Chapter 52: The Throng at Alastor’s Gates

After approximately two months of traveling with the Knight Order, Aldoran and her companions finally arrived at the last pass leading to Alastor as autumn approached.

This was an exceedingly perilous mountain range.

At first glance, verdant mountains stretched endlessly, one after another, extending for hundreds of miles.

Beyond this formidable mountain lay the colossal metropolis of Alastor.

Aldoran and her group reached the foot of the mountain at dawn.

Although the sky had yet to lighten, with scattered stars still clinging to the dark blue expanse, the pass before them was already a teeming, boisterous spectacle of humanity.

In fact, several weeks prior, Aldoran’s party had encountered numerous other travelers bound for Alastor along their journey.

Upon reaching this point, the surge of people intensified even further.

The ground, the sky, the forests, and even the adjacent river were all packed with a diverse array of races: Harpies, Lamias, Arachnes, Centaurs, Humans, Elves, Goblins, Merfolk…

Tents of all sizes were strewn haphazardly across the grassland, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Merchants from various races loudly hawked their wares, promoting their goods to passing travelers.

Children played boisterously, weaving through the throngs, while bored adults gathered around crackling bonfires, exchanging jokes and banter, creating an incredibly lively scene.

Upon closer inspection, tall, armored knights could be vaguely discerned moving through the crowds, seemingly maintaining order.

“Wow—” Qing Yu poked his head out of the carriage, his mouth agape in astonishment at the sight before him, unsure how to articulate his wonder.

Roalsa dismounted.

“What do you think, Mr. Qing Yu?”

“It’s always this lively in front of this mountain.”

Thrud also dismounted, explaining to Qing Yu as she tethered her horse.

“That’s right, because entering the mountain requires a stamp distributed by the驻地 Knight Order, which provides a certain degree of protection.

One can only enter the mountain after obtaining a stamp, and the Knight Order only distributes stamps between seven in the morning and three in the afternoon.

Therefore, travelers who arrive late set up camp here, waiting to get their stamps early the next day before departing.”

“Since there are magical beasts in the mountains, traveling at night is simply too dangerous.

So, after a certain time, the Knight Order will finish their work and rest, no longer distributing stamps.

However, if travelers believe themselves to be powerful enough, they can enter the mountains directly without a stamp.”

“Hmph, it’s certainly convenient for us Harpies.

Flying races don’t need stamps; they can just fly straight over~” Liliya declared proudly, perched on top of the carriage, her legs crossed and chest puffed out.

However, Qing Yu paid no heed to her words.

He leaped from the carriage, his entire attention captivated by the lively crowd.

“Do you want to go take a look?

It will also give everyone a chance to rest,” Aldoran said, approaching Qing Yu.

Today, she wore a gray cloak that obscured her figure, making her appear strikingly simple.

Qing Yu naturally wouldn’t pass up this opportunity.

After Aldoran finished instructing Thrud, he let out a cheer, then grabbed Aldoran’s hand and plunged headfirst into the throng.

“So many races,” Qing Yu murmured, holding Aldoran’s hand as they slowly walked through the crowd, carefully observing the diverse creatures around them.

There were Lamias leading robust giant oxen with horns sprouting between their brows, and Harpies carrying luggage, hawking gems to passersby.

Merfolk were submerged in the water, constantly striking up conversations with those who passed.

Yet, what truly piqued Qing Yu’s interest were the groups of people wearing various types of armor, chatting and laughing together.

‘Those armors are so strange,’ Qing Yu thought.

The scattered groups of travelers indeed wore rather peculiar armor.

As he stared at these adventurers, Qing Yu gradually fell behind Aldoran, and without realizing it, he bumped straight into a passerby.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” Qing Yu apologized hastily, rubbing his head, and then glanced at the person he had collided with.

Standing before him was a woman approximately one hundred eighty-five centimeters tall, with dark skin, a strong build, and a mane of red hair with a hint of yellow peeking through her bangs.

Her golden eyes barely spared Qing Yu a glance, as she simply uttered a hurried “It’s fine” before quickly departing with a few other women behind her.

Qing Yu noticed that they seemed to be leading a tall white horse, but before he could get a clear look, the group was swallowed by the surging crowd.

“Are you alright?” Aldoran turned back at that moment, returning to Qing Yu’s side.

Qing Yu merely waved his hand, then cast the incident from his mind, redirecting his thoughts back to the group of travelers in their strange armor.

Their armor was distinctly different from that of the knights.

Whether it was Roalsa’s Knight Order resting nearby or the knights maintaining order here, they all had short hair and wore uniform silver-white heavy armor.

Snow-white neck warmers were wound around their necks, swaying gently in the breeze.

On the front of their armor, a golden tree emblem was uniformly engraved.

In contrast, the gathered adventurers seemed far less particular.

They wore a bizarre array of peculiar armor.

Leaving aside those who were completely encased, Qing Yu found himself inwardly worrying for those whose armor was so minimal it exposed vast expanses of muscle.

