After an hour of travel through the mountain range, Yuan and his wives finally emerged on the other side, the path free from any bandit encounters.
“Finally, we’ve made it across the mountains without any bandit trouble. It would have been much slower if we’d run into them,” Yuan remarked, exhaling a relieved breath. He gazed ahead, anticipation in his eyes.
Standing on a vast cliff, they overlooked a forest that differed from the dense, foggy woods they’d encountered earlier. A wide road cut through this forest, leading straight to a city on the horizon. Although the distance was substantial, it was easily discernible to Yuan and his wives. They could also make out the long line of carriages and people waiting at the city’s entrance.
“Little Yuan, you see those tall walls over there? That’s Monbrook city,” Lily pointed towards the city walls in the distance, continuing, “Judging by the line of carriages, it seems we’ll need to wait for our permit to enter.”
“Seems like it. Considering it’s the second largest city in the kingdom after the capital, it’s not surprising,” Yuan agreed.
“Indeed,” Lily nodded. “Let’s return to the carriage. If we keep up this speed, we’ll reach there in an hour.”
“In that case, let’s not waste any time, shall we?”
“En,” Lily confirmed. They re-entered the carriage, and with a flick of the reins, the horses resumed their pace, propelling the carriage forward.
As they entered the forest, the road stretched ahead, guiding them through. From within the carriage, Yuan carefully scanned their surroundings with his divine sense, on the lookout for potential traps or lurking monsters.
After some time, they emerged from the forest, grateful to have navigated it without any obstacles or encounters.
“We’ve crossed the forest, and in a few minutes, we’ll be at Monbrook city. I’m quite excited, actually,” Julie expressed her anticipation, her eyes fixed on the approaching cityscape.
“Not only you, Julie. I’m also excited to look around a big city like this, I wonder how it looks like from the inside. Is it any different from our village?” Ava added, her face lit up with a mix of excitement and curiosity. She was eager to explore the differences between her rapidly growing village and the established Monbrook city.
Seeing the enthusiasm in her younger sisters, Rose couldn’t help but chuckle. “We’ll only find out once we step inside. I’m just as curious to see the city as you two are.”
After a few more minutes, they arrived near the entrance of Monbrook city. A long line of carriages and people stretched ahead. The security measures were stringent, with over 20 soldiers and a few mages overseeing the entrance, thoroughly inspecting each person and carriage before granting them permission.
Among the carriages were those of merchants from all over the kingdom, along with a handful belonging to noble families, who received expedited entry.
Ava’s eyes followed the carriages of the nobles as they entered the city, and she let out a wistful sigh. “I envy the nobles. They enjoy privileges and receive the best treatment wherever they go. It must be quite nice to be a high-ranking noble…”
Yuan responded with a gentle smile. “There’s not much we can do about it. They are nobles, after all. All we can do is wait for our turn.” Ava nodded in understanding.
They waited patiently inside their carriage as the line moved slowly. Eventually, as the carriages ahead cleared, Lily guided their carriage forward, only to be halted by the vigilant soldiers.
“Halt! You cannot enter the city without an entry fee and identification paper,” one of the soldiers declared, then added, “We also need to check if you have any criminal record before entering. We can’t allow criminals inside the city, can we?”
“Very well,” Yuan nodded, stepping down from the carriage, with his wives following suit. As they stood before the soldiers, their presence drew the attention of everyone around.
Everyone around was seemingly stunned by the beauty of Yuan and his wives, unable to believe their eyes, as if they were in the midst of a dream.
The males were captivated by the extraordinary beauty of Yuan’s wives, each one appearing breathtakingly beautiful, almost like heavenly goddesses.
Whispers filled the air as people tried to make sense of what they were witnessing.
“Who are these women? How can they be so beautiful?”
“They’re absolutely stunning. I’ve never seen women this beautiful in my entire life. It’s almost unreal!”
“I never thought such beauty could exist in our world. I feel blessed just to see them!”
“But who is that young man with them? What’s his relationship with those goddesses?”
“Come to think of it, who is he exactly? Why does he seem so close to those goddesses?!”
