Today's princess is still cute

The two continued to ride forward, and were soon blocked by caravans, noble carriages, and various pedestrians on the road.

There are a lot of people. Except for special circumstances, the imperial capital is basically open 24 hours a day. However, the two city gates are strictly controlled. The identities of people coming and going must be verified before they can enter the city. For example, when Cardinson was a homeless man, he could never enter the imperial capital.

After getting off the horses, Cardinson and Rong Ke both led the horses forward.

This combination of one old and one young quickly attracted the attention of others - there was no other way, they looked so good.

Especially Cardinson.

"Hey, look, that boy over there is so cute." Inside a carriage carved with aristocratic emblems, a pair of bright eyes peeked out from behind a half-closed curtain.

Soon several female voices were heard in the car.

"Where is it? I want to see it! Make room for me!"

"Oh! God! What a handsome child! He must be only sixteen or seventeen years old? Much younger than us."

"Is that the one next to him an elder in his family? He looks so strong, almost two meters tall, right?"

Noticing Rong Ke next to him, the carriage suddenly became quiet.

"Wait, that's Mr. Hadley, the Knight Guard Captain of the Vatican, right?"

"It seems like this boy is from the Vatican?"

“What a pity!”

The group of girlfriends in the carriage immediately lost interest, pulled the curtain again, and continued their fantasies about the beautiful boy.

In the imperial capital, the nobles have complicated feelings towards the people in the Vatican. In this world, imperial power is far higher than divine power, but everyone has faith in God. After all, it was God who created this world and gave mankind the spark of civilization and power. As God's representative on earth after his sleep, the Vatican must be respected.

Moreover, the Holy See usually does a lot of good deeds. If there is anything, people would rather ask the Holy See for help than ask the city’s garrison guards.

The common people like the Vatican, but the nobles will never like a Vatican that turns a blind eye to their power and dignity.

"I only believe in my faith and light. I don't believe in the inheritance of bloodline. Even the royal family, aren't they just people chosen by God?"

This is a declaration by a certain pope in history, and it is also the view of the Holy See towards the nobles:

God loves the world, and it’s okay for us to follow suit, but nobles should be equal to the common people.

This is the Church of this world.

Chapter 11 Ask your daughter to make me a drink!

The nobles have a love-hate relationship with the Vatican, but the people are different.

Seeing Rong Ke, who was famous in the imperial capital, passers-by on both sides of the road came forward to greet him, without any of the sad class gap.

"Mr. Hadley! Did you just come back from outside?"

A plain middle-aged man came over and greeted Rong Ke without even a greeting.

Rong Ke showed his signature smile, patted his shoulder cheerfully, and said, "Yes, I went to Ziye City and was about to report back."

A few more young men gathered around and said enthusiastically, "Mr. Hadley, it's been a long time since I saw you go to our opera."

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I've been busy lately. When I'm free, I'll bring my guys to show my support for you guys!"

Cardinson hid at the back and noticed the way the people looked at Rong Ke. It was a genuine respect from the bottom of their hearts, but when the people looked at the nobles' carriages, they were mostly afraid and dodging.

People from all walks of life, whether merchants or ordinary people, whether cooks or craftsmen, came to greet Rong Ke or waved from afar.

This is also why in the previous life, the knights belonging to the Holy See were the most difficult to join, but there were still many players trying their best to join.

Many NPCs naturally have a higher level of favorability towards the Vatican, making any task easier.

The Knight class has three job transfers, as mentioned before. They are the Royal Knights who serve the Empire, the Templar Knights who serve the Vatican, and the Earth Knights who can come and go freely and travel across the continent.

The Royal Knights all have ways to take shortcuts, such as finding a noble NPC with royal blood to serve. If they want to change their job to a Templar Knight, they must join the Holy See. The series of tests are so difficult that it makes people cry, and those with impure character will not be accepted!

People often sigh on forums - the Vatican is what the people want, no wonder even when things are so miserable, the royal family is still suppressing it.

As the best among the Templar Knights who was able to perfectly transform into Shadow Knight, Cardinson naturally understood the Holy See, and he really liked the overall concept and atmosphere there.

Many people also noticed Cardinson behind Rong Ke and greeted him, but since they didn't know his name, they all called him "Sir Knight". Rong Ke did not point out that Cardinson had not yet become a formal knight, but just looked at him with a smile.

Cardinson acted in a manner befitting his age. He nodded and smiled shyly. It must be said that if you are too good-looking, everyone will think you have personality even if you have a cold face. Cardinson has always been very gentle, which made him even more likable.

The line moved forward slowly and the waiting time was not boring since so many people came up to chat.

However, when they reached the outer area about 200 meters away from the city gate, people lined up in an orderly manner and stopped talking, because there were guards stationed every ten meters.

Here is a very interesting point.

