After a five-day journey, Ye Yu and Lox arrived at Guangxi Town, a settlement directly adjacent to the Imperial Capital. It was the closest town to the capital, reachable in just half a day.
Because of its proximity to the Imperial Capital, the living environment of Guangxi Town was not confined to a mere few streets like Sanshui Town. Guangxi Town served as a protective shield for the Imperial Capital, and past emperors had never skimped on its development. Towering city walls completely concealed everything within the town, and guards stood firmly at their posts along the ramparts, warding off any potential threats to the city.
Lox drove the carriage up to the main gate of Guangxi Town, joining the queue for the entry inspection. Ye Yu sat beside him with a look of keen interest, gazing up at this massive structure, wondering how the Revolutionary Army from the original story managed to bypass this fortress and appear directly inside the Imperial Capital.
The scope of the original work was too narrow; most of the events in both the prequel and the main story took place inside the Imperial Capital itself, with far too little—or outright nonexistent—description of other cities and ethnic groups. Exploring this unfamiliar knowledge now filled Ye Yu with boundless excitement, making him eager to travel around the entire world.
"Young Master, this humble servant still needs to avoid prying eyes. We can rendezvous inside the city later." Lox handed the reins over to Ye Yu, intending to use other means to slip past the gates. As a wanted criminal, marching in so brazenly would show a distinct lack of respect for the guards.
Ye Yu blocked Lox's hand, still curiously looking around, and said dismissively, "It's fine, we can just slip them some money. Besides, I don't know how to drive a carriage."
"Please forgive this humble servant's presumption, but a few years ago I was an instructor for the Imperial Capital's city guard, and quite a few men in Guangxi Town were personally trained by me." Mentioning these past achievements involuntarily filled Lox's voice with a trace of pride.
Indeed, back then as an instructor of the city guard, he had enjoyed boundless glory. Many high-ranking officials curried favor with him, and his students numbered at least a thousand. He was picked up and dropped off wherever he went, never lacking for fine wine and food. Lox was confident that his students would never stoop to petty thievery.
"That's true." Ye Yu stretched lazily and lowered his voice toward Lox. "With so many students back then, shouldn't a good number of the spirited ones have died trying to save you? Weren't the ones who refused to surrender to the Prime Minister suppressed? And the rest..."
Ye Yu left his sentence unfinished, but Lox understood his meaning entirely. His grip on the reins turned white-knuckled. He said no more, simply pulling the horse along in silence.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ye Yu glanced at Lox and sighed. The society where he had previously lived was far more advanced than this world of Akame Ga Kill, yet it still produced timeless warnings about putting away the fine bow once the birds are hunted, and boiling the hounds once the hares are caught—let alone dealing with someone as vindictive as the Prime Minister? To the Prime Minister, Lox was neither a fine bow nor a running hound, but a man destined to die, meaning anyone connected to Lox would inevitably be implicated.
After a long while, Ye Yu and Lox finally reached the gates. The guards stopped the two of them, performed a cursory inspection, and let them pass. Noticing a look of sorrow on Lox's face, Ye Yu felt a twinge of doubt but decided not to ask, simply following him into the city.
In a world like Akame Ga Kill, the existence of creatures like Danger Beasts meant that travelers on the road almost always carried weapons. Furthermore, many country folk came to the Imperial Capital bearing arms in hopes of making a name for themselves, so plenty of people from the Mercenary Guild and the military walked about armed as well.
"I told you nobody would recognize us. They just gave us a casual glance and waved us through." Pleased to have guessed correctly, Ye Yu whistled cheerfully.
"Yes." Lox lowered his head, lost in thought and completely devoid of energy.
Just then, one of the guards from earlier hurried up and called out to them. Lox turned around eagerly, while Ye Yu looked over in puzzlement. The guard glanced around to make sure the area was clear, then approached Lox and whispered, "Teacher, I'm sorry. Let's talk in detail about some matters here tonight."
After slipping a note into Lox's hand, the guard bowed to him and walked straight back to his post.
Lox clutched the note, so overjoyed that tears seemed about to fall. Ye Yu patted his thigh and asked in bewilderment, "No way, old Lox, are you about to cry already? Is that your student?"
Lox nodded, excitement in his voice. "I knew some of my students were still alive. His name is Moses. He was the most upright student I ever taught, and he dared to speak out against any form of injustice."
"Oh," Ye Yu replied casually. He and Lox walked down a broad avenue paved with individual blocks of stone. The street was clean and tidy, with streetlamps standing neatly along one side.
The shops on both sides were dazzling with goods. Ye Yu wandered aimlessly through the town with Lox, buying whatever looked tasty to eat and acting just like an ordinary traveler.
After strolling through more than half the town, Ye Yu arrived at the entrance of the Mercenary Guild. The Mercenary Guild was founded by the major financial conglomerates of the Imperial Capital. It accepted commissions from clients and posted tasks for guild members to earn bounties, with the rewards split proportionally between the guild and the operatives.
