Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 106 Arriving at the Imperial Capital
"Good morning, Mr. Will. You look terrible. Didn't you get enough rest last night?"

He tossed and turned all night, and just as dawn was breaking, he finally drifted off to sleep, but before he could feel that he had slept for very long, there was a knock on the door.

Haven opened the door and looked at Lori, who was all dressed, with a displeased expression, not understanding what this guy was up to today.

"What are you doing, Lori? You're keeping people up so early in the morning."

Looking at Havent's grumpy face, Lori replied, puzzled:
“But Mr. Will, you specifically told me yesterday to get up early, saying that we should try to reach the capital today.”

Still not fully awake, Haven scratched his head, stood at the door and thought for a moment, realizing that he did seem to have talked about this with Lori last night.

"Uh... okay, I forgot. Wait a minute, let me tidy up."

A dozen minutes later, Haven paid the room fee at the front desk and walked out of the hotel with Lori. It was only about eight o'clock in the morning. Looking at the hurried people coming and going on the roadside, he felt a little lost. Serena was suddenly gone, and he was really not used to it.

"Let's go, let's find a carriage company and hitch a ride directly to the capital. It's just this short distance left, so we won't buy a horse-drawn carriage ourselves."

Lori nodded obediently and followed quietly beside Havent, her mind drifting back to the scene from the previous night as she watched Havent's somewhat distracted expression. Mr. Will quietly ate the remaining ice cream from his sister Serena, staring blankly at the night sky, lost in thought.

"Mr. Will?"

"what's wrong?"

Will Sister Serena come back?

"What, you miss her?"

"No, it's just that I feel you haven't been happy since Serena left."

Haven, who was leisurely strolling down the street with a pancake in his mouth, was taken aback by Lori's words. Was his behavior really that obvious?

"No, not really, it's just that I'm not used to it yet."

"Oh, that's how it is."

Originally, I just noticed that Haven seemed a little unhappy and wanted to say something to cheer him up, but after only a couple of sentences, I ran out of things to say. These things are just too difficult for an eleven-year-old boy.

Haven chuckled as he watched the somewhat bewildered little Lori, and reached out to ruffle Lori's hair.

"Alright, I'm fine, don't worry. Let's go, Sister Serena will come back."

After strolling through the streets of Signa for a while, the two finally arrived at the carriage company. After resting overnight, Havent and Lori's innate aristocratic air was once again on full display. The steward standing at the entrance of the carriage company saw the two approaching from afar and hurriedly went to greet them.

"Oh dear, good morning, guests~ May the Goddess of Dawn bring you a wonderful day."

Looking at the team manager with a mustache, Haven gave a friendly nod in response.

Good morning~ We'd like to head to the capital, is there a car available now?

The team manager glanced at the two boys up and down. Although their clothes weren't particularly fancy, their refined demeanor was quite something.

"Yes, of course we do. As the largest carriage company in the city, our Fast Wind Carriage Company certainly has carriages going to the capital, and we have many of them."

As he spoke, he picked up a notebook from the small wooden table next to him and began to look through it.

"Oh~ There will be one in half an hour and one in an hour. The one in half an hour is a magic carriage, and the one in an hour is a regular carriage. I wonder which one you would like to take?"

What are the prices respectively?

After experiencing many setbacks, Haven finally learned to keep a low profile. After all, being constantly taken advantage of would make him look foolish.

"Ah, that's right, dear guest. Because the models are different, the services we can provide are different, so our prices will definitely be different."

Our magical carriages are made by the Hillco Alchemy Factory, so their quality goes without saying. The carriage has six separate compartments, each offering complimentary drinks and food. The carriage itself is inscribed with multiple spells, including Lightness Spell, Gale Spell, and Stability Spell. If you depart in half an hour, you should arrive in the capital around the afternoon. Of course, the price will be higher, approximately fifty silver coins per person.

