Chapter 124: Pigs and Whistles

Seeing Rayan just sneering silently, the young lion captain felt a surge of annoyance and demanded in an aggressive tone, "Speak up, what are you here for!"

Once Rayan was sure the young lion captain was only after money, his icy face relaxed slightly, and he replied with a slightly mocking tone, "We are here to enter the city, of course."

"You!"

Young lion captain frustrated said, "Nonsense! Who here isn't trying to get into the city?"

"Since you know, why ask?"

"Kid, look clearly at my badge. I am the captain of the guard directly under the royal family of the Stonerock Kingdom. Do you think we brothers are stationed here waiting for the Holy Light to descend? No, we are waiting for people like you to show up, so we can have some fun in our dull lives!"

Saying this, young lion captain squeezed his own finger joints, producing a crisp cracking sound.

Rayan sneered and glanced at him. This captain was just a Sixth Tier Battle Qi, and his guards were even lower, a mix of Fourth and Fifth Tiers, like small fish, with weak combat consciousness, their weapons set aside, and their wine cups full. If a fight broke out now, Rayan was confident he could take them all down in a single move—

Hold back. He reminded himself, any matter that could be settled with money was not really a matter at all.

After adjusting his mindset slightly, Rayan said indifferently, "I didn't think you were waiting for the Holy Light to descend; I just thought you weren't qualified to join the Lionheart guild."

At these words, all the guards' faces changed color. Lionheart was a national guild, the strongest force in the entire Stonerock Kingdom. The minimum requirement to join Lionheart was to be an Apprentice Hero, and guards like them could probably never reach that level in their lifetimes, only fit to be treated as royal servants, guarding the gates.

People like them, rejected by Lionheart, could only become subordinate teams of Lionheart, an indisputable fact. But Rayan's words made them feel like unwanted trash.

"How dare you insult us?"

Young lion captain's eyes widened, speaking righteously, "Our Young Lions Squad is also a national team; every one of us represents the king—"

"Every one of you is the king? Ha, your queen must love this phrase." Rayan's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"You!"

Young lion captain could hear low laughter from the surrounding commoners, more than one person at that. Angered, he swept his fierce gaze over the crowd, unable to pinpoint the snickering individuals, and redirected his fierce look back to Rayan's face.

"Brave kid, you dare insult our great king before even entering the city!"

Rayan shook his head, "You say each one of you represents the king; if there's any insult, it started from yourselves."

"You, you're presumptuous!"

Young lion captain trembled with rage, facing such a tough opponent for the first time. "Believe it or not, I could make up a charge right now and have you arrested, locked up until you die."

"Just with you guys?"

Rayan first chuckled, then suddenly his expression turned stern, and he rebuked sharply, "First look at yourselves. Drinking and chatting while on duty, weapons out of reach, armor disarrayed, and falsely claiming to represent the king. In truth, you are just a bunch of breathing trash. If I were your leader, you'd have been thrown into a dung pit with your hands and feet chopped off by now—lucky for you, I'm not in charge."

The spacious gate area fell silent.

Each guard's face flushed as if they had just been slapped by their own superior. Rayan's words carried a dignity that seemed highly incongruent with his age and attire, pressing them down so much they didn't even dare to look up.

Even the usually arrogant young lion captain felt uneasy now, guessing that Rayan might be some high-ranking figure in disguise, hence his bold words and the presence of a beautiful female slave.

Once this thought took root, young lion captain's tone softened.

"In the name of the king…"

Young lion captain cleared his dry throat, attempting to sound composed, "In the name of the king, please state your identity."

"You'll find out."

Rayan casually pulled out some gold coins from his bundle, tossed them to the young lion captain, and then walked towards Stonerock City with Sola.

Young lion captain, holding the coins in astonishment, became even more convinced that Rayan was indeed a person of high status; otherwise, his generosity would not have been so lavish. The rage from the previous humiliation had already dissipated without a trace.

He bowed and nodded to Rayan's retreating figure, saying, "Take care, sir, I apologize for the offense and neglect earlier. Please don't take it to heart, and I wish you a pleasant stay in Stonerock City!"

Rayan didn't look back, just continued walking, holding Sola's hand.

In this world, almost anything could be settled with intimidation and money, but the thing that could truly make people submit from the depths of their hearts, tremble, and dare not resist—

Was only the sword.

After passing through the oppressive, deep gate corridor, Rayan finally let go of Sola's hand.

