Traveler
Chapter 530, Person Sixty-Seven: The Unlucky Traveler
Chapter 530, Person Sixty-Seven: The Unlucky Traveler
At midnight, Chloe finally arrived in Tangara, a city controlled by Intis.
At this point, Chloe had almost crossed the dividing line between East and West Byron, and the city was located at the border between the two regions.
This area is not referred to as East Bailang or West Bailang. It belongs to a more well-known geographical concept.
Paz Valley.
The world's finest coffee beans come from here. Every coffee shop sign will state that a particular coffee is made with coffee beans originating from the Pass Valley.
In the Pass Valley region, coffee trees are the mainstream choice for plantation owners, while the second most common cash crop is the rubber tree.
Like many colonial cities, Tangara's economy is based on plantations, and its port is bustling with activity, mostly with ships carrying cash crops to the northern continent.
Because it developed based on cash crops, Tangara has a relatively large number of northern continental faces compared to other cities.
Most of the local residents living in the city were engaged in the service industry and the initial processing of agricultural products. The majority of the agricultural population, the long-term laborers employed by the plantations, and even the slaves who still existed, were concentrated in the plantation dormitories and rarely appeared in the city.
Walking on the cobblestone road outside the city, which was clearly frequently repaired, Chloe used her darkvision to see a troop of mounted soldiers approaching from ahead.
Wearing brownish-green clothes and carrying what appeared to be an old-fashioned breech-loading single-shot rifle—they were likely among Intis's less-disciplined, non-elite troops. Chloe squinted as she made her judgment, then walked straight towards them without stopping or giving way.
When they were only about ten meters away, the lead cavalryman suddenly realized that there was a figure in front of him.
"Drive!"
The soldiers quickly pulled on the reins and picked up their carbide lamps, causing a commotion behind them. The sounds of horses' hooves, shouts, and the loading of bullets filled the air.
"Stand still! What are you doing!" The lead cavalryman steered his horse back a few steps cautiously, putting distance between himself and Chloe.
He spoke it in his native Intis the first time, but the second time he switched to Dutan, which he was not very fluent in.
"I'm heading into town. I got scared on the street and ran away, but luckily I wasn't far away and I was able to walk back."
Chloe replied in Intis as she took a box of matches from her bag, lit one, and used the faint light to illuminate her face.
"The lantern was lost along with the horse, so we had to travel at night—luckily, it wasn't too dark."
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Seeing Chloe's distinctly Northern Continent features and hearing her familiar, pure Intis language, the leading soldier lowered his guard a little.
He only stared blankly at Chloe's youthful yet delicate and lovely face for a few seconds while the firelight was still burning before he readjusted his breathing and resumed his businesslike demeanor:
"Miss, what's your name? Also, you haven't answered my question yet."
"Chloe Fokon." Chloe tossed aside the extinguished match and announced her name without hesitation, "A traveler, or an adventurer—whatever you want to say, I just want to go and see Tangara."
"Adventurer—" The soldier chewed on the word, his caution returning as he had just relaxed. "Unfortunately, Miss Chloe. Tangara has been under curfew since last month. You'll need to come with us to the police station to register first."
"Sure." Chloe nodded. "So, gentlemen, could I borrow a horse? Or are there any spare horses in the camp? I'm thinking of buying another one; the ones in our army are definitely rigorously trained and won't run away easily."
"Of course I'd be happy to give you a ride, but you'll have to tell our commander about that other matter." With sound logic and a clear motive, the leading cavalryman temporarily lowered his guard.
He spurred his horse to Chloe's side, and with just a few commands, he made the warhorse kneel down so that Chloe could climb on top.
I had no choice but to borrow someone else's horse.
Chloe chuckled to herself as she listened to the distinct gurgling sounds in the cavalryman's throat, then climbed onto the horse.
After a brief sway, the warhorses straightened up again, and at the command of the lead cavalryman, the cavalry orderly turned around and headed into the city.
Chloe took out two Rune coins, quietly slipped one hand into the cavalryman's pocket, and then slipped them into his pocket.
"You've worked hard on patrol tonight. Sir, this is just a small token of my appreciation; consider it an invitation to have a drink with everyone."
The cavalryman tilted his head slightly, freeing one hand, and quickly figured out what the girl had put in her pocket.