In the novels and anime of his past life, many protagonists kicked off their legendary lives and earned their first pot of gold in places just like this, embarking on their paths to power. Naturally, Ye Yu had to come and check it out in person.
As Lox pushed open the door, a pungent wave of odors rushed over them. Ye Yu frowned beside him. The smells of alcohol and sweat mixed together; this first exposure even left him feeling slightly dizzy. Rubbing his head, he realized his current body still needed to train up various functions.
Inside the guild, no one paid them any mind. Apart from a few people who cast a glance their way, everyone else was wrapped up in their own business—boasting or drinking. The scene was utterly chaotic, and many people sat on chairs that blocked the pathway, making a tremendous racket.
Ye Yu and Lox approached the front desk, where a burly man with a face full of flesh and muscles that looked ready to burst stared at Ye Yu and said impatiently, "The guild only recruits people between fifteen and fifty years old."
"We're here to ask about something." Ye Yu remained silent, but Lox stepped forward and addressed the receptionist. Ye Yu, on the other hand, was distinctly underwhelmed. Weren't there any pretty receptionist girls? How was a muscle-bound brute like this supposed to attract people to join their guild?
Looking at the man's bulging pectoral muscles, Ye Yu felt as though his head could be crushed flat between them at any moment.
Ye Yu tapped his own head to lessen the impact this world's Mercenary Guild was having on his worldview and to chase away those bizarre thoughts.
"This is the Mercenary Guild." Ignoring Lox, the receptionist wiped a large beer mug in his hands, tapped the table twice with his finger, and went right back to work.
"Asking about things? The Mercenary Guild only works for money! Little master, do you have any money?" Someone shouted loudly, and a group of people burst into mindless laughter.
Ye Yu was speechless. Lox had been the one doing all the talking right from the moment they walked in—why was everyone still picking on him?
Looking over the counter, which stood a full half-head taller than him, Ye Yu directly pulled out five gold coins and tossed them to Lox. Catching the hint, Lox slammed the coins onto the counter and turned to announce, "Five pieces of information, one gold coin per piece. Who wants to answer?"
Seeing the gold coins slammed onto the table, the receptionist's eyelids twitched violently. Five gold coins! That kind of price was enough to hire the very best operatives in their mercenary guild.
The five gold coins instantly threw the room into chaos. A crowd shouted, "I'll do it, I'll do it!" as the guild members shoved and elbowed one another, terrified that someone else would snatch up their coins.
With a loud slap on the counter, the receptionist roared, "Quiet!" The room fell instantly and utterly silent.
With trembling hands, the receptionist pushed the gold coins back toward Lox, then pointed toward a small corridor and said with a ingratiating smile, "This way, esteemed guests. Let's head to a private room to discuss the details."
"Tch, that guy Menick actually wanted to hog all that money. Five gold coins—that's enough for me to spend a month at the Chunxiang Kiln! How about we..." A burly man drained his mug of beer in one gulp and said irritably.
"Forget it. He's Count Roshev's nephew. If he weren't, do you think he'd be running this guild?" The person sharing the table leaned back in his chair and waved a hand dismissively.
The ripples caused by Ye Yu and Lox quickly subsided, and the denizens of the Mercenary Guild soon returned to their previous rowdy state.
Shortly after, Ye Yu and Lox walked out the front doors of the Mercenary Guild, with Menick beaming and escorting them all the way to the entrance.
The current emperor was not the Little Emperor from the original story, but the late emperor—Modeer. He was recently preparing to hold a Martial Arts Tournament to gather talent for the Empire, intending to personally observe and promote promising individuals. Many people believed this was prime opportunity to secure an official position. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Honest had only recently ascended to his post and had not yet fully seized control of the court.
General Bude had not yet become the strongest in the Empire either; the recognized strongest at present was Enide. As for the Revolutionary Army, it could still only be considered a small organization, not yet having grown into a major force.
"By the way, Lox, did you ever fight Enide back when you were working for the Empire?" Ye Yu asked, walking with his hands clasped behind his head and turning slightly toward Lox.
"General Enide is formidable. I am no match for him, and furthermore, he possesses the Teigu Incursio." Lox replied in a low voice, following close behind Ye Yu.
Incursio... The Teigu used by Tatsumi, the male protagonist of the original story, which was given to him by Night Raid comrade Bulat on his deathbed. It was an armor-type Teigu forged from the remains of the ferocious dragon-type Danger Beast "Tyrant." It possessed the defensive power of an impregnable copper wall, and after being crafted into a Teigu, Tyrant had not died, but continued to evolve endlessly.
Bulat had received Incursio from his master. Could his master actually be Enide...
Ye Yu processed the information he had gathered. At that moment, someone behind them suddenly called out.
"Tell me, how many times have we been stopped since entering the city?" Ye Yu felt a bit speechless. Couldn't these people say what they needed to say right away? Why did they always wait until they had walked away before calling them back?
Lox shook his head and remained silent behind Ye Yu. When the pursuer finally stopped in front of them, gasping for breath, it was a black-haired young man in his early twenties. "The two of you... let me catch my breath—whew—are you travelers passing through the Imperial Capital? You look entirely unfamiliar here in Guangxi Town."
