Chapter 26: Golden Griffin City
On the planet where Abyss lived, all civilizations thrived on a vast continent called Haitville. In the ancient language, Haitville meant “shared by all.” Countless species had evolved and flourished on this continent over many eras. By now, humans were the undisputed rulers, their civilization spreading across the land. The cultures of common intelligent races like dwarves and halflings had been almost completely assimilated by humans, leaving only the proud and stubborn elves with a territory of their own.
Humanity wasn’t a monolithic entity. Through years of conquest and unification, multiple human nations had emerged on the continent. Among them, the Western and Eastern Empires were the most powerful.
The Western and Eastern Empires, formally known as the Western and Eastern Mynian Empires, were originally one. Three hundred years ago, a civil war erupted over the succession to the Mynian throne, splitting the royal family into two factions. The faction in the northwest corner of the continent became the Western Empire, while the one in the southeast corner became the Eastern Empire.
Although the Mynian Empire was divided, its power was also split. These two empires remained formidable forces that other nations couldn’t surpass. They balanced each other, controlling the western and eastern parts of the continent.
The country where Abyss currently stood, the homeland of both Leona and Flora, was the Western Empire. With a thriving economy and a strong emphasis on knightly culture, it was also home to the Church’s headquarters. The Western Empire and the Church shared power, and although they occasionally clashed, they generally cooperated well. The major cities of the Western Empire were prosperous and flourishing, a picture of peace and prosperity.
“This is the Imperial Capital—Golden Griffin City. I grew up here. Need a tour guide?” Leona said proudly, pointing to the grand city before them. She was now wearing a simple but well-fitting leather armor. Without her burial gown, she seemed more energetic. Her two silver braids were tied with new golden ribbons, a purchase she made herself at the high-end clothing store, her first time buying something without anyone else’s input. The ribbons were quite expensive, befitting a princess’s taste.
The city was vast, more than ten times the size of the city where Abyss and Flora had previously stayed. Even from the city gate, the dense population was evident, with numerous merchant caravans entering and exiting. Despite being winter, farmers were transporting fresh, out-of-season vegetables into the city—a sign of an economy prosperous enough to afford produce grown with magic and alchemy.
“I’ve been here a few times to give speeches to the believers,” Flora said, a nostalgic smile on her face. “Everyone welcomed me. The venues were always packed, but unfortunately, I never had the chance to explore the city.”
“Hmph, I remember watching one of your speeches, but I wasn’t very impressed,” Leona said, patting Flora’s shoulder. “I don’t really care about religion. If I could, I’d rather challenge the God of Conquest.”
“Shh, those are blasphemous words…” Flora wanted to tell Leona to lower her voice, but then she remembered that both she and Leona were undead, the Church’s most hated beings. And the necromancer beside them, whose eyes were darting around, had even visited the Divine Realm. Blaspheming the Nine Gods didn’t seem like a big deal now.
“ABC! How are we going in? Don’t tell me you’re going to drag me into your Shadow Realm again. I’ve had enough of that place!” Leona asked Abyss loudly.
“Was there anything uncomfortable about it?” Abyss looked at Leona. To express her strong will, she clenched her fist and placed it on her flat chest.
“Nothing uncomfortable. Your dragon was quite considerate. But this princess believes that entering the city that way is no different from sneaking over the wall. It’s all sneaky and underhanded. My knightly spirit cannot tolerate such behavior!” Leona shook her head, her braids swaying. “I’m a princess! A princess sneaking into the capital of her own country? My heavens, what a disgrace!”
“Then how do you propose we enter?” Abyss shrugged nonchalantly. “I use the Shadow Realm for travel only to avoid scaring ordinary people, not because I’m afraid of anything. If you don’t like it, suit yourself.”
“We’ll walk through the main gate with our heads held high!” Leona pointed to the towering city gate. “Imagine this: we enter discreetly, and that official at the gate, the one who registers outsiders, will definitely underestimate us and try to obstruct us, demanding bribes. Then, hmph, I’ll reveal my identity as an Imperial Princess, and that stupid snob will be scared witless, bowing and scraping. And then we’ll walk in with our heads held high. Won’t that be impressive?”
“Revealing your identity as a princess might not be a good idea… considering you’re dead…” Flora reminded her softly.
“Your plan is as stupid as a two-headed ogre’s intestines,” Abyss said flatly.
“Damn it! I swear, if you use a two-headed ogre for another analogy, I’ll kick your ass with my boots!” Leona snarled, but she also remembered the fact that she was now dead.
“Do you have anything else, something smaller but still proof of your noble status?” Flora asked softly.
Leona thought for a moment, then clapped her hands and said to Abyss, “My burial shoes. Fetch them.”
Abyss found a less conspicuous spot, summoned his Magic Catfish, and retrieved Leona’s shoes. They were a pair of extremely luxurious leather high heels, adorned with a circle of rubies and intricate patterns made of gold and silver foil.
“These shoes have the mark of the royal workshop. I just need to pry off the mark and attach it to the boots I’m wearing now,” Leona said, taking the shoes and carefully removing two pieces of gold foil. She found the right angle and slapped them onto her current leather boots. It actually looked quite convincing.
“Let’s go!”
Leona led Abyss and Flora towards the gate of Golden Griffin City.
…
The registration official immediately noticed the approaching trio—two of them were dressed as mages, and the other was dressed as a warrior but was exceptionally short. Coupled with the two girls’ beautiful faces, it was hard not to attract attention.
“You there, come and register. Where are you from?” the official beckoned them over.
“Alright, no problem,” Abyss said obediently, leading the two girls towards the official.
Before he could say another word, the official suddenly knelt down in fear. “Your Highness! Forgive me! I didn’t expect you to enter on foot! Please pardon my ignorance!”
“Wait… Is this the wrong script?” Leona felt a strange sense of defeat.
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