The imperial city gates do not allow queue jumping or noise, and the nobles are no exception. Want to skip the queue? Sure, there are four gates. If you think your status and position are high enough, you can go through the other two, and you don't have to queue there.

Rong Ke was naturally qualified to take Cardinson through the other door, but he didn't want to, and he didn't want Cardinson to think that the Vatican was superior. They were all believers of God, so who was nobler than who? Unless it was urgent, you would never see any Vatican personnel at the other two doors.

Not long after, it was their turn to enter the city.

"Greetings, respected Captain Hadley, may the glory of God be with us." The guard there scanned the two men with a long instrument, took Cardinson's household registration certificate, glanced at the badge in Rong Ke's hand, and said with a smile on his face.

Rong Ke took back the badge representing his identity as a Templar Knight, smiled and nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. God will bless each and every one of us. Your hard work is the key to a better tomorrow."

Cardinson put away the household registration certificate and looked at the long instrument in the guard's hand with interest - this thing, similar to the security check in the previous life, is used to detect whether you have the breath of the devil and whether you are from hell.

"This product is jointly produced by the Holy See and the Mage Tower. We hope that everyone will be kind-hearted." These words are written on the handle of each instrument.

It was almost dusk when we entered the city.

After Rong Ke and Cardinson walked a distance, they stopped.

"Here, give me the horse," Rong Ke said with a smile, "Now is your first mission. As a kid who is coming to the imperial capital for the first time, you need to find a place to live and report to the Holy See on time at nine o'clock in the morning three days later to participate in this knight selection."

Cardinson was not surprised, but responded directly: "I understand, Grandpa Rong Ke."

Rong Ke would not tell him where to find a place to live, nor would he tell him where the Vatican headquarters was, nor would he arrange everything for him.

This is the first task, and it is also a bit of a test.

Unfortunately, Rong Ke’s good intentions were destined to be in vain.

This is the imperial capital!

It would be an exaggeration to say that one can walk along the road even with eyes closed, but Rong Ke is definitely not more familiar with this place than Cardinson!

Cardinson had spent at least eight months of his three-year gaming career here, wandering the streets just to complete the main and side quests, big and small. You know, this crappy game doesn't have an automatic pathfinding feature!

Perhaps the timeline of twenty years will make things a little different here, but the general layout will never change. Cardinson is truly like a fish in water when he comes to the imperial capital.

"Good luck, Kaisen, I'll be waiting for you in the Vatican." Rong Ke waved goodbye, turned around and left with the two horses.

As he watched the other person's broad back disappear into the crowd, a smile gradually appeared on Cardinson's face.

Imperial capital, here I come!

Without any hesitation, he identified the direction and walked directly to the left.

Well, the Chamber of Commerce is still there. Then go forward and turn right at the third intersection. That's a dessert shop. Then go left for another 50 meters.

Buildings of varying heights are scattered all over the place. The little boy walks through this huge city, and every step he takes is a step towards the future he expects.

Half an hour later, Cardinson finally arrived at his destination.

At this time, the sun was setting in the west.

There was a shabby sign hanging on the door. The store was so deserted that it seemed as if no one would visit it. There was only a fat man dozing off behind the counter.

Evening Song Tavern, long time no see.

Cardinson stepped in and shouted, "Roye, where's your daughter? Tell her to come out and make me a drink!"

Chapter 12: Send flowers to the young lady or visit the lady?

Hearing the boy's shout, Roye slowly stood up from the counter, looked at the boy twice, and spoke slowly.

"First, my daughter is only a month away from turning ten this year. Second, are you an adult? I doubt you are old enough to drink here. Third, I hope you can introduce yourself after I finish this speech."

It’s a strange face I’ve never seen before. Is he the younger generation of some old friend?

Young people nowadays are so impatient

Cardinson knew the tricks here. The long-lost excitement brought him back to the feeling when he played the game. He exaggeratedly performed a magician's farewell ceremony and said leisurely: "You can call me Cardinson, seventeen years old, from Ziye City, introducer is Viscount Orlan. The evening breeze is still blowing."

"The song never stops. Welcome, young Cardinson, you remind me of myself twenty years ago, just as handsome."

After exchanging the secret code, a sincere smile appeared on Roye's fat face. "How is Viscount Orlan? The last time I saw him was three years ago."

Viscount Orlan is an old customer.

The person he recommends should be fine.

Cardinson tactfully took out three silver coins and a letter of introduction from his pocket, walked to the counter, sat down, and handed over the things.

"The Viscount is in very good health. He eats three pounds of barbecue for every meal. Can I have a glass of wine now? Oh, speaking of barbecue, maybe I need a delicious barbecue pie."

Roye stretched out his hand and took the silver coin and the letter of introduction. He opened the letter and glanced at it quickly, then said, "I am glad to know that the Viscount is in good health. Please wait a moment. Delicious wine and food will soon appear in front of you."

Cardinson sat in a high chair and watched Royer busy behind the counter.

