I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world.

Chapter 129 Smart Man

After several more days of enduring wind and rain, they finally found shelter from the elements.

Everyone in the group was emaciated and dressed in rags. The once high and mighty nobles were now only exhausted and numb.

Their faces were covered in dust and exhaustion, but their eyes shone with a faint light.

Because, right at the edge of the horizon, the outline of the kingdom's capital—Erosia—stands majestically like a mirage!

The long and arduous journey is finally drawing to a close.

The towering city walls stretch endlessly like a mountain range, built of hard, massive stones, gleaming with a solid sheen in the sunlight.

On the city wall, countless guards stood like sculptures, and every hundred meters there was a towering arrow tower.

Faintly visible runes and magic circles flowed across the city wall, emitting a faint halo.

The spires of churches and towering castles are partially hidden deep within the city, with glimpses of residential areas with smoke rising from chimneys and the occasional beam of magical light soaring into the sky.

"Look! It's the capital! We've arrived!" Count Reinhardt pointed with a trembling finger at the massive city in the distance, his voice hoarse with relief and ecstasy.

He acted like a child, with tears even welling up in his eyes.

Baron Fabio and General Brandon also excitedly leaned out of the carriage.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar capital, their eyes instantly filled with hope and relaxation, as if all their fatigue had been washed away in that moment.

"We...we've finally survived!" Baron Fabio murmured incoherently, his fat face now filled with excitement and joy.

All the surviving nobles in the procession erupted in uncontrollable cheers, and the exhausted guards joined in with deafening roars, raising their weapons high to celebrate this hard-won victory.

The horses seemed to sense this joy as well, and their steps became lighter.

"Lord Jack! Thank you so much for escorting me all this way!" Baron Fabio rushed out of the carriage, his voice trembling as he tightly grasped Jemin's hand. "If it weren't for you, I probably would have perished on the road..."

Count Reinhardt also stepped forward, his steps unsteady. He took a heavy, gold-plated chest from his attendant, filled with glittering jewels and gold coins, and respectfully handed it to Jemin.

"My lord! This is just a small token of our appreciation! Please accept it!"

At the same time, he solemnly promised again: "Upon arriving in the capital, my family will do everything in our power to secure the highest honor from the royal family for you, my lord!"

Jemin took the box, glanced at it, and nodded with a smile, though there was a hint of mockery in his eyes.

These nobles appeared to be thanking him, but in reality, once they reached a safe zone, they began to subtly probe him again.

Should I say they truly deserve to be called nobles?
This speed at which they turned on each other is simply outrageous.

The group waited for the guards at the capital's gates to inspect them, while Jemin observed the capital's defense system.

The city gate was tall and imposing, with a deep moat in front of it, and the drawbridge slowly descended.

The city walls were heavily guarded and equipped with defensive weapons such as catapults and giant crossbows.

The patrol team would pass by every few moments, and the city walls were engraved with intricate magic arrays that emitted faint energy fluctuations.

With so many nobles present, the inspection proceeded very quickly, and the procession soon got moving, slowly driving into the city.

The first thing that catches the eye is the wide, flat stone-paved street, lined with shops on both sides, and bustling with pedestrians.

Neat sentry posts lined both sides of the street. The city guards, clad in silver armor, had sharp eyes and were full of spirit, a stark contrast to the scattered soldiers of Golden Harbor.

Children played and frolicked on the street, while vendors enthusiastically hawked freshly baked pastries and colorful silks.

In the distance, the majestic castle spires pierce the clouds, and the bells of the various temples ring out one after another, solemn and magnificent.

This is the true heartland of civilization in the Erosian plane.

As soon as the nobles' carriages entered the city gates, they attracted the attention of the residents on the street.

Despite their tattered clothes and mud-covered carriages, their status could still be discerned from the luxurious materials and the arrogance that their weariness couldn't conceal.

