51: First sight of Kula Castle

The next morning.

Early in the morning, before dawn.

Roan got up and packed his belongings.

After dropping Lisa off next door, he and Litton set off for Kula City.

Because Kula City was quite far, Litton had already called a carriage from the inn yesterday.

Several hours later.

Around ten in the morning, the carriage traveled all the way to a majestic and fortified city.

At this moment, Roan peered out through the carriage window.

The outer wall of Kula City was a full twenty meters high.

And every fifty to sixty meters, an octagonal watchtower stood tall.

Although they were far apart and he couldn't see exactly what was inside the watchtowers.

Roan's heart inexplicably tightened, even feeling a sense of dread.

"A city this large, if it were in my previous life, would probably be a national capital."

"Yet on this God-Given Continent, even just within the Mand Kingdom, there are hundreds, thousands, countless such cities..."

Roan sighed inwardly. Compared to Hibo Town where he had been before, Kula City's area was more than ten times larger?

He had some understanding of the Mand Empire through previous intelligence.

He knew that in the Windwhisper Plains, there were over a dozen noble families who had been enfeoffed.

And nearly a hundred large and small cities had been built.

A city as vast as Kula City, in terms of area and prosperity alone, could at most be considered upper-middle tier.

As for Hibo Town, an ancillary town of Kula City, its area was only about ten square kilometers, with a population of just over ten thousand people.

It could barely be considered lower-middle tier, not the absolute lowest.

And around the small town, those ordinary villages that weren't even considered towns, with no cover or defensive fortifications.

Didn't even qualify to be called towns and were completely insignificant.

Just as Roan was sighing inwardly, a voice suddenly came from inside the carriage.

"Roan, this is your first time in Kula City, isn't it?"

Litton, who had been reading to pass the time, couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Roan pulled back and nodded to Litton, saying,

"Yes, Mr. Litton."

"Then how do you feel?"

Litton asked again. Roan thought for a moment before replying with an inexplicable tone.

"Majestic, spectacular, and endless."

Litton heard this and couldn't help but laugh.

"Hmm, I remember feeling the same way the first time I came. This city is truly too big..."

Next, Litton began to recount the history of Kula City.

This fortified city has been built for over two hundred years.

It was originally a fief granted by the Mand Kingdom's royal family to a meritorious official—Viscount Kula.

Viscount Kula had children and grandchildren here, forming a large noble family.

However, as the saying goes, wealth does not pass three generations.

After Viscount Kula's death, his descendants were not as powerful and courageous as their ancestor.

Thus, the family gradually declined, and their title also dropped from Viscount to Baron.

Of course, even so, the descendants of the Kula Family are still the head of the six great noble families in Kula City.

Because the current Kula Family Head is intelligent and capable.

He is a master of social maneuvering and highly adaptable.

He built good relationships externally and ruled with both benevolence and authority internally.

Even some families that were secretly plotting and looking for opportunities to provoke him.

Were all suppressed by him, and he still held the position of leader of the noble alliance.

Besides the noble forces, there are four other major forces in Kula City.

They are the Church, which governs religion; the Chamber of Commerce, which manages the economy; the Knight Order, which commands the army.

And the Adventurer's Guild, which comes from the common people.

Of course, in addition to these five major forces, there are also some smaller factions, such as gangs, guilds, schools, brothels... But even all of these combined cannot contend with the five major forces, so they are not worth elaborating on.

"We've arrived!"

The coachman reminded them. At this point, the carriage had already reached the city gate.

Because Kula City was too vast, there was more than one city gate.

The location where Roan and Litton were currently was the fourth medium-sized access gate on the southwest side.

At this moment, Roan and Litton got out of the carriage.

They saw a long queue ahead, undergoing individual inspections.

About ten minutes later, Roan and Litton came before the guards.

"Hmm?"

Roan subtly sized up the guards, his expression showing no change.

But in his heart, he was somewhat surprised.

Because through the two men's undisguised aura, Roan could sense.

These two inspecting guards were actually two High-Level Apprentice Knights!

If this were in Hibo Town, strong individuals of this caliber would rank at least in the top ten, and their position would at minimum be a deputy captain of a security squad.

Yet, in Kula City, they were merely gatekeepers?

They didn't even qualify to guard the main city gate?

Roan secretly clicked his tongue, then dared not act rashly and honestly accepted the inspection.

Of course, because he had predicted this scene in advance through intelligence.

He hadn't carried things like flintlock pistols and Molotov cocktails.

Roan did bring the sharp dagger he got from Barto, and he didn't hide it, taking it out directly.

Litton showed no surprise at this, as Roan had already told him about it.

However, regarding the dagger's origin, Roan told a small lie, saying he bought it from a blacksmith shop.

At this moment, the guard picked up the dagger and inspected it briefly.

Seeing that it was sharp but not an alchemical item, he returned it to Roan.

Later, when he learned Litton's identity as a doctor.

He directly ignored the medicine bottles they carried with them.

Because the main duty of these guards was to check the identity of the incoming people and whether any prohibited items were among their carried belongings.

Other than that, as long as it complied with regulations.

Even if someone brought in a Knight's longsword, these guards would not stop them.

After the inspection was complete, Roan and Litton entered Kula City.

And nearby, the carriage and coachman had also passed inspection.

So, Roan and Litton boarded the carriage again.

Half an hour later.

The carriage stopped next to a large inn.

Roan and Litton got out and checked in.

Because of the high price of the inn, Litton requested a double room.

At this point, it was already approaching eleven o'clock.

"Roan, are you hungry? It's still early, should we eat first, or should I take you out to look around?"

After Litton put away his things, he turned to Roan.

Roan's heart stirred, but he said with a smile,

"To be honest, Mr. Litton, this is my first time in Kula City, and I really want to go out and see it."

Litton nodded upon hearing this, and was about to get up to take Roan out to look around.

But then Roan changed his tone and continued,

"However, I can go out by myself, no need to trouble you to accompany me."

"After all, I'm not a child anymore, I won't get lost."

"Don't worry, I won't go far, just around here. You just rest well."