The males felt a twinge of discomfort seeing Yuan in such proximity to this group of striking women. Little did they know, the shock of their lives awaited them when they discovered that these women were none other than Yuan’s wives.
Meanwhile, the females couldn’t help but be entranced by Yuan’s otherworldly handsome appearance. Some looked at him with a touch of disbelief, never having encountered a man as handsome as Yuan.
“He’s so handsome! I feel like I’ve fallen in love all over again.”
“It’s a pity I’m already married. If I were still single, I’d make him mine in a heartbeat.”
“Can’t you all see those incredibly beautiful women by his side? Do you really think he’d be interested in us?”
“Exactly, he’s used to the finest things in life. Why would he have any interest in something less?”
“He’s surrounded by such beauty from all sides. There’s no chance for the rest of us to get close. He’s completely out of our league.”
The women felt a sense of resignation, understanding that Yuan was beyond their reach romantically, given his entourage of stunning wives.
Yuan and his wives paid no mind to the whispers circulating around them. He retrieved his hunter ID from the system storage and collected his wives’ hunter IDs, except for the Monroe sisters, before handing them over to the soldier for inspection.
“Ahem,” Yuan cleared his throat, noticing the soldier’s dazed state, and said, “Here are our Hunter IDs.”
The soldier immediately snapped out of it and began inspecting the ID cards, then asked, “And what about these three? Aren’t they with you?”
“Here are our identifications,” Rose quickly handed over a silver token to the soldier.
The soldier recognized the token and returned it to Rose, along with the Hunter IDs to Yuan, saying, “All of you may enter the city after paying the fee, which is one silver coin per person.”
‘One silver coin each? Isn’t this daylight robbery?’ Rose, Julie, and Ava thought, inwardly exasperated by the entrance fee.
“Here’s the entrance fee for all of us,” Yuan quickly retrieved nine silver coins from his system storage and handed them to the soldier.
With that settled, they re-entered the carriage, and Lily skillfully drove them through the gate, marking their arrival after a week-long journey.
Inside the city, they were struck by the lively hustle and bustle of Monbrook. The streets were noticeably wider compared to other cities, teeming with people, and lined with various shops.
“This city is amazing on the inside, and look at all those large houses and shops along the streets… Just as one would expect from the second-largest city in the Windfall Kingdom.” Julie’s eyes sparkled with excitement, her enthusiasm apparent to everyone.
“Indeed, it’s a sprawling metropolis with a population of over 5,000, and many come here in search of higher-paying jobs,” Ava chimed in, her own excitement evident in her nodding.
After a moment, Yuan turned to Lily, who was steering the carriage, and inquired, “Lily, do you know where the Hunter Association is located in this city?”
“Of course, I do. I’ve been here before to purchase some expensive medicine for Mom’s illness in the past,” Anna quickly replied.
“In that case, take us to the Hunter Association. Once we exchange the monster materials for gold, then we’ll look for a suitable inn to stay the night.”
“Very well, we can also ask the receptionist about where we could collect the bounty reward as well as for a suitable inn with delicious meals.”
“Naturally, the locals know the best. I’m sure the receptionist wouldn’t mind recommending us a good inn to stay the night,” Yuan nodded.
With their plan set, Lily turned the carriage towards the direction of the Hunter Association and made their way there.
After a short while, the carriage arrived before a large building where many small carriages were parked. At the top of the building, “Hunter Association” was written in huge letters, clearly visible from a distance.
Lily halted the carriage once they reached the parking area, and everyone disembarked.
“This is it. The Hunter Association of Monbrook city. It’s quite huge, isn’t it?” Lily remarked.
Yuan surveyed the massive building that housed the Hunter Association, smiling. “It’s huge indeed. It can’t be compared to the one back in Clover Town. It’s like comparing a copper coin with a gold one – the difference is substantial.”
“I couldn’t agree more. The difference is too vast to compare,” Anna concurred, gazing at the impressive structure before her.
Emma stepped forward, breaking the moment. “Are we going to just stand here or are we going to enter?”