Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 306 - 18 City of Innocence_1

Chapter 306: Chapter 18 City of Innocence_1

This is a haven for criminals, a paradise of vice; this is the City of Innocence.

The City of Innocence is located to the northeast of Neutral Land, closer to the Falar Empire, the smallest of the three metropolises in Neutral Land with a recently reported population of two hundred thousand. Although they claim a population of two hundred thousand, this just refers to registered citizens. If you take into account the transient population, the number often reaches three hundred thousand, or even higher. Among these transient people, a small portion are criminals belonging to the City of Innocence, who commit crimes in various countries and cities year-round, only returning to the City of Innocence occasionally to unwind. However, the bulk consists of the world’s affluent nobility who come here, usually to spend money.

People who have never been to the City of Innocity tend to imagine it as a living hell filled with bloodshed and carnage, its inhabitants constantly accompanied by death, capable of losing their lives and everything else at any moment. It’s difficult for people to comprehend why anyone would choose to live here. But only those who have actually visited the City of Innocence can understand the allure of a city so profoundly steeped in vice.

Here you find the most robust wine, the most delicious food, the most alluring women, the most exhilarating death matches, the most trustworthy assassins, the fairest gambling. In the black market here, you might come across contraband from all over the world. In the city’s back alleys, you can find every conceivable type of forbidden technology. This city is controlled by the Thieves Guild, to which all belongs, yet it’s managed by a number of different criminal syndicates, each of varying scope and scale. These syndicates earn vast amounts of money from their various entertainment ventures, and use this money to wage war on one another for larger territory.

"Big sis, is all this an introduction to the City of Innocence?" Vivian asked, puzzled. "I thought you’ve never been here before? How do you know so much about it?"

"The City of Innocence travel guide." Catherine folded several pieces of paper filled with writing and put them back into her pocket. "This is what Pannis gave us, it’s basically a detailed introduction to the city."

The two girls were currently standing outside the city gates of the City of Innocence, staring dumbfounded at the gargantuan city before them.

Contrary to the girls’ expectations, the city before them was nothing like what they had imagined. There were no gloomy alleys, no low buildings, no impoverished citizens lost in their hardships. On the surface, this was a pretty and sun-drenched city.

The central city spans around one hundred square kilometers, transversely encircled by a low white stone wall that served as a boundary rather than a defensive structure. A large amount of yellowing vines climbed across the wall. One couldn’t help but to imagine the beautiful scenery when spring arrived, blanketing the wall in a lush green. In addition to the main urban area, a few dozen distinctive manors of varying sizes encompassed the main city, forming a siege-like structure on all sides. Some of the manors boasted of never-ending green acreage even in winter, with paddocks nurturing a plethora of herbivorous animals. Others were located close to a Bylgas River tributary, pumping in river water to form man-made lakes at their heart. Overall, each manor is unique. They not only greatly enlarged the city’s surface area but also gave the entire city a certain exotic charm.

Truthfully, there’s no large city gate. There are four openings in the city’s boundary wall in the center, in correspondence with the main roads connecting the external world. At each entry point, stone structures are adorned with various patterns and arched stone beams on top forming stone archways. The stone archways too are covered in vines and prove to be an eye-catcher during Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons.

Upon crossing the stone archway and stepping into the City of Innocence, one are met with the expansive city boulevard. The layout of the City of Innocity is quite distinctive; three roads horizontally and vertically intersect within the city’s square layout, bifurcating it into sixteen blocks. The streets between each block further divide the city; while the interior of some blocks might be confounding due to crisscrossing of streets, it’s still relatively hard to lose one’s way between the blocks.

As the two girls crossed into the City of Innocence side by side, seven muscular men suddenly sprung out from the sides of the road and surrounded them. However, the men didn’t speak nor addressed the girls; instead they stared each other down before three of the men rolled up their sleeves to reveal strange tattoos, simultaneously glowering at the other four. Seeing these tattoos, the other four men spat, scowled, and stomped away while the remaining three looked at each other for a bit. Two of them walked away, leaving only a radiantly muscular, bald-headed man standing in front of the two girls.

