A few minutes later, Xi Xi landed gracefully on a bluestone platform outside the city, reverting to her human form in a flash of silver light.
Quick was already waiting there. Seeing them land, he greeted them warmly. “Young Master Po Kong, honored guests, please follow me to the registration office to handle the entry procedures.”
“It’s always easier when you know people,” Po Kong said with a grin.
He waved his companions over and casually slung an arm around Quick’s shoulder as if he’d never left. “I remember the Gryphon Patrol was just being formed when I left. Now you’re even handling patrols for the outer city?”
Quick lowered his voice and gave a bitter smile. “A lot has been happening in the Royal Capital lately. The city’s defense level has been raised more than threefold.” He pointed toward the newly added turrets on the city walls. “Even elites like us have been assigned to rotation duty.”
“Hmm? Surely the Magic Grand Arena doesn’t warrant such a grand display? I don’t remember it ever being this exaggerated!” Po Kong’s interest was piqued by Quick’s explanation.
“Well, Young Master Po Kong, you have no idea...”
Quick was only halfway through his sentence when he saw Po Kong’s expression change. The young man looked toward the line at the city gates with a conflicted gaze.
“Save it for later. Who is that squad guarding the gate? No way... could it be...?”
“Huh? The Gold-Clad Guards? Why are they standing guard at the gate? That’s not right!” Quick followed Po Kong’s gaze and saw a squad of knights clad in white-gold armor lined up neatly at the entrance to the capital.
Po Kong’s expression became quite the spectacle. The hand on Quick’s shoulder tightened instinctively. “This is bad, this is bad! Little Star, let’s turn back right now! We need to find another gate to enter through. We definitely can’t go this way!”
The group was bewildered by Po Kong’s sudden change of heart, but they followed him as he quickly turned around.
Quick swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. “Young Master Po Kong, maybe... maybe we shouldn’t run? Isn’t doing this a bit too...?”
“Shut up and move!” Po Kong ignored his hesitation, practically dragging him away.
But before the group could take more than a few steps, the rapid sound of hoofbeats echoed from behind them. Along with the hoofbeats came a sharp, clear feminine shout.
“You people in front! Halt! What are you doing skulking around here?!”
Starlight turned at the sound and saw a snow-white warhorse galloping toward them. Seated on its back was a valiant blonde female knight. She wore light white-gold armor, and the twin sword crest on her chest shimmered in the setting sun.
The female knight skillfully pulled the reins, and the warhorse’s front hooves reared high into the air. Her brilliant blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail that traced a beautiful arc behind her head with the movement.
From behind her visor, a pair of emerald eyes as sharp as a hawk’s looked down at the group, scrutinizing them.
“This person is strong!”
Seeing the other party’s overbearing manner, Xia Duo immediately went on high alert, resting her palm on the hilt of her sword.
Starlight also sensed a faint pressure radiating from the female knight. Although she hadn't fully released her aura, she was definitely powerful—perhaps even stronger than Po Kong...
Wait, Po Kong? Why did the family crest on this knight’s chest look so familiar? No way.
Thinking of this, Starlight turned his head late to look at Po Kong. He saw the young man shrink his head back before turning around with a forced smile. “Uh... Hey, Big Sis. Long time no see. I really didn't know you were here! I just... I just suddenly remembered I forgot something... Let’s talk later, okay?!”
“Po Kong-Mars! You stay right there!”
The female knight let out a roar that made the banners on the city walls tremble. Po Kong instantly froze in place as if he had been hit by an immobilization spell.
She pulled off her helmet, revealing a pretty face that shared several similarities with Po Kong’s, though it was currently twisted slightly in anger.
“Three years! Three whole years without a single word! The family nearly turned the entire continent upside down looking for you! If Big Brother hadn’t sent word recently, we would have thought you’d died out there!”
She dismounted with the force of a thunderclap, her armor clanking loudly. With every step forward, a crack appeared in the ground. Her momentum made her seem like a humanoid dragon.
