While Tate Rodney was still livid over the loss of his horses and goods, swearing he would flay Baron alive, Baron and the Little Nun had already arrived just outside Fude City.

Baron helped the Little Nun dismount, then gave the horse’s rump two sharp cracks of the whip. It neighed and galloped away.

Fude City was the Iron Thorn Gang’s stronghold; Baron wasn’t stupid enough to parade their horse through the streets.

The Little Nun seemed to have something she wanted to say the entire way, a hesitant look on her young face.

Baron patted her head and said softly, "Don’t worry. If anything happens, Lady Yalilan will take responsibility."

The Little Nun looked up. "???"

But the Demon Hunter just smiled and shouldered his pack. "Let’s go. I’m actually quite eager to see what this world is like."

...

Gillian Duchy, Fude City!

Fude City was the largest city in Gillian, second only to the Capital Steel City. It had once been independent during a brief period when the tides of freedom surged. Later, it was retaken by troops led by the hereditary Count Ford of the Gillian Duchy, from whom it got its name.

The city was located in the southwestern part of Gillian, a vital crossroads for trade and travel. Due to its proximity to the Church Country Haiwede, both ecclesiastical and academic culture flourished here. The Mechanical School, which had seen vigorous development in recent years, was particularly famous.

Fude City was divided into the Dongcheng District, the West City District, and a central district. The Dongcheng District served as the residential and commercial area for the general populace, while the West City District was largely the domain of the nobility and the Church.

The central district was the city’s most prosperous commercial hub.

In addition to the Mechanical Plaza—which housed the Statue of the First Emperor and was large enough to race horses in—there were all sorts of stalls selling jewelry and trinkets from Prole and other parts of Gillian. You could find everything from Magic Potions and Magic Cards to mechanical bearings for sale.

Rails were laid into the cobblestone streets, and a long vehicle, powered by a small steam engine, ran along the tracks.

Because its body was forged from rolled iron and it billowed thick white steam as it ran, both local residents and foreign travelers called it the "Iron Dragon."

For Baron, however, the most interesting thing wasn’t the train-like Iron Dragon he was currently riding, but the hunched figure standing before the massive Statue of the First Emperor.

It was the blurry figure of an old crone, her form like something an invisible eraser had tried, but failed, to rub out completely. She was shadowy and indistinct.

Her hands seemed to press together in the empty air, as if trying to push something away, but she ultimately lacked the strength and remained helpless.

Baron recognized the figure in a single glance—the Stone Pusher’s Crevice.

It was the very crevice recorded in Master Bagins’s Dwarven Book, the one where Time Grass was said to grow.

The figure was called the Stone Pusher, as it resembled someone trying to shove away a massive boulder.

And because an illusory, paper-like tear in reality often appeared around it, the phenomenon was known as the "Stone Pusher’s Crevice."

Moreover, the Stone Pusher only ever appeared before the statues of the First Emperor scattered across the world.

’No,’ Baron thought, ’it’s not that she appears before the statues of the First Emperor, but rather that the statues were all built to sit before *her*.’

According to historical records, the Stone Pusher’s Crevice had already existed five thousand years ago, when King Feinan first raised his army.

Locals and books alike described the crevice as an illusion—visible, but untouchable. Once, a group of world-renowned Alchemy Masters worked together to create a massive Alchemy Array to capture it, but they ultimately failed.

That Alchemy Array later became the City Defense Array that now protects Fude City.

Baron stroked his chin. ’This whole thing might be a setup,’ he mused.

They disembarked from the urban railcar in the West City District.

The Little Nun glanced around nervously at the people, keeping her head lowered in unease as she followed behind Baron.

It was high summer, and the streets were lined with evergreen "Steam Maples," a type of maple tree unique to the major cities of Gillian.

The invention and widespread use of the steam engine kept the city’s temperature much higher than the surrounding areas. With stable temperatures and little day-night fluctuation, the chlorophyll in the leaves didn’t break down and few anthocyanins were produced. As a result, the brilliant reds and deep crimsons of common maple trees were rarely seen, regardless of the season.

This had earned Gillian the epithet "the Evergreen Country."

Though Baron thought the name sounded a bit like a bad joke.