As for ordinary carriages, they're the kind you see on the streets every day. Generally, one carriage here seats about twenty people, and the price is much more affordable, costing only two silver coins per person.

Listening to the dealership manager's introduction, Haven's eyebrows twitched slightly. Although he had already made up his mind, he didn't want to give up so quickly, so he stubbornly said:

"Could you take me to see these two types of cars?"

"Of course, please come with me."

Half an hour later, Haven and Lori, who had spent 5 gold coins, were comfortably lying in a private compartment. The wind blowing in through the car window made the light green gauze curtains flutter back and forth. Looking at the scenery and buildings rushing past, Haven couldn't help but complain.

"That speed is indeed fast, but that team manager is really unscrupulous. He must be a follower of Abada. He's really good at doing business."

Little Lori, sitting cross-legged by the window, was still reading the travelogue he'd been reading yesterday. Listening to Haven's complaints, he quietly retorted:

"No, it's clearly Mr. Will who doesn't want to mingle with those civilians."

"Nonsense, I'm not one of those pampered noblemen. Back home, I even trimmed the hooves of warhorses in the military stables. Those noblemen would never do such things."

With a crisp snap, Lori picked up the fruit on the table and started eating, chuckling as she heard Havent's rebuttal.

"Hahaha, although Mr. Will, you are a good person and do not treat the common people like pigs and dogs like those noble lords, you do have a kind of arrogant feeling. That is, that is, you seem to look down on everyone equally. I even doubt that you would have any special reaction if you met our Emperor one day."

Upon hearing Lori's words, Haven, who had been lying flat against the carriage, immediately sat up.

"Is that so? I don't feel anything." Seeing Lori nod confidently, Haven lay down again with some doubt. If it really was true, it must be due to the influence of his past life. Ever since the great man said that the people have stood up, the people no longer need to kneel.

In his previous life, he wandered and grew up alone, and then died in a rescue. Although he lived in poverty, he never knelt. In this life, as a noble heir, he will certainly not kneel.

Lying flat on the soft mattress, watching the trees rushing past the window and the clouds drifting across the sky, Haven drifted off to sleep with his mind wandering.

After an unknown amount of time, Haven slowly opened his eyes when he felt someone pushing him.

"What's wrong, Lori?"

"Mr. Will, Mr. Will, we've arrived in the capital! It's so beautiful here!"

Upon hearing Lori's words, Haven sat up abruptly and looked out the window.

"So fast~"
Wow~~~ Indeed, it's truly magnificent, befitting the capital city!

They were traveling on a stone road that hugged the Dakar River. Through the window, they could see the city of Saint Grimayara, also known as King's Landing, not far away. It was one of the most central places on the continent.

Here you can see all kinds of forces and races. In this city full of history, there are also other things: gamblers who want to get rich overnight, schemers hiding in the shadows, black hands that take money to solve problems for others, and countless poor people who make a living in the city.

As they drew ever closer to Mayara in the Holy Song, the two people in the carriage finally felt the oppressive force of the colossal capital. As dusk approached, the sunlight shone on the white city walls, giving them a platinum-gold glow. At this moment, Haven finally understood why Mayara in the Holy Song was also known as the Platinum City.

After crossing the long stone bridge, we finally entered the city. It has to be said that there are an extraordinary number of people in the capital. The crowds of people walking back and forth are so close to the magic carriage that they show no intention of making way. The coachman had no choice but to slow down and stick his head out to speak into the iron megaphone next to the seat.

"Distinguished guests, His Majesty Frederick's birthday is just around the corner, so there are a lot of people heading to the capital recently. The guards at the city gates will be checking people more strictly. Please be patient and wait. It will be better after this section of the road."

For the two who weren't in a hurry, the time spent waiting in the traffic was nothing; it allowed Haven and his companion to sit by the window and leisurely enjoy the scenery of the capital's streets.

“Mr. Will, what are those? Those people are so dark.”

Following Lori's scream, Haven turned his head and saw several burly men with dark red faces standing at the sentry post, arguing excitedly with the guards standing there.