Back in the day, he had also held Evan's hand while entering Stonerock City. Evan's palm was large and warm, while Sola's was small but equally warm. But now, he was no longer the child who needed someone else to bring warmth; he didn't need warmth, he could provide warmth to those he cared about, just like... just like Evan back then.

He had never thought he would become like Evan, who in his memory had been a cold, cowardly old man who, despite having a sword, never used it. But Rayan was different; he enjoyed resolving grudges swiftly, repaying kindness and seeking revenge whenever triggered, no matter who the opponent was.

But as he held Sola's hand through the dark gate corridor, he felt a transformation into Evan, a desire to protect someone and willingly endure, renounce, and give everything.

Back then, he held Evan's hand because he was afraid of the long-standing darkness; today, he had grown accustomed to the darkness, even finding it familiar. He wondered what Evan would think of his growth now...

Sola's wide orange eyes marveled at the massive city in front of her, speechless with astonishment.

The ground beneath them was no longer mud or cobblestones, but smooth, flat bluestone slabs, streets dividing the entire city into north, south, east, and west districts—trade, entertainment, living, and official business, each distinctly separate. Stone-built houses were densely scattered, noble-marked carriages incessantly coming and going, making the city overwhelmingly majestic.

If the prosperity of other towns in Stonerock Kingdom was an illusion, then Stonerock City had perfected that illusion to the extreme.

Seeing Sola gaping, her eyes unsure where to look, Rayan couldn't help but smile lightly, urging her with a soft "Let's go," and led her towards the entertainment district.

He now deeply understood his own feelings back then, and even more so, Evan's feelings at the time. Previously, he thought all these colorful things were amazing, dreaming of owning them one day, but he didn't realize what truly mattered was the person by his side—back then, it was Evan, now it was Sola, who used to wander with him, and now he was leading her on his wanderings.

Wandering had nothing to do with how much money one had. Those without a home were all wandering, just in different ways.

But no matter the method of wandering, food and lodging were still the first considerations. Avenging Duncan wasn't something that could be accomplished in a day or two; they needed to find a place to settle down first.

All the hotels in Stonerock City were located in the entertainment district, where there were also casinos, taverns, and brothels, making it the liveliest part of the city.

As they moved toward the center of the district, the people's attire became increasingly luxurious, the size of residences and shops grew, and the goods sold became more expensive and novel. Outside a hotel, tables and chairs were set up to attract business, and from inside a tavern drifted the joyous sounds of singing and the aroma of roasted beef.

Sola could hardly move. Not from fatigue, but because the scent of the meat hooked her stomach like a fishhook.

"Master, aren't we supposed to settle down?"

"We are going to settle down, but not here." Rayan didn't stop his stride.

Sola cast a longing glance around, then caught up with her master.

Rayan led Sola through several noisy streets and into a quiet alley, pointing to a discolored signboard, "We'll stay here."

Sola looked up and saw the sign, sloppily inscribed with a few words: Pigs and Whistles Inn.

Sola couldn't help but chuckle. All the inns they had seen along the way had names like Royal Courtyard, Golden Rose, Like Water Through Time—all grand and majestic names. "Pigs and Whistles Inn" was the first such comically named place they had encountered.

"Master, the innkeeper is too casual, isn't she? How could she choose such a name? Are we really going to stay here?"

She wasn't being disdainful, just surprised that Rayan, who was willing to toss gold coins to those city guards, would skimp and stay in such a dingy place.

"The innkeeper's husband was a pig farmer, and her son's milk name is Whistle, so the name isn't really casual," Rayan explained as he walked into the inn.

"Then her husband and son don't object?"

"They can't object."

Rayan stepped over the inn's worn threshold and turned back to his female slave, "Because many years ago, they were nailed to stakes outside the city and burned alive."

Sola gasped, wanting to ask more, but Rayan had already stepped inside.

The inn was as lifeless as Sola had expected, nearly devoid of guests. The walls were mottled, corners webbed with cobwebs, a black oil lamp hung in the center of the hall, and in the fireplace against the wall burned a green flame. The kettle perched above it was nearly burnt dry, hissing and emitting white steam.

A sense of oppression and sorrow spread up Rayan's back, as if someone was whispering in his ear about the tragic events of many years ago. He took a deep breath and walked deeper into the hall.

The female innkeeper sat behind the counter, head bowed like a statue without expression. Even as Rayan and Sola's steps creaked the decaying floor, she never once lifted her eyelids.