The southwest wall guards saw a group of people approaching them. Their yellow clothing was well known, so they were easily recognized.

"The apprentices of the Flying Sword Sect have arrived. Call the leader."

After the watchman's warning, the guards atop the wall started moving to find their chief. A while later, a middle-aged man approached the group of apprentices.

"My name is Goejin. I am the guard's leader for the southwest section of the wall. It is a great honor for me to be in the presence of the apprentices of the Flying Sword Sect." The man made a deep bow, bending his body before the young ones in front of him.

One of the older apprentices stepped forward and said, "My name is Chuang Xurain. I am an apprentice of the Third Flying Dao. Our sect leader sent us here to help protect the city."

"So, what's the situation? Is it true there are signs of a group of magical beasts nearby?" Xurain asked.

Goejin nodded, "Several people from the mines and forests were found dead. Their bodies were scattered in pieces across different places. This started about three days ago. At first, we thought it was a lone nomadic beast, but in the last few hours, dozens of people have been found dead, increasingly closer to the city. The hunters who recovered the bodies said they seemed to be caused by the same type of creature. Because of this, we believe it could be a tribe of beasts migrating toward the city."

"Has anything else happened?"

With Xurain's question, the guard leader continued, "The hunters found some black fur near the corpses, and based on the footprints, they believe the beasts resemble bears. The footprints weren't very deep, so they think they weren't made by particularly large creatures."

Hearing the conversation between Xurain and the guard leader, Tristan's brow furrowed slightly.

Xurain told the guard, "Alright, I think we have enough information. We'll stay here for the next few days to help with this."

The guard made another bow to the apprentices before leaving.

"How annoying having to deal with a tribe of stupid beasts. I'd rather be training for the tournament," Xurain said.

Another apprentice of the Third Dao turned to him and said, "Look on the bright side. If we manage to kill more beasts than the other sects, the bets on our sect before the tournament could increase."

The Third Dao apprentices began talking among themselves.

Tristan walked toward them, seeming like he wanted to say something.

But Jaeng stepped in front of him and spoke:

"Ah, hello, seniors." He made a deep bow.

The older apprentices turned their faces to him, and Xurain spoke first, "What do you want?"

"Hum, I would like to go outside the wall."

"Why? The leader only asked us to stay here. Why do you want to leave?"

But before Jaeng could speak, Ximu answered. "He’s one of the rats born outside the walls. He’s probably worried about his beggar parents being killed by those beasts."

Jaeng shot an irritated look at Ximu and clenched his fists tightly. Ximu stared back at him, unconcerned with his fellow apprentice's hostility, a mocking smile on his face.

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The older apprentices laughed at this.

"Whatever, you can go if you’re so worried about those peasants."

"I would like to go outside the walls as well." Tristan hated having to ask permission from anyone about where he could go or not. But he'd already had many problems due to the hierarchy in the sect and tried to avoid another one.

Now, the older apprentices turned their heads to him, a hint of irritation appearing on their faces.

"Are you, a foreigner, also worried about those peasants?" one of the seniors asked.

Tristan shook his head and said, "I'm good at tracking. I want to take a look at the place where the people died."

Not seeming to want him around anymore, the seniors didn't mind his departure.

image [https://i.imgur.com/CJALaUN.png]

After talking to the guards and obtaining the location of the corpses, Tristan turned his head toward the outside of the walls.

'The eastern border is just a few kilometers from here. It's strange to think that the place where my mother's ancestors lived before coming to the central region is so close. I wonder what that place is like.'

'The founders of Zaguhan came from the east, so these places must be similar.'

Tristan and Jaeng left the gate together, but they went in different directions.

As he walked outside the walls and observed the environment, the stark dissonance between Zaguhan's central region and the area outside the walls caused some confusion in his mind.

'While the city center looked like a beautiful oriental painting, the outside was just a vast slum.'

Instead of the beautiful, dark blood-red wood and complex structures, the houses outside were made of light brown wood. They were also small, with simple and basic designs. The place was clearly overcrowded, with dozens of houses stacked on top of each other. The population density here was much higher than in the capital of the marquisate where he was born.

'Perhaps the high mountains surrounding this place have served as a natural protection against the various beasts that live in this region.'

The central region hadn't been fully colonized by any country. It was a dangerous area filled with magical beasts.

'The founders of Zaguhan were probably lesser nobles who came to the central region in search of more territory, much like my paternal family did centuries ago.'

'But why is the difference between inside the walls and outside so vast?'

Tristan saw many beggars on the streets, both elderly and children. The people here were also very thin, some as thin as he had been while still imprisoned in the dungeon.

He walked on the dirt ground, needing to take several turns to avoid the numerous wooden houses scattered everywhere. This place had clearly been built without any planning.

'If a tribe of beasts really comes here, these people are doomed. Won’t the city lord ask the sects to prevent this?'