer Salin got, the more he felt the pressure from the city wall itself. There must be a solidified magic array inside the city wall, but there weren't any magic cores yet. Otherwise, the defense magic on Salin's magic robe would be immediately activated.
Even hundreds of thousands of black puppets couldn't do anything to such an impregnable pass.
Salin suddenly understood why the Qin Yin Empire dared to go against the Holy Church and didn't allow the Holy Church to build any churches in their territory. Even the priests didn't dare to enter the territory of the Qin Yin Empire openly.
The foundation of the Magic Empire was so profound that even a city was so thrilling.
The disaster in the Phoenix Principality obviously didn't affect the empire. Perhaps the Grand Duke of Phoenix could still control the situation. This border city was still open, but there were many more soldiers patrolling on the city wall.
If the Grand Duke of Phoenix didn't ask for the emperor's help, the Qin Yin Empire wouldn't send troops into the border.
There were soldiers checking the passing merchants at the city gate, but it was a bit quiet now. Probably no merchants were willing to take risks at this time. There were a lot of mercenaries, though.
Salin's identity as a mage allowed him to enter the city smoothly. The soldiers also exempted him from the entrance tax, but they also took a look at his mercenary badge. Salin sighed when he saw the soldiers at the city gate were all wearing steel armor and carrying Qin Yin's eight-sided sword. The soldiers in Ceylon City were a pile of dog sh * t compared to them here.
Guderian City. Salin remembered the name. It should be someone's name. It was common on the continent to name a city after a person. This person must be a hero of his time and left a heavy mark in history.
Salin didn't plan to stay in Guderian City. He found the Professional Guild and hired ten mercenaries. This time, he even rented a carriage. He didn't even stop to rest. He passed through the city and quickly left the border.
The carriage was spacious and comfortable, and it was expensive.
Salin lay on the soft and spacious seat, facing Neris and Sicar.
"Neris, how's your learning of the common language?"
"Master, I don't even have time to learn." Neris held the book that Salin gave her. It was filled with phonetic symbols. Sicar hugged her club and seemed to be falling asleep. The carriage was unusually stable. It was probably equipped with some alchemist made parts.
"I'll give you three months to learn it. Otherwise, you're not allowed to speak. "Salin was not polite. During the battle with the Headless Horseman, Neris dared to slack and almost hurt Sicar.
"Yes, Master." Neris replied with a bitter face. Salin felt regretful. If the little devil was an adult, he could teach her memory magic. There would be no need to go through so much trouble. Unfortunately, Neris seemed to be far from adulthood. Who knew what kind of damage would be done to her after being locked up for tens of thousands of years.
The empire was peaceful. The carriage traveled on the main road for more than two months and didn't encounter a single group of bandits. The mercenaries Salin hired were very professional. They didn't strike up a conversation with their employer. They just protected the carriage dutifully. They didn't let down their guard even when resting in the big city.
In these two months, Salin had been cautious and didn't dare to use the badge for training. The mysterious badge could increase his spiritual energy, but it would cause him to lose control of his body after using it. Salin was scared along the way and didn't trust the mercenaries. Sicar's injuries were completely healed. He was a little irritated from being cooped up in the carriage every day.
Fortunately, when he woke up, the mercenary knocked on the carriage window and said in a low voice, "Sir Mage, we've arrived at Kushui County."
Salin opened the carriage window. The sun was shining brightly outside, but it was still a little chilly. It was already winter. This was still the center of the empire. It was going to snow soon.
"It's nine days early. Let's say it's ten days." Salin smiled.
"Thank you, Sir Mage." The mercenary was very polite.
"Why? You're not following us into the city? "
"No, we can't take on missions here. We have to pay taxes. Sir Mage, there's no more danger here. We … "
Salin knew that the mercenary didn't want to enter Kushui County. He jumped off the carriage and looked up. In the distance, he could already see a simple and dignified city.
"Brother, I'd like to ask, if I want to see the princess, what should I do?" Salin saw that the mercenary didn't want to enter the city, so he didn't force him. It was only a few minutes' journey.
"You're a mage, you can just visit her directly."
"Hmm, you can take this." Salin took out a cheque from the Scotia Imperial Bank and said, "I don't have anything else on me, I'll give this to you."
This was a cheque worth 100 gold coins. If exchanged in the Qinyin Empire, it could only be exchanged for 90 gold coins. The losses during this process were quite large, but the agreed price was only 50 gold coins. The remaining 40 gold coins were in tips. Before hiring these mercenaries, Salin had said that if they could arrive early, they would get an additional 4 gold coins for each day they arrived early.
Ten mercenaries would work hard for less than three months, and each would get 9 gold coins. For low-level mercenaries, this was not a small income. Moreover, the Empire was peaceful, so this kind of escort mission was the easiest. Even if there were hidden bandit groups, they wouldn't attack such a target.
The mercenaries happily took the gold coins and left, while Salin and the others had to walk into the city.
This city was a bit strange. It was built against the mountains, and was a dangerous place. If attacked, they only needed to attack from the front to trap the people in the city. Of course, the pressure of defending the city would also be reduced. Only a quarter of the soldiers of a normal city would be needed to defend against an enemy attack.
What was even stranger was that the city walls were not built with bricks. They were vertical, and the surface was as smooth as a mirror, without any gaps. There were no Qinyin battlements at the top of the city walls.
The city gates were built very beautifully. The wooden gate opened inwards, and the patterns on the gate were etched with magic. But such a gate would probably be smashed by a battering ram.
Salin and the other two walked into the city with their heads held high. A thick arm blocked their way, and a thunderous voice sounded.
"That little mage, pay your taxes!"
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