Xingtie, started with a guitar, and made a living by singing

"Hey—don't interrupt us and ruin the atmosphere when we're feeling so emotional!"

"Hey?"

"Don't forget to learn the good things, but learn the bad things!"

Even though Xing's frivolous smile was really annoying, San Yue Qi couldn't bear to slap her in the end.

After witnessing some beautiful things, Ji Zi felt that she was very redundant, but being able to see such a happy scene made the trip worthwhile.

Of course, before that, we need to properly sort out what needs to be done.

She clapped her hands gently, like a teacher coaxing students back to their seats.

"Alright everyone, while being close is a good thing, we still have plenty of time to bond after we get back. So let's get down to business, okay?"

Moreover, the fairy girl in front who was so aggrieved that she almost bit off her sleeve was also very pitiful.

As she finished speaking, everyone noticed that a huge, hazy city had appeared ahead of the road.

……

Unlike the small towns we had seen before, the deeper we went into the western front, the more we found that the scale of these border towns gradually became similar to what one would imagine as a military stronghold.

Towering city walls, tight patrols, massive artillery. The defenders were either numb, solemn, or hushed. Beyond that, the rapid, relentless voice of the prosecutor responsible for processing those entering the city could be heard.

"Pass, pass, pass!"

Since the front line has not been completely captured, the Emerald City is still holding on. In addition to the adventurers who come to do commissions from the kingdom, there are also messengers sent by the city asking for support, and more are people who have fled from the front line.

But the caravan that came to transport a large amount of supplies consisted only of the pioneers.

The guards observing from the top of the city wall also apparently noticed them and quickly came down in the elevator.

However, unlike the welcome that March 7 had expected, when he saw them, the guard officer with a fierce face started cursing.

"What's wrong with you people from the Border Chamber of Commerce? How long has the agreed delivery date been overdue? Do you know how many people are so hungry that they can't even hold a weapon and can only lie at home waiting to die?"

"...This, this isn't our fault." San Yue Qi anxiously tried to explain, but the guard officer didn't even look at her. Instead, he waved his arm toward the soldiers in the rear and ordered, "Move all the supplies in."

"Yes!"

A group of soldiers wearing simple armor quickly gathered around and prepared to dismantle the cargo, while the pioneers standing in front of the supply vehicle were pushed away and completely ignored as if they were air.

"Hey! You guys, stop unloading, these are not all for you!"

San Yueqi wanted to stop him, but as soon as he grabbed the other person, he was frightened by the hungry and emaciated face and bloodshot eyes.

"Step aside!"

The other party shouted coldly, and was about to continue moving the goods, but a spear blocked his way.

Dan Heng had no expression on his face, but his intention to stop was obvious, which made the soldiers around him who were still carrying goods immediately stop what they were doing, draw their blades and surround everyone.

The guard officer looked indifferent and asked coldly, "What do you want to do?"

"That's what you guys want to do, right?! A vicious person came up here for no reason. And even if you're in a hurry, you can't just take all the goods for yourself! There are other cities ahead that haven't received supplies yet!"

March Seven asked angrily.

"Out front? You mean the besieged Sunset City? Do you think those half-buried guys have any chance of getting supplies?"

The guard officer sneered and was about to make some mockery, but when he noticed the silver nameplates hanging around the necks of several people, he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

This made Mimiya, who was already feeling infuriated by their contemptuous attitude, even angrier. She stepped forward, grabbed the guard's collar, and said angrily.

"what are you saying!?"

"Are those long ears of yours just for decoration? Or do you not understand the common language of mankind?"

The guard pushed her away, his expression growing increasingly impatient.

"If you don't want to die, get away from me. If it weren't for the troubles brought by you adventurers, the situation on the front wouldn't be so bad."

Noticing certain key words, Sanyueqi repeated them subconsciously.

"The trouble brought by the adventurers?"

"So, you guys don't understand anything. You need others to explain everything to you. It's useless to say it! When it gets dark, you can stay outside the city to feed the monsters, but I will withhold the supplies."

The garrison officer continued to order the soldiers to transport the goods, while Xing subconsciously looked at Wendy to see if he had any ideas.

