Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 829 - 94 Mount Watch City

Chapter 829: Chapter 94 Mount Watch City

Although the walls of the Mountain Watching Fortress were inwardly sloping and star-shaped, the interior roads and buildings were still orderly. The spaces between the inwardly caved angles of the star, originally filled with defensive installations for use during sieges, had been emptied and transformed into residential spaces after the fortress transitioned from military to civilian use. A small part was allocated to the city’s security forces as barracks, while the majority served as concentrated residential areas for the citizens. The residential areas were situated in the corners, and the large central spaces, originally used as barracks and training grounds during military times, were now public and commercial facilities. Despite covering an area of eighty square kilometers and appearing massive, the usable space was limited due to its shape and original purpose. Excluding the residential areas tucked away in corners, there wasn’t much space in the center, leaving little room for each merchant, but even so, this transportation hub connecting two countries remained bustling. Even moments before the city gates closed, vehicles laden with goods still crowded the streets, sometimes completely blocking them.

However, this was merely the usual scene. Today was unusually strange, as the streets were not only sparsely populated, but also devoid of any freight carts. The usual sense of congestion and busyness was gone, leaving only an eerily empty sight that gave the illusion of a deserted city. Of course, Catherine had never truly seen what the Mountain Watching Fortress was supposed to look like, but from stories passed down by her ancestors and descriptions from the Guild about the fortress, she could understand its usual liveliness. Even without having witnessed it herself, Catherine could still ascertain that something was definitely not right.

Nevertheless, despite her doubts, Catherine chose not to inquire about the situation from the guards at the city gate. Although she might have managed to coerce the guards into revealing information due to her identity through the method she had just used, her knightly nature prevented her from forcefully producing such a violation of military discipline. After confirming that the abnormal situation did not affect the normal operations of the city, meaning it wasn’t a particularly dangerous or serious problem, she refrained from further questioning. After all, once inside the city and settled at an inn, there would be plenty of time to understand the abnormalities within.

Unfortunately, the knightly young woman’s plans were foiled as she, along with seven others, noticed two individuals by the main thoroughfare of the city. Those two, both dressed in lavish and appropriate attire, stood in front of a building, seriously and sharply scanning both sides of the street. In every shadowy corner of the long street, vague figures could be seen stirring, indicating that dozens, if not hundreds, of people had quietly taken control of this main artery. Although there was no explicit blockade, the few pedestrians who did pass by carefully avoided the route under the intense gaze of these figures, preferring not to traverse this street anymore.

"I think I understand now what the abnormalities I’ve felt these past few days have been all about," sighed Catherine, smiling wryly, "Do they always need such a grand procession every time they go out?"

"Tsk, tsk, can’t help it. They need such methods to proclaim their uniqueness from the common folks," shrugged Pannis, jestingly speaking, "How else would they display their noble status and position?"

Catherine and Pannis said this because they had previously met the two figures standing beside the building and knew their identities. Upon recognizing them, the two could roughly guess the situation. Pannis scratched his head and asked Catherine under the inquiring looks of the others, "What’s your plan? Should we take a detour?"

"Let’s just go over and have a look. After all, it’s a normally operating pub, not their private property. No need to take a detour," Catherine responded nonchalantly, smiling, "Besides, since this matter involves their family, it’s a good opportunity to have them cooperate, saving us the trouble of having to find someone else to discuss it once there."

"Just who are they really, big sister?" asked Lina, unable to contain her curiosity any longer. She leaned in close to Catherine and whispered, "It sounds like you both know them. Why have I never seen these two before, when we’re together most of the time?"

"It’s nothing, just a bothersome guy, or at least he used to be," Catherine replied with a slightly strange smile, not answering Lina’s question directly but giving a perfunctory response before walking towards the pub where the two men were. Pannis, under the threatening gaze of Lina, shrugged and said, "Nothing serious, they are just two bodyguards. Tsk, tsk, Gold Rank professionals acting as bodyguards, guess who they might be?"

