novelraw Chapter 248
Chapter 248
Chapter 248: Royal Capital
“Clang~”
“Clang~ Clang~”
Lyon Empire · Royal Capital.
When the first rays of sunlight fell at the break of dawn, the ancient bronze bell rang on time.
This human Royal Capital was gradually being awakened, the bell’s sound, imbued with magical runes, was deep and powerful, as if it had traveled through thousands of years, telling a tale of glory and vicissitudes.
Towering stone walls obstructed the rising sun, they were like giants of this era, hand in hand, encircling this ancient human Royal Capital.
The towering walls, spanning over thirty kilometers, surrounded the town, the bricks fitted together seamlessly, as if guarding against some unknown danger.
Even though they had stood for hundreds of years, the walls here only bore a few mottled traces carved by time.
Within the colossal city gates, standing ten meters tall, buildings of diverse styles were arranged in an orderly and layered fashion. At the highest point of the town stood a solemn and majestic cluster of castle palaces, shimmering in the warm golden morning light.
The Royal Capital.
This was Xia Li’s first time visiting the capital of the human empire.
Even though he had witnessed countless rises and falls of civilizations on Earth and had perused countless online images of buildings from China’s five thousand years of history,
he was still awestruck by the architectural complex before him, brimming with medieval fantasy style.
This kind of visual and auditory impact was far beyond what movies could offer.
“Wow——”
Below Xia Li’s chest, Lucia also poked her head out, gazing at the magnificent town at the end of the road, her mouth agape.
“So beautiful!”
Lucia’s eyes sparkled.
Seeing the modern metropolis of humans on Earth gave her a sense of distance and awe.
After all, she was weak on Earth. She couldn’t afford a room in a building, let alone an entire building.
But it was different in Azure Continent.
In Azure Continent, there were no morals or laws to restrain her. She could follow the law of the jungle and obtain anything she desired.
For example, this Royal Capital before her.
If she wanted it, with a little effort, she could have it.
This feeling of attainability felt more real to Lucia.
Therefore, her gaze towards this ancient human city was more akin to staring at a pile of glittering gold coins.
“One dragon breath should be enough to burn it for a long time!”
The evil dragon remarked with feeling.
Xia Li held her little hand and pulled her back into the carriage.
“How does it compare to Earth?” he asked, quite concerned.
Lucia thought carefully for a moment, then frankly said, “Of course, the skyscrapers on Earth are ten thousand times more impressive!”
“Mm!”
Xia Li was very satisfied with this answer.
To have his hometown receive such high praise from a dragon filled Xia Li with a sense of pride as an Earthling.
“Esteemed guest, you see, would you like to enter with the carriage, or…”
Just then, the carriage door was knocked on by the old coachman, and a humble, slow voice came from outside.
Xia Li poked his head out again.
The security level of the Royal Capital was worlds apart from Taro City.
Crowds of people carrying their luggage formed two long lines at the city gate.
When the carriage arrived at the gate, specialized guards would lead the horses to the inspection point, while everyone in the carriage had to disembark and queue at a smaller gate on the side.
For ordinary people to enter the city, presenting their identification was a basic requirement.
Not only did they need to have their weapons checked, but even their bags had to be taken off and searched one by one.
What concerned Xia Li even more was the diamond-shaped crystal, larger than a human head, hanging on the city gate.
Xia Li had seen this type of crystal in the future Azure Continent.
It was a magical tool for detecting races.
Different races produced different magical auras around them.
The stronger a race’s mastery of magic, the longer the magical ripples around them.
Weaker mixed-blood races might be able to slip through the cracks, but those races posed no real threat to human towns anyway.
However, for a pureblood giant dragon like Lucia, sneaking in was impossible.
Not only that.
Xia Li looked up and faintly saw a transparent, arc-shaped magical barrier.
The barrier enveloped the entire Royal Capital.
This directly extinguished any thoughts of any race trying to break through from the air.
It was hard to imagine how many beast tides and dragon attacks Lyon Royal Capital had endured to implement such defensive measures.
However, the current Lyon Empire was in a period of civil unrest.
The rebels in the east were almost uncontrollable, so such vigilance was understandable.
“Can you sneak us in?”
The difficulty of entering the city was no less than taking Lucia on a plane.
Honestly, looking at this situation, Xia Li felt a sense of despair.
