Arrival at Crystal Glare

Translator: Cinder Translations

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The morning fog had not yet dissipated when the guards stationed at the west gate of Crystal Glare yawned and moved the heavy gate bolt aside. Several people worked together to slowly push the massive gate open.

As the guards on the castle tower turned the winch, a huge drawbridge, held by iron chains, was gradually lowered, spanning across the moat.

"Stay alert!"

The squad leader shouted, "When the nobles pass through, be sure to stand tall and let your eyes shine; we can't lose face as people of Crystal Glare!"

"Yes, Captain!"

The soldiers replied half-heartedly, enjoying the brief moment of leisure. In less than an hour, they would have to stand stiffly for the whole day, following the squad leader's orders.

Sigh, a lot had happened in Crystal Glare recently.

First, the old king passed away. Although his will and funeral were to be kept simple, the ministers still took over half a month to prepare. Then, the new king ascended the throne. To honor the late king, the new monarch ordered that there would be no celebrations for his ascension and postponed them until the first anniversary of his reign.

However, according to Aldor's traditions, when a new king ascends the throne, lords from all over the country must come to Crystal Glare to meet the new ruler. Even if they don't come in person, they have to send envoys, so Crystal Glare remained busy.

Suddenly, the sound of bells echoed through the thick fog, surprising the guards. Who could it be at this early hour?

"Maybe it's a merchant caravan that didn't get to close the gate yesterday and came in."

The squad leader said, then furrowed his brows to warn, "For the next few days, we're not allowing anyone to negotiate on fees. We will charge the set entrance fee, and not a penny more. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain!" the soldiers replied in unison.

The fog began to clear, revealing the full sight of the caravan. There were many wagons, and a significant number of people.

"Stop and check!"

A guard shouted at the caravan.

A young knight emerged from the convoy, his face cold. "We are the lords from the Northwest Bay."

"Y-Your Excellency!"

The guards who stopped them bowed deeply. A few years ago, the guards might have questioned someone from the Northwest Bay, but the situation was different now; the Northwest Bay was not what it used to be.

The squad leader pushed aside his subordinate and squeezed to the front, a big smile on his face.

"Your Excellency, may I ask which esteemed families you hail from?"

"The Fraule family, the Grayman family, the Parker family, the Ganard family, the Heller family, the Melken family,…"

The knight listed a long string of family names.

"Oh, did all of you come together?"

"Yes, we traveled by ship along the sea route and landed at Crystal Glare from West Port."

The squad leader had no reason to doubt them; everyone knew about the advanced sailing technology of the people from the Northwest Bay, with countless ships arriving and departing from West Port every day.

"Could one of the esteemed lords show their family crest? Oh, just one family crest will do."

The knight produced a crest, saying, "This is the crest of the Heller family. Do you recognize it? I am Derrick Heller, the eldest son of Earl Winfried Heller."

The squad leader focused on the crest, inspecting it closely. To prepare for the arrival of lords from other regions, they had been thoroughly briefed on heraldry.

"I recognize it! I recognize it!" He nodded eagerly, then stepped aside, saying, "Please, esteemed lords, enter the city."

"Ah, I do have something to ask you," Derrick Heller said, pulling on the reins, seemingly in no hurry to enter. "We received word that nobles from other regions could enter the city at any time, even at night. However, we arrived in Crystal Glare after sunset yesterday, yet the gates were not opened for us?"

"Uh… Your Excellency, please allow me to explain." The squad leader scratched the back of his head, feeling somewhat awkward. "A few troublemakers were caught in the city yesterday, sent over from the south… I believe you understand what that means. Therefore, the entry policy was temporarily changed, and nighttime security measures were reinstated. You may have been on the road then and didn't know…"

Everyone aware of the kingdom's situation knew who was coming from the south.

Derrick became somewhat angry, shaking the reins, "We came a long way from the Northwest Bay, and you made me sleep outside in the cold all night!"

Just when the squad leader was unsure how to handle the noble's temper, a young voice called out from the caravan.

"Alright, Derrick, getting into the city is the priority. There are many merchant caravans waiting behind us."

The owner of the voice rode to the front. The squad leader looked up to see a young man, similar in age to Derrick, or perhaps slightly younger, with short black hair and a calm demeanor. Unlike Derrick, he didn't have an aggressive glare when making eye contact.

However, Derrick seemed to show great respect for this possibly younger man. "Alright then, Earl Grayman, let's go into the city."

The young Earl alleviated the tension for the guards, and the squad leader shot him a grateful glance. The young man simply smiled and rode alongside Derrick Heller toward the city gate.

The lords from the Northwest quickly entered Crystal Glare, following behind the two.

"Ah, this is my first time in the royal capital, Crystal Glare."

Looking at the streets ahead and the buildings on either side, which were vastly different from the Northwest Bay's style, Paul remarked.

"How does it feel?" Earl Pryce Parker, riding beside him, asked.

"Exquisite, very exquisite."

Coming from the north to Crystal Glare felt like transitioning from a Western fantasy style to a Japanese fantasy style, from rugged grandeur to refined elegance. Of course, this was merely a feeling; in terms of population and city size, Crystal Glare outshone any northern city by far.

"They say there are over 500,000 residents within the city walls." Earl Parker introduced.

"Wow, that's a lot of people. Our King Gerd Rodney is surrounded by so many every day…"

Earl Parker corrected him, "It's King Rodney the Eighteenth."

Paul suddenly remembered a question, "I've always wondered, isn't the ordinal number used to distinguish different generations of the same name within a family? Why is it that our king is referred to by his surname?"

Earl Pryce Parker explained, "Because 'Rodney' is both the king's surname and his first name."

"Oh?"

"It's an Aldor tradition: when a person wears the crown, they must forsake their name and be known only by their family surname, becoming the embodiment of the entire family."

"So our king's name now should be Rodney Rodney? Uh, that's a bit tongue-twisting."

"No!" Earl Parker shook his head, "He's simply called Rodney or Rodney the Eighteenth. Gerd Rodney is now in the past; from now on, there will only be Rodney the Eighteenth in this world."

"I see."

Paul understood now.

(End of the Chapter)

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