[Bonus Chapter for 700 powerstones :) The chapter for 1050 coming soon]
The location was a bustling harbor.
Half a dozen ships were docked parallel to the shore, each of them with a large ramp coming out from their sides. It was possible to see many crewmen rushing up and down these ramps. Some of them were pulling large pieces of cargo, others were casually chatting, and a small few were barking out orders from on high.
The ships themselves were quite an odd sight to behold, especially in the 25th century. Instead of being magnificent steel behemoths, they were all ordinary wooden ships. In fact, they all had sails and a lower level that seemed to have slits for long armed oars.
The dozen ships weren't very large at just about 40 to 50 meters in length. However, off the shore, a distance away, it was possible to see a large mother ship at almost 200 meters in size. It seemed to be overlooking the operation.
At that moment, a young man made his way from the distance toward the harbor with slow steps.
His hair was messy and long, colored with a brownish gold. It swayed in the wind, occasionally covering the glow of his pale green eyes. His face had a hint of a slowly maturing immaturity to it. The start of a youthful and unkempt beard was beginning to line his jaw, giving him a gruff but handsome appearance.
He was dressed simply. A pair of sweatpants and sneakers graced his lower half while his torso was fitted by a tight long-sleeved and black compression shirt that shimmered with hexagonal patterns. There was even a silver chain with an almost imperceptible crack hanging from his neck.
He was the kind of existence that was all too rare after the Metamorphosis descended. If it wasn't for the exquisite spear on his back, one would think he was nothing more than an ordinary teenage boy.
But the oddity still remained obvious. The boy was too… clean. How was it possible for a lone traveler to cross the Province so casually? He even looked like he was having a nice stroll.
His face didn't carry the heaviness one who had just put their life on the line should carry. In fact, he seemed carefree. If it wasn't for the calculating flicker that passed his eyes every so often, one would think he was naive.
Of course, those tasked with guarding the perimeter of the harbor immediately noticed this young man. After all, he didn't try to hide his presence at all. But they were left at a complete loss. How were they supposed to handle this situation?
Obviously, their task was to repel weak Invalids and report strong ones. But, there wasn't exactly a protocol for handling a lone human boy…
"Hello."
The boy's voice snapped them out of their shock. They couldn't help but feel embarrassed that he was the one to speak first. Any hope they had had of establishing who was in charge was thrown out the window.
It really wasn't their fault though. Who walks through a city of Invalids so casually, even to the point of wearing a smile on his face?
The scouts on duty looked at each other.
"Who are you? State your name and purpose."
Someone of the team of three finally stepped out and said this. Though he was trying to reclaim some face for his scouting squad, the slight tinge of red on his face showed that he was better at hiding his embarrassment and thickening his skin compared to others. That was about all.
The young man smiled and took a card out from his pocket.
"My name is Leonel Morales, I'm here to join the Slayer Legion."
The eyes of the three men sharpened. Their unprofessional attitude vanished and their backs became as straight as javelins. Leonel could tell by their stats that they were much weaker than he was, but their auras alone showed that their experience in battle was far beyond his own.
The scout who had stepped forward first looked Leonel up and down. The more he looked, the more suspicious Leonel became to him.
How else could a teenage boy come out from that death trap alone without a scratch on his body? Even his clothes were immaculate. The only explanation seemed to be that he was a spy.
'… It can't be that the Empire would send such an incompetent spy, right?' The scout's brow furrowed in confusion.
In the end, he shook his head. He was a scout, not a commander. He would leave this decision to the bigwigs. At this point, if Leonel really wasn't a spy, that meant he was powerful enough to travel alone unscathed. Their Slayer Legion was always in need of helpers.
Plus… That was an invitation card in his hand. An invitation card likely meant he had already been scouted and chosen by their leaders. In that case, he had even more reason to bring Leonel in.
"You two stay here." The lead scout said. "I'll bring him in."
The two remaining scouts watched Leonel disappear with their partner with deep apprehension.
'They're cautious, but still not as cautious as I thought they'd be…' Leonel thought to himself. '… If the Slayer Legion is run by anyone with half a brain cell, they've most definitely taken advantage of the Metamorphosis to infiltrate the Fort. In that case, it's very likely that they've heard of me before, this should make things easier on me.'
Leonel was well aware that he would be seen as a suspicious entity if he came here so openly. But, he was banking on his being a fugitive to make things smoother. It was unlikely that they'd conclude he was a spy like this.
Soon, Leonel was brought over to one of the smaller ships. He followed the lead scout beneath the deck and down a well lit corridor with a much wider width than he was expecting.
Everywhere he passed, odd gazes fell onto him. It was obvious that everyone here was quite familiar with one another, so the sudden appearance of a stranger had them all putting their guards up.
The knocking of a knuckle onto hardwood woke Leonel from his thoughts.
"What is it?"
A rough voice entered Leonel's ears. But, he could faintly tell that it had a feminine quality to it.
"Captain Sela, I've brought a … defector."
The lower deck seemed to freeze. Many who had been walking around, going about their business, stopped and looked toward Leonel in unison.