“I can, but you might have to suffer a bit. You’ll need to go to the back of the carriage and hide with my cargo of cattle and sheep.”
The coachman rolled his eyes and replied in a humble tone.
He didn’t bother asking about Xia Li’s identity.
As long as he got paid, it was fine.
Xia Li pondered for a moment, then asked in a low voice,
“What about a mixed-blood?”
“Mixed-blood?”
The old coachman hesitated for a moment and said, “A mixed-blood without identification? No problem, I can hide you in a cow’s stomach…”
“What if they’re very mixed-blood, to the point where the detection tool would sound an alarm?” Xia Li added.
“That…”
The old coachman was a bit troubled. Xia Li’s euphemistic wording gave him many speculations.
“Smuggling demi-humans?”
“Demi-humans with slightly purer bloodlines,” Xia Li added.
Specifically, a pureblood giant dragon.
“…”
The old coachman frowned, his already wrinkled forehead deepening with a troubled expression.
“If it’s just a slight mix, with slightly longer magic fluctuations, I can use an aura-concealing cloak to cover it up… but if the fluctuations are too strong, or if it’s a mixed-blood who has mastered high-level magic, I’m powerless.”
The old coachman said regretfully.
As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently glanced at the young girl behind Xia Li.
He probably guessed that the person who could trigger the detection crystal, as the rich man had mentioned, was this ‘young lady’ behind him.
The coachman didn’t care about the young lady’s true identity.
But it was a pity that he couldn’t take this job.
He had been making a living by traveling between Taro City and the Royal Capital all his life. As a merchant who traveled between the two cities, smuggling a highly mixed-blood, or even a pureblood alien race, into the Royal Capital could potentially land him on a blacklist.
Then, not only would he be unable to continue his business, but he might be directly charged with treason, have all his property confiscated, and be thrown into prison.
That would be a huge loss.
“Or, do you have any other special channels?”
Xia Li pressed on, unwilling to give up.
The coachman shook his head.
The Royal Capital was in a sensitive period now, and he didn’t want to get involved in this mess.
He initially thought it was just a lack of identification, and he could get them in with a little bribe for a document.
But if it was an alien race…
Then he was truly powerless.
Xia Li quietly stared at the old coachman for a moment.
He could somewhat sense the gravity of the situation.
Even this money-grubbing profiteer was afraid…
◈◈◈
Then it’s highly likely that it won’t work.
Unless Xia Li decides to force his way in.
With his sword in hand, a pureblood Silver Dragon behind him…
Turning the Royal Capital upside down wouldn’t be a problem at all.
But then he’d have to weigh the pros and cons.
Doing so would undoubtedly make him an enemy of this world, blacklisted by all of humanity in Azure Continent.
Not to mention how it would affect Xia Li’s future plans…
It would also change Azure Continent’s ‘past’.
In that case, the future here wouldn’t be the future Xia Li once visited.
The impact would be too great, the risk too high.
The best scenario is still to sneak in, get what he wants, and then sneak out, leaving without a trace.
Finally, have a carefree trip with Lucia in Azure Continent, visit the place where Lucia grew up, and revisit the human towns Xia Li once trekked through.
Finally, activate the Plane Teleportation Magic and return safely to Earth.
For Xia Li, that’s the best outcome.
“Maybe I just won’t go in…”
Lucia also observed the apprehension on the old coachman’s face and the worry on Xia Li’s face, so she took the initiative to make this request.
Although she was a bit curious to see the human Royal City…
But if she couldn’t go in, there was nothing she could do.
Don’t be fooled by Lucia being a dragon, she’s actually quite timid.
Especially when it comes to Xia Li, she tries to be as discreet as possible to avoid any trouble.
“Let’s get off the carriage.”
Xia Li led Lucia off the carriage.
First, he took a certificate of departure from Taro City from the old coachman, then he led Lucia in the opposite direction, walking to the end of the carriage line.
“If you’re not going in, where will you wait for me?”
“Outside the city.”
Lucia pointed to the side of the city wall.
“I’ll just sleep here… I still have the sleeping bag Aunt Fang bought for me!”
Unlike the bustling streets inside, it was quite desolate outside the Royal City.
Apart from the lowly servants who couldn’t enter the city, there were only horses grazing and resting with their heads bowed.
