Chapter 73: Five Bats City

~~~

For eight days, Liu Jin and Lei Kong travel to Five Bats City.

For eight days, Liu Jin makes repeated use of Ground Contraction. Annoyingly but not unexpectedly, Lei Kong keeps pace with him, not showing any strain whatsoever. A few violent Spirit Beasts cross their path, but they are all dealt with rather quickly. Throughout this, nary a word is exchanged between Liu Jin and Lei Kong.

On the ninth day, Five Bats City appears on the horizon.

The city is surrounded by tall, sturdy walls made of white stone. It is an impressive sight to behold, and the way the walls gleam under the sun only makes it more so. However, Liu Jin cannot help but think impressive to behold is all there is to those walls.

After all, if a powerful enough cultivator wished to destroy them, would they not fall?

Liu Jin frowns.

No, he is being too negative. Just because people with the power to destroy the walls exist does not mean the walls are pointless. The walls might not be a protection against everything, but that doesn’t mean they are not a protection against anything.

The walls obviously make it harder for Spirit Beasts and roaming bands of bandits to attack. They likely also help regulate the flow of people going in and out of Five Bats City. Even from this distance, Liu Jin can see some of the gates are larger than others. He’s willing to bet those are used for the transport of goods.

The Dragon Veins in the area do not possess the same quality as those in Eastern Port City. This is something Liu Jin recognizes right away. Despite that, Five Bats City is perhaps a tad larger than Liu Jin’s former home, though that is only to be expected. Many popular trading routes intersect in Five Bats City. Caravans of merchants pass through it on their way to various parts of the Crimson Cloud Empire and beyond.

This constant traffic of goods is what makes the Five Blessings Auction House so popular.

“Lei Kong,” Liu Jin says, pronouncing the name for the first time. They are still a few miles away from the city gates.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Take off your armor.”

“My lord?”

“Surely, you do not expect to enter the city dressed like that?” Liu Jin asks, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. “I’ll admit it is unlikely for news of the attack on Eastern Port City to have made it all the way here already.”

Although, deep down, Liu Jin cannot help but wish to be wrong on this.

After all, if news of the attack have made their way here, it means people other than him have survived.

“However, that armor still marks you as a soldier of the Storm Dragon Empire. I’d rather us not call any undue attention to ourselves.”

“Of course, my lord. I understand, and I obey.”

Annoyance manages to break through the haze of detachment surrounding Liu Jin, causing him to roll his eyes. Is it because Lei Kong annoys him that much or because the emotion is relatively harmless?

Either way, it is certainly something to keep an eye on if he wishes to better understand his condition.

Lei Kong removes his armor, revealing plain robes of muted green and brown. Liu Jin quickly stores it inside his spatial pouch.

“Shall I remove my arm as well?”

“No.”

“Are you su—”

“I am entirely sure,” Liu Jin replies sharply. “If I asked you to remove your arm, I’d be doing it to be petty and nothing else. I refuse to be petty in my anger. That’d be a disservice to it. Understood?”

“Of course, my lord.”

“Good.” Liu Jin takes a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

~~~

A story about being attacked by bandits on their way to the city is all it takes to get them through the gates. Apparently, it is not a rare occurrence. Their clothes, dirty from the fighting and traveling, help sell the illusion.

Almost as soon as he’s through the gates, Liu Jin realizes that despite being of similar size, Five Bats City is far more populous than Eastern Port City. The streets are completely packed to the point it’s impossible to walk without constantly bumping into others.

Some streets are strictly for the transport of goods. They are wider than regular streets so that large carts can pass through. However, they are so full it makes no difference. In fact, the traffic there might be the worst in the city. Liu Jin and Lei Kong do their best to steer clear of them.

The Five Blessings Auction House is a three-story building made of ebony-colored wood located in one of the main streets near the center of the city. Finding it poses no trouble as apparently everyone in the city knows where it is. The auction house has no windows and only one front door, though Liu Jin suspects there is bound to be a back entrance through which goods are brought in. It is not as impressive as Liu Jin was expecting. Yet, there is no denying the building possesses a certain dignified aura.

The author’s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The line in front of it is long.

About five blocks long, in fact.

Liu Jin and Lei Kong trade a long look and resign themselves to their fate. The wait is long and tedious. Even though Liu Jin is capable of spending an entire day meditating, waiting in line still ends up being somewhat annoying.

“You dare deny me entry!”

Liu Jin closes his eyes and counts to ten.

Of course.

“Have you buffoons no idea who I am?” A man yells at the guards. He is in the late stages of the Nascent Realm, so he is probably nothing special. Certainly, not compared to the guards who look far from impressed at his tantrum.

“The current auction is only for those with an invitation. Turn away now,” one of the guards replies, his eyes looking straight ahead. The yelling man is not even worth putting in his eyes.