Catherine paid no heed to her companions, who were gossiping behind her, and led the group towards the pub. The moment they entered the area, the shadowy figures seemed to pause, and then all their attention focused on Catherine and her group. The combined aura of dozens created a chilling atmosphere on the desolate street.

However, it was clear that these dozens were merely some strong common folk and Lower Rank professionals. Even though they were well-trained and coordinated in concentrating their presence, they still could not impose any effect on the powerful Legendary professionals. Faced with an intimidating atmosphere that would scare away ordinary people, the group of seven walked casually to the building’s entrance, ignoring the increasingly intense hostility. But the two Gold Rank guards at the door displayed no hostility; instead, they stood somewhat awkwardly, watching Catherine approach, unsure of what to say.

"Long time no see, you two," said Catherine, without showing strong oppressiveness, just smiling lightly, "It’s been almost two years since we parted in the Holy City, hasn’t it? How has everything been during these two years?"

"So it’s Miss Catherine." The two Gold Rank guards chuckled, "Thank you for your concern, all is well."

"That’s good." Catherine nodded reservedly and gestured toward the gate, "Is Mr. Nicholas inside?"

"Yes, Miss Catherine," one of the Gold Rank guards replied, "His Highness is inside, meeting with representatives from various sectors of the city, striving to understand and grasp the condition of the civilians of Mount Watch City."

"Getting a feel for the people’s condition, huh?" Catherine glanced at the barricaded streets, her gaze reaching the further streets devoid of any freight vehicles. The etiquette as a knight prevented her from making overly harsh comments, merely chuckling deeply with a meaningful shake of her head, "We have some matters to discuss with him. When will he be available?"

"We are not very sure," the guard scratched his head with an awkward chuckle. "His Highness has been sitting inside for over an hour already. He should be coming out soon, but there’s a possibility he might stay longer if he becomes interested in chatting more with the people as he has no other plans for the evening."

"Well, we might as well go inside and wait for him," Catherine sighed, looking calmly at the two guards, "You two wouldn’t think to stop us, would you?"

"Uh, how could that possibly happen?" The guard smiled more awkwardly, "You are a friend of His Highness. We could never prevent you from meeting him. Please, after you—and all the masters, please come in together."

"Thank you both very much," Catherine wasn’t surprised at all when the guard referred to her teammates as masters. Just a year ago, the members of the adventure team advanced together to Legendary Rank, becoming the strongest Gold Rank adventure team on the Yarran Continent. This fact must have spread through the forces of the world already. If the guard, a protector of the Falar Empire’s royalty, wasn’t aware that their entire team was composed of Legendary Rank masters, that would be the real surprise. As such, Catherine merely bowed politely, and let the two guards open the tavern’s door for her, slowly walking inside. Of course, the guards did not accompany her; they continued their diligent duties outside the door. Being Gold Rank professionals, they had their professional ethics to uphold. Once hired, they would diligently conduct their tasks—even if it meant guarding the door at their rank, it had to be done properly.

"Big sister, they referred to the person inside as His Highness?" Stepping through the door, they faced a longitudinal corridor, with several closed doors on both sides of the hallway. At the end of the corridor, there was a set of double doors, likely leading to the tavern’s main hall. Under normal circumstances, each door of what would be private rooms would have various servers standing ready to attend to the needs of the guests, while the doors to the main hall would be wide open, filled with a noisy crowd. However, now there were no servers by the side rooms, instead, two servers waited outside the main hall. Right after entering, Lina whispered, "So, this must be one of the princes of the Falar Empire. Is he the friend you met during your studies?"

"Sort of—the second prince of the Falar Empire," Catherine nodded, "It’s hard to say he’s a friend. He once pursued me, but I explicitly rejected him. Two years ago, when you sneaked off to the Naren Kingdom’s institute, Pannis and I happened to meet him and those two guards outside. So, seeing them, I guessed who was inside."

"Ah, so it’s one of your suitors," Lina said, casting an unseen glance at Pannis, "Tch, he really is pitiful. I almost feel sorry for him."

"Stop it," Catherine had already reached the front of the main hall, waved away the approaching servers, opened the door, and stepped into the hall. Upon entering, she saw Nicholas sitting at the center.