Chapter 829: Arriving at the Imperial Capital

That's right.

When they set off early the next morning.

The journey that took a whole day and night of rushing to complete the day before yesterday was finished in just a single morning under Lan Qingyou's talent.

As noon approached and it was almost mealtime.

The group arrived at the Imperial Capital.

Today, the guards at the main gate of the Imperial Capital were also, as usual, welcoming everyone entering and exiting the Imperial Capital with an energetic standing posture.

Although the vast majority of these people were commoners.

But don't forget that this was the Imperial Capital.

A place where randomly throwing a rock had an extremely high probability of hitting an official or even a noble.

However, today was slightly different.

In terms of the weather, today had somewhat low air pressure; it looked like it was going to rain, so it couldn't be called good.

Thus, the guards had put on their rain capes early on to prevent themselves from getting drenched by the rain.

In terms of the atmosphere, something was also not quite right today.

Ordinarily, the people coming and going would be talking and laughing.

Especially here at the city gates where inspections were required, it would be even more bustling with voices.

But today, everyone spoke very cautiously.

As if a loud voice would disturb someone.

The guards, of course, knew clearly why this was.

That meteor shower from the evening of the day before yesterday.

Whether it was people currently in the Imperial Capital or people who could arrive at the Imperial Capital within these past two days, they had all seen it.

If it were just an ordinary meteor shower, it would be nothing much.

At most, it would just be a topic of conversation for everyone after a meal.

But this time was different.

It was said that the Emperor had even dispatched Nikolai, one of the Twin Moons of the Empire, to investigate this matter.

Who was Nikolai!

That was a rare Title Holder.

An existence who had made outstanding contributions to alchemy.

To dispatch such a person to investigate, one could well imagine that there was definitely some major event.

That was why everyone was being so cautious.

Deeply afraid that if they accidentally misspoke and were overheard by someone, they would be directly taken away.

Don't think that just because those noble lords of the Empire always hung this and that kind of words on their lips that they were all kind-hearted people.

They were existences who could instantly turn hostile if truly provoked.

However...

Some things were not something they could determine just by being slightly careless.

When the dark clouds in the sky gradually increased and a light rain began to fall, the people who originally planned to first seek shelter from the rain or quickly pass through the city gates stopped all their movements.

Even the few guards inspecting the pedestrians' belongings at the city gates did the same.

For no other reason.

In the sky...

A caravan was descending.

This caravan was also very polite.

Knowing that there was a long queue in front of the city gates, they chose an empty space beside the long queue as their landing spot.

It was about a few hundred meters away from the city gates.

It was only after the caravan came to a complete and steady stop on the empty space, and those despairing horned horses regained their vitality.

That someone finally drew in a sharp breath of cold air, making a slight noise.

And this inhaling sound, though not considered loud, had very strong penetrating power, and it seemed to have unlocked something.

Causing everyone who had seemingly pressed the pause button to start moving again.

"Holy crap, what is that thing?"

"A caravan, does it look like anything else besides a caravan?"

"I know it's a caravan, but why can a caravan fly?"

"Yeah, why do you think that is."

"If it were just one or two, I could still understand; after all, flying magical items do exist. But an entire caravan is rare."

"What a joke, 'rare'? It's simply unheard of, alright."

The crowd entering and exiting the city gates couldn't help but start discussing in low voices.

First, it was a meteor shower that required a Title Holder to investigate, and now it was a caravan suddenly appearing and descending from the sky.

What was wrong with this Empire?

Are things ever going to go back to normal?

Everyone muttered in their hearts while chatting idly with their mouths.

All hoping to hear some news from the other party's mouth that would put their minds at ease, or let them pretend to be at ease.

Unlike them.

They were the spectating crowd, so they could chat idly like this.

But as the first line of defense guarding the Imperial Capital, the guards put down the luggage they were inspecting, and then, holding their long spears, they sprinted towards the caravan without looking back.

Although they were all afraid.

But duty called, and now was not the time to be afraid.

Rather, they didn't even have the qualifications to be afraid.

Over the distance of a few hundred meters, these guards briskly charged forward.

However, when they charged to the front of the caravan under the leadership of their captain, they saw a familiar face.

This person was none other than the fat man Arthur, who was very well-connected.

"Arthur, why is it you?"

The captain, who was about the same age as Arthur, looked at the other party, his brain falling into a stalled state.

How could he, a captain who had guarded the main gates his whole life, not know what kind of person Arthur was?

Although he was the son of a noble, he was also a merchant.

Merchants traveled extensively, so after coming and going, the two of them had become well-acquainted.

It was just that the other party was a merchant, not a birdman, so how could he fly?

"Yo, you're on duty today! That's really great."

Seeing a familiar face, Arthur also couldn't help but feel happy.

After all, it was easier to get things done with acquaintances.

However, before Arthur even opened his mouth.

The carriage door was opened, and then Nicolas Romé and Horn stepped down from inside.

To be honest, the flight along the way left them feeling somewhat unsatisfied, wanting more.

But now that they had arrived at their destination, they were too embarrassed to swallow their pride and ask the little girl to let them fly one more time for fun.

Especially Nikolai.

After experiencing the other party's magic, he very much wanted to learn it himself.

You've got to be kidding.

This was flying magic, not a flying magical item.

There was a fundamental difference between the two.

However, as a meticulous alchemist, he still keenly grasped the key information of 'body weight disappearing'.

After a brief calculation on the road, he knew that this magic was definitely related to weight.

But he couldn't exactly tell someone else to impart their magic to him.

That would be too shameless.

Therefore, as a person who cared about his face, he could only hold it in just like Horn.

"This... Lord Nikolai! Commander Horn! You two...?"

Seeing the two of them, the captain was instantly dumbfounded.

No...

Didn't they just leave the day before yesterday? Why were they back today?

And they were even riding in the carriage of the Johann Family from the North...

"Don't ask too much about this matter; immediately let this caravan pass."

What was there to say to a gatekeeper.

So Horn directly went up and greeted this captain.

After all, he was just a low-level soldier.

Although the identities of the two people inside the carriage couldn't be recognized by just anyone.

But no matter what, this was the Imperial Capital; there would definitely be no shortage of spies inside.

So before the two of them officially 'belonged' to the Empire, it was definitely better the fewer people who knew.

Fine.

Since the Knight Commander had said so, what else could he, a lowly guard captain, say.

With a wave of his hand, he immediately had people clear a dedicated lane for the caravan.

"There seems to be someone else in the carriage."

"Who has such a grand presence, to have a Knight Commander and a Title Holder pave the way for them?"

"Who knows, but looking at it, it should be some major figure; otherwise, Lord Nikolai would absolutely not do this..."