Looking at this group's attire, Haven felt a strong sense of familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere before. Their dark red skin, thick headscarves, tan half-armor, and curved swords at their waists...it all seemed so familiar!
"Judging from their appearance and clothing, they seem to be Saman people from the west."

When Haven mentioned it, Lori remembered that there were quite a few descriptions of the Shaman tribe in the bard stories he had read.

"What are they doing here? Aren't they, well, freed from the Empire's rule?"

Recalling the descriptions of the Saman people in the archives I saw in my father's study, I learned some of the reasons why the Saman tribe broke away from imperial rule, and I no longer felt so disgusted with this equally warlike people.

"Haha, they did break away from the Empire, but how should I put it, it was all just a series of misunderstandings. Over the years, the Empire has actually been trying to bring the Shaman tribe back under its rule. But it has been fraught with difficulties and not very easy."

So you see, despite their heated argument with the guards, they were neither driven away nor arrested.

Lori nodded, seemingly understanding, as the carriage sped out of the city gate and across the crowded road. Watching the street scene recede into the distance, the two turned back. Since they were already in the capital and would be staying for several years, they had plenty of time to explore.

Half an hour later, as the carriage came to a stop, the two stepped off. Since Haven's maternal grandfather was one of the three speakers of the Senate, and the area where he lived was the noble district below the Platinum Palace, places like the Fast Windmill were simply inaccessible.

Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, the two turned to look at the noble district behind them. At the entrance, a group of lightly armored swordsmen wearing the first-level magic-patterned construct 'Lion's Song' stood. As a special arrangement by the emperor, this not only reflected the insurmountable status of the nobles but also served as a form of protection for the nobles residing in the capital. After all, in the capital, even a duke could not have more than eight hundred guards.

As the two ordinary-looking children walked over, the squad leader of the lightly armored swordsmen on guard came up.

"Stop! This is a noble residential area. Commoners are not allowed to enter or provide proof of entry."

Haven looked at the guards blocking his way, thought for a moment, and realized that they had been mistaken for menial laborers going to work for a nobleman's house. Thinking of this, he looked down at his own clothes and Lori's clothes and nodded.

You know what, the squad leader was right. The two of them really do look like child laborers doing odd jobs right now. Thinking of this, Haven's ring flashed, and a badge with a lion's head made of cerium appeared in his hand.

Under the watchful eye of the guard captain, he pinned it to his chest, where it shimmered brilliantly in the setting sun.

"Can I go in now?"

The guard captain, somewhat incredulous, took two more steps forward to confirm, and upon seeing the badge clearly, quickly gave a standard knightly salute.

"Of course, sir, thank you for your hard work."

Seeing the flushed face of the guard captain, Haven gave him a friendly smile and led Lori inside. After the two had walked away, the guards who had been holding their breath just moments before surrounded them.

"Captain, Captain, whose children are those two? What's their background?"

The guard captain, who had been startled and was covered in a cold sweat, wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath. Luckily, he was in a good mood today and hadn't cursed at anyone, otherwise... Thinking of this, the guard captain couldn't help but shudder with lingering fear.

"That young man, that young man has quite a background, he is the heir of the White Lion family of the Northern Territory."

Upon hearing their captain's words, the guards who had formed a circle all gasped in surprise. After all, to them, the Northern White Lion Legion was synonymous with power.

These guards in the capital were very shrewd. A nobleman with military power was more powerful than a marquis without military power, not to mention the White Lion Legion, which consisted of six armored knight orders of two thousand men each, more than some dukes' troops.

As you enter the upscale district, you are greeted by buildings with various luxurious decoration styles. Rows of neat maple trees line the streets, and as winter approaches, the leaves on the branches have turned orange-red. However, it is obvious that there are far fewer people in the upscale district.

"Mr. Will, where are we going now?"

"Go find my mom~"

(End of this chapter)