‘Does that really provide protection?’

Harboring this question, Qing Yu spoke.

He tugged on Aldoran’s hand, then pointed to the resting travelers nearby.

“Aldoran, does their armor really provide protection?”

Aldoran glanced in the direction Qing Yu indicated.

“Yes, their armor does offer protection.

Although it appears to expose a lot of skin, it’s enchanted with magical protection, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

“Moreover, such lightweight armor is considerably cooler than the knights’ heavy plate armor, and it requires fewer materials to forge, making it very popular among adventurers.”

Qing Yu wore a look of sudden realization.

Then, an expression of yearning appeared on his face, and his voice rose several octaves, causing passersby to turn their heads.

“So they’re adventurers?!”

“Of course.

Alastor, being the largest information exchange center, also boasts an extremely rich array of bounty quests.

Adventurers of almost every tier can find suitable quests in Alastor, allowing them to rapidly accumulate resources.

Thus, tens of thousands of adventurers pass through daily.”

Qing Yu grew even more excited.

This meant that even someone as weak as him could find suitable quests.

He was already somewhat impatient to enter Alastor.

“Do you need to buy some equipment?” Aldoran asked, looking at Qing Yu, whose eyes practically gleamed with excitement.

She no longer discussed the armor, understanding that Qing Yu was eager to embark on an adventure of his own.

Before that, however, he needed to select appropriate equipment.

Perhaps a staff, or a cloak.

Qing Yu readily agreed.

Without waiting for Aldoran to prepare, he grabbed her hand and joyfully set off to find an equipment merchant.

While Qing Yu and Aldoran wandered, Thrud and the others sat beneath a large tree.

Some knights were fast asleep, others had shed their armor to cool off, and still others tended to a fire, waiting for breakfast to cook.

As a Harpy, Liliya’s predatory nature made her prefer to hunt personally and savor the blood of her prey.

So, while the other knights waited for their soup to boil, she sat apart, contentedly eating a wild chicken she had caught.

For a moment, the squawks of the chicken and Liliya’s effusive praises intertwined.

Leaving aside the knights who were awake, some knights, unable to sleep due to the noise, simply pulled off their neck warmers, plugged their ears, and climbed into the tree to rest.

“By the way, Miss Roalsa, once your reporting duties are complete, what are your plans?” Since she was idle anyway, Thrud sat down beside Roalsa and struck up a conversation.

Roalsa, who had been chewing on a blade of wild grass, gazing at the distant crowd, spat out the grass, wiped her mouth, and replied earnestly.

“A perfect person like me should, of course, offer care to those beautiful young men.”

“Care?” Thrud pondered for a second.

“Miss Roalsa, the way you say that, could it be that you’re actually quite flirtatious?”

“Of course not!

How could that be called flirtatious?

I’m simply benevolent,” Roalsa gently pressed her hand to her chest, adopting a mournful expression.

“Miss Thrud, have you ever considered it?

There are so many pitiful young boys living in desolate places, waiting for their white knightesses.

Ah, they wait so passionately, tears often streaming down their delicate faces, their bitter figures forever gazing into the distance.

How could this not break one’s heart?”

As she spoke of her heartbreak, a few tears actually welled in Roalsa’s eyes.

Thrud thought that if a rose were placed between Roalsa’s lips, she would surely captivate countless young men.

“It’s truly tragic, don’t you agree, Miss Thrud?” Roalsa said, tears in her eyes, her voice filled with sorrow.

Thrud, being someone often out of touch with reality, naturally didn’t understand what Roalsa was saying.

She merely felt that the weather was quite pleasant today and that Roalsa seemed full of spirit.

However, to spare Roalsa any embarrassment, Thrud still nodded symbolically.

“Oh, I see, that’s quite nice.”

“So you feel this way too, Miss Thrud?

It seems you’re also a benevolent person!” Roalsa exclaimed, gripping Thrud’s hand as if they were long-lost friends.

“Ah… I guess so… I think I’m quite benevolent… I sometimes help cats and dogs and other small animals, you know…” Thrud responded.

She hadn’t had much interaction with boys, so she wasn’t sure if what Roalsa was saying was right or wrong.

But if it meant benevolence, Thrud felt she was quite benevolent herself.

“Ah, Miss Thrud, someone like me might have to divide my love among different people throughout my life, so that they can all feel loved—”

“Oh, oh, isn’t that amazing?” Thrud didn’t know how to respond to such a statement and could only mumble a few evasive words.

Roalsa seemed a bit too narcissistic, though her beauty and strength certainly gave her the right to be so.

However, Thrud, for her part, thought that the state Aldoran and Qing Yu were in was the best.

Roalsa held onto Thrud, intending to continue her lengthy monologue, but before she could speak, the crowd in the distance stirred.

Thrud turned to look; the patrolling knights had vanished, tents were being packed away one after another, and the crowd began to slowly move.

The time had come; it was time to distribute the stamps.