Above the banners of this pure-white knight company, a dazzling family crest was emblazoned.
The crest was bordered by lush Sunvine tendrils, and above a greatsword and shield sat a crown-like emblem, representing the family's deep lineage and illustrious heritage.
"It's the Sunvine Augustus Family!"
"That famous Marquis family!"
"That's their Silver Knight Company — could someone important from the Augustus Family be traveling?"
The surrounding residents and travelers entering the city buzzed with discussion, while the expression on Wulin's face was complicated.
"I'm leaving!" Jenny fixed her gaze on Wulin.
"Huh? Oh! I know!" Wulin replied dazedly. Only now did he truly begin to grasp just how vast the distance between him and Jenny really was.
"Let's go, My Lord!" Wulin took a deep breath and made his decision.
"We'll be staying in Augustus City for a while. I won't tell you where exactly — I'm sure you'll be able to find us, won't you?"
Leilin winked at Jenny, then vanished into the crowd entering the city with Wulin in tow.
Jenny let out a deep sigh, her hands unconsciously tightening on the bundle containing the Dragon Blood Flower Buds.
"My Lady! The moment we received your message, we reported it to the Patriarch. We are here now under his orders to welcome you!"
The commander of the Silver Knight Company approached Jenny and produced a ruby medallion.
"Good! Let's enter the city quickly! This time I've finally fulfilled my mission — I've gathered the Dragon Blood Flower Buds for Father!" Jenny murmured.
Then, as she was respectfully escorted by the commander into another luxurious carriage, the young noblewoman finally couldn't hold back, and a single tear slid down her cheek…
The capital of the Dark Extreme's Eastern Region occupied an enormous area, with a permanent population of at least one hundred thousand. Of course, the vast majority were ordinary people, but even so, this brought tremendous prosperity to the place.
Being underground, some of the goods sold here and the architecture displayed a style completely different from the South Coast. In Leilin's view, it seemed that defensive construction had been taken to the extreme — not only was the entire capital a massive fortress, but even each individual home was built to wartime defensive standards.
"So it seems the living conditions for underground humans aren't very favorable — perhaps even worse than those of ordinary people on the South Coast…" Leilin murmured, a contemplative look flickering through his eyes.
For ordinary people on the South Coast, surface dangers had long since been controlled or banished by Wizards, and there were no races that could compete with humanity — so naturally, living conditions were relatively superior.
But here it was different! In the Dark Extreme Region, besides humans, several other intelligent races existed — some had even established their own nations!
Moreover, the massive Dark Beast Tide, forever lurking in the darkness, was the great enemy of all intelligent beings!
Under such brutal survival competition, the philosophy of buildings and architectural structures prioritizing defensive capability over aesthetics had become the norm!
"My Lord! What are we doing here?"
Wulin carried a bundle on his shoulder with a greatsword strapped to his back. He looked incredibly martial, yet his face was filled with a bewildered expression.
He had left Bolt Town solely to escort Jenny back. Now that she had been safely delivered, he suddenly felt an emptiness inside, as though something important was missing.
"First we'll find a place to rest, then rent a house!"
Leilin smiled at the bustling crowd. "After all, inns in the capital aren't cheap! If we plan to stay here long-term, we'll need to buy or rent a place…"
"Long-term? Are you saying… we're going to stay here permanently? We're not going back?"
Wulin couldn't quite articulate what he was feeling, but if they were staying long-term… it seemed like he and Jenny would be living in the same city from now on! That thought was rather nice!
"Hmm! Is there anything in Bolt Town worth holding on to?"
Leilin regarded Wulin with a half-smile until the young man bashfully lowered his head.
This poor lad actually thought Leilin had decided to stay here for his sake, and was immediately filled with gratitude.
Too bad — in reality, this was entirely Leilin's own decision.
Having recovered a portion of his strength, Leilin was already eager to make contact with the underground Wizard world. However, the intelligence he had gathered through soul-scouring from Ailin and those other apprentices had yielded little of particular value — their status and strength had been insufficient, leaving many important details vague and unclear. Leilin needed to find some other way to break in.
Furthermore, the circle of official Wizards was an entirely different matter from the circle of ordinary apprentices. The several apprentice market locations in Ailin's memories held absolutely no appeal for Leilin.
But in the Eastern Region's capital, there would certainly be many Wizards and magical schools that Leilin could gradually make contact with.
Perhaps even Siegfried, the venerable ancestor of the Sunvine Augustus Family, would be a worthwhile option!
Before long, Leilin brought Wulin to the affluent southern district of the capital and rented a two-story villa.