He chuckled softly and silently accepted the gift: "No problem. You can call me Sergeant David. If you need anything in the city, feel free to come to the Sheriff's Office."
Traveling through the chaotic southern continent, it is reasonable for a traveler, an adventurer, to keep some of the most widely recognized Rune Gold Pounds in hand, rather than the Intisfel Gold of his homeland.
Moreover, the two Rune coins were worth nearly 50 Felkins—how could David be willing to fuss over such a trivial matter?
Soon, low bungalows appeared around, streets appeared, and the layered buildings with scattered candlelight replaced the rainforests that were ubiquitous in the southern continent. Because it was late at night and due to the curfew, the outskirts of Tangara were relatively deserted. Only near the city center, where the national consulate and church were located, could bursts of laughter and music be heard from time to time from some rooms that were still lit.
Along the way, there were also some brown-skinned natives in police uniforms who stared at every street in the city like hunting dogs. When they saw the cavalry, they all solemnly saluted them.
Some drunkards pushed open the bar door and urinated on the road. When they saw Chloe's cavalry unit, they cursed and turned back into the noisy bar.
"If you're just at the entrance and not walking on the street, we won't enforce any restrictions." Sergeant David turned his gaze back and gave Chloe a brief explanation. "The police station is just ahead, inside the Intis consulate. Lieutenant Colonel Meyer is currently in charge of city management and is on duty tonight. I'll take you to see him. He's a kind man, and as long as you explain your situation to him, you won't be given any trouble."
"Thank you for your advice." Seeing the sergeant's horse stop, Chloe didn't wait for him to order the horse to kneel again. She simply flipped off the horse, landed lightly, and patted the horse's strong muscles. "You've worked hard, little guy."
Sergeant David gave him a friendly look and led him into the Intis Consulate, all the way inside, and knocked on the door of the security office.
"David? You're back from patrol so soon?" The young man with two stars on his shoulder opened the door, yawned, and looked at the unfamiliar girl next to Sergeant David. "And this is?"
"Miss Chloe Faucon," David introduced solemnly. "Lieutenant Colonel, I met her while patrolling the western outskirts of the city. She said she was in Tangara—on a trip."
"Alone?" Lieutenant Colonel Meyer frowned, a suspicious look on his faceChapter 531 Doubt
Chapter 531 Doubt
"Did you encounter any difficulties on the way?" Lieutenant Colonel Meyer looked at Chloe, then quietly retreated behind his desk, opened a drawer, reached for his weapon, and looked on warily.
Chloe took all of this to heart.
The city's security chief was clearly aware of the bandits outside the city who specialized in ambushing lone travelers. The officer in that position was at least somewhat competent; he knew exactly where the threat to security was coming from.
From this perspective, it seems unusual that Chloe traveled alone and arrived in Tangara late at night.
"We've run into a little trouble," Chloe nodded frankly, "but it's relatively easy to resolve—we've just lost a horse."
"A horse was lost?" Lieutenant Colonel Meyer repeated suspiciously, looking at Sergeant David for confirmation.
David, seeing the look in his superior's eyes, immediately confirmed:
"Miss Chloe's horse was startled and ran away, so she had to walk to Tangara and missed the curfew."
"Oh," Lieutenant Colonel Meyer said noncommittally, picking up a pen and burying himself in the map on the table, calculating something.
He quickly circled a location on the map, looked up at Chloe, and asked her to point it out:
"It's probably around here?"
The map circled a main road next to "Zuoxi Manor," and Chloe estimated that it was exactly where she was attacked:
"Yes," Chloe admitted, "that's where we ran into a little 'trouble'."
Meyer put away the map and gestured for the sergeant to come to the desk and take it away:
David.
"have!"
"You lead the team out again to check this location and see if there are any traces left behind regarding the 'trouble' this lady encountered. You've worked hard tonight; your team can take a day off next week."
"yes!"
The sergeant major accepted the order and left the police station's office.
As they peered through the door, the two men in the office looked at each other and fell silent.
After a long silence, Lieutenant Colonel Meyer sighed and said:
"Just tell me straight, what exactly is this 'trouble' you're facing? I can tell that David thinks your 'trouble' is the horses running away in fright, but that's not what you're trying to tell me."
