Chapter 86: Sandstone City

Chapter 86: Sandstone City

The main roads of Sandstone City still kept the characteristics of a military stronghold, wide and flat. The old army barracks were now homes, and most residents had some connection to them. Like the taverns in the city, many had actually evolved from the barracks’ mess halls. Those running these taverns now were mostly descendants of the army’s cooks and kitchen workers back then.

Most neighborhood names in the city were also named after the attributes of the garrison troops stationed there. Names like Knight Camp, Swordsman Camp, and less pleasant ones like Prisoner Camp.

The Dragon Riders had their own base within Sandstone City: the Dragon Rider Camp. Dragon Rider Camp was located in the city’s southeast corner, adjacent to the City Lord’s Manor. Currently, only a dozen or so Dragon Riders were stationed there. It was also the only place in Sandstone City that still maintained its original appearance.

Eileen had been careless; she hadn’t put away her Crystal Ball quickly enough when entering the city. “Don’t show off your money” was a principle that should usually be followed, but young people’s competitive spirits often make them ignore this, sometimes on purpose, sometimes without meaning to.

…

Kkel was a renowned thief who had risen to prominence in Sandstone City over the last few years. He possessed decent martial skills. While he wasn’t top tier in Sandstone City, he was certainly no slouch. Kkel didn’t have overly dexterous hands, nor could he sneak up on people unnoticed. The reason he became a master thief was that he was a Wizard capable of moving objects with his mind. Though the range was only a few meters, it was enough.

He had noticed the Crystal Ball Eileen had just hidden away. Though he’d only caught a fleeting glimpse, it left him dazed for a long moment. He knew he had to act fast; he couldn’t be the only one who had seen that Crystal Ball. So Kkel followed the Dragon Riders, waiting for a chance.

Someone, it wasn’t clear who, used a few wandering children to pretend to accidentally rush into the group of Dragon Riders. Then a child fell, started crying and screaming, and people began using the chance to create chaos. A few fake relatives blocked the Dragon Riders, demanding an explanation.

But they were wrong. This was a world where strength matters. The Dragon Riders didn’t stop as they wished to argue right from wrong. Instead, they directly drew their swords and cut down those few blocking them. These people were just common folk from the lowest rungs of society, facing a group of lofty Knight masters. Even though these masters kept a low profile and silently endured gossip behind their backs, it didn’t mean they would tolerate open challenges.

A short figure jumped out from amidst the children, trying to dart under a ground dragon’s belly at high speed towards Eileen. A huge foot, armed with sharp claws, stomped him straight into the ground with a dull thud and a sharp cry.

Kkel thought his chance had arrived. He got close to Eileen, focusing his attention on her pack, trying to move its contents out. But he felt like he had grabbed a flame, a pulsing flame. That flame struggled against his hold, causing Eileen’s pack to jerk violently.

Eileen clamped down on the pack with one hand, then, driven by intuition, looked toward Kkel. As their eyes met, Eileen had already pulled a spear from her mount and thrust it at him. Kkel dodged the spear and retreated into the crowd to escape.

This brief clash sobered up some people with bad intentions. No matter how much folks in the city badmouthed the Dragon Riders, these were individuals famous for their combat prowess. The crowd began to disperse, clearing the way.

The Dragon Riders continued moving forward, quiet and orderly, without the slightest pause. This was just a minor incident along the journey, nothing worth making a fuss about. They were not in the Northlands anymore. Here, there was no need to reason things out, no need to back down. They were the lofty Dragon Riders; they would crush any obstacle in their path.

…

The escaped Kkel hid in the kitchen of the Sword and Shield Tavern with a few friends, briefly recounting what had just happened. Finally, Kkel stated with certainty, “Treasure! Real treasure.”

These friends, like Kkel, were young, at an age that loved freedom and adventure, and they were all Wizards.

“Those are Dragon Riders. Even though they usually only move around their Camp area, I know how fierce they are,” said Baixian, a girl with grey hair. Her ability was to control sparrows, those small birds commonly found everywhere. Her personality was like the sparrows too: lively and alert.

