When the first light of dawn shone on the ground, the ancient city woke up from its slumber.
The huge city gate was slowly opened. The peddlers, porters, and farmers who had been waiting outside the city for a long time entered the city under the guidance of the guards and began a new day of life.
Mingzhou City was an important town in the north and the capital of a province. It was connected to the canal in the south, the Kingdom of Lihuo in the north, the prosperous Songzhou in the west, and the rivers flowing into the ocean in the east. It was a top-tier strategic location. When the court decided to open the border and deepen the communication with other countries, Mingzhou City was naturally the first to be targeted.
Now, the people had already taken the first step of communication uneasily. The caravans full of hope were either heading west or north with goods and commodities that were full of the beauty of the East.
The ruffians who did not have a good life in the Empire could not stand the disdain and mockery of their fellow villagers. They gritted their teeth and sold the last of their belongings before joining the caravans of their fellow villagers with a podao in hand. They swore that they would make a name for themselves and leave their hometown where they were born and raised, leaving only a string of hot tears that they could not help but shed … Perhaps they would never come back.
However, opportunities were always given to those who were prepared and decisive. A small number of people decided to step out of the country and go to a wider world, but more people still stayed in the land of their ancestors. They would talk about those brave or helpless adventures after a meal. They would criticize them and laugh at them.
The land of their ancestors was here, the graves of their ancestors were here, and their parents were here. How could a filial son travel far away?
The Empire was famous for its martial arts, and the world was peaceful. Why would they go to a barbarian land outside of civilization?
Also, it was said that the people there were only vulgar barbarians and terrible customs. They were dangerous and uncivilized. If they died in a foreign land, their bones would not even be able to return home. They would not be buried in their ancestral graves. If they died outside of civilization, they would be a lonely ghost. They would not even be able to receive the paper money burned by their descendants.
A stable life, a land passed down from their ancestors, public opinion, and the ownership of their homeland made people stay in their small world willingly. They were not willing to step out of the country for the rest of their lives. They were satisfied with the ordinary life and did not want to break it. However, they looked at the people who were brave enough to take the first step with complicated feelings. There was no telling whether they were jealous, angry, disdainful, or envious.
No matter what, no matter how they looked at their own people who had left the country, no matter how satisfied they were with their own little world, there was one thing that could not be changed.
After the four barbarians opened up their borders, it wasn't just their own people who left.
The foreigners had also come.
The Lihuo Nation was founded on religious authority and imposed strict spiritual control and restrictions on its citizens. However, there were still people who yearned for democracy and freedom who escaped from the abyss of suffering in the Lihuo Nation and rushed to the Houtu Empire, the lighthouse of human civilization, the mysterious eastern ancient country, the legendary country of warriors.
Some of them were fugitives, some were serfs, some were hiding from debts, some were escaping from being hunted down, and some were indeed people of the Empire of Spirit. They crossed the cold and long border between the two countries and fled to the largest city in the northern border of the Empire in order to start a new and beautiful life.
For this reason, they were ambitious and full of hope. However …
Just like there was always a little distance between reality and dreams, their ambition to start a new life and reach the peak of life to marry an eastern beauty encountered one setback after another. First, they couldn't speak the Empire's Chinese language. Second, the arrogant people of the Empire thought that they were all uncivilized idiots.
Throughout the Empire, whether it was the lowly farmers and helpers, or the noble soldiers and officials, they all had a sense of superiority mixed with pity and contempt for all foreigners.
Moreover, they all had a perfect self-consistent logic chain of "Mom said to stay away from idiots. Foreigners are all idiots. You're a foreigner, so you're also an idiot. Idiots, stay away from me."
The most terrible thing was that because the people of the Empire and the westerners were two completely different races, the racial differences were directly reflected in their appearance. It was obvious who was an idiot at a glance. Because of all the above reasons, it was almost impossible for illegal immigrants from foreign countries to win a chance to start their lives over in the Empire.
Because of the natural sense of vigilance and disdain for foreigners, the result of opening a shop was that there were no customers at all. When the big families recruited servants, they liked to track down the third generation. They wanted the children of good families who were clean and hardworking and willing to work. All foreigners had to stand aside. They didn't even need to hire guards.
Besides, what kind of spirit did a foreigner have to compete with a group of locals who had been practicing martial arts since childhood to apply for a security job in the Houtu Empire, which was known as the Kingdom of Warriors?
Anyway, most of them were beaten into idiots by the people of the Empire who were at least a head shorter than them in the combat test …
Therefore, up until now, almost all the illegal immigrants who had been smuggled over from Li Fire had not been doing well in the Imperium. The most honorable job they had was to be employed by the local companies of the Imperium as trade consultants, discussing and formulating export plans with the ambitious merchants of the Imperium.
The next respectable job was to be an actor in various theaters, a chef in a western restaurant, or a clown in a circus to satisfy the spiritual needs of the people of the Empire to experience the foreign culture without leaving the country.
Most of the foreigners who were not eloquent, not knowledgeable, not well-educated, and not skilled in any field, and who were also lazy, were in dire straits in their own countries. It was even more difficult for them to make a move in the Empire.
