Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 106 Observations in Kah City

Even from dozens of meters away, Li Wei felt a strong sense of physical discomfort; he felt like vomiting, but he immediately held it in.

Moreover, he immediately thought of the horse-drawn carriage that he had seen the day before yesterday afternoon, which resembled a prisoner's carriage.

Was a witch being burned?
Was she a real witch or a fake one?
Was she ultimately not rescued?

Or was it switched?

Li Wei didn't look again, turned around and left in a hurry. This scene, which had a great impact on him, should be the most common scene in this world and on this land.

This world may not be so simple after all.

Is there any other way to kill that Blackblood Witch besides burning her to death?

For the second half of the journey, Li Wei walked very fast until the dilapidated walls of Kah City came into clear view ahead.

Stray dogs roam the roadside, tearing and fighting over fresh or stale pieces of meat or rope-like objects...

In addition, he even witnessed a group of large, frightening rats openly scurrying around in the ditch.

Finally, he emerged from an indescribable sense of delusion that had filled his mind.

The pervasive stench was a clear indication that he had entered a plague-ridden region.

But he had no choice.

The good news is that there are clearly still many survivors in Kah City, who, like him, must have gone through the first phase of the plague, gained immunity, and thus survived.

However, the damage caused by the plague can still be seen here.

The roads were full of potholes, the houses were collapsed, the trees were withered, and the air was deathly still.

Occasionally, you can see bloated, white corpses soaking in the stinking ditches by the roadside.

Upon seeing Li Wei, a pack of stray dogs began barking loudly, attracting several groups of them who gathered around, intending to order takeout!

Li Wei brandished the iron spear for a while before scaring them away. If it had been weaker women and children, they would have been in real danger.

As we approached the city of Kah, about 500 or 600 meters away, the environment improved somewhat. Although puddles of foul water and yellowish-white substances were still everywhere, at least we could no longer see corpses or various body parts.

There were even some farmers with spears here? Perhaps they were conscripted militiamen on patrol, driving the red-eyed wild dogs away from a certain area.

As Li Wei passed by, the militiamen stared wide-eyed at the hideous blood wolf head he was carrying, whispering amongst themselves, their eyes filled with fear.

Li Wei kept his eyes straight ahead and had no intention of keeping a low profile, which was not a problem that could be solved by keeping a low profile.

Let's leave everything to that blood wolf's head.

Sure enough, not a single militiaman stopped him.

And indeed, the city of Kah appeared before him.

It is impossible to determine the exact size of the city of Kah, but based on visual estimation, the perimeter is probably between four hundred and five hundred meters.

But this wall is definitely more robust and of a higher level than the walls at the family camp.

Perhaps hundreds of years ago, it was here that new and old players built and developed the city of Kahe from scratch, from weak to strong.

But unexpectedly, hundreds of years later, the city faced its own doomsday.

Li Wei looked up and saw a flag hanging on the moss-covered, dilapidated city wall, with two soldiers in leather armor chatting lazily against the wall in the sunlight.

The city gates were wide open, with no soldiers on guard, but tax collectors were glaring menacingly at every pedestrian who tried to enter the city.

Outside the city walls, there were also many shacks, low, thin, and dark. Some of them had something being cooked outside, and several children with big heads and small bodies stared at the food inside like vultures.

Occasionally, you can see people lying motionless in dark shacks, or one person remaining still while another moves frantically. Some ancient industries always thrive in the face of hunger and death.

But Li Wei did not see the caravan from the day before yesterday.

Of course, there were also respectable people. For example, Li Wei saw a farmer leading a goat, a farmer's wife carrying a rooster, and two men carrying a wild boar.

It seems that basic order in the city of Kah is still being maintained.

Entering the city required paying a tax. The farmer leading the goat and the farmer carrying the rooster each paid one copper coin, while the man carrying the wild boar was charged five copper coins.

When it was Li Wei's turn, the tax collector looked him up and down a few times, until he saw the hideous blood wolf head in Li Wei's hand. His previously nonchalant attitude immediately changed.

Even his facial expression was frozen for three to five seconds.

When he looked at Li Wei again, his face now held a sense of awe.

"Please wait."

After saying that, he turned and ran. A moment later, four soldiers rushed over, quickly and violently driving away the onlookers, and then surrounded Li Wei.

Then, a burly middle-aged man with a bulbous nose strode in, accompanied by the tax collector. He was wearing a full set of steel half-body plate armor, carrying a full steel canned helmet in one hand, a spiked hammer in the other, and a shield on his back.

This equipment is incredibly sophisticated. And although this middle-aged man looks like he's still hungover, he walks with a powerful stride, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. His strength is probably no less than that of Thomas in his prime!
Clearly, this should be an officer or a knight.

It's hard to imagine that the city of Kah, in its current state of ruin, could still afford to support knights.

At this moment, the middle-aged man came up to Li Wei, took the blood wolf's head from him, glanced at it casually, and nodded, "Are you a bounty hunter?"