Next to her, Shajia, with long black hair, spoke up, “If you’re scared, you don’t have to join.” As she spoke, her hair seemed to open and close, each strand waving like a nimble little hand. One lock lifted teasingly, brushing past Baixian’s cheek.

“I’ll try,” said Ruoti, a girl who was easily overlooked.

“No,” Kkel shot down the idea immediately. “You can only make yourself invisible. You don’t actually vanish. Those dragons have excellent senses of smell.”

Baixian added, “Even if the dragons didn’t find you, the skilled ones among the Dragon Riders would notice something wrong and detect you. We need a proper plan. At dawn tomorrow, I’ll send the sparrows over to take a look.”

…

While Kkel and his friends were planning, Eileen had already sketched out Kkel’s face and handed it to Dragon Rider Father. “This is the man. He seemed to be able to move things directly, but for some reason, it didn’t work.”

Dragon Rider Father felt a headache coming. The abilities of Wizards varied greatly, so simple defenses wouldn’t work. For now, he could only tell those at the Camp to be extra alert. He needed to talk to Knight Camp and have them hand over the guy.

Currently, the Knights living in Knight Camp managed Sandstone City’s city defense and security. Back when the main army gradually pulled out and disbanded, the responsibility for city defense fell to the Knights who stayed behind. These unfortunate stationed Knights took root here generation after generation, father to son. Thankfully, lands outside Sandstone City had been given as compensation back then. Though not large, it was enough to settle and live comfortably.

Just as Dragon Rider Father was getting ready to head to Knight Camp, he was stopped at the Camp by a stationed Wizard, his old friend Grew.

“Hall, wait. Don’t go just yet. What is your daughter carrying?” Grew blocked his path.

Dragon Rider Father was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

“Take me to see her.”

“I’ve got things to do. You can go find her yourself.”

Grew wouldn’t stand for it. “Take me to see her now! Right now! You need to be present for this.”

The reluctant Dragon Rider Father had to take him to find his daughter first.

When they found her, Eileen, in casual dress, was fiddling with that pair of Crystal Balls. She wore a delicate hair ornament and bracelets around her wrists; all the decorations she had gotten from Bran were adorning her at that moment. Seeing her two elders come in, she felt quite pleased, anticipating the praise that was sure to come. But she was disappointed. Her Uncle Grew just scrutinized her repeatedly. When his gaze fell on the pair of Crystal Balls on the table, he lunged past Eileen straight toward them.

Amid Eileen’s shriek, Dragon Rider Father swiftly tackled his acting-odd friend. The man pinned on the floor, Grew, yelled, “Fool, let go!”

Eileen shrieked, “Robbery!”

Hearing his daughter’s scream, Dragon Rider Father put more force into his grip. The man under him, Grew, became flustered: “Careful! You’re hurting me! I just wanted to look. If I really wanted to rob you, you couldn’t stop me anyway.”

Eileen pointed at Uncle Grew, shouting, “He’s gone crazy!”

“I only wanted to see! If I were crazy, I wouldn’t have insisted on your father coming along.” That made Dragon Rider Father loosen his hold.

Dragon Rider Father pulled Grew up, awkwardly asking, “What was that all about?”

“They blocked my probing,” Grew gestured towards Eileen and the Crystal Balls. “When I looked this way from afar, this point was a void. So I wanted to find out why. Now I have. This is critically important to me.”

“Be clearer,” Dragon Rider Father demanded.

“These are items made by a Wizard. Every Wizard has unique Mana Fluctuations related to their power. These items, even far from their creator, still radiate those powerful fluctuations. That’s why they effectively blocked my probe. The Wizard who made them must be far superior to me in ability. Do you understand what this means?

This Wizard’s abilities have Evolved; he has found the path to Evolution. You have no idea what this means to a Wizard!?

Now, tell me everything you know.”

Grew started to get really excited …