Inside the city, the crowd thickened.
People glanced at them — at the tattoos, the bearing, the desert-worn clothes — but only briefly, and without hostility. Simple curiosity. Everyone was somewhere, moving with purpose, and whatever lay at the end of their errands was clearly more pressing than two Mojin strangers on the street.
“Father, this…” Rohan said, turning slowly as he walked.
Guelz gave a short nod. “Yes.”
He had visited many cities in the Northern Kingdom. The impression they had always left him was prosperity — the Northern Kingdom’s advantage in land and resources showed itself in that way, each city slightly more impressive than the last. He had expected the Great Chief’s capital to be more of the same: richer, grander, more elaborately appointed.
What stopped him was not the flat black-stone road underfoot, or the orderly rows of houses. It was the people.
Every city had its underside — the stray wanderers, the beggars, the Rats who gathered in alleys and doorways like sediment. They were part of a city’s texture, as permanent and unremarkable as the walls.
In Neverwinter, they were absent.
More striking still were the faces. The people here carried themselves with something Guelz had only ever seen among newly elevated warriors, and only on their best days. This wasn’t the careful dignity of people performing confidence — it came from somewhere inside, as reliable as breath.
He had long held a quiet contempt for Northern Kingdom people: too comfortable, too soft, their courage eroded by abundance. The Sand Nation, shaped by a harder environment, had the better spirit.
He was less certain of that now.
This kind of pride couldn’t be faked. A city of citizens like these would be dangerous to make an enemy of, even without firearms.
“Father.” Rohan pulled his attention back. “Do we look for Lorgar first, or go to the castle to deliver the document?”
“Don’t be hasty.” Guelz looked at him. “If the Great Chief puts us in the Castle District, how do we verify his promise? We stay a few days and learn what we can about this city first.”
“But—”
“I’ve decided.” He paused. “Hmm? What are those people doing?”
A crowd had gathered in a square nearby, buzzing with noise.
Rohan followed his gaze. “Merchants selling discounted goods?”
“Go find out,” Guelz told him.
“Yes, Father.”
Rohan pulled up his hood and used his height to push through. Guelz watched him go.
In terms of build, Rohan should have been the Wildflame clan’s finest warrior. But combat had never called to him. It was Lorgar — slight and barely standing when she was born — who had become the pride of the clan, the obvious successor in every warrior’s eyes. Which left Rohan with nowhere to stand inside his own family. Brother and sister shared a bloodline and almost nothing else. Two concentric circles that never overlapped.
Guelz felt the familiar disappointment settle in him.
Even when Lorgar received every honor, Rohan had never once protested. That passivity troubled him more than any failure in the ring would have. The Mojins respected strength, but an unyielding will counted for something too — more than surrender without a fight.
That was why he had brought Rohan along.
The world outside Iron Sand City might do what years of his own instruction hadn’t.
Fifteen minutes later, Rohan shouldered back out of the crowd, his expression strange.
“Father. They’re registering for a sports meeting.”
“Sports meeting?” Guelz turned the words over. “What is it?”
“A race. The Great Chief organized it to find the fastest person in the kingdom. First place gets a hundred gold royals. That’s why there’s such a crowd.”
Guelz laughed. “Ha — a holy duel without the blood. Looks like the Great Chief learned something from the Sand Nation. What are the entry requirements? If it’s about who’s fastest, we have as much right to enter as anyone.”
Rohan blinked. “Us? Father, you want to compete?”
“Of course. I was once among those elite warriors who could walk half the desert without breaking stride, leaving camels behind me. When it comes to leg stamina, I never lost to anyone.” He stroked his beard. “What, do you think I’ve gone old? Take me to register. Quickly.”
Rohan looked at him, clearly calculating how many ways this could go wrong, and then gave up. “There are too many people. I’ll go alone and queue for both of us.”
“Fine.”
“Father—” Rohan hesitated.
“Huh?” Guelz narrowed his eyes. “Is there something you forgot to mention?”
“I…” He dropped his voice. “I saw Third Sister.”
“In the crowd?”
Rohan shook his head slowly. “On a picture. She was wearing clothes that don’t cover her completely. People were gathered around it, pointing.”
“What.”