But the emerald bard simply stroked his chin and said with a sigh, "Everyone doesn't seem very friendly."

"?" Are your reaction nerves too slow?

Even though it seemed like what he wanted to say was mixed up with what he really meant, Wendy obviously understood what she meant, and he just smiled and said.

"Don't worry, Jizi is here. Let's see how the adults handle it. Isn't it good to gain some experience?"

Just as Wendy said, when the soldiers were about to take action, Ji Zi walked out leisurely and calmly. When she appeared in her dust-free white dress, which looked like the one she would wear to an aristocratic banquet, she obviously became the focus of the whole audience.

There were even some men breathing heavily, but Ji Zi just ignored them and went straight to the guard officer.

She seemed to carry some kind of invisible aura. The guard who had originally treated her as just a vase found himself unable to utter a single offensive word when she approached.

"Mr. Garrison Officer, I believe there are many misunderstandings between the Chamber of Commerce and the Emerald City that need to be resolved, including some necessary information exchange."

Ji Zi narrated slowly and the garrison officer listened silently. To those around her, this might be seen as preferential treatment given by men to beautiful women, but in fact, only the person involved did not think so at all. His back was already soaked with cold sweat.

"Until then, I think we need to refrain from being rude to each other. You say—right?"

There was a gentle smile in those fiery red eyes, but in the eyes of the guards, it was even more terrifying than a demon that chose its prey.

All this stems from the thorn rose badge she wears, which symbolizes an important cadre of the Chamber of Commerce.

As mentioned previously, the highest rank a wilderness adventurer could reach was Silver. Beyond that, the Adventurer's Guild wasn't authorized to grant Gold or even Platinum rank, requiring one to join a major faction to obtain it.

As far as he knew, the person who had been awarded such a badge in the past was the financial backer of the previous brave team, and his influence spread throughout the kingdom.

It seems that I have provoked someone who should not be provoked.

Chapter 164: Sunset City and the Pretender

Compared to a mature and reliable adult like Ji Zi, everyone obviously did not expect that this conflict would end in such a dramatic way.

Even March 7 was puzzled by why these guys had become so polite.

Dan Heng was not surprised. When Ji Zi did not come to them immediately, it was obvious that she had something else to do, not to mention that at the end of the consultation, Tope's attitude towards Ji Zi explained something to a certain extent.

But not everyone is qualified to represent the Chamber of Commerce. No. According to Ji Zi's methods, she might be the one in charge.

As for Wendy, he was still busy trying to comfort the furious Mimiya, who looked like she was ready to fight.

Although she gradually became softer after going on adventures with everyone, she was previously a woman who could curse without any expression and even didn't mind using force.

After all, she is an adventurer, and a female forest person. If she is not aggressive towards others, she will easily be targeted by illegal organizations such as slave-catching groups.

After entering the city, the Chamber of Commerce's supplies were temporarily stored and guarded by the coachmen, while everyone went to a temporary base inside the city to talk.

Apart from the garrison officer's resentment towards the city lord, which was so strong that it was about to overflow, he didn't know much more than everyone else.

The only thing worth discussing in detail is what he mentioned earlier, the disaster caused by the adventurers.

It is said that it is a team of well-known adventurers who came from the royal city. The captain is the Huibi Paladin of the Church of Mother Earth, and the team members are basically senior silver-level adventurers.

From the perspective of strength, having such a strong man of the Gold Rank leading the team, even the king of a country would have to show courtesy to this team.

But even such a highly promising team failed miserably when they set out to the rear of the monsters to launch a decapitation operation against the demon general. Not only did they fail to complete the mission, they were also killed in return, and even the bodies of the team members were desecrated with necromancy.

This not only caused a sharp drop in morale on the front line, but also leaked a lot of intelligence, resulting in heavy casualties among the coalition forces.

The logistical supply routes were probably discovered at this time, making the border line completely infiltrated like a sieve.

But when it comes to this, it's just a matter of shirking responsibility. The worst-off adventurers not only died in vain, but also bore an infamy that is difficult to wash away. It shouldn't have come to this.