"Yes, sir, I come from the province of Ver."

Li Wei spoke vaguely, without explaining the cause and effect, because he was certain he was not with the witch's group, and the blood wolf's head was the biggest proof.

“Ville Province? I can tell. Welcome to Kah City, my friend. If you'd like to stay here for a while, perhaps you could help me with some chores, like cleaning up those noisy stray dogs outside the city.”

The middle-aged man nodded again, then beckoned to the tax collector, "Process the entry permit for this bounty hunter and issue the bounty at the same time. The great lord is very generous."

"Yes, Commander Knight!"

The tax collector respectfully accepted the order. After that, the middle-aged man said nothing more, picked up the blood wolf's head, and left, followed closely by four soldiers.

After Li Wei and the tax collector watched the knight commander leave, the latter took out a scroll made of sheepskin with some unfamiliar characters written on it.

"Friend, welcome to Kah City. With this document, you may freely enter and leave Kah City for the next ten days. But please remember, the city gates will not be opened for you after they close in the evening. Also, you may stay at the Mare Inn, which is the only inn in Kah City."

"In addition, if you encounter any robbers or scoundrels, you can seek help from the guards for a small reward."

"Of course, if you want to find some work, you don't need to bother the esteemed Knight Commander, just come to me. See those disgusting wild dogs outside the city? Go kill them. Kill one, and I'll give you a copper coin. Remember to bring a dog's head!"

At this point, the tax collector handed him five silver coins with a smile.

Holy crap, is this a bounty?

Li Wei glanced at him in surprise; the tax collector was still all smiles.

"Thank you!"

Li Wei accepted the five silver coins. He was there to buy salt, not to actually become a bounty hunter, so there was no need to argue.

However, the moment he took the silver coins and stepped into the city gate of Kah, several lines of information silently appeared before his eyes.

[You have gained 50 reputation points in Kah City, and your relationship with Kah City is now neutral. You can now enter Kah City and purchase supplies, but some shops in Kah City may not be open to you. Many merchants may deduct from your purchases or raise prices, and even tax collectors may withhold your bounty. You may need at least 100 reputation points in Kah City to freely purchase supplies here and avoid being bullied.]

[Friendly reminder: When your reputation with the city of Kah reaches 500 points, the lord of Kah will grant you an audience and discover that you are his nephew. Please make your choice carefully.]

[Warning: Although you've been living in the province of Ver for the past few years, there might be some people in the city of Kah who vaguely recognize you.]

Huh?
What the hell!

Li Wei was slightly surprised, but he still gritted his teeth and walked into Kahe City, because he had no other choice.

After entering the city, he quickly looked around. The castle was not large, and although the layout was chaotic, it was still easy to discern at a glance.

In the northwest corner, there should be the lord's residence, a five-story fortress, which is quite magnificent. With the added advantage of the terrain, it has a commanding view of the entire city.

Furthermore, the city of Kah lacks a central axis and its number of gates is unknown, but it is still clearly divided into several areas.

Centered on the lord's castle, to the left should be an open training ground and stables. Well, actually, they are not visible, as they are blocked by rows of stone houses, but Li Wei can hear the neighing and galloping of warhorses, and there seems to be cheering.

A place big enough for horses to run must be quite large, so Li Wei felt that his previous judgment was not accurate enough. Perhaps the perimeter of Kahe City was six hundred meters or more, since it was not a square city.

The stone houses around the training ground are all very impressive, some even have two or three stories, and these are definitely not places for ordinary people to live.

Li Wei glanced around and saw some signs, some with hammers, some with scissors, and some unfamiliar guild emblems.

This should be the industrial and handicraft workshops necessary to support a castle and the surrounding farms.

Blacksmiths, stonemasons, carpenters, tailors, butchers, and the like.

Even though the city of Kah was hit by the plague, it was impossible for all these industries to shut down.

However, behind these stone houses, near the lord's castle, there should also be barracks for the garrison. In short, this area can be divided into residential areas for nobles, wealthy families, and commoners.

Overall, it looked fairly tidy, and Li Wei even caught glimpses of flowerbeds between the houses.

In contrast, there is another part, which is also the smallest part of the city, accounting for only one-third. Various haphazard wooden houses are built like building blocks, filling in every available space. There is a narrow passage in the middle. However, near the right side of the city gate, there is an open space about the size of a basketball court, which should be the market.

It was even more stinky here, with a mixture of fishy, ​​bloody, fecal, and sweaty smells, making it feel like I was in my brother's hometown.

Even though it hasn't rained in a while, the ground here is covered in mud and puddles. But this water is definitely not normal water; it must be some kind of liquid.

The good news was that he saw the merchants' carriages, the caravan, and even a generous and wealthy passenger casually observing.

The caravan had already started operating early, with people queuing outside and a certain sound constantly emanating from it.

What a vibrant and joyful day!

(End of this chapter)