According to their original plan, the two of them should have been heading to the West City District, where the Blood Church was located. However, the Little Nun insisted on personally repaying the cost of the two bay horses, so Baron had no choice but to first accompany her to the horse market in the Dongcheng District.

"So what if the bay horses ran off? Didn’t we pay a deposit? Just let them take it out of that."

The Little Nun looked at the thoroughly bored Baron and said meekly, her eyes downcast, "Mr. L, you signed a contract for those two bay horses. It’s certified and protected by an Alchemy Array..."

"Did you see me sign it?"

"Yes... I accidentally..." The Little Nun hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I saw you write ’L’."

"Well, there you go then."

Baron shrugged, but still rummaged inside his coat for a moment before pulling out a Gold Coin and handing it to the Little Nun.

"Is it chocolate?"

The Little Nun took the Gold Coin and started to break it, but when it didn’t give, she realized it was a real Gold Coin.

Flustered, she said, "Mr. L... even if it’s just a loan... this is too valuable..."

A single Gold Coin was equivalent to several years of Olivia’s stipend from the Church. If she lost it, how could she ever pay him back?

It was worth noting that the Gold Coins of Prole, much like those of medieval Europe, were not made of pure gold. They were mostly gold-silver alloys, with components that also included copper, making them very similar to the Golden Dukats of Venice.

Baron understood that this was indeed a fortune for the Little Nun, so he thought for a moment and said:

"Consider this an exercise in building your independence. Now, the horse market isn’t far. Go on, I’ll wait for you here."

He spent a Copper Coin to buy a newspaper from a roadside vendor. ’A shame the papers in this world don’t have animated pictures like on the Inner Side,’ Baron thought with a touch of regret.

Once the Little Nun had walked a short distance away with some timid hesitation, Baron opened the *Fude City Daily* and began to scan for news and information about the city.

WEST CITY DISTRICT’S SEVEN-DAY HUNTING COMPETITION! SPONSORED BY THE CITY GOVERNMENT, ARENA TICKETS ONLY 20 COPPER COINS!

AMEL GLORIOUS KNIGHT ORDER TO FACE FUDE CITY’S DEMON HUNTERS! WINNER RECEIVES THE MAYOR’S MEDAL OF HONOR!

’The Hunting Competition?’

Baron flipped a few pages and learned that this was a celebratory festival held in Fude City every midsummer. It had been established in recent years, spearheaded by Fude City’s mayor, Lewis, who was a former Knight.

The main event was a "technical exchange"—a friendly competition—between Fude City’s Demon Hunters and the Knight Order from the Amel Duchy, which Lewis, having once served in their ranks, had invited.

Its stated purpose was to strengthen the cultural exchange and communication between the Hunter’s Country Gillian and the Knight’s Kingdom of Amel.

The seven-day event was open to registration primarily for outstanding independent Demon Hunters and various Hunter Association factions.

Due to its popularity and positive reception, it had become a beloved annual tradition that the residents of Fude City eagerly followed every summer.

It even held a certain degree of influence throughout Gillian.

Baron even saw a mention of Yalilan’s "Rose Hunter Corps" in the paper.

Then, another piece of news, situated just below a headline reading, "Sharp Increase in Missing Persons in Villages Surrounding Fude City..." caught his attention:

IRON THORN GANG BANK ROBBED! ONE HUNDRED GOLD COINS STOLEN, ROBBERS VANISH WITHOUT A TRACE!

It wasn’t because the word "bank" was triggering his PTSD.

It was because the newspaper specified that all one hundred of the stolen Gold Coins had a special mark. A faint fluorescent light would glow from the Holy Dragon’s wings on the reverse side when placed in the dark.

[All merchants are urged to be vigilant. The Iron Thorn Gang offers a handsome reward for any information leading to the person using these coins.]

A sense of foreboding washed over Baron. He fished a Gold Coin from his coat, shaded it with his hands, and looked at the Holy Dragon’s wings...

Baron quickly shoved the Gold Coin away, tossed the newspaper into a street gutter, and broke into a run in the direction the Little Nun had gone!

’Son of a bitch,’ he cursed internally. ’I’m in a whole new goddamn world, and my shitty luck is *still* screwing with me!’