Chapter 181 The Capital’s Armies

"Lord Mage, let me go! I'll tell you who ordered me." The middle-aged man quickly uttered a name with a noble surname and begged Shaoke to release him.

"Shatter his Aura and leave him in the ice and snow to wait for rescue!" Shaoke swiftly devised what he considered a merciful solution, then turned to the middle-aged man. "Next time, don't attack the army. That's not something you're cut out for."

Several riders followed the mage's instructions, quickly shattering the man's Aura. After confiscating all his belongings and knocking him unconscious, they piled thick snow on him. Some soldiers even fetched water to carefully pour over the outer layer, ensuring the icy casing remained smooth.

After finishing this task, Shaoke collected some items from the two mages, primarily their spellbooks and spell records. Once this was done, everyone resumed their rest, as it wasn't yet time to continue their journey.

The cavalry, including the Cavalry Captain, were not surprised by how Shaoke handled things. After all, when handling prisoners they couldn't take along, they had done far more cruel and bloody things. One rider even complained that if there had been trees nearby, they would have made a proper cross to nail him to. This was the fate of those who opposed the military and failed; no one would sympathize with such attackers.

Taking the staff from his back, Shaoke put out the Green Flame on it once more. Now he needed Meditation to recover. The recent battle, especially the casting of the last two Fourth-level Spells, had used up a lot of his mental energy and mana. In such a state, Shaoke badly needed to rest.

Throughout the night, after completing his meditation, Shaoke wrote down what he'd learned from casting spells that day. This task wasn't finished until dawn.

The cavalrymen looked over their work from the previous night with satisfaction before resuming their journey. Of course, some were displeased, mainly because the middle-aged man encased in ice had died long ago. They didn't know if he had frozen to death or suffocated. The Cavalry Captain flatly refused the riders' request to conduct a detailed examination of the corpse.

For the rest of the trip, Shaoke and his group encountered no further attacks. As for the noble name mentioned by the middle-aged man, after inquiring in a small town ahead, they discovered he was a military noble. Following a brief exchange, Shaoke and the others decided to forget what the middle-aged man had said, as the noble in question was the highest-ranking military officer in that town. They couldn't believe that a noble officer would attack them, let alone dispatch such Low-order Warriors for the task.

The number of merchant caravans on the road increased. After consulting the military map, the Cavalry Captain excitedly informed Shaoke of his discovery: they were only about ten days away from the imperial capital. Naturally, with the road getting better, their pace quickened once more. After all, everyone wanted to end this tedious journey as soon as possible.

"Mage Xueye, the imperial capital is just ahead." After more than three months of travel, the Cavalry Captain had grown familiar with Shaoke and thus addressed him as requested.

"It's been many years since I last returned to the imperial capital. This time, I must take a good, long rest here."

Standing on the carriage shaft, Shaoke watched as the Cavalry Captain and the other cavalrymen were all excited. He just gave a slight smile. He knew that since these cavalrymen had been promoted to warriors at the Bloody Fortress, they had never left that place. Through their stories, Shaoke learned that they also participated in combat similar to that of mages, but they operated in groups. Each time, a hundred warriors of the same rank would form a team and engage in battles with warriors from the Desasi Empire in the wilderness, continuing until one side was completely annihilated or scattered.

Beneath the towering city gates, over ten meters high, a dense crowd flowed in and out. The Cavalry Captain handed the documents proving their group's identity to the mages guarding the gate and waited quietly for their inspection.

A mage saw the military department's seal and the small black emblem of the Death Mage Corps appear on the black scroll. He promptly returned it to the Cavalry Captain and cleared a wide path, allowing Shaoke's group to enter the imperial capital first. Although this action caused some grumbling from merchants attempting to pass through the gate, under the suppression of dozens of mages, the merchants didn't say anything else, merely grumbling quietly about the military department's high-handedness. Of course, they kept their complaints low, though the mages and warriors guarding the gate could still hear them.

A hundred-strong cavalry unit moved slowly through the crowded streets. Some carriages even deliberately blocked their path, further slowing their progress. Eager to report to the military department, the cavalrymen and Shaoke grew increasingly frustrated. At the Cavalry Captain's signal, one rider even drew his saber and hacked fiercely at the body of a carriage blocking their way.

