Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1954 1926. Sunyin City

After receiving the mission from Baizhi, Lan En secretly sneaked out of Rodel later that day under the cover of darkness.

Although there is a large army pressing in from the outside and besieging the city gates, it is actually impossible to completely prevent people inside from coming out or people outside from going in during a siege.

Because the so-called containment is all aimed at large-scale military forces.

If it's just one person, they can easily blend in, either by disguising themselves or by using advanced technology to sneak around. The target is simply too small.

On the other hand, the main tactic of siege warfare is to deplete the city's resources and cause the enemy inside to collapse.

As long as it doesn't cause a large-scale replenishment or flow of personnel and materials, even if one or two people occasionally slip through, it won't have much of an impact, and people won't bother to manage it.

A few days later, Lan En once again set foot on the land outside the walls of Rodel.

Without the protection of the powerful prayers on the city wall, Lann's foot was buried directly in the loose soil when he stepped on it.

—The ground near the city wall had been loosened by the aftershocks of the forces clashing during the siege.

The dull thud of horses' hooves sinking into the ground echoed from the side. Lan En watched speechlessly as the Qilin stepped out of a large basket.

"If I had come down with the plush ball, I wouldn't have needed any help at all; I could have crawled down on my own!"

The Qilin simply tossed its head, completely unconcerned.

"Xilulu!"

"What are you saying? If this dilapidated wall of Rodel had even a slight protrusion, I could easily jump down to it, one step at a time! The noise level might even be lower than yours! It's their fault for building such a smooth wall!"

The Qilin raised its hoof, gesturing to Lan En.

Any slope in the city wall that is less than 90 degrees is considered a slope. Even if it is 90 degrees, with the strength and physique of the Qilin, it can basically carve out a foothold.

But Rodel's walls could withstand even the power of a demigod, let alone a Qilin.

"Let's go, meow!"

At this moment, the plush ball jumped off Lan En's back and then bounced onto the Qilin's head, with the kitten calling out softly.

Lan En immediately mounted his horse, and Qilin also became more discreet.

From the perspective of the Witcher on the city wall, observing the demigod alliance, Lann basically didn't see a single patrol along the way.

The Qilin thought it was just taking a stroll here.

But in reality, it was Lan En who led it left and right, perfectly avoiding the tracks of all the patrol teams.

The smell of gunpowder gradually dissipated more than ten kilometers away from the walls of Rodel.

The ground also became normal and solid.

The wind on the plateau rustled through the golden shrubs and weeds, carrying the scent of nature.

With hooves pounding the ground, Lan En rode the Qilin swiftly toward the northern edge of the Yatan Plateau.

Along the way, due to the insufficient accuracy of the map, they had to climb up the protruding stone pillars from the ground from time to time, or stand on the top of the collapsed ruins to compare the terrain from a high vantage point.

It was late at night when Lann came down from the walls of Rodel, and by the time he arrived in Sunshade City, it was already dawn.

This was also the perfect time to visit a nobleman.

Under the inconspicuous sun and the golden light of the trees, the Altai Plateau appears even more dreamlike and magnificent at this time of year.

However, amidst this landscape that resembled leaping gold, what appeared before Lan En and his two companions was a sickly, lush green.

The Witcher remained expressionless, while the velvet ball and the Qilin merely peeked out curiously.

The Sunshade Castle before us is indeed a medium-sized castle.

However, unlike other castles in the border area, this castle stands on a large expanse of green, viscous liquid that resembles a small lake.

The liquid was like a swamp, and sometimes it would bubble up from below with a "plop".

However, because the liquid was so viscous, the sound of the bubbles bursting was like the sound of thick porridge boiling over.

Beneath the liquid, something seemed to be wriggling, creating slow, persistent ripples visible on the surface.

Within this green liquid that resembles a small lake, looking into the distance, one can see a special plant with flowers the size of a bus.

That's a Miranda flower, a carnivorous flower that eats and attacks people.

Miranda flowers are fragrant, vibrant, and have a rich aroma, making them a raw material that perfumers have used since ancient times.

The group of small flowers beneath its large flower look exactly the same, differing only in size.

"The Mare family uses the corpses of executed criminals to grow these flowers. Just like the rumors say, they don't care about them at all," Lan En muttered to himself. "They don't prune them regularly, and they've grown this big."

Perfumers are medical professionals who stay away from combat, and the use of Miranda flowers as their raw material actually poses very limited danger.

But the prerequisite is 'young plants'.

Miranda flowers, which have been cultivated to the size of a bus, are even described in historical records as emitting aggressive prayers.

Lan En rolled off the bed, walked to the edge of the green liquid, squatted down, reached into the disgusting liquid, scooped up a handful, and brought it close to his nose. The stench immediately became even stronger.

However, even when Witcher was still doing quests to fill their stomachs, they had already greatly improved their tolerance for dirty environments.