Some sharp-eyed residents recognized the crests of prominent families such as Count Reinhardt engraved on the carriage, and immediately burst into a murmur of discussion and exclamations.

"My God! It's Count Reinhardt! They...they actually came back alive!"

"Wasn't Golden Harbor captured? How did they escape?"

"Judging from their disheveled appearance, they must have suffered a lot..."

Count Reinhardt, inside the carriage, peered through the curtains at the bustling capital, feeling a long-lost sense of security. The fatigue and fear he had suppressed for days were finally released.

He quickly snapped out of his relief at surviving the ordeal and his gaze sharpened.

"Quickly! Send men to the palace immediately! To all the temples! Report 'all' of Lord Jack's heroic deeds!" Count Reinhardt leaned out and gave the order to the servants following beside the carriage.

As an old servant who had served the count for decades, the servant immediately understood the meaning behind his master's words and nodded respectfully, "Yes, master!"

Upon arriving in the capital, the convoy drove directly into the noble district.

The streets here are wider, lined with luxurious mansions of various styles, each showcasing the owner's status and wealth.

When the carriage stopped in front of Count Reinhardt's family mansion, the gates were already wide open.

The butler and servants lined up at the door, their faces pale, clearly having been worried about the safety of their master for a long time.

"Master! You're finally back!" The butler, tears streaming down his face, rushed forward with a sob in his voice.

Count Reinhardt, without bothering to wash the dust off his face, immediately summoned Baron Fabio, General Brandon, and several other surviving nobles for a secret meeting in the mansion's hall.

"Gentlemen! We are only alive thanks to Lord Jack!" Count Reinhardt's voice was hoarse but firm. "We must immediately report Lord Jack's heroic deeds to the King and fight for everything he demands! This is not only to fulfill our promise, but also for our own safety!"

He gave General Brandon a meaningful look, hinting at the presence of those "jackals" in the capital.

Baron Fabio nodded heavily, his fat face filled with fear and caution: "The Earl is right! Those relatives in the capital... they are probably already waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves, or even want our lives! Only by pushing Lord Jack before the King and making him a hero of the kingdom can we gain protection!"

General Brandon glanced knowingly at Count Reinhardt, understanding his meaning.

When they left Golden Harbor, in order to escape, they must have chosen only the most loyal servants and guards; there could be no "traitors" among them. Even so, along the way, a steady stream of orcs were able to accurately track them down and come after them.

And each time, this Lord Jack was able to perfectly defeat his opponent.

If we're talking about who has the biggest problem, it's definitely Lord Jack.

But what Baron Fabio said was also true; the forced evacuation from Goldenport cost them most of their strength.

When facing other relatives who are eyeing the country covetously, it is indeed necessary to have someone of sufficient influence to act as a deterrent.

Similarly, this Jack, whose origins are unknown, is naturally the best "henchman".

He said in a deep voice, "I will personally write a report detailing your great feat in Goldenport."

“Very well, I will also write a report and submit it!” Count Reinhardt laughed upon hearing this.

Thus, a report of "heroic deeds," polished and embellished yet still impactful, was delivered to His Majesty the King's desk as quickly as possible.

In the report, Jack is portrayed as a powerful mercenary who fights not for money, but for the kingdom and honor. His strength is exaggerated to the point of being almost divine, and he turns the tide in desperate situations, saving the bloodlines of several important royal families.

Your Majesty, Ottorec III, is a monarch in the prime of his life.

When the two nobles' reports were presented, he was overwhelmed with worries about the orc invasion and the war at the front.

When he saw the two reports, a look of amusement immediately appeared in his eyes.

"Is this man truly so incredibly brave?" Ottorec III put down the report and tapped the table. "What do you think?"

The chief minister bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Count Reinhardt and others have personally testified, and the small number of guards they brought also corroborated the contents of the report. This 'Jack's' power is indeed extraordinary."

"Don't play dumb with me!" Ottorec III rolled his eyes without any decorum. "I don't believe you can't see the problems with this guy."

