Noxus Glory

Chapter 90 The Dark Slums and the Covetous Gaze

In the dimly lit room, the dim candlelight illuminated the two figures.

Wilson looked surprised, glanced at Huo Jixing, and gently shook his head: "I'm afraid others will offend you."

Although the dark clouds that had hung over the Immortal Fortress had been dispelled, there were still many lurking rats in the shadows, frequently probing the Trifal Council.

People like Huo Jixing, who are labeled Darius, are most likely to attract the attention of those rats.

Huo Jixing raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding the meaning behind Wilson's words, and seemed to be deep in thought.

The two then continued chatting about some interesting anecdotes from the Noxian capital.

Wilson did most of the talking, and Huo Jixing listened.

After dinner, Wilson got up to say goodbye and left the two-story building.

Under the dim night sky, Huo Jixing leaned against the door, watching Wilson's departing figure on the street, his eyes gleaming.

Is it a hidden mouse or a black rose?

He recalled Amoryn's warning words once again.

Roses are everywhere, roses are all-pervasive!

"Just don't mess with me," Huo Jixing muttered to himself, closing the door and returning to his room.

Inside the bedroom, the wooden window was open, and the dim starlight from the deep sky fell into the room.

Huo Jixing lay on his back in bed, gazing at the stars that dotted the sky, feeling as if he had forgotten something.

"It's Moore's suicide note!"

He recalled a blood-stained suicide note that DeWitt had once given him, from Moore of the scout squad.

Like DeWitt, Mull was born in a slum outside the Noxian capital and joined the Imperial Chapter because his family couldn't afford to eat.

"Since I'm going back with DeWitt anyway, I might as well go and check on him."

Huo Jixing turned around, took out the will from under his armor, and stared at the congealed bloodstains on it, lost in thought.

The next morning.

Pale golden sunlight filtered through the clouds, filling the winter air with a crisp, cool atmosphere.

The hill camp gradually revived, and noise rose. Many Noxian soldiers had a look of joy on their faces.

After a quick breakfast, Huo Jixing and DeWitt walked along the street and encountered Noxian soldiers chatting and laughing.

The news that martial law had been lifted in the Noxian capital had spread throughout the camp.

After leaving the camp, Huo Jixing and his group did not linger and headed straight for the capital of Noxus.

About fifteen minutes later, they saw the immeasurably high, dark gray city walls, and rows of buildings outside the walls.

Prosperity and poverty are separated by only a wall, yet they are like an insurmountable chasm.

With the dark gray token given to him by Wilson, Huo Jixing passed through the checkpoints very smoothly and entered the Noxian capital region.

They first walked along a wide, flat road, and then entered the slums with their varying heights.

It was only then, looking at the slums before him, that Huo Jixing realized some of his misunderstandings.

Similar to the medieval scenes described in books from my previous life, here I saw piles of garbage everywhere and black sewage that reeked of stench.

The narrow streets and the buildings lining both sides looked unusually old and dilapidated.

Some of the houses were no longer houses at all; half of them had collapsed, and broken tables and chairs could be seen inside.

The clean and tidy sanitation system in Huo Jixing's mind seemed to exist only in the elite Noxian warband camps.

Or perhaps an immortal fortress within deep gray walls.

Huo Jixing shook his head slightly, suppressing his discomfort, and followed DeWitt through the narrow streets, smelling the unpleasant odors emanating from the surroundings.

It smelled of sweat, feet, feces, and rotting corpses.

Huo Jixing glanced down at the black marks on the corner of the street, quickened his pace, and reminded Haini and Korda behind him to watch their step.

They crossed the street and entered an alley filled with yellow dust and garbage.

After walking more than a hundred steps, DeWitt came to a low, dilapidated bungalow and hesitated, as if he dared not go forward.

Huo Jixing saw that there were many pudding clothes hanging to dry in the dilapidated room.

Most of them are gray and black, and other vibrant colors are rarely seen.

