Chapter 280

The Western Mystery City, located in the northwestern region of the Light Wind Empire, was an ancient city with a long history . This was a city that survived through the numerous devastations of each dynasty turnover .

This old city, akin to an aged man, was situated on the boundless plains of the northeastern grassland . It was the largest city in the northern region of the Light Wind Empire and acted as a significant military stronghold connecting the Northwest Plain to the Hundred Thousand Mountains .

Outside the Western Mystery City, above the ancient roads where storms of dust swirled and danced, a gust of wind blew and stirred the flying specks of dirt .

When the fierce wind ceased whistling, two figures slowly emerged from the yellow dust . One of them had a pair of eyes flickering red beams, in a way that was extremely forbidding .

"Cough Cough…"

Bu Fang covered his mouth and nose with one hand while the other hand waved incessantly to disperse the circling smoke that made him choke .

"The environment here left much to be desired," Bu Fang thought to himself with a frown .

After quite a walk, the swarms of dust floating around finally rested . Whitey's duplication followed Bu Fang's steps with eyes flickering red .

Bu Fang patted Whitey's belly, then lifted his head, and peered toward the lofty large city emitting a majestic sense of the older times . That was a city that made him breathe heavily due to the awe-inspiring pressure of a majestic city with such a long history .

That was the Western Mystery City . Bu Fang's eyes sparkled faintly . This was the destination of his journey, since he was set to join the army of the Western Mystery City and become a mess cook, which was essentially a military chef .

The man and robot trekked through the vast plain and finally reached the city gates after quite a while . The city gates were towering, almost equally grand as those of the Imperial City . Countless soldiers were on duty, guarding the entrance .

The soldiers were different from those of the Imperial City, at least absolutely dissimilar in their sense of determination . In their eyes were a kind of sharpness that didn't exist in the guards of the Imperial City . There was a sense of fierceness that Bu Fang couldn't quite describe .

Perhaps people were relatively bolder in the northwestern region, and therefore naturally cultivated soldiers with a greater sense of valiancy .

Worn out by the long walk, Bu Fang was covered with dust . Alongside Whitey, he entered the Western Mystery City with other travel-worn folks .

Once he arrived, Bu Fang decided to familiarize himself with the local customs and cultures of the Western Mystery City . He found an inn first since it was impractical to expect being immediately accepted into the army as a cook . He was a stranger here after all .

Bu Fang spent around a day and a half wandering in the city and even tried quite a few gourmet delicacies . The specialty dishes here were simple and plain, not as fancy as those in the Southern City .

There was an abundance of wheaten food, as well as the simple, unembellished kind of barbecue . Bu Fang tried them all and found them distinctive in taste .

However, he didn't encounter any gourmet delicacies worthy of being recorded in his recipe journal, which was quite a pity . He nonetheless recognized that he had yet to try all the delicious foods around here .

However, he had no time to seek them all out . He needed to find an army to join as soon as possible .

Bu Fang sat by the window of a bustling restaurant, savoring northwestern gourmet delicacies whilst enjoying the gorgeous scenery of the city . The security around here was excellent as patrolling soldiers with long spears could be seen in the city at all times .

Bu Fang called for the waiter, took out a golden coin, and handed it