They could only squeeze together at the bottom of the society and be ostracized and guarded by the officials and the people of the Empire. Some of them couldn't change their nature and simply went to work without capital. Those were the most miserable ones. They all became the military exploits and achievements of the local garrisons.
What a joke. This country had just won the War of Heaven's Origin and boasted the most powerful standing army in the world. How stupid must they be to come all the way here to be bandits?
However, apart from the above, there was a special case. Some foreigners were very popular in this city — at least, most of the people there were.
Beautiful, exotic, young, voluptuous, and Caucasian women.
They did not need to worry about employment at all. Food and accommodation were provided, and they received tips and annuities. They had a lot of potential customers and a huge market potential. If they were motivated and read more books to enrich themselves, they might even have a chance to get a long-term strategic partnership order. After signing the contract, they would be a magical girl who healed the hearts of the people with the magic of love.
The example of the Ming Province was also the norm for foreigners in the Empire. Almost everybody was used to it … both the natives of the Empire and the foreigners.
The morals and limited women's rights of the people of the Empire only applied to the natives of the Empire. As for the foreigners … Ha. Human beings were never noble animals. They never were.
This was the world, this was the Ming Province, and this was the most prosperous Empire in the world. Under the appearance of good weather and peace, it still could not get rid of the shackles of a thousand-year-old dynasty. Some people were laughing, and some people were crying. When enough people were crying, the tears would one day become burning flames of fury that would devour everything and rebuild a new order on the ruins.
Then there was a problem … If the people crying were the people of the Empire, then the burning of fury would just be another change in the dynasty. However, if the people crying were the foreigners and the Empire's strength happened to weaken and reveal a weakness, what would happen when the burning of fury happened to be the time when the people crying were people of the Empire?
Nobody knew, and nobody would consider such a question. The Empire's military strength was the best in the world, and it was respected by all countries. It was unparalleled in the world, and the dynasty had lasted for thousands of years.
Today was just one of many ordinary days. A new day had arrived. Everyone in the huge Mingzhou City started a new day of life. Whether they were citizens of the Empire or foreigners, everyone had to continue their lives, whether they lived meaningfully or not.
Under such circumstances, a beautiful, young, exotic, and curvaceous foreign woman entered the city with the crowd.
She wore a thick cloak and used a veil to cover her face that would easily cause unnecessary trouble. Only a few strands of blonde hair were left outside to show her identity as a foreigner. In fact, although she wore a thick cloak, the men could still feel the instinctive throbbing of males from her back. Although her face was covered, her eyes, which were bluer than the sky, could almost make anyone sink into them.
However, no one dared to approach her. They could not even get close to her because they also felt threatened by this woman. It was like seeing a tiger or a leopard in the mountains. The instinctive fear was not something that could be overcome by the identity of a citizen of the Empire and the martial arts that they had practiced for a few years.
Therefore, they could only force themselves to look away from the dangerous woman. Everyone deliberately ignored the woman who suddenly appeared. No one knew that the person standing in front of them was the most powerful warrior in the Kingdom of Lifire. In the Empire's case, she was already a legendary figure like the Seven Luminaries Sword Saint.
Courrier, the pilot of the Blazing Angel 'Death Messenger', was at the top of the battle order of the Blazing Angels in the Kingdom of Lifire. She was a Flame Guard of the Order who enjoyed extremely high status and honor. She had crossed the border to the Houtu Empire to carry out a very important mission. She was determined to succeed, and she would not allow anyone to interfere.
Feeling the vigilance and strange gazes around her, she sighed inwardly. After all, a foreigner was already very eye-catching in a foreign country, let alone her. Even if she covered herself to the greatest extent, she would still attract the instinctive covetousness and attention of males.
However, in the cloth pocket inside her cloak, there was the travel document signed by the general of Mingzhou Province and the ID certificate of the Kingdom of Lifire. In Mingzhou City, the two items could almost solve all the problems and troubles from the government. They could even make her a VIP. That was her trump card.
The Blazing Angel 'Death Messenger' was hiding in a small wood outside the city. She could make an emergency deployment at any time. That was her trump card.
Also, as the most powerful warrior in the Kingdom of Lifire, she carried a delicate and powerful single combat weapon. Plus the courage and skills that she had gained from fighting ferocious beasts on the ice field since she was a child, she was confident that she would not be inferior to most of the warriors of the Empire who did not have the Imperial Army. Didn't the battle with the big-breasted woman from the East prove that?
Brave warriors knew no borders, and they were definitely not the exclusive rights of the Houtu Empire!
Speaking of which … that woman had left the Kingdom of Lifire two years ago. She could be considered a smart person. In the words of the East, it was a wise choice to retreat after making a contribution.
After all, she was a citizen of the Empire after all and would not be trusted by the Bishops. Even if she made great military contributions by luck, she would only be rewarded perfunctorily. If she stayed in the Kingdom of Lifire where the situation was more and more delicate, her position would be more and more awkward.
She was told that her hometown was in Mingzhou, too?
