CHAPTER 38: INSIDE THE CITY

The guard looked at Zane, a frown formed on his face. He gripped his sword tighter. Zane noticed that.

"Be careful with your next actions, as they might cost you," Zane spoke. His voice was calm, his warning was clear. But something in him already told him that this situation would not go down easily.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" the guard asked.

"It is whatever you take it as. I’m simply saying I’m not going to sit here and wait while you allow some people in," Zane spoke.

The guards finally had enough. He pulled his sword, and in less than a second he swung it, stopping only a few inches shy of Zane’s neck. But rather than Zane being scared, the guard was the one who was scared as he felt the cold sharpness of a dagger next to his neck.

He slowly looked to his side only to see Lucy standing there. Her eyes said it all, his next move would decide if he died or lived.

’How did she get behind me? I didn’t even sense her motions. Who is this woman? I can tell she isn’t here to joke around. Her bloodlust is suffocating,’ the guard thought. He looked at Zane, who simply flashed him a smile.

He slowly retracted his sword and sheathed it. Everyone was stunned, seeing the guard drop his weapon.

Since the guard backed down, Lucy also dropped her dagger. She glared at the guard, but she didn’t move at all.

All the players looked at Zane, wondering who this NPC was and what his background was. If there was one thing everyone knew, it was the fact that mysterious NPCs gave some hidden missions or had some important items on them.

"You can enter inside," the guard said. Zane could literally see the struggle in the man’s voice.

"There is no way I can go in. I have a carriage at the back. With all these people in front, I can’t go in. So simply search them like you are supposed to do and allow us to enter," Zane said.

The guard’s frown deepened, but he couldn’t do anything right now, so he took a deep breath and nodded. "I’ll do just that," he said.

Zane nodded and walked back to the carriage. He could feel the eyes pinned on him, filled with wonder, hatred, and all manner of emotions. He got back on the carriage, and Lucy followed.

"You sure know how to make a commotion and also make enemies," Ava said.

"Enemies are good," Zane replied casually.

"Hmm, but should you be going against the Chosen? They possess talents that we normal people can only dream of," she said.

"I couldn’t care less about whatever they have. And if any come against me, I’ll cut them down and make them regret that they did," Zane said.

The guard finally allowed people to start entering, searching carriages and people before they entered, all because Zane had intervened.

Soon enough, Zane’s carriage pulled up to the front. The leader of the guards signaled at them not to search the carriage and simply allow them in.

Ava rode the carriage in, and the moment they passed the gates, they were welcomed by a magnificent city.

They were met with houses several stories high, made with fine bricks and carved stones. Some were two stories and some went up to four stories. Their beautiful tiled roofs added the finishing touch to the beauty.

The smell of rust filled the air, coming from the metal pipes that lined the walls of houses and went down into the ground into an underground sewage system.

It flowed under the cobblestone-paved roads, large enough for three carriages to stand side by side. The streets were lined with street lamps powered by some crystals. They were turned off at the moment because it was day.

Right from the entry of the town, it was already filled with life, some shops among the homes.

"Ava, what do you know about Blood Iron City?" Zane asked.

"I don’t really know much about the city, but I know it’s a hotspot for adventurers, blacksmiths, and mercenaries.

Its technology isn’t as advanced as some other cities, but it has its charm. Also, they worship the god of fire, Ignis, and the god of darkness, Tenibris, here.

But over some time, their worship has shifted into some sort of constant battle for which god should be worshipped. Small doctrine driven cults have broken out, and small wars and battles have happened as they try to push their doctrine.

Especially those that serve Tenibris, stay away from their doctrine at all costs. Humans tend to be obsessed with the idea that they have to serve a higher being, and they’ll go the extra mile to make sure their beliefs are shared.

Demons know that the gods exist and are powerful, but we do not regard them as creatures worthy of worship," Ava said.

"I see. And no one has stood in the way of their fighting?" Zane asked.

"No. I believe their connection runs deep, and so no one can really stop it. But all that aside, the city is massive, and the highlight is the dungeon. If you want to train and also gather resources, that’s the place to go," Ava spoke, sounding like someone who was advertising a product.

"How do I get the permission to enter the dungeon?" Zane asked.

"You’ll have to go to the adventurer guild and become one," Ava said.

"Hmmm, so it’s still the same with the game. If I register, I’ll be the lowest rank, an F-ranked adventurer. It will surely limit how deep I can go into the dungeon," Zane thought.

He knew very well how the system worked. He’d probably be allowed to go down only five floors as an F rank. It was how the game worked.

If he wanted to go down more, he would need to kill enough monsters and gather enough points to take the assessment to go to the next stage.