Chapter 20.1

As a city with royal status, St. Antis boasts a distinctive terrain. The God's Road, which is home to the Wujin Hanging Palace complex, rests within the Great Rift Valley, and the entire city extends west from the Hanging Palace, characterized by a uniformly lowered terrain. The map likely resembles a semicircle with edges extending in and out.

Generally, the architectural style of the entire royal city aligns with that of the Wujin Suspended Palace, imbued with a serene and dignified atmosphere. When standing atop the highest hanging palace and gazing downwards, an abundance of black-inked and gold-threaded roofs arranged at various heights tend to inspire a sense of grandeur.

Today, however, the situation is vastly different.

Having received an urgent report from the Royal City Patrol Army, Oswald mounted his horse in silence, accompanied by a team of black-armored horses, and hurried out of the Hanging Palace. The day and night rainfall had intensified, and stagnant water flowed beneath the horse's hooves, conforming to the terrain's gradient.

The Royal City contains six clinics of varying sizes, all visited without pause by Oswald, riding atop his tall horse whose iron hooves rang sharply and crisply, echoing throughout the Wan Cheng streets.

The tense atmosphere incited even the ordinarily acclimated residents of the city to peek cautiously from their windows and hastily retreat. The doors and windows are shut tight, but it fails to halt the infestation of flying insects.

Commander Peter, outfitted in a copper wire mask, conveyed to Oswald, "Your Majesty, as you've seen, our hospitals are overflowing with patients. It was much worse before. The streets were slippery, and one could easily tumble and become immobilized upon impact. People blocked the streets, so I dispatched the entire city's patrol army, dispersed them, and directed them to the nearest hospital. But..."

The streets were eventually cleared, and people were temporarily settled, but the fear had already disseminated uncontrollably.

If only one or two people were afflicted, perhaps suppressing the news could temporarily prevent further panic. However, this disease struck people everywhere in the city, and it was unfeasible to contain the news.

Despite the scope of the Royal City of St. Antis, genuine and false rumors surfaced simultaneously from different streets and corners, spreading throughout the city within one lunch hour.

Peter continued, "Most of the victims are elderly and children, highly susceptible to bumps and bruises, but at present, they've become afflicted as if with the lottery. We were forced to exercise caution in aiding them, emphasizing their seriousness, consequently wasting much time. By the time most of the patients were accommodated, flooding the streets, it had quickly degenerated into the scene we see today."

Oswald gripped the reins and glanced around. His solemn expression masked by the copper wire mask was indiscernible.

Despite the Golden Lion Kingdom being subjugated for close to 700 years, the emaciated camels remained larger than horses, and the Royal City could still be deemed lively. Yet, in a mere half day, swarms of insects and an unfamiliar disease leading to "petrification" transformed St. Antis from a vibrant city to a lifeless, deserted one.

Most homes lay shuttered, avoiding any hint of ventilation, while the streets intersecting each other appear unoccupied. Apart from the packed clinics, where lamentations overflowed, human voices were nigh non-existent elsewhere.

The present ambiance exuded a sense of decay and vacancy, rendering it lifeless and dreary. Other places also mirrored this dilapidation.

In the evening, the elderly priest of the Priest's Academy, burdened by his weighty flesh, rode atop a vulture and made his way to the hanging palace. Alongside him were his two young assistants whose anxiousness was palpable.

Observing Oswald nearly tumbling off his horse, the priest failed to hide his own discomfort as half of his body was fashioned from sandstone.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, we have received urgent reports from the Red Iron Army in the north and the Bronze Garrison in the west!" the elderly priest cried out while still perched on his horse.

Hastily, his two assistants helped him dismount and settle into a nearby chair.

Upon hearing the words, "urgent report," Oswald's eyebrows arched in apprehension. "Has something happened at the garrison?" he queried.

"It appears so!" the priest nodded, still trying to catch his breath. "They have called for additional medical personnel to be dispatched to the garrison battalion due to a cry for assistance."

The Kingdom's storied history of conquest has furnished it with a comprehensive set of emergency signals, much like Xinsha, which illuminates the Priest's Academy's observation pool.

Although this delivery of information is incredibly systematic, it's meaning is still limited. Therefore, these signals are only used in extremely urgent situations while more detailed reports are typically delivered by traditional methods.

Entering the hospital with ease, Kevin, after releasing the breathless white eagle, pulled his mask on and mounted his horse without hassle. He almost galloped in front of Oswald, pulling his steed's reins abruptly.