Two long lines streaked across the sky. Bai En and Fragil stood on their magic brooms, looking down at the vast plain where a series of gray buildings protruded.
"Eldos Village, this must be it. Let's go down."
"Okay."
Two streaks of light fell into the forest not far from the village. After putting away their magic brooms, Fragil was about to walk towards the village when Bai En called her back and put away the cloaks on both their shoulders.
"When I looked from above, I noticed that this village has quite a few people, and the villagers don't show any signs of wanting to flee. Logically speaking, news of surrounding villages being plundered by Bandit Groups has already spread, so they shouldn't be unaware."
"It's a bit strange."
"Could it be that the Bandit Group has blocked the news?"
"No," Bai En replied. "There are always Mages in a village, and they also have some contact with surrounding villages. They wouldn't still be unaware of the Bandit Group's news by now."
"Then..."
"Let's enter the village first. Just in case, let's not reveal our identities yet."
"Okay~"
The two walked towards the entrance of Eldos Village. The yellow road was exceptionally flat and wide, as if it had been run over by heavy objects, with no overgrown weeds around.
Observing the surroundings, Bai En couldn't help but sigh. There were indeed differences between villages. Eldos Village's development was clearly much better than Hage Village's. He estimated that if it grew a bit more, it could already compare to some small towns.
As soon as they reached the village entrance, they were stopped by two rather tall middle-aged men.
One of them, a fierce-looking man with a long scar at the corner of his eye, asked them menacingly, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Travelers. We traveled from Mohart Town all the way to the most remote Hage Village in the Clover Kingdom, and then from Hage Village all the way here. It's getting late, so we'd like to rest here for a night before heading to other places," Bai En replied.
"Travelers?" The man was stunned. He had heard of adventurers, but this novel term, 'traveler,' was new to him. "What's that?"
"Our dream is to travel all over the Clover Kingdom... Travelers... that's roughly it."
"So, you're those idle rich merchants from town." The man chuckled, the scar on his face wrinkling.
Ordinary people certainly wouldn't have such... an inexplicable dream. Living was not an easy thing. If they were nobles or royalty, they definitely wouldn't come to such a remote place. They could only think of those pot-bellied rich merchants from town.
Rich... and with boring dreams.
"Hey, kid, things haven't been very peaceful around here lately, you should know that, right?" Another man with a pointed face spoke up, "If you want to enter the village, hehe..."
He gestured to Bai En.
'Do you want money?'
Just as Bai En reached into his pocket, the man with the scar on his face spoke up, "You guys go to my place later. It's almost time for a shift change here."
"Balo! You... they're outsiders, very possibly a Bandit Group..."
"Caso, don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. You just want to make a quick buck off them, don't you? It's fine if you do that when I'm not around, but when I am... I don't like it. It'll ruin our village's reputation!" The scarred man called Balo snapped.
"You... Hmph!"
Caso was clearly somewhat wary of Balo. After he spoke, Caso just pulled a long face, coldly snorted, and said no more.
Entering the village, Balo told Bai En and Fragil to find a place to rest first. Bai En took the opportunity to greet him, "Hello~ I think I just heard you talking about a Bandit Group?"
"That's right."
"Recently, the surrounding villages have been attacked by that Bandit Group. I heard... quite a few people died."
"Huh? How could that be?" Bai En's face showed feigned surprise and fear. He unconsciously took two steps back, his voice a little stammering, "Then... then next... will it be here?"
Fragil watched the Vice Captain's performance, her mouth slightly agape. 'Is he... really this much of an act?'
Balo burst into laughter, his words tinged with teasing. "Look how scared you are. Don't worry, I heard that the Magic Knights from the Royal Capital killed many bandits. There shouldn't be any more plundering incidents in the short term."
'Magic Knights killed many bandits? Didn't Marx say... the Magic Knights were... those guys spread false news, they're much stronger than I thought.'
Bai En and Fragil exchanged glances, both coming to a conclusion.
"Even so... Uncle, aren't you running? What if the Bandit Group comes..." Bai En asked cautiously in a low voice.
"Run? Where would we go if we ran? This is our village."
"This..."
Balo waved his hand, not wanting to chat anymore. "Don't worry, our village is absolutely safe. We've already set up defenses, and... it's a village that has produced several Magic Knights, after all."
The sun gradually set, and the distant sky was golden.
After a brief conversation with two villagers, Balo led Bai En and Fragil into the village. The dark gray houses were much taller than those in Hage Village. Most of the villagers passing by had smiles on their faces, and people on the roadside were selling small items and simple snacks.
"Earlier, I heard you two came from Mohart Town?" Balo asked casually, "I heard it's a mining town?"
"Uncle, you're good, you even know about our place. We have a lot of rare ores there, like basalt, greenstone crystals..."
Listening to Bai En's rambling, Balo's voice grew louder, interrupting him, "Why would you travel to the Hui Wai Realm...? The Royal Capital would be a better choice, wouldn't it? That's the most prosperous place in the entire Clover Kingdom."
"Uncle has also been to the Royal Capital?"
Balo's gaze deepened. "I went a long time ago, to participate in the Magic Knights selection test. Unfortunately... I wasn't selected."
"We've already been to the Royal Capital and seen prosperous places. Sometimes we also want to see other sights..."
As the two chatted lively, a considerable commotion erupted ahead. "Please marry me, Lily! I'll make you happy!" A curly-haired boy proposed to the girl in front of him with flowers.
This scene... seemed somewhat familiar? Lily?
"I'm sorry... I refuse!"
"Huh? Why? I like you so much, why do you refuse me?"
The girl named Lily seemed annoyed by the question. She answered directly, "Because I don't like you!"
The curly-haired boy tightly clutched Lily's clothes. "This is the 39th time, I won't give up!"
"So annoying! A little brat who hasn't even gotten a grimoire yet!"
"Flame Magic, Blazing Fist!"
The red grimoire floating beside Lily flipped a page, and a fist wrapped in flames slammed into the curly-haired boy, instantly smashing him into the ground. The rising flames then made him quickly scramble up.
"It's burning! It's burning!"
Watching this scene, Bai En felt it even more familiar...
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