The carriage owner was highly displeased with this action and instead stopped in the middle of the wide street, shouting insults at Shaoke's group. Just as Shaoke was nearly unable to restrain himself, the Cavalry Captain abruptly drew his saber and ordered his men to surround the offender. Fortunately, he retained some self-control, merely instructing the cavalrymen to swiftly hack apart the cargo-laden carriage before letting the terrified owner go.

"Mage Xueye, I've never encountered such a situation," the Cavalry Captain complained as he approached Shaoke's carriage after the cavalrymen trampled over the precious silks and other goods. "If this were the Bloody Fortress, I would have definitely chopped off that bastard's head and used his corpse to mop the streets."

"Such things don't happen in the Bloody Fortress," Shaoke remarked, glancing at the crowd cursing loudly behind them and frowning slightly. "Control your emotions. Since we've already reached the imperial capital, we don't mind a slower pace." He then rubbed his head, signaling the Cavalry Captain to sheathe his saber.

"I just wanted to report to the military department early so I could take them around for a bit. After all, we can't stay in the imperial capital for too long," the Cavalry Captain added. "I have family here. It's been nearly twenty years since I last saw them." He spoke somewhat irritably, pulling a small box from his chest, quickly opening it to glance inside before tucking it away again.

As Shaoke and the Cavalry Captain conversed, their progress slowed once more. The carriages ahead refused to yield, and pedestrians paid no heed to the military unit. Despite the cavalrymen's constant shouts, the people continued unhurriedly examining goods at roadside stalls or chatting and laughing with companions.

Observing the pedestrians in luxurious attire and the beautifully decorated or heavily laden caravans, the Cavalry Captain struck his own head in frustration and apologized, "I'm sorry, Mage Xueye. I realize we chose the wrong route. Although this path is closer to the military department..."

Before the Cavalry Captain could finish, events ahead interrupted him. The sound of rapid hoofbeats approached, and pedestrians ahead scrambled to avoid the oncoming riders. Even the bulky, cargo-filled carriages miraculously maneuvered aside under their drivers' control, clearing a path about ten meters wide.

A group of over thirty cavalrymen, clad entirely in black armor, wielding lances, and wearing visored helmets, charged swiftly toward Shaoke's group. These cavalrymen showed no concern for the pedestrians on the road. From Shaoke's perspective, even if someone failed to dodge in time, the Black-armored Cavalry would not slow down in the slightest, as the front row had already leveled their lances.

Faced with this unfamiliar Black-armored Cavalry unit, Shaoke and his group tensed up immediately. Just as they prepared to yield according to the Bloody Fortress's customs, the Black-armored Cavalry slowed their charge and retracted their lances.

Seeing this signal, Shaoke understood they were the target. Sure enough, the leading Black-armored Cavalryman, after the entire unit halted, stepped forward and asked, "Are you the group returning from the southernmost border? Could the mage display his insignia?"

The black scroll was presented once more, but Shaoke did not comply with the request. He remained standing there, cloak drawn tight, quietly awaiting their response. The Black-armored Cavalryman briefly examined the scroll in his hand, gave Shaoke a cold glance, and then signaled for them to follow.

This time, their pace noticeably quickened. However, the Black-armored Cavalry did not lower their lances but held them angled slightly upward. Nevertheless, pedestrians on the road swiftly cleared a path wide enough for three carriages to allow the group to pass.

After exiting that street, the group switched to another. Although the number of people on this street was no less than the previous one, a central path about seven to eight meters wide remained completely empty. Only when Shaoke spotted something resembling a zebra crossing from his previous life did pedestrians cross the center to reach the other side. However, as the cavalry unit approached, those crossing quickly cleared the way.

Upon reaching this point, Shaoke felt a sense of familiarity. After all, this was the normal appearance of imperial capital streets! The central road was reserved exclusively for military use. Everyone else, even a duke, was forbidden to walk on it. Otherwise, being struck by rapidly passing military units or causing delays for the army would lead to severe consequences. As for the peculiar incident on the previous street, Shaoke pondered it briefly before dismissing it. After all, he had no interest in such matters.