As the man approached, one of the guards, wearing a full helmet that covered his entire head, stepped forward, intercepting Zhihao and commanding him to stop. "Halt!" he shouted. "Who are you? What do you want?"
Trembling, Zhihao steadied himself with a deep breath. "I-I'm an alchemist from Twinhill. Mrs. Zenmei requested that I check on her husband," he replied in a quiet tone.
The guard turned to his comrade, who stood next to him with a spear and nodded. "Fine, but we'll need to search you first," he said as he approached Zhihao, the sound of steel filling the air with each step he took.
Rubbing various areas on Zhihao, he raised his hands to make it easier for the guard to conduct his search. The guard's hands stopped as he discovered something astonishing in Zhihao's satchel.
"What is this?" the man exclaimed, pulling out a bottle and folded paper containing small balls. "Explain now!"