Guelz’s expression hardened instantly. He had written to Lorgar and received quick replies; he had assumed the Great Chief was treating her well. If she was being mocked, displayed like something shameful, then all the green mountains and rivers the Wildflame clan had gained were worth nothing.
He was already moving.
The painting Rohan had described was hung on the square’s outer wall — large, unmissable. Guelz stopped when he saw it.
Was that Lorgar?
He had never seen his daughter like this. She stood in the center of a winter scene, white yarn and brocade rippling in the wind — a palace ceremony dress he had never seen her wear, because in Iron Sand City she always dressed for battle: short clothes, wrapping at the chest and arms, perpetually marked with dirt or blood. When she didn’t have to fight, she covered herself deliberately, hiding her inhuman features under fabric.
This was what Rohan had meant.
Her ears were fully exposed, tall and full. Her tail swept out behind her. She wore a crystal red earring in one long ear, its color vivid enough to pull the eye straight to it. She looked as if she had chosen every detail herself. As if she wanted to be seen.
The crowd around her wasn’t sneering.
They were admiring.
Through the chatter, Guelz caught a new word: magic movie.
So that was it.
In the Kingdom of Graycastle, everyone is the same. Was this the Great Chief’s way of making it real?
He turned and delivered a slap to the back of Rohan’s head. “Don’t look so shocked. Your sister isn’t a monster. She just showed her half-wolf form.”
“I didn’t say she was—” Rohan winced, rubbing his head.
“Go register us for the holy duel. Sports meeting.” Guelz corrected himself. “Then find out where to buy tickets for the magic movie. Cost doesn’t matter. Understood?”
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN After entering the city, the number of people suddenly increased.
Though there were still some people looking at them, it was only out of pure curiosity. Everyone seemed in a hurry and no one was wandering the streets without a purpose.
“Father, this…” Rohan said looking around in surprise.
“Yes.” He slightly nodded.
It was the first time that Guelz saw such a busy environment.
He had previously traveled to many cities in the Northern Kingdom, and the biggest impression those cities left him with was their prosperity—this was also a characteristic of the Northern Kingdom: having more prosperous lands and resources than the Southernmost Region allowed them to create extraordinary cities. Additionally, their only difference was that each of them was better than the previous ones. So, at first, he thought that the great chief’s King’s City would also be superior in this aspect. However, to his surprise, what first attracted his attention was not the flat and long black-stoned streets under the foot, nor the uniform layout of the houses, but the people here.
No matter how big the inner city was, or how magnificent the castle was, there would always be some stray people, beggars or Rats on the side of the streets. They were like a part of a city.
Nonetheless, while walking in the streets of Neverwinter, these kinds of scenes were nowhere to be found. The expressions on people’s faces were
also completely different. Such high spirited expressions were rarely seen even among the newly promoted clans.
Guelz always thought that the Nothern Kingdom people were not much better than the Sand Nation people, who he actually considered as more resourceful due to their less advantageous environment. The Nothern Kingdom, with its abundance of resources, was indulging in overly comfortable life and thus, the courage and will of their people were inferior. If unifying the power of the clans had not been so hard, they could have broadened their place of living.
Yet, he was not so sure about that now.
This kind of pride and self-confidence which came from the heart, it could not be faked.
A city with such citizens, it would be best not to be their enemy even if they did not possess firearms.
“Father, are we going to search for Lorgar first or go to the castle to give the document?” Rohan’s impression was not that deep. He was more curious rather than surprised.
“Don’t be hasty, if the great chief arranges for us to stay in the Castle District, how are we going to verify his promise?” Guelz looked at him. “We definitely have to wait for few days and find out more about this city.
“But…”
“I already decided.” He interrupted him. “Hmm? What are those people doing?”
There was a big crowd around the square, making buzzing sounds and looking very lively.
Rohan followed his gaze and looked at that direction, “Maybe they are rushing to buy discount products from merchants?”
“Go and have a look,” Guelz said.
“Yes.”
The latter put on his hood, and with the advantage of his big height, he quickly squeezed into the crowd.