Although they were not good friends, they had known each other for a while and fought side by side. Should she pay her a visit?
That pair of beautiful blue eyes suddenly flashed with a dangerous light. This so-called visit was obviously not the joy of reuniting with an old friend — I wonder if you have made any progress in this period of time after returning to the Country of Martial Arts?
However, she quickly gave up on the idea. After all, she still had an important mission that had to be completed and kept secret. Today, she had snuck into Mingzhou City and used the excuse of investigating the situation and gathering intelligence to deal with the meddlesome staff officers of the Bureau of Military Statistics. If she met with that woman privately and exposed that she was in Mingzhou City, there would be no end of trouble in the future.
Therefore, she had to give up the tempting idea … She would think about it later.
She raised her head and looked at the houses on both sides, the noisy streets, and the people walking to and fro. This was a completely different scenery from the Lifire Nation. It had a different architectural style, a different appearance, and a different culture. This was the Hou Tu Empire, the strongest country in the world, the country in the legends.
This is my first time here, the Kingdom of Martial Arts … Although it is my first time here, I know you better than most of your citizens because you are the Houtu Empire …
Courrier sighed softly as she looked at the capital of Mingzhou, which was clearly more lively and prosperous than most cities in the Kingdom of Lifire. She stopped a person and asked in a cold but pleasant voice, "Excuse me, how do I get to the Ranger's Guild here?"
Yes, she was speaking the Houtu Chinese, the official language of the Empire. It was so pure that the person who was stopped and asked was stunned for a moment, before showing a surprised and friendly expression.
Basically, if a foreigner could speak pure Chinese that was not inferior to the locals, they would usually be surprised and have a good impression. If the foreigner also knew the customs and legends of the Empire like the back of his hand, could sing a few plays or recite a few poems, there was a high chance that he would be regarded as an international friend who admired the Empire — after all, only those who identified with the Empire and had a good impression of it would study the culture of the Empire so seriously, right?
Courrier communicated fluently with the other party and obtained important information, before declining his enthusiastic suggestion to lead the way — although the other party's eagerness was largely due to her unconcealable charm of the opposite sex.
Waving at the other party from afar, she laughed coldly inwardly as she looked at his bewildered and infatuated look … arrogance and conceit had been deeply engraved in the heart of every citizen of the Empire.
'Admiration of the Emperor and acknowledgment of the Empire, is that why you speak the Houtu Chinese so well?
'What a joke.'
All commanders and knights above the level of holy knights in the Angels of Fire's battle order are required to learn the language of the Later Earth and understand the customs of the Empire. It is a compulsory procedure that is second only to theological training. The Hall of Fire Spear and the General Staff Headquarters have specialized departments that study the Empire. All high-ranking knights and priests are learning your language, studying your culture and analyzing your temperament. Is it because the entire Order of Fire acknowledges you?
'We do it to defeat you!'
'The Kingdom of Mystic Water, the Kingdom of Acute Metal, and even the Kingdom of Green Wood all have similar departments that are studying you with all their might.'
'We crazily want to decipher the secrets of the Imperial Army, but the chances are slim, so we settle for the next best thing: learning and imitating your martial arts. However, our body structure is not suitable for learning your martial arts, and our concepts and cultural knowledge make it impossible for us to understand your obscure mental techniques.' That's fine, we pay a huge price to hire Houtu martial artists to teach us martial arts. We continue to analyze your culture and search for your flaws … because you are the Houtu Empire, the most powerful nation in the world, and there can only be one most powerful nation! '
She slowly lowered her eyes, dispelling the sharp killing intent in them and restraining the aura that she had unknowingly unleashed. However, the agitation in her heart never ceased.
The Houtu Empire. She was now standing here.
The Empire made the Theocracy unable to eat or sleep in peace. It was the Order's long-standing obsession, its abundant military power, powerful martial artists, the miraculous Imperial Army, its long history, rich land, and endless wealth.
Those were her mission, her responsibility, her obsession, and her long-cherished wish.
They were also the mission of everyone in the Order.
She was a soldier, a knight, and a believer.
The mission of the country, the responsibility of the Order, and the mission of the believer.
A smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Today, I've come here … Sooner or later, I'll enter this place in a different way and shatter all of your arrogance, returning all of your superiority back to you.
She looked at everything around her with eyes full of ambition and the desire to conquer. The majestic city, the rich country, and the numerous subjects were like an unprecedentedly powerful beast that was showing her powerful strength and sharp claws.
However, she was a hunter, a hunter who had participated in hunting since she was a child. No matter how powerful the prey was, they all had weaknesses and would die. As long as there was patience, courage, and skill …
And now, the weakness of this terrifying prey seemed to be revealed a little.
'So, Lone Walker … For the glory of the flame, please make a sacrifice.'
'The opportunity to defeat the Houtu Empire will start with you, from this step …'
She smiled confidently and prepared to go to Hu Shouxin's Ranger Guild. The Lone Walker must have gone to ask Hu Shouxin for help. She would investigate first.
Then, she heard an exclamation, "Amitayus Buddha!
Benefactress, can you take off your veil and let me have a good look? "