Once the others had left, the ferocious expression on the muscular man’s face was swiftly replaced by an ingratiating smile. He wrung his hands sycophantically, saying, "Ladies, this seems to be your first time in the City of Innocence. I am Swin from the Camel Beast Group, in charge of transportation services for visitors to our city. For just thirty gold coins a day, you can enjoy 22 hours of car-hailing and tour guide services. I can take you to any corner of the city and explain the power distribution, local customs, and taboos for every block and street. If you hire me, no matter where you want to go or when you need a ride, just activate this Resonance Crystal within a three kilometer radius from your last drop-off location, and I will be there within ten minutes. Even if you wander away from your last drop-off location, as long as you tell a nearby store owner that your designated driver is Swin from the Camel Beast Group, in less than thirty minutes, I’ll be there to serve you. Of course, you can also choose temporary car rental, charged at a rate of one gold coin every three kilometers. If you’re only staying for a short period of time, or you seldom go out during your stay in the city, this is a more suitable choice. Which service are you lovely ladies interested in?"

Swin’s speech was fast yet articulate, and his professional business presentation and respectful demeanor, in contrast to his appearance, were enough to leave a positive impression on every stranger visiting. Catherine pulled out Pannis’s travel guide to the City of Innocence for another look, and asked with interest, "What if I find both options too expensive and don’t want to hire you? Would that be a problem?"

"Not at all." Swin replied unflinchingly, still maintaining his respectfulness. "Whether or not to hire me is entirely your decision, and I won’t take offense. The biggest advantage of hiring me, however, is that I can save you a lot of trouble. After all, this is the City of Innocence. Even if you’re strong, you want to avoid trouble as much as possible."

"Oh? Trouble?" Catherine asked half-jokingly, "Like what? What kind of trouble?"

"It’s unpredictable, but there will always be some." Instead of elaborating on the potential troubles, Swin cleverly shifted the conversation to how to avoid them. His approach prevented listeners from feeling threatened, and it sounded more like friendly advice. "There’s an unwritten rule among the major organizations in the City of Innocence: they shall inflict no harm to the guests of other major organizations on their territory. Our Camel Beast Group is a major organization specializing in passenger transportation, our territory being the city roads. Once you hire me, I’ll give you my emblem. Then even if you’re just out for a stroll in the streets, you won’t be hassled by any organized residents. Of course, there may be some scattered thieves, fraudsters, and such who do not respect these rules, but they aren’t much of a threat and can be avoided with a little caution. If you do get victimized, just let me know, and our organization will make every effort to recoup your loss. If we’re unable to do so, we’ll do our best to compensate you. That’s the biggest benefit of hiring us. Of course, if you’re trying to save money, you can choose to walk or hire unaffiliated cabbies, like the four who just ran off, but they would not be able to offer these favorable conditions, or at least not all of them."

"You are quite honest." Catherine cross-referenced Swin’s words with the guidebook as she listened, and after he finished, she looked up and smiled, "It’s hard to believe that this is the City of Innocence."

"Though this is the City of Innocence, and though we may be ruthless and cunning in competition, we are always honest with our clients," Swin responded seriously. "Centuries of experience have taught us that this is how we can secure significant yields in the long run. Yes, other methods may bring temporary profits, but they usually result in greater losses in the long term."

"Good awareness, good practices," Catherine nodded. "I’m pleased. How much would it cost to hire you for a day?"

"Thirty gold coins," Swin replied with a respectful smile tinged with flattery. "Perhaps that’s expensive compared to other cities, but once you’ve stayed here a few days, you’ll see that everything here is costly. A daily rate of thirty gold coins for a private coach is really quite economical."

"By the way, I forgot to mention that we were invited here by the Shadow Hand. Passion and Indulgence personally invited us to perform some tasks. Once we find a place to stay, we’ll need you to leave a message with them at the Shadow Hand’s office." Catherine winked playfully as she packed up her travel guide, "What was the price you quoted earlier? I didn’t catch it."

The professional smile on Swin’s face froze momentarily, then turned into a wry one. He sighed, "I just said it would be fifteen gold coins for a day."

"Great, it’s a deal," Catherine said with a smile. "Until we say otherwise, you’re our exclusive driver. Now we need you to take us on a tour of the city’s points of interest, find us a place to stay and then deliver our message."

"Not a problem," Swin put the disappointment of earning fifteen fewer gold coins per day aside, and regained his vigor. "Ladies, please get in the carriage. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed."(Would you like to know more about the exciting developments in ’The Yarra Adventure Notes’? Open your WeChat now, click on the ’+’ sign at the top right corner, and add the public account by searching for ’Qidianzhongwenwang’. Follow the account and you’ll never miss an update!)(To be continued. If you like this book, please support it by voting and subscribing on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)