So Lan En remained calm, simply assessing his physical condition by referring to the data flashing on his retina.

In a short while, Lan En shook his hand, grabbed a handful of golden weeds from the ground, and rubbed off the residue on his gauntlet.

"Indeed, it's poisonous. But the toxicity isn't strong."

As he spoke, Lan En turned and looked at Qilin with a questioning gaze.

The Ancient Dragon of the New World returned a look that said, "Are you kidding me?"

The horse continued walking straight ahead, completely oblivious to the fact that its hooves were stained green with venom.

He also nudged Lan En, who had just rolled over, with his horn, asking him to help him lift the silk rune cloth hanging beside him so it wouldn't get dirty.

The green liquid wasn't deep, and the Qilin walked straight into this large patch of venom, reaching the city gate of Sunshade City.

Lan En and Qilin swaggered around, and given their already conspicuous appearances, they were easily spotted before they even reached within fifty meters of the city wall.

With a 'whoosh,' a crossbow bolt struck the Qilin's hoof and pierced its thick venom.

Lan En tilted his head to look, but tense shouts were already coming from the city wall.

"Who is it?" A soldier poked his head out from behind the battlements of the city gate. "Whoever it is, Sunshade City is closed now. If you don't have urgent business, you should go back!"

"Open the city gates," Lann shouted to the soldiers. "I am an envoy from Rodel. What? Does the Lord of Sunshade City now dare to openly disregard Rodel's orders and his envoy?"

Judging from the soldiers on the city wall, Lan En thought they had been instructed to be perfunctory and evasive.

However, the Witcher took the initiative and, without any intention of hiding his whereabouts while the royal city was still at war, directly revealed his identity as Rodel's envoy.

If his envoy isn't afraid of being discovered by the demigod alliance, then it's the people of Sunshade City who should be afraid.

After all, even now, the leader of the demigod alliance, Gavya, advocates 'reclaiming his own right of succession and status,' and has never intended to deny the Golden Dynasty as the main body or start anew.

Even he dared not deny the status of the royal city, so how could the Lord of Riyin City dare?
Sure enough, after Lan En introduced himself, a sudden and unprepared panic and commotion broke out on the city wall.

Someone hurriedly ran down the city wall, probably looking for someone in charge.

The soldier who had just shouted, clutching his helmet, swallowed hard and shakily poked his head out: "Please, please wait a moment! Your Excellency! Our city lord is coming right away! He'll be here shortly!"

Most likely, they had never seen such an important figure as the envoy of Rodel in this remote castle of Sunshade.

The commotion inside the city continued for a while, while Lan En remained outside the city, using his extraordinary hearing to gather information.

Then he heard the voice of a middle-aged man who was somewhat weak and panting. The appearance of this voice quickly calmed the commotion, and it was clear that he was someone who could take charge.

The city gates of Sunshade City are the kind of drawbridges that, once opened, form a ramp that extends straight up from the pool of venom to the clean ground inside the city.

Lan En patted the Qilin's neck and walked towards the city gate.

A figure, completely covered up, was already standing inside the city gate, arms outstretched in welcome.

Lan En showed no sign of anything unusual or guilty. His face, illuminated by the sunlight and the golden tree's glow, appeared aloof and unapproachable.

The unicorn's hooves trod up the hill along the city gate and into the city.

Lan En sat on his horse, looking around. The soldiers on the city wall were fully armed, a sight rarely seen outside of wartime.

But this probably wasn't for his own sake either.

Because Lan En could only see curiosity in the soldiers' eyes, not the hidden killing intent and panic.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few perfumers walking around on the city wall. This profession, which is only prevalent in the royal city of Rodel and whose members are all of high social standing, seems rather out of place in a remote castle on the Yatan Plateau like Sunshade City.

"Greetings, Your Excellency Envoy." After Lan En finished looking him over, the man who had been greeting him from behind the city gate finally spoke, "Please forgive me, cough cough, I really didn't receive any news that the royal city would send an envoy. This is truly an honor."

The subtext of this statement is that Lan En needs to prove his identity.

Judging from his voice, he was the one who had just given orders and calmed the noise in the castle.

So Lan En dismounted and looked at him.

The man was dressed in typical aristocratic attire from the Golden Dynasty: a long robe and trench coat with an exquisite lining. His trench coat even had numerous tassels hanging from it.

He wore a mask on his face and a hood over his head, covering his entire body so that not a single inch of skin was exposed.

“I am Lann,” the demon hunter said, winking deliberately to make sure there was no golden light in his pupils.

The nobles of the Mare family indeed received the information with keen sensitivity.

The faded one, directly under two fingers. This immediately completed the identity verification.

The nobleman then bowed slightly in respect to the 'majesty of Rodel' that Lann represented.

"I am truly sorry for not welcoming you sooner! I am Mare Mare, the head of the Mare family and the lord of Sunshade City. Welcome to Rodel's envoy!"

(End of this chapter)