Even Xi Xi, an actual dragon, was so frightened she hid behind Moen, only daring to peek out with one eye.
“Well... wait! I can explain...” Po Kong backed away step by step, his face filled with embarrassment.
“Explain? Explain it to my sword!” The female knight gave a cold laugh and drew a greatsword from her back, swinging it toward Po Kong without another word.
“Hey! Big Sis, are you trying to kill me?!”
Po Kong was startled by the incoming sword qi. He instinctively reached for his weapon to block, but for the sake of convenience, he had left the Sacred Wood Phantom with Starlight. His hand grabbed nothing but air.
At that moment, Xia Duo suddenly stepped forward. Her tall figure blocked the path between the two, and she swung her sword to parry the descending blade.
The massive force caused the ground beneath her feet to sink an inch, but Xia Duo did not retreat or flinch, steadily catching the blow.
She frowned slightly and looked at the female knight calmly, her eyes devoid of fear. “Big sister... please don’t be so unreasonable. We are in a hurry to register and enter the city.”
For a moment, the scene fell deathly silent. Nearby, Quick had already covered his eyes in despair.
The female knight narrowed her eyes, sizing Xia Duo up, before suddenly letting out a light laugh. “Interesting. It seems you’re the rumored elf girl.”
With that, she suddenly sheathed her greatsword and leaped back onto her horse. She looked down at Po Kong with a condescending glare. “Big Brother was right. Po Kong, you’ve managed to find some decent companions! Also, don’t forget to crawl back home tonight. If you don’t... you know the consequences!”
After dropping those words, the female knight prepared to turn her horse around. Po Kong asked in surprise, “Eh? You’re not here to catch me? Then why is your whole squad blocking the gate with such fanfare?”
“Catch you? Do you think you’re worth deploying an entire squad for?” The female knight raised an eyebrow and said disdainfully, “We have other official business. If you want to enter the city, hurry up and go! Don’t get in the way!”
With that, she rode back to her squad without looking back.
“So, who was that exactly?” Moen asked curiously once Po Kong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Xi Xi also jumped out cautiously from behind her. “That scary big sister... she’s your family?”
“Ah... yeah. Sorry you had to see that, everyone. That humanoid dragon is my second sister, Howling Moon-Mars,” Po Kong explained helplessly, scratching his head.
A look of realization appeared on Starlight’s face. He smiled and said, “You mentioned before that there were two women you couldn't beat. One was Isabella, and the other must be her, right?”
“Little Star, why do you still remember that! That was then, this is now!” Po Kong looked warily in the direction his sister had left and added in a whisper, “If we’re just talking about raw strength, I shouldn’t be weaker than her now. But if it comes down to a real fight, I’m not as crazy as she is...”
Afterward, under Quick’s guidance, the group successfully reached the city gate registration office.
Starlight and the others presented their Adventurers Guild badges, and Maela showed her identity documents from the Copperboot family. Their registration was completed quickly.
However, they ran into trouble when it was Xi Xi’s turn. The dragon girl had no official identification or a valid reason for entry, and she was politely stopped by the guards on duty.
“This young lady needs to apply for a temporary pass.” The registrar pushed up his glasses and looked suspiciously at the ribbon Xi Xi used to hide her dragon horns. “May I ask which noble in the Royal Capital you have an appointment with?”
Seeing this, Po Kong sighed helplessly. He took a token engraved with the Mars family crest from his robes and handed it over. “She is a guest of our family.”
Upon seeing the token, the registrar immediately straightened up and bowed. “So she is a guest of Grand Duke Mars! I will process the special pass immediately.”
While waiting, Xia Duo suddenly asked, “Hey, Po Kong, what’s the deal with the names in your family? Now that I think about it, they don’t really follow human naming conventions. You aren’t hiding anything else from us, are you?”
Po Kong waved his hands frantically. “No, no! You should know by now. The names for our generation are actually derived from our family’s sword techniques. I guess my old man was just too lazy to think of anything else when he named us...”
Rate on N.U.