The chief minister remained expressionless, saying, "Your Majesty, this Mr. Jack is indeed of unknown origin. Based on the Earl's report, he is most likely a spy planted by the orcs. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim..."

"Alright, alright, stop pretending to be ignorant. The fact that none of the five legends from Goldenport escaped shows that the orcs' attack force was extraordinary. How could they possibly let a group of nobles survive under such circumstances?" Ottorek III waved his hand.

"We're scheduled to meet with the orc delegation in a few days, and then this guy suddenly appears. It would be strange if he wasn't a spy for the orcs. The real problem isn't this guy..."

The chief minister chimed in, "If that's the case, then openly recommending this Jack suggests he's just a pawn in the open, and the orcs probably have other accomplices hidden inside..."

"The nobles who came in with you...?" Ottorec III sneered. "They do fit the character of those cowardly fellows."

"What should we do with Jack? Rumors about him have spread throughout the capital. It would be unwise to arrest him without evidence."

"Why arrest him?" Ottorec III tilted his head. "If we arrest him, we'll never catch the 'rat' that's hiding."

"You want to..."

"He has performed such a great service, of course he deserves a great reward!" Ottorec III rose from his throne.

"He's just a pawn who's not even a legend; there's no point in capturing him. It's more valuable to keep him around in the capital!"

"understand!"

Soon, Jemin received a notification from the Kingdom's minister.

"Jack! By order of the King, you are hereby appointed as the Kingdom's 'Special Advisor'! You will have a special position within the Kingdom's intelligence department, enjoy absolute freedom of action, and have access to all publicly available historical archives, geographical atlases, and intelligence agency information!"

"Your duty is to provide the kingdom with your 'advisory' advice, without any tedious responsibilities. In addition, His Majesty will grant you a residence in the capital to commemorate your achievements!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Jemin bowed and accepted the medal and documents from the royal guards without expression.

“Mr. Jack, congratulations! It’s rare to see someone receive such a favor so soon after arriving in the capital.”

The minister who issued the order immediately turned from a serious expression to a beaming smile when he saw Jemin accept the document.

Jemin also softened his expression, saying, "I must thank His Majesty the King for his grace..."

After exchanging pleasantries, the minister reluctantly left with his guards after Jemin handed him a bag of gold coins with a smile.

Turning to look at the house that now belonged to him, Jemin glanced at the medal in his hand, and the smile on his face gradually turned mocking:

"Top-tier advisor...? That sounds like a nice-sounding position."

However, it's just that it sounds nice.

They appear to have a good position and considerable power, but in reality, they have no real authority.

The available information is only "public" information. The problem is that whether or not information is made public depends entirely on the mood of the royal family.

As for the so-called freedom of movement, just take it with a grain of salt. Jemin estimated that his range of movement was probably similar to that of an ordinary nobleman.

In conclusion, aside from this house teeming with surveillance cameras, all that Jemin got was a nominal position.

“However…just what I wanted!” Putting away his medal, Jemin looked at the house in front of him with a genuine smile of satisfaction on his face.

Just as he said at the beginning, everything is going according to his plan.

"It seems the publicly available information from the wizarding camp was correct; this Ottorec III is indeed an ambitious and intelligent man."

Fortunately, he was a smart person. If he had been a reckless person, it would have been more troublesome. But a smart person would have thought things through more.

"In their eyes, I'm probably just a spy abandoned by the orcs, right? After all, the way I pass on information about the caravan to the orcs is too rudimentary."

As he pondered, Jemin smiled and pushed open the gate, taking a stroll in the courtyard of his newly acquired mansion.

Jemin's methods were not particularly sophisticated, and he had many weaknesses.

As a wise monarch, Ottorec III would naturally not overlook these flaws.

But for Jemin, his objective was already achieved when they saw him as an orc spy.

It doesn't matter what identity he is perceived as, because from the beginning, his only goal was to disguise himself as someone from "this world".

(End of this chapter)