Li Fenghuang donned his wood armor and walked through Buweier Town in the evening, a time when some people were leisurely, the last relaxation of the day. People walked onto the streets in twos and threes. On the main street, laborers discussed their day's harvest, craftsmen in the evening, after two beers in the tavern, spoke without reservation, and there was the 'clinking' sound of iron armor and longswords colliding as knights changed shifts, signaling the end of the day...
As the sun set, Buweier Town's city gates, after welcoming the last group of Adventurers back, completely closed, separating human civilization from the darkness outside into two distinct worlds.
Including the knights coming off duty and the returning Adventurers, everyone was immersed in the evening's joy, because they knew that when the day completely darkened, it was the most dangerous time in this world: monsters from unknown places gathered in groups, they would lurk outside the city walls, occasionally letting out bloodthirsty growls at the human city. They were observing, they were waiting, they were looking for a suitable opportunity to invade the human kingdom, breach the human city walls, turn humans into their blood food, and devour civilization...
However, in this prolonged war, the ultimate victors were humans—at least for now, that seemed to be the case. These night monsters could only threaten and roar from a distance, but very few monsters would rush in recklessly, as if they craved the human scent but also had an innate fear of it... Perhaps, only when those monsters were desperate would they try their luck in the human world...
"Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop..." A series of hooves echoed on the cobblestone streets of Buweier Town, coming from the city center, from far to near, along the street. A group of people of unknown identity rode horses, holding something in their hands, and finally arrived at the city wall, sticking that thing on the wall next to the city gate...
"Sizzle!" Li Fenghuang was currently in front of a tavern near the city gate, covering half his face with his collar, leisurely drinking plain water. It wasn't that he couldn't afford to go inside the tavern, but that being in front of it was more cost-effective... Here, you might even hear a passionate speech...
At this moment, Li Fenghuang was both calculating his own affairs and listening to the conversations of the people inside the tavern, seeing if there was any useful information.
"Cactus, that item shop has it, but it doesn't have Cactus Sword core." Li Fenghuang muttered to himself. Niro said that this kind of thing seemed to only come from cacti that were several decades old, and its medicinal properties would decrease over time, losing its medicinal value after a few days. So, their item shops didn't purchase Cactus Sword core. Generally, only pharmacies in large cities, or some nobles, or alchemist families cultivated decades-old cacti to obtain Cactus Sword core. As for what they used them for, Niro wasn't very clear either.
And at the tavern entrance, Li Fenghuang constantly heard various patrons talking:
"You just came back from outside, how's it been recently? Did you encounter anything strange? Some people say it's been a bit restless lately, and the knights' behavior is also different from usual."
"My relative said some great terror is about to appear, and even told my family to stock up on some grain..."
"Don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors, don't listen to nonsense." Although someone said this, everyone still had a slight idea of stocking up on grain...
"I heard the army started expanding recruitment, is there going to be a war?"
"Hard to say... But it seems someone saw the Great General in Buweier Town..."
"Great General? Which Great General?"
"Besides our kingdom's youngest general, is there a second one?"
"The others..."
"The others are so old, how can they compare to Great General Andres?"
"That's right. General Andres is very famous now. Two years ago, in the war against Jimawari, he killed the enemy general with one arrow on the battlefield."
"I saw Great General Andres on the street today. He even shot an arrow to protect someone."
"I saw it too, on South Street. That person had a lot of guts, even daring to hit a knight. If it weren't for the Great General's leniency, that person would have died long ago."
"Exactly! Exactly!"
...
Li Fenghuang: ??? Listening to them chat, how did it turn into talking about him? Good heavens, eating gossip and it turns out to be about himself, right?
"Hey! Did you hear? A bakery in the rich district on East Street was robbed today."
"I heard the nature of the crime was quite serious, but it seems no one died."
...
Great! No need to listen anymore, it's his own gossip again... Li Fenghuang had a splitting headache...
"Are you back from the Desert in the south?"
"Yes, yes, yes, it was too dangerous. One Adventurer team didn't make it out."
"Really?"
"Absolutely true, our small team entered the Desert with them, then we separated, and later we heard something calling in the Desert. We didn't dare to go, but in the end, that team never came back..."
"What's up! That scary?"
...
Upon hearing this, Li Fenghuang's ears perked up. "So, south of Buweier Town is the Desert... As for the monsters' calls... Could it be..."
"It seems necessary to go to the Desert... Currently, the only recipe I have is for the Cactus Sword, which is the strongest weapon I can get right now. I hope I can complete it before the Blood Moon. As for the monsters in the Desert, I hope it's not that guy..."
Li Fenghuang looked at the city wall not far away, seeing quite a few people there, and several torches illuminating the crowd in flickering shadows. He wondered what they were doing...
"Did you hear, the Hunter Association updated their wanted list today."
"I just saw it!"
"Yes, yes, yes, it's hanging at the city gate, I went to see it too!"
Everyone's topic suddenly shifted to this. People's conversations were perhaps just that casual.
"Wanted list? It wouldn't include me, would it...?" Li Fenghuang felt a bit uneasy at this moment. "No, I have to go see! If it really is, I can't stay in Buweier Town."
"Andres is also stationed in Carriburg in the western suburbs, he can't control things here. Besides, given his unapproachable demeanor, it's uncertain if he'd even bother with me."
"A tall building starts from the ground up, survival depends on oneself." Li Fenghuang pulled his collar up again, covering his mouth and nose, and slowly walked towards the city gate.
"Excuse me, excuse me." Although Buweier Town wasn't big, there were quite a lot of people. Li Fenghuang didn't dare to push too hard through the crowd, fearing he might attract other people's attention.
"How dare this kid rob the bakery funded by Viscount Mera Li? That bakery owner is Viscount Mera Li's confidant..."
"He really dared."
"Who says he didn't!"
No need to look, he knew he was wanted. Spot on!
"Why wasn't the one who provoked the knight wanted?" Li Fenghuang cried 'thief' while being the thief, relying on the fact that people couldn't see clearly in the darkness, plus he naturally covered half of his face. Li Fenghuang poked the person next to him and asked.
"Hunters and knights don't interact much, and besides, that person seems to be related to General Andres, didn't you see the knights didn't move?" The person said to Li Fenghuang without turning his head.
"Thanks." Li Fenghuang moved again, closer to the wanted poster by the city wall, and Li Fenghuang saw himself at a glance:
"Name: Unknown
Incident: Illegal armed robbery of a bakery, humiliating the bakery owner, heinous! The criminal is armed with a short sword, relatively dangerous. If found, please report immediately!
Portrait: ( • — • ) 丿 one 丨 = = = ＞
Bounty: 30 copper coins"
"The drawing is so ugly! Really, how could I, the dignified Li Fenghuang, be drawn so abstractly! Sigh! If it weren't for the dire situation, I would definitely have a discussion with that artist!" Li Fenghuang continued to look at the wanted poster, "Let me see, who else is there..."
When Li Fenghuang's gaze moved to the top of the list, his body felt as if it had been electrocuted, and he froze in place.
Li Fenghuang looked at the wanted poster, his face full of disbelief, "This, this is..."