"What's wrong? Are you a little scared now that you're in front of him?" Huo Jixing walked over, rubbed DeWitt's head, and looked into his slightly timid eyes.

The closer one gets to home, the more apprehensive one becomes, especially for someone who has survived the battlefield.

He understood how DeWitt felt at that moment.

"It's time to go in. Make sure you have your gifts ready, don't drop them on the ground," Huo Jixing said with a soft laugh.

Then, he took Korda and moved away, so as not to disturb DeWitt.

But only for a short while.

Huo Jixing could faintly hear excited sounds coming from inside the bungalow, as well as the sound of tables and chairs falling over, and cries in different tones.

He chuckled softly, turned his head, and looked around.

The slums were indeed dilapidated, swarming with flies and rats. Occasionally, in the narrow alleyways, he would see children filling their stomachs with rainwater and pests.

"Completely different, like night and day!"

Huo Jixing withdrew his gaze, his inner thoughts rippling like the tide.

He found that the slums he was seeing were very different from the Noxian Empire he had imagined.

His initial impression, also from his time living in the camp, was that the Noxian Empire's society was unusually tolerant.

In the Empire, everyone's talents and abilities will be respected and nurtured.

Instead of what it is now—

The environment was dirty and foul-smelling, and many children and ordinary people could not fill their stomachs or afford clothes.

He then thought of the gifts DeWitt had prepared that morning, some meat and heavy clothing that he had received from the camp in his name.

"Truly so."

Huo Jixing was unable to describe his inner thoughts in words.

He is not a moral exemplar, nor can he do the things of a saint. He can only hope that the Trifalli Council will lead the empire to rise again and bring the status that everyone deserves.

Wait a while.

DeWitt stepped out of the low, dilapidated bungalow and came to Huo Jixing's side, his reddened eyes recounting the exciting scene when they had just met.

"Section Chief, that's enough. I've already met with my family and spoken to them," DeWitt said.

"Once General Darius issues his order, I will request permission to enter the Immortal Fortress."

Because the Trifalli Council had just been established, Darius had many urgent matters to attend to, and matters such as rewards for meritorious service had not yet been finalized, but specific information had already been disseminated.

Huo Jixing turned his head and looked past DeWitt, where he saw two dirty children peeking out from in front of the old wooden door, their cheeks covered in grime.

A boy and a girl, who looked very young, around seven or eight years old.

They looked over from afar, seemingly very curious, but upon seeing Huo Jixing's gaze, they immediately withdrew their heads.

After hesitating for a moment, it poked its head out again, which was quite amusing.

"Your younger brother and sister?" Huo Jixing asked softly.

"Yes!" DeWitt scratched the back of his head, his joy barely concealed.

"It's been almost three years since we last met, and they seemed a bit unfamiliar with me when they first saw me. Luckily, I managed to attract their attention with some cooked meat strips."

DeWitt excitedly shared his experience of returning home, saying that his father was not home, only his mother and younger siblings were there.

Once the emotions have been vented.

Huo Jixing and his group continued their journey through the slums, this time heading to Moore's house.

Midway through, Korda, an elite scout, his eyes flashing, quickly walked up to Huo Jixing and spoke in a low voice.

"Someone is following us; we've traveled quite a distance."

"It's alright. We're strangers, so if we come in like this, someone will definitely notice us." Huo Jixing nodded slightly, his eyes glancing at the dark alley behind him, where he saw a pair of wary and covetous eyes.

"Few outsiders walk these streets without guards," DeWitt said softly, pointing to the network of alleyways.

"Especially at night, a lot of strange things happen."

Huo Jixing rested his left hand on the hilt of his sword, his gaze cold as he looked out at the dark and filthy street.

"Guards? Those guys are nowhere near as good as us!"

They were the elite warriors who defeated the Winter's Claw tribe and won the second Battle of Freljord for the Empire.

They have already experienced the baptism of life and death!

Please recommend, add to your favorites, and keep reading!

(End of this chapter)