Don’t think that his one year in Ziye City was just training. Novice City is the best place to dig for “treasures”. Although many NPCs do not appear in the current timeline and many tasks cannot be accepted without the system, being able to find a few and complete the tasks is already satisfying.

A letter of introduction from Viscount Orlan—this was one of the rewards for completing several missions.

With this letter of introduction, he was able to come to this place and drink a glass of wine mixed by Roye himself.

Evening Song Tavern!

A "Mutual Aid Society" with a history of more than 200 years, it is also the safest and most reliable mission point that Cardinson can currently access.

There are so many people in the imperial capital, including so many nobles. There must be some things that need to be handled by others. You know, my friend, those noble lords have a lot of things to deal with, and they don’t have the white gloves kept by those great nobles, so they can only turn to these "enthusiastic people" for help.

The person who issues the task is called the sponsor, and the person who accepts the task is called the traveler.

There are dozens of such mutual aid associations of all sizes in the imperial capital. The Wan Ge Tavern may not be the largest, but it is definitely the most reliable.

The Roye in front of Cardinson now was framed by a big moneybag just because he was unwilling to reveal the information of a small traveler more than ten years later. However, he did not care and went to his death bravely - just for the tavern's two hundred years of reputation.

Cardinson heard this story from Roye's daughter, the future tavern owner, a beautiful and cool older sister, after he had gained enough favorability.

At that time, the system also released a side quest, which was to avenge Roye's daughter, but Cardinson was still on a wanted warrant at the time, so he did not take it. His friend took it, and a top ten expert in the ladder used his connections to find the big money sponsor and created an "accident."

If Roye's daughter was a liar, the highly principled system would never issue the task.

"If we can't even protect the information of our financiers and travelers, then there's no point in continuing to operate the business. It would be a peace and quiet if we die." These were the original words of the first owner of the Wan Ge Tavern, and it has been proven true for more than two hundred years.

That's why he didn't mind telling Roye his real name.

Whether it was Old Pine or Royer, Cardinson chose the safest route. This was not a game, there was no resurrection, all he could do was play it safe.

Looking at the layout around him, Cardinson's thoughts went back to a year ago. He was already the successful No. 1 Shadow Knight in the server, but he still liked to invite a few friends to come here for a drink and chat, enjoying the gazes of the newbies and reminiscing about his lost youth.

Now, his friends have been separated by two generations, and he is the only one left in the once crowded gaming world, living in a way he never imagined.

It's really touching.

Royer quickly cleaned up the kitchen. A glass of dark blue wine was placed in the glass with ice cubes floating in it, and a steaming barbecue pie was filled with barbecue, so much that it made people cry.

"grateful."

Cardinson thanked him earnestly, took a deep breath, took a sip of wine, and then ate the barbecue pie.

It still tastes familiar, the only difference is that Roye's daughter might prefer to put some green pepper in it, but Roye only put a few corn kernels, making it less spicy and more sweet.

While he was eating, Luo Ye was not idle either. He took out a thick notebook from the counter and flipped through it quickly. Then he said, "There are fewer missions this month. What I want to know is how many stars you can take with your current strength."

Cardinson replied casually, "A formal knight, any mission below three stars is acceptable."

The quests range from one to five stars. To put it simply, they can be accepted by Lv.10 to Lv.50. After all, the scale of the Evening Song Tavern is there, and the cap is just that.

Cardinson estimated his own combat power to be around Lv.15, which would increase significantly with the addition of Frostfire. After passing the Vatican's selection in three days and obtaining the Source Energy Stone, he would probably be able to reach Lv.25. Therefore, one-star and two-star missions would be easy, and he could also take on three-star missions depending on the situation. Anyway, it was true that everyone was a slow learner before the first job transfer (the first job transfer was Lv.40, the second job transfer was Lv.60, and the fastest upgrade speed for a normal player was nine months to reach the second job transfer threshold, and it was the most difficult to improve after the second job transfer).

"Not bad," Luo Ye glanced at his still childish face in surprise, "three stars are included in the list below three stars, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I have to be responsible for your life and the mission of the sponsor. You still have to start with a one-star mission. Is that okay with you?" Luo Ye spread his hands.

Cardinson took another sip of wine and grinned, "I understand. It's the rule."

"Well, here's the one that suits you best - get a hundred green flowers for a noble lady and wait for her on the road she has to take after school. Requirements: You must be handsome, young and tall. Well, the reward is ten gold coins!" Fatty Roye winked at him, "Take it or not? I'll give you three days, ten gold coins a day, and you must disclose information about both parties."

Cardinson swallowed the last bite of barbecue pie, and said with a twitch in the corner of his mouth: "I won't answer it."

"What about visiting a certain lady? Well, requirements include visiting after midnight, being in good shape, wearing a mask, and keeping the information confidential. Fifty gold coins!" Roye smiled even more happily, his eyes full of you know what I mean.