novelraw Chapter 106: Kakh City Observations
Chapter 106: Kakh City Observations
Even from several dozen meters away, Li Wei felt an intense physiological discomfort. He wanted to vomit, but immediately held it back.
Furthermore, he immediately thought of the carriages he had seen the afternoon before yesterday that looked like prison carts.
Was it the Witch being burned?
Was it a real Witch or a fake one?
Was she ultimately not rescued?
Or was she secretly swapped out?
Li Wei didn't look anymore. He turned his head and hurriedly left. This scene that caused him such a massive shock was probably the most commonplace sight on this land in this world.
This world was perhaps truly not simple.
As for that Black Blood Witch, other than burning her to death with fire, was there any other way to kill her?
During the second half of the journey, Li Wei walked very fast until the dilapidated city walls of Kakh City clearly appeared ahead.Wild dogs roamed everywhere by the roadside here, biting and fighting over fresh—or not-so-fresh—unidentified chunks of meat or rope-like things...
In addition, he even saw with his own eyes a swarm of terrifyingly large rats openly scurrying about in the ditch.
At this point, he finally walked out of the indescribable sense of unreality that had filled his brain.
The omnipresent stench was announcing that he had entered an area ravaged by the Plague.
But he had no other choice.
The good news was that there were clearly still many living people in Kakh City. These people must have, like him, experienced the first stage of the Plague, gained immunity, and survived.
However, one could still see the devastation this Plague had wrought upon this place.
The roads were uneven and potholed, houses had collapsed, trees had withered, and an aura of death permeated the air.
Occasionally, one could see bloated, pale corpses soaking inside the stinking roadside ditches.
After seeing Li Wei, a pack of wild dogs actually started barking, attracting several other packs that surrounded him, intending to order takeout!
Li Wei swung his Iron Spear wildly for a while before finally scaring them off. Had this been a weaker woman or child, they probably would have been in danger.
As he gradually approached within five or six hundred meters of Kakh City, the environment paradoxically became relatively better. Although stinking puddles and yellow-white filth were still visible everywhere on the ground, at least there were no more corpses or various body parts to be seen.
There were even some farmers holding spears here—perhaps they were conscripted militiamen patrolling to drive away those red-eyed wild dogs from a certain perimeter.
When Li Wei passed by, these militiamen all widened their eyes, staring at the ferocious blood wolf head he carried in his hand. They continuously whispered amongst themselves, with traces of fear in their eyes.
Li Wei looked straight ahead without turning his eyes. He didn't plan on keeping a low profile, as this wasn't a problem that could be solved by keeping a low profile.
Leaving everything to that blood wolf head would suffice.
Sure enough, not a single militiaman intercepted him.
And Kakh City truly appeared right before him.
It was impossible to determine exactly how large Kakh City was. Based on visual estimation, the perimeter might be between four to five hundred meters.
But this city wall was absolutely vastly sturdier than the Camp's wall, and its level was also higher.
Perhaps several hundred years ago, it was new and veteran players who built and developed Kakh City here from nothing to something, from weak to strong.
Who would have thought that several hundred years later, this city would instead seemingly welcome an apocalypse.
Li Wei looked up and saw a flag hanging on the moss-covered, dilapidated-in-many-places city wall. Two soldiers wearing Leather Armor were lazily leaning against the top of the wall chatting under the sun.
The city gates were wide open without any soldiers standing guard, yet there was a Tax Collector viciously glaring at every pedestrian intending to enter the city.
Outside the city walls, there were also large numbers of shacks. They were low, flimsy, and pitch-black. Something was being boiled outside some of the shacks, and several children with massive heads and tiny bodies stared at the food inside like vultures.
Occasionally, one could see people lying motionless inside the pitch-black shacks, or one person motionless while another moved frantically. In the face of starvation and death, certain ancient industries were always this vibrant with vitality.
But Li Wei didn't see the merchant caravan from the day before yesterday.
Of course, there was no lack of decent-looking people either. For instance, Li Wei saw a farmer leading a goat, a peasant woman carrying a rooster, and two men carrying a wild boar.
It seemed Kakh City's basic order was still in a maintainable state.
Entering the city required paying a tax. The farmer leading the goat and the one carrying the rooster each paid one copper coin, while the men carrying the wild boar were charged five copper coins.
When it was Li Wei's turn, that Tax Collector looked him up and down a few times. It wasn't until he saw the ferocious blood wolf head hanging from his hand that his originally absent-minded attitude immediately underwent a complete transformation.
Even his facial expression was force-controlled for a solid three to five seconds.
When he looked at Li Wei again now, something called reverence had appeared on his face.
"Please wait a moment."
With that said, he turned his head and ran. Before long, four soldiers rushed over imposingly, rapidly and violently driving away the onlookers before surrounding Li Wei.
Then, a burly middle-aged man with a bulbous red nose strode over, escorted by the Tax Collector. Surprisingly, he was wearing a set of full-steel half-body plate armor, holding a fully steel canister helmet in one hand and a Mace in the other, with a shield slung over his back.
This set of equipment was too fucking elite.
Furthermore, although this middle-aged man looked like he was suffering from a hangover, he walked over with the swagger of a dragon and the stride of a tiger. His gaze was murderous. His strength was probably no less than that of the former Thomas!
Obviously, this should be a military officer, or a knight.
It was hard to imagine that with Kakh City in such a dilapidated state, it could still afford to support a knight.
