Entering the City

When Starlight returned to the battlefield along the same path, the scene before him still weighed heavily on his heart.

Although the individual strength of the caravan's guards far exceeded that of the bandits, they had inevitably suffered significant losses due to the overwhelming disparity in numbers.

Several brave guards had already fallen in pools of blood, and the remaining dozen or so were covered in wounds; the situation was quite dire.

Just as the guards were reaching their limit and were on the verge of collapse, they were surprised to find the bandits' offensive unexpectedly weakening.

It was Starlight's successful destruction of the magic formation set by the black-robed men that had sapped the enemy's strength.

Starlight's timely return acted like a surge of renewed strength for the guards.

These dozen or so men, relying on their tenacious will and firm conviction, stubbornly repelled the bandits' next wave of attack.

By this time, Tara had already commanded the caravan to retreat a considerable distance, making it impossible for the bandits to catch up without mounts.

Now they only needed to temporarily hold back this rabble and then withdraw in an orderly fashion.

As Starlight continuously used magic to block the bandits while retreating, he noticed billowing clouds of dust appearing on the road from the direction of Violet City-State.

Barring any accidents, it was the city defense force, which had discovered the battle through the distress signal and was rushing over at high speed.

The bandits naturally noticed the rapidly approaching city defense force behind them as well. With a sharp whistle, they abandoned the battle and scattered into the depths of the forest like startled birds.

By the time the city defense force arrived on the scene, the bandits had long since vanished without a trace, hiding deep within the dense woods.

The mounted city defense force tried to give chase, but limited by the terrain, they could only symbolically fire a few volleys of arrows in the direction of the flight. For the bandits who had already fled far away, this was hardly more than a nuisance.

After merging with the city defense force, the caravan that had retreated to a distance finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After encountering such a massive bandit group, being able to escape with only a few casualties was undoubtedly a stroke of luck amidst their misfortune.

Starlight listened to Tara continuously expressing his gratitude to the city defense force from not far away, but a sudden sense of unease surged in his heart.

He looked toward the place where the melee had just occurred. Aside from the mess left by the battle, not even a single corpse remained.

“It's understandable for the bandits to take away their companions' bodies, but why were the others taken too? Could I be mistaken? No! Even the bodies of those killed at the very beginning are gone!”

Starlight pondered silently, but under the current circumstances, he couldn't investigate further.

He could only report this strange phenomenon truthfully to the city defense force captain, but the captain was also puzzled by the bandits' bizarre behavior.

Under normal circumstances, these bandits usually only sought wealth and would not easily take lives unless they encountered fierce resistance or there were other special reasons. But today's situation was clearly abnormal, making one feel suspicious.

However, even if they pursued now, they wouldn't be able to catch the bandits. To prevent another sneak attack, the city defense force requested Tara to lead the caravan into the city first and wait until they were inside to decide on their next move.

And so, under the escort of the city defense force, Starlight's group finally officially stepped into the territory of Violet City-State.

Violet City-State covered a vast area, but the part truly enclosed by city walls was only the central area, which occupied less than a tenth of the total, generally known as the inner city.

The vast majority of the land consisted of the outer city, which was made up of dozens of townships of varying sizes.

Each township had several fortresses built as defensive works. Once war broke out, these fortresses could quickly connect into a massive defensive perimeter to support each other.

This unique structure was also a key reason why Violet City-State had stood firm through numerous wars.

However, for the sake of coordination, these townships did not have official names of their own; they were all referred to only by numbers. For instance, the one Starlight and the others were now entering was Township 16.

Township 16 was located at the westernmost edge of Violet City-State and could be considered a relatively prosperous place among the surrounding areas.

Because the Demon's offensives generally came from across the sea to the west, the townships closest to the front lines would undoubtedly find it easier to gather crowds of people.

Although the caravan was escorted back by the city defense force, the entry inspection and questioning were still strict. Not a single check or inquiry was skipped, taking a full hour.

Starlight originally lacked an official identity, and it would have been quite troublesome if he had tried to enter the city alone.

But with Tara's assistance, he managed to obtain an identity through some unknown channel. This meant he could now legally enter any city in the human kingdoms on the continent.

Looking at the identity nameplate in his hand with his name engraved on it, Starlight was very grateful for the old man's help and thanked him repeatedly.

But the old man simply waved his hand, signaling he didn't mind. He told him it was just a small favor and mentioned that without him during the two battles with the bandits over the past few days, the caravan would never have made it to Violet City-State.

After entering the city, Tara had to lead the caravan to Township 20 to unload a batch of goods. This was in the exact opposite direction of Starlight's destination in the city center, so the two had to part ways.

Before leaving, Tara pressed a coin pouch into Starlight's hand containing ten gold coins. He told him this was the payment for his work as a guard over the past few days and told Starlight that if he ever had the time, he must visit Egret City-State, where he would welcome him with open arms.

After bidding farewell to Tara, Starlight set off on his journey toward the inner city alone.

Since he had arrived safely at his destination, he was no longer in a hurry. Instead, he strolled leisurely along the road to the inner city, fully enjoying this rare moment of peace.

Violet City-State, the first major metropolis he had ever set foot in, deeply shocked his soul with its unparalleled prosperity and bustle.

On both sides of the main road, various exquisite houses and countless shops filled with refined goods complemented each other, forming a vivid and brilliant picture.

The wide streets were bustling with people and traffic, a scene full of vitality amidst the noise.

Starlight looked around with joy, trying to take in all the novelty and beauty.

Although the bustle and noise of the big city made him slightly uncomfortable, it was like a key that opened the door to his inner curiosity and desire for exploration.

Driven by curiosity, he spent nearly an entire day slowly traversing through Township 16 and Township 15.

Along the way, he bought many things he had never seen before, and even the backpack on his back was stuffed full.

Finally, as the sky turned completely dark, he arrived near the inner city of Violet City-State.

From a distance, a tall and magnificent city wall came into view, like a loyal guardian tightly enclosing the entire inner city.

This wall that separated the inner and outer cities was over twenty meters high and thick. It was built entirely from massive stone blocks and reinforced with elemental power.

Starlight could even feel the earth magic aura permeating the wall from a hundred meters away, as if every stone contained endless power and resilience.

On the city wall, lighting lamps were hung high every few meters, illuminating the entire structure. Under the light, the wall appeared even taller and more solid.

Starlight couldn't help but sigh with heartfelt admiration once more. “Is this what a big city is like? It's even more extraordinary than I imagined!”

Noah, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, let out a chuckle and said,

“Heh, it's a good thing you came to Violet City-State first. If you had gone straight to Lionheart City or Azure City, your jaw would have truly dropped!”

Starlight didn't mind the hint of mockery in Noah's words. Instead, he asked with even more curiosity, “Oh? Then Noah, tell me, what's so different about those places?”

But Noah had no intention of explaining it all to him. He simply said with a bit of pride,

“There are plenty of spectacular sights on this continent. You can see them for yourself in the future. Describing them to you now is too much trouble. If I were to tell you everything, a few days and nights wouldn't be enough.”

Seeing that Noah was unwilling to say more on the matter, Starlight didn't press further, because by then they had reached one of the entrances beneath the city wall.

To enter the inner city, another round of inspection by the guards was naturally unavoidable. Although Starlight now had a legal identity, facing the questioning alone for the first time still made him feel a bit nervous.