บท 26: Not again!
Kaden continued grinding the stone monkey hordes and when he finally reached Level 18 and the monkeys became too inefficient for grinding experience points, he left the area.
For his next plan of action, he needed to visit one of the corrupt kingdom cities.
The easiest way to do this was to get on a carriage from Willowbrook, but since he couldn't enter the city, he would have to wait at one of the crossroads for the carriages to pass by and see which one would take him in.
Kaden dismissed his eye-catching pets and started walking toward the crossroads. On the way, he encountered a few dire wolves, feral wolves, and wild horned boars which he quickly took care of without any effort.
It took about an hour to reach the nearest crossroads from which he could request a lift without arousing any suspicion. Luckily for him, right when he arrived there a caravan was passing through.
The caravan consisted of several covered wagons pulled by sturdy twin-tailed black horses, guarded by armed escorts.
From the looks of it, it was a merchant cavern as most of the vehicles contained packaged goods. The armed escorts were also private mercenary escorts and not kingdom-affiliated soldiers as they did not have the kingdom's tabard on.
This was perfect for Kaden. He approached the caravan, making sure to keep a nonchalant demeanor. He flagged down one of the guards, a burly man with a scar running across his cheek, and inquired about their destination.
"Excuse me, good sir," Kaden began, "I'm looking to travel to the Light Wind city. Would you happen to be heading in that direction?"
The guard eyed Kaden warily, especially the items he had on him, sizing him up before responding. "Aye, we're headed to Shadowgate. So we will be crossing through the Light Wind, but as you can see we are busy and there is no space for you."
Kaden smiled. "Of course. Of course." He politely responded, at the same time taking out five silver coins from his inventory.
He extended his hand, holding the coins toward the guard. "I understand the caravan is full, but perhaps there might be a way to accommodate one more passenger." He smiled again with a small wink. "This is a small token of my appreciation for your consideration."
The guard's eyes lit up at the sight of the shiny coins. He glanced around, making sure no one else was watching, before clearing his throat and reaching out to accept the payment.
"Well, I suppose we could make some room for you. You'll have to ride at the back of one of the wagons, but it's better than being left here."
Kaden nodded gratefully. "Thank you for your understanding. I assure you, I will cause no trouble and I'll be out of your way as soon as we reach Light Wind."
The guard pocketed the silver coins and motioned for Kaden to follow him. They walked toward the last wagon in the caravan, where a small space had been cleared for additional cargo.
Kaden climbed aboard, finding a spot among the goods, and settled in for the journey. It was a five hour trip thanks to the speedy nature of these carriages.
As the caravan set off, Kaden leaned back against the wagon's cargo, feeling the rhythmic motion of the carriage beneath him. The sound of hooves hitting the ground and the creaking of the wheels filled the air as they traveled along the dusty road.
He let out a sigh and his thoughts then turned to the corrupt kingdom city he was about to visit.
Kaden jogged his mind trying to remember all the quests he had heard about in this city. Though he did not know many unique and special quests in the city, he had a general idea about some quests.
Most of them were assassination-type quests of friendly NPCs roaming around in the wilderness and collecting raw materials that were exclusively available in the Empire and delivering them to the Dark Legion representatives.
And once he had enough reputation, he should be able to take one of their help and use a portal to reach the friendly Empire, where there were so many more quests. Easy peasy.
Though his start had been a little wonky, thanks to the unexpected treasure chest, now everything was back on track. Almost.
If not he could always hit the reset button and go after the hidden class quest that was in the capital city of the Silverhaven Kingdom.
Kaden sighed in relief, closing his eyes for a well-deserved nap. Even though he had leveled up with sufficient stats in strength and stamina and had prior experience to handle the stress and tiredness of actual combat in the game, he still needed to rest.
The five hour journey was a good time to rest and Kaden used this chance to stretch his limbs and lie down comfortably in the wagon after pushing aside a few boxes.
Soon the five hours flew by and the caravan came to a halt at the outskirts of the city.
Kaden stirred awake from his nap, and peered out of the wagon, his gaze landing on the sprawling city before him, its tall walls and splendid architecture towering over the surrounding landscape.
With a grin, Kaden rubbed his hands and jumped off the wagon. He thanked the guard who had allowed him passage and stepped onto the dusty road.
The city was bustling with activity with NPCs wandering here and there. This was not one of the starting zone cities so there weren't any players around. If he was correct, then he had to be the first to enter the city.
Kaden made his way towards the entrance gate, where two heavily armed guards stood watch. Approaching the guards, he greeted them with a confident nod. "Good day, sirs."
He took out 2 silver coins and extended them to the gate guards. This was one of the cities with a very high entrance fee but it was worth it. After all, there was so much he had to do in this city. His very future might depend on the quests he completed in this city.
Kaden's mind wandered to the next steps as he shifted his attention from the guards to the street in front of him. However, the next second…
The two guards frowned.
The guards exchanged a glance, their expressions stern and suspicious. One of them, a burly man with a scar across his forehead, stepped forward and spoke in a gruff voice.
"Who are you? You look like you are up to no good!"
"Huh?" Kaden turned around, his face full of confusion. Don't tell me! Not fucking again!!!
And just as the worst possible scenario crept inside his brain, the two guards unsheathed their weapons.
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