Looking at the back of his eldest son, Guelz could not help but sigh. In terms of physique, he was supposed to become the bravest warrior in the clan. However, fighting was not naturally appealing to him. Eventually, the one to become the pride of the Wildflame clan was Lorgar, who was anything but strong when she was born. It was for this reason that Princess Lorgar was considered by all clan members as the heir, while Rohan could not lift his head from all the pressure. Though they were brother and sister, they rarely had any conversations together. They were like concentric people.
Anyhow, the chief could not help but feel a bit disappointed.
Especially when Lorgar received everyone’s appraisal, Rohan still did not show any sign of protesting.
Mojins have a preference for the strong.
Even if one’s ability was not good, an unyielding will could still win the respect of others, which was much better than surrendering without even a fight.
That is why even after Lorgar had left, he was still hesitating about him taking over as chief.
Rohan had performed well in other aspects but a leader who is afraid of competition would slowly lose his advantage due to his constant hesitation.
This was the reason Guelz had brought his eldest son with him.
He hoped for him to change through seeing more about the world.
Fifteen minutes later, Rohan quickly squeezed out of the crowd, his face filled with a weird expression. “Father, they are people who want to participate in the Sports meeting.”
“Sports meeting?” Guelz murmured, “What’s that?”
“Apparently it’s a competition that the great chief organized in order to determine the fastest person.” Rohan explained, “and the first one will be able to get 100 gold royals as a reward. That’s why there are so many people who want to participate.”
“Ha, isn’t this like the holy duel?” Only without the blood.” Guelz smiled. “Looks like the great chief learned a few good things from the Sand Nation. What is the requirement to participate? If it’s to determine who is the fastest then we should have the right to participate too.”
“Us?” Rohan was startled. “Father, you want to participate too?”
“Of course, I used to be one of those elite warriors who could walk through half of the desert, leaving behind me even camels. When it comes to leg stamina, I never lost to anyone!” Guelz said while stroking his beard. “What, do you think I’m old now? Quickly, take me to register!”
Realizing that he could not stop him, Rohan replied, “There are too many people there, I’ll go alone.”
“No problem.”
“Father—”
“Huh?” Guelz glanced at him. “Is there something that you didn’t tell me?”
“Uhm…” Rohan paused for a moment before saying with a low voice, “I saw my third sister.”
“In the crowd?”
“No,” his eldest son shook his head, “she is…on a picture, wearing clothes that don’t cover her entirely, with people circled around, pointing at her…”
“What!” Guelz instantly frowned. Could it be that the great chief was humiliating her? Last time, after writing to Lorgar, Neverwinter responded very quickly. So, he assumed that His Majesty was treating her very well. If
Lorgar was being humiliated only for the position of the Wildflame clan, then he would rather not have all those green mountains and rivers.
While thinking about that, he walked towards the crowd with a serious face.
The painting scroll that Rohan talked about was hung on one side of the square and not only it was very eye-catching but there were actually more than one—when Guelz saw it, he immediately stopped, unable to move his body.
Was that…Lorgar?”
It was the first time that he saw his daughter being so beautiful—she was standing in the middle of a snowy scenery, wearing a white yarn and a brocade which were waving in the wind. That was a palace ceremony dress that Lorgar had never worn before. Whilst in Iron Sand City, she always wore short clothes and pants, which were suitable for fighting. At her chest and arms, she always had bandages and she was always covered either in dirt or blood. When she did not have to fight, she would always cover herself tightly and make sure to hide her inhuman features under her clothes.
This is what Rohan meant as not covered.
Lorgar was clearly exposing her fluffy ears and tail, looking as if she wanted to attract attention deliberately. In one of her long ears, she wore a crystal red gemstone earring and its bright color seemed to make the whole picture look more vivid.
As for the people around, their comments were not out of disgust and repulsiveness but rather compliments. This is what most surprised Guelz. Furthermore, through their chatting, he heard a new word: magic movie.
So that was the case.
“In the Kingdom of Graycastle, everyone is the same” — was this the great chief’s way?
He turned around and gave Rohan a slap, “Don’t be so shocked next time. Your sister isn’t some kind of monster, she just exposed her half-wolf form.
“I didn’t say that…” said the latter as if he was wronged while stroking the back of his head.
“Anyways, first go and sign up for that holy duel…sports meeting,” Guelz told him. “Afterwards, find out where we can buy the tickets for the magic movie. No matter the cost, you have to buy them. Understood?”