"Of course." Lox replied naturally, "I wonder what advice you might have, my friend?"
Ye Yu stood beside Lox, staring intently at the young man. Black hair and red eyes... surely it couldn't be such a coincidence? The true protagonist of the original story, Akame, had black hair and red eyes. If this was really her, was she even born yet? Out of pure curiosity, he even circled the youth, the sense of familiarity growing stronger the longer he looked.
Ye Yu's actions made the young man a bit awkward, but he simply scratched his head and said to Lox, "Well, you see, if the two of you need a guide, I can show you around all the famous shops and inns in Guangxi Town. They can all give you a discount, and my fees are very cheap."
By the time he finished speaking, the young man's face was turning as red as an apple. He lowered his head and scratched it involuntarily, as if this was his first time doing such work. Ye Yu looked into his eyes and spoke up just as Lox was about to refuse: "No need to tour those places. My friend, what's your name? Are you married? Do you have children?"
Hearing Ye Yu's questions, the young man looked perplexedly at Lox, then down at the child who only reached about up to his waist, and comprehension dawned on him instantly. Ah, so this was a young master from a wealthy family out traveling with his butler! Young masters like this usually had rather poor tempers, so he quickly replied, "My name is Chen Konghao. I'm already a family man, and I have two little daughters at home."
"Oh, you have daughters?" Ye Yu's eyes lit up. Could he really be meeting the original protagonist ahead of time? Wasn't this the perfect chance to build some rapport, farm some affection, and secure a powerful ally to lean on later? He quickly said, "Then would it be all right if we visited your home for a meal?"
"Ah?" Chen Konghao was completely taken aback, failing to process what Ye Yu meant by this. He froze in place, looking at Ye Yu's expression—which resembled a wolf gazing at a little lamb. Could it be that this kid was interested in his daughters? He quickly shook his head. "My home has nothing fit to entertain the two of you."
"It's fine, it's fine," Ye Yu replied with a smile. "Lox, go buy some good food and dishes later. We're going to head over to Brother Chen's place now."
"Very well, Young Master," Lox replied.
"All right, all right, Brother Chen, lead the way." Ye Yu originally wanted to reach out and pat Chen Konghao on the shoulder, but gave up when he realized his arm wasn't long enough. With a tearful and bitter expression, Chen Konghao could only lead the two of them toward his home, praying silently that these two weren't looking for a child bride—otherwise, he would fight to the death to protect his daughters.
Following Chen Konghao to a secluded corner of Guangxi Town, the moment the door opened, two small black-haired bundles flung themselves into Chen Konghao's arms. "Daddy, why are you back so early today?"
A woman with a thin and delicate figure also emerged from behind the door. Her black hair was coiled up, and her dark eyes looked at Chen Konghao with warmth before shifting to Ye Yu and Lox standing behind him. She spoke to Chen Konghao in a soft voice, "Konghao, do we have guests today?"
"This is Young Master Ye Yu and his butler, Mr. Lox. Both of you, this is my wife, Molanzhu, and these two little darlings are my daughters, Akame and Kurome." Chen Konghao picked up his two daughters and introduced them to both sides.
"Hello, Madam is truly striking and lovely." Ye Yu and Lox gave slight bows to express their goodwill to Molanzhu. Molanzhu returned the courtesy, while Akame and Kurome struggled down from their father's arms and mimicked their mother's gesture to greet Ye Yu and Lox.
"Haha, you don't need to be so formal. Come on inside." Chen Konghao couldn't help laughing at the sight of both sides bowing to each other, and hastily urged them in.
Along the way, Chen Konghao had grown quite familiar with Ye Yu and Lox. In his past life as an assassin, Ye Yu had mastered the ability to quickly integrate into social environments in various networking situations, and Lox was no stranger to socialization either; striking up a good rapport with someone he had just met was no difficult task for him.
Lox was even carrying a large quantity of food they had bought along the way. Chen Konghao had tried to stop them, but Ye Yu insisted on bringing something, and since he couldn't sway the boy's stubbornness, Chen Konghao simply let him be.
"Yes, yes, Brother Chen, you go talk about grown-up matters. I'll keep little Akame and Kurome company." Naturally taking the hands of the two little lasses, Ye Yu found a flat patch of ground, picked up a dark stone he found lying about, and drew a series of squares on the dirt. As he drew, he shared some amusing trivia to capture Akame and Kurome's attention and keep them from getting bored—the game he was about to teach them was the classic children's pastime of hopscotch.
Akame and Kurome watched Ye Yu's movements with curiosity, captivated by his words and bursting into fits of silvery laughter. Seeing that they were playing happily, Chen Konghao quickly brought out chairs from the house and chatted amiably with Lox about everything under the sun, mostly asking questions while Lox answered patiently, with Molanzhu quietly listening nearby without a word.
Time flew by. The sun was dipping below the mountains, leaving only half its head visible, casting a crimson glow across the earth and releasing its final warmth of the day.