Before coming here, Xia Li had imagined that if there were shops or merchants stationed outside the city, he wouldn’t have to enter the city at all.
But no one wanted to stay outside the city gates.
“I shouldn’t take that long,” Xia Li said with a stern face, “I’ll be out soon, by afternoon at the latest.”
“That’s even better!”
Lucia smiled and patted Xia Li’s big face.
“I’ll stay right here!” she said with a bright smile.
The Evil Dragon was still as optimistic and cheerful as ever.
Whenever human locations restricted her, it was Xia Li who felt sorry for her, she herself didn’t feel anything at all.
After all…
That’s just how dragons are.
If she couldn’t get in, she couldn’t get in, she could still have fun outside.
Xia Li held her little hand and led her to the very end of the carriage line.
The only human in the vicinity who could communicate with Lucia was the little girl who had fetched bathwater for them.
The little girl was the old coachman’s servant, they didn’t have the identification to enter the Royal City, so they could only stay in the open space outside the city gate with most of the carriages.
“Little girl, what’s your name?”
Xia Li walked up to the little girl.
The little girl was wearing a dusty hemp garment, her face was dirty with mud.
Seeing Xia Li’s arrival, she timidly hid behind her mother.
Then, after seeing the familiar big sister beside Xia Li, she slightly poked her head out, and mustered the courage to speak to the noble young master in front of her.
“My name is Mina…”
“I’ll give you two silver coins, can you help me watch over my sister?”
Xia Li bent down patiently, speaking in a gentle tone.
Lucia, who was beside him, puffed out her cheeks.
Why was Xia Li casually talking to other girls!
Although the one in front of them looked underage, underage was even more dangerous…
Illegal!
Xia Li was flirting, the Evil Dragon felt a headache coming on because of him.
She secretly grabbed Xia Li’s big hand, squeezed it hard, and drew circles on his palm with her finger.
“Two silver coins…”
The little girl’s eyes sparkled in the morning light.
Two silver coins were a huge sum of money to her.
While the old coachman was unloading, Mina cupped the silver coins in her hands and secretly stuffed them into her mother’s pocket.
“Thank you, big brother… If sister is bullied, I’ll protect her!”
She straightened her small back with a strong sense of responsibility.
Xia Li smiled.
He was very rich now, it wasn’t that he was unwilling to give the little girl too much money, but giving her too much would only bring her trouble.
“No, no, no, if there’s danger, you just hide behind my sister, you just need to play with her for half a day. Keep an eye on her, don’t let her run around.”
Xia Li whispered to the little girl, and then stuffed two candies into her hand.
Mina’s eyes curved into crescents as she nodded vigorously, agreeing to Xia Li’s request.
Only then did Xia Li pull Lucia out from beside him, as if handing a kindergarten child over to a teacher, he handed the Evil Dragon over.
This was under the shade of the trees fifty meters from the Royal Capital gate, no sun exposure, and Xia Li had enough water and snacks in his backpack.
Having Lucia spend a few hours here shouldn’t be a problem.
After settling the Evil Dragon down, Xia Li no longer hesitated, he discussed with the coachman for a while and followed them into the city.
“I’ll coax you when I get back.”
He rubbed the Evil Dragon’s head and spoke in a gentler tone.
“Hmph.”
Lucia pouted.
She was originally going to be jealous and angry.
But after thinking about it, she didn’t want Xia Li to worry, so she reluctantly stood on tiptoe and left a wet mark on Xia Li’s cheek with a kiss.
“I want to eat lots of meat and fish, go in and buy them for me!”
“Okay, mission accepted.”
Xia Li slung the Demon Repelling Sword over his shoulder and pinched Lucia’s soft little face.
Only then did he reluctantly follow the coachman and blend into the crowd.
Leaving Lucia outside also carried a certain risk.
If a passing magician sensed her identity, it would likely cause quite a stir.
But this was a factor that couldn’t be actively avoided.
Moreover, with Lucia’s strength, she wouldn’t be easily defeated by human magicians.
A pureblood Giant Dragon was equivalent to a ninth-level Archmage in the human world.
There were no more than two magicians of this level in the entire empire, so how could Lucia possibly encounter one so easily?
If she did encounter one, Xia Li would return with his sword in an instant.
The fully unsealed Demon Repelling Sword’s magical power was the highest in this world.