"Some trouble with the Aurora Society," Chloe chuckled softly. "A group of robbers in the suburbs have set their sights on me. They claim to be victims of Tangara."
Mayer frowned:
"Bullshit! Who harmed them? According to the law, it's okay to kill them directly if they're contaminated by a cult. I only ordered them to be controlled and isolated, but they ran away because they felt guilty."
After making a few statements in his own defense, he suddenly looked up:
"You know about the Aurora Tour? Did they tell you about this?"
"I worked with 'Mechanical Heart' for a time," Chloe said, pointing to a triangular emblem on her chest to prove she wasn't a cultist. "The faces of those robbers were altered by the cult—to my knowledge, that face belonged to 'Mr. B,' one of the 22 divine messengers of the Aurora Society."
So that's how it is. Lieutenant Colonel Meyer believed Chloe's story and sought confirmation from her:
"So, you're an extraordinary one?"
Chloe nodded. "That's obvious."
After a few seconds of pause, she added:
"Given the crimes those people committed during this period, I have not let them off the hook."
"The sergeant major's reconnaissance team found a dozen or so corpses left at the scene, as well as my horse that they killed."
If not, it means they have accomplices.
"I've confirmed it. They not only rob and kill people, but they also eat people."
Upon hearing Chloe's words, Lieutenant Colonel Meyer wanted to say something, but swallowed it back. After a moment of silence, he waved his hand:
"Fine, let it be—even if you acted in self-defense."
He stood up and took a talisman from his desk drawer:
"However, just to be on the safe side, I'd still like to ask for your cooperation on some tasks—you've worked with 'Mechanical Heart' before, so you should be able to tell, right? This is a 'purification' talisman."
"Next, I'm going to use it on you."
Chloe nodded:
"no problem."
After the Fool's gray fog, the City of Calamity, and the River of Eternal Darkness achieved a balance, Chloe had tried and there was no longer any spillover of pollution. Now, even at the Tarot gathering, the Fool no longer wraps her in a thick gray fog.
The pollution wouldn't show up on Chloe.
Lieutenant Colonel Meyer infused the charm with spiritual energy, recited an initiation in ancient Hermes, and tossed the golden charm at Chloe:
"pure!"
A golden beam of light shot out and enveloped Chloe, but there was no change in her body. She only felt a warmth, and her spirituality became full and relaxed.
For beings that are not evil or filthy, purification from the "Eternal Sun" is like a maintenance of the soul, and can even ward off disease, which is beneficial and harmless.
Seeing this, Lieutenant Colonel Meyer was completely relieved, warmly shook hands with Chloe, and invited her to sit on the guest sofa in his office:
"Tangala welcomes you—please forgive my suspicion and rudeness, your beauty compels me to consider another possibility."
Chloe calmly sat down and repeated:
"Another possibility?"
Lieutenant Colonel Meyer rubbed his forehead and sighed:
"Yes—some time ago, Tangara was infiltrated by cultists from the Aurora Society. Even with the support of the church and elite military forces, they ultimately failed. However, many people with the same face appeared on the streets, putting my work in an extremely passive position."
"So, while trying to control the situation, I pulled a lot of strings and finally found records about the Aurora Society. I stayed up all night, racking my brains trying to figure out where the problem was."
"Heh, this kind of information shouldn't be hard to obtain within 'Mechanical Heart,' right? Even 'Mr. Yi' knows this face belongs to him. You have no idea how many departments I had to go through to find out about this."
Lieutenant Colonel Meyer gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Well, "Mechanical Heart" didn't proactively show me this information; I was only told when I encountered it. Besides, I joined the Rune branch of "Mechanical Heart," and "Mr. Z" just happens to be active around Enmat Port, so it's normal that Intis doesn't know much about it.
Chloe coughed lightly, feeling a little guilty, and said in a flattering tone:
"Sir, your sense of mission in protecting the city's security is admirable."
Lieutenant Colonel Meyer was quite pleased with Chloe's flattery, and modestly waved his hand and smiled:
"So after I knew enough information, I felt I had to be more careful—especially for a lady as beautiful as you, I couldn't help but suspect that this was the work of the 'Rose Bishop'."
"Now it seems that your beauty is natural, and I am honored to be able to appreciate it."
Stopped