But the key to this matter is that the failure of this decapitation operation was due to the betrayal of the team members by the Huibi Paladin.

Although the source of the information is unknown, some say that it was seen through observation magic, but was concealed for fear of further lowering morale.

There seemed to be an endless and chaotic quarrel on the front line about this matter, which even further fostered distrust of the members of the Earth Mother Cult.

They were still engaged in internal strife even when disaster was imminent, which made Mimiya frown even more, and Ji Zi also looked thoughtful. She only believed three-tenths of this hearsay news and left the other seven-tenths for further investigation.

In response to this, the guard officer with a face full of flesh also frowned and sighed.

"—I know you won't be satisfied with what you hear, but this is the truth that best fits the current situation. As for whether it's true or not, before you came, we, the guys who barely survived on grass roots and tree bark, didn't have the time to think about such things."

"You guys... you've really worked so hard..."

San Yueqi, who had been somewhat angry with the garrison officer before, now calmed down a little.

As for the garrison officer, he did not bring up the past again, as that would be embarrassing for both sides, so he just continued to speak.

"Anyway, that's all I know. As for you, you're planning to continue on to Sunset City on the front line, right?"

"Yes."

Ji Zi nodded.

"What advice do you have, garrison officer?"

"It's not really about guidance...but, within the scope of what you can reveal, could you answer a question for me?"

The guard officer glanced at a few people, and his tone, which had been dull all the time, finally changed a little.

"Will you become the next decapitation team?"

"..."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this. Mimiya, who was about to blurt out "No", was frozen by everyone's silence.

"That's a really direct question. I thought you'd be more oblique."

Ji Zi maintained a faint smile and asked back.

"If it were before the city lord fled, I would probably have done the same. But now... there's no need. I believe you've already experienced how dire the situation on the western front is when you came here."

The guard officer gave a wry smile and looked at the soldiers outside who were obviously so exhausted that they were about to faint at any moment, but were still forcing themselves to stand guard.

Most of them were not adults, some did not even have armor, and their clothes did not even fit them well. The weapons they held could only repel low-level monsters like goblins at best. They would be nothing more than snacks against monsters like trolls, and their deaths would be meaningless.

"You mean the fleeing group..."

San Yueqi lowered his head, feeling a little depressed.

"It seems you did encounter them. So the damage to the goods was also due to giving them some, right?"

The garrison officer had looked at the inventory list and also noticed the expenses other than those related to losses during the journey.

"how do you know?"

"You look like the kind of pushovers who would do that."

He shook his head, his tone not joking but sighing.

March 7, who originally thought he was going to hold someone accountable, immediately lowered his head and hesitated, not knowing what to say.

However, the other party never showed any contempt, but stood up.

"Alright, I don't have any more questions. I'll just treat this as travel expenses. After you spend the night in the city, you can set off."

After saying that, he walked straight out the door and began to distribute supplies and discuss more matters with his adjutant.

As for those who were left here alone, they were surprisingly not angry at all when they saw how impetuous he was.

"Alright everyone. Now that the Emerald City delivery has been completed, it's time for us to get some rest and recuperate."

With his thoughts in mind, Ji Zi smiled and dismissed the assembly, asking everyone to return to the rooms arranged by the garrison officer and wait quietly for the next day.

Silent all night.

The next day, when they set out from the Emerald City, they could still see the guard standing on the wall, watching them leave.

The soldier next to him seemed to be saying something to him, as if new bodies had been discovered, but such things happened every day. The guard officer did not pay much attention to it and just continued to watch the team go away.

In this way, before sunset the next day, everyone finally arrived at Sunset City, the front line of the western front.

This city is much larger than the Emerald City and is protected by a transparent magic shield at all times, but the solemn and oppressive atmosphere has not diminished at all, but has become even heavier.

The huge transport convoy gradually approached the city, and the inspectors below quickly came up to begin the entry inspection.

It can be seen that the identification tool they used is more advanced, it is a pure white crystal ball.

This is an identification tool developed by scholars who believe in the God of Knowledge. It can detect normal humans and those disguised as monsters.