At this time, that middle-aged man arrived in front of Li Wei. He snatched the blood wolf's head and casually looked it over a few times before nodding. "Are you a Bounty Hunter?"
"Yes, my lord. I come from Weir Province."
Li Wei spoke vaguely, not explaining the cause and effect, because he definitely wasn't in league with the Witches. This blood wolf head was the greatest proof.
"Weir Province? I can hear it, my friend. Welcome to Kakh City. If you wish to stay here for a period of time, perhaps you could do some work for me, such as cleaning up those noisy wild dogs outside the city."
That middle-aged man nodded once more, then waved to the Tax Collector. "Process this Bounty Hunter's city entry procedures, and distribute his bounty at the same time. The great Lord is generous."
"As you command, Lord Knight Commander!"
The Tax Collector respectfully received the order. From then on, that middle-aged man didn't say anything else. He left carrying the blood wolf head, with the four soldiers following closely behind.
After Li Wei and the Tax Collector watched this Knight Commander leave, the latter finally produced a scroll made of parchment, with some unrecognizable characters written on it.
"Friend, Kakh City welcomes you. Holding this document, you can freely enter and exit Kakh City for the next ten days. But remember, after the city gates close at dusk, they will not be opened for you. Additionally, you may stay at the Mare Inn, which is also Kakh City's only inn."
"Furthermore, if you encounter any Bandits or rascals, you can absolutely seek the help of the guards—for just a small fee."
"Of course, if you're looking for work, there's no need to trouble the honorable Lord Knight Commander—just come to me. You saw those disgusting wild dogs outside the city, right? Go kill them. For every one you kill, I'll give you a copper coin. Make sure to bring back the dog heads!"
Speaking up to here, this Tax Collector smilingly handed him five silver coins.
Damn, this is the bounty?
Li Wei glanced at him in astonishment, but this Tax Collector just kept grinning.
"Many thanks!"
Li Wei accepted the five silver coins. He was here to buy salt, not to genuinely act as a Bounty Hunter, so there was no need to fuss over it.
However, the instant he took the silver coins and stepped through the gates of Kakh City, several lines of information silently emerged before his eyes.
[You gained 50 Kakh City Reputation points. Your relationship with Kakh City is Neutral. You may enter Kakh City and purchase corresponding supplies. However, some shops in Kakh City may not be open to you, and many merchants might deduct from your purchased supplies or hike up prices on the spot. Even the Tax Collector will embezzle from your bounty. You may need at least 100 Kakh City Reputation points to purchase supplies freely here and avoid being bullied.]
[Friendly Reminder: When your Kakh City Reputation reaches 500 points, the Lord of Kakh City will grant you an audience and discover that you are his biological nephew. Please make your choices carefully.]
[Warning: Although you have been living in Weir Province over the past few years, there might be some people in Kakh City who can faintly recognize who you are.]
Eh?
Holy shit!
Li Wei was slightly taken aback, but still braced himself and walked into Kakh City, because he had no choice.
After entering the city, he swiftly looked around. The castle wasn't large, and although its layout was chaotic, one could still discern it at a glance.
In the northwest corner should be the fortress where the Lord resided. It was as high as five stories, making it very magnificent. Coupled with the elevation of the terrain, it possessed the effect of overlooking the entire city.
In addition, this Kakh City lacked a central axis, and it was unclear how many city gates it had, yet it was still clearly divided into several districts.
With the Lord's castle as the center, to the left should be a sprawling training ground, as well as stables. Well, actually they couldn't be seen, blocked by rows of stone houses, but Li Wei could hear the neighing and galloping of warhorses, and seemingly the sounds of cheering.
A place where horses could run surely wouldn't be small. Therefore, Li Wei felt his previous estimation wasn't accurate enough; perhaps the circumference of Kakh City had to be six hundred meters or more. After all, this was not a square-shaped city.
The stone houses near the training ground were all very imposing, some even having two stories, or even three-story attics. This was absolutely not a place where ordinary people lived.
With a single glance, Li Wei could see a number of signs. Some had hammers carved onto them, some had scissors, and others bore unrecognized guild emblems.
These should be the industrial, commercial, and handicraft workshops necessary to support a castle and its surrounding Farmsteads.
Blacksmiths, stonemasons, carpenters, tailors, butchers, and the like.
Even if Kakh City had been struck by the Plague, it was impossible for all these industries to close their doors for good.
However, behind these stone houses, near the Lord's castle, there should also be military barracks and such. In short, this side could be classified as the residential area for nobles, the wealthy, and civilians.
Overall, it still looked somewhat tidy. Li Wei even caught glimpses of some flowerbeds in the gaps between the houses.
Correspondingly, there was the other section. It was also the smallest part of the city, occupying only one-third of it. Various messy wooden houses were built wherever space permitted, like stacking toy blocks, with a narrow passage running down the middle. However, near the right side of the city gate, there was a clearing about the size of a basketball court, which should be the market.
It was even more foul-smelling here. The stench of fish, blood, feces, and sweat all mixed together, making him feel like he had arrived in a putrid slum.
It clearly hadn't rained recently, yet the ground here was covered in mud and puddles. And this water was definitely not normal water, but some sort of liquid.
The good news was that he saw the carriages of those merchants, as well as that covered wagon. He even saw a certain generous and wealthy passenger unzipping to pee right there, as if nobody was around.
Business had started early on the covered wagon. There were already people lining up outside, and a certain kind of sound could be heard endlessly.
What a vibrant and happy day indeed!