A faint sound emanated from the stone carving nestled in the profound and dense forest, and the stone door depicted upon it was mysteriously pushed open.
This marked Glen's second visit to this very place.
The corpses of those ogres had already been disposed of by some unknown beasts, yet the putrid stench of decay still lingered in the air.
Glen merely furrowed his brows. His primary intention this time was to pay a visit to the main city named Kaeladria.
He aimed to gain an understanding of the local housing prices and also explore a magic materials exchange.
"I'll clean up the vicinity upon my return," he murmured. Then, just as he had done before, he sprinted towards the direction of the main city.
As one of the preeminent large cities in the kingdom, Kaeladria witnessed a more substantial influx and efflux of people compared to most other main cities.
Consequently, a significant number of kingdom soldiers and knights were stationed at the city gates, equipped with a plethora of means to accurately identify malevolent entities.
Ordinarily, a werewolf like Glen would have had no hope of slipping through, but he had now managed to conceal his lycanthropic nature.
To gain entry into the city, one required a permit document issued by the local authorities, which Glen lacked. Thus, he concealed himself among the goods of a merchant caravan.
Fortunately, the soldiers and knights were primarily focused on detecting malevolent beings and were rather lenient regarding other aspects.
Once they were certain that the merchant caravan harbored no evil, they promptly granted passage.
Glen remained hidden among the goods until half an hour after the caravan had passed through the city gates. Only then did he stealthily slip away unnoticed.
He stood beside a street, gazing at the imposing buildings surrounding him and the dark smoke billowing from the factories in the distance, contemplating which direction to take.
The crowd in the main city was even denser than what the original host had remembered. The majority of them were from the middle class, and everyone seemed to be in a hurry.
The clamor of the multitude was so overwhelming that Glen was unable to discern any useful information.
Just then, a young man wearing a duckbill cap walked by. Glen hailed him, "Hello! Friend, could you spare a moment to give me some directions?"
"Sorry, sir. I'm in a rush," the young man replied curtly and promptly walked away.
Glen let out a sigh. Just as he was about to seek someone else to ask, a boy's voice sounded from the side, "Excuse me, sir. Do you require the services of a guide?"
He turned his head and beheld a brown-haired youth, approximately sixteen or seventeen years of age, looking at him.
"Yes, I do need one."
Upon hearing this, the brown-haired youth's face immediately lit up with joy. "Sir, what are you looking for? I'm quite familiar with this area."
"Let's settle the price first. I assume your guiding services don't come free of charge?"
Glen was in no hurry. Since this place was close to the city gates, he only intended to complete his tasks in the vicinity and expected to be able to return early.
The main city was vast, and it was simply impossible to explore it all. So, there was no need to venture deep into the central area... he thought to himself.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The brown-haired youth hesitated for a moment. Finally, after sizing Glen up several times, he smiled and said, "Twenty copper coins per hour should suffice, sir."
The charge was by the hour. Although the price was rather steep, it was acceptable... Glen paused briefly and then nodded in agreement. "First, take me to the nearest magic exchange."
Upon hearing this request, the youth was momentarily taken aback. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, but after sizing Glen up once more, he regained his resolve.
"What's the matter? Don't you know the way?" Glen, having naturally noticed the changes in the youth's expression and demeanor, inquired.
"Of course I do, sir. It's just that it would be advisable to use a carriage or some such means of transportation to get there. This is to save you time," the youth said earnestly.
"I see. Go and summon a carriage. I'll naturally cover the cost," Glen said, appearing indifferent.
"Yes, sir!" With that, the brown-haired youth turned around and vanished into the crowd.
Glen found a nearby bench and took a seat.
After a short while, the youth arrived in a carriage that was more exquisitely decorated than those in Dude Town and stopped by the roadside in front of Glen.
"Please step in, sir!" the brown-haired youth invited.
Glen confirmed the price with the coachman before boarding the carriage.
...
Filna.
During an otherwise uneventful afternoon, a slight tremor suddenly shook the ground.
In Hank's farm, the workers who were engaged in their tasks were startled and fled towards the open area.
However, the earthquake subsided after just a few seconds.
The group stood there, looking at each other in bewilderment, and waited for a long time. Only when they were certain that there would be no further tremors did they resume their work.
Unbeknownst to them, in the wilderness several kilometers away from the farm, a crevice a hundred meters in length split open in the ground.
A chilling laugh that instilled fear in the surrounding creatures echoed from the crack.
Meanwhile, in the police station of Dude Town, a police officer rushed into the sheriff's office, clutching a telegram code in his hand.
Dogli snatched the item from the officer's grasp and began to decipher it with great care.
Telegrams had already been invented in this world and were currently employed solely for emergency communication among certain official institutions.
And the information transmitted via telegram from above was always something that those below were expected to take seriously.
Due to the limitations of the local conditions, the police station in Dude Town did not have a dedicated code-breaker. It was the literate sheriff himself who had to decipher the telegrams.
When he finished deciphering the content of the telegram, Dogli couldn't help but tremble slightly, and his eyes glazed over.
The content of the telegram read:
A suspected invasion by the demon race is imminent. Urgently organize an evacuation!
Dogli composed himself and suddenly turned his head. "Assemble all the police officers! And I mean all of them! On the square outside the station! Hurry!"
The officer did not dare to delay. After responding affirmatively, he turned and dashed away.
Dogli, on the other hand, hastened towards the room where the telegrams were stored.
He intended to send a telegram to ascertain whether those above would dispatch someone to deal with this matter.
However, his concerns were unfounded.
For, ever since the diviners from the upper echelons had divined that the demon race would appear within the kingdom's borders, the entire kingdom's leadership had immediately taken notice.
Regardless of the accuracy of the divination, they had to make preparations. The consequences of a successful invasion by the demon race were simply too dire to contemplate.
In addition to the Knight's Temple and the Magic Alliance, the only church permitted to exist in the kingdom, the Church of Saint Sylvie, would also dispatch its forces.
In a spacious hall, several magnificent pillars, carved from the bones of precious and colossal magical beasts, supported the dome. Intricate and beautiful magic runes adorned the dome.
The floor of the hall was as smooth as a mirror, and a rich current of elements and magical energy coursed through it.
A group of individuals clad in white holy robes knelt devoutly on the ground, forming a protective circle around an elderly man in the center, who was seated cross-legged with his hands in a gesture of embrace.
He was the individual with the highest divination proficiency in the kingdom and also a general of the kingdom. People referred to him as the White-Clad One.
Diviners were also considered mages, for divination was a form of magic. However, they dedicated themselves exclusively to the study of divination, eventually evolving into a distinct category.
The White-Clad One had dedicated his entire life to the art of divination. This not only elevated his status but also enabled him to achieve numerous military victories by foreseeing the enemy's actions through divination, earning him the moniker of the kingdom's "Invincible General".
At that moment, they were conducting a divination ritual, a unique creation of the White-Clad One, which had the ability to significantly penetrate the obscurities of divination.
The demon race had evidently made extensive preparations for this invasion, employing a multitude of anti-divination measures. Nevertheless, the White-Clad One had still detected something amiss.
After reporting to the higher-ups, the White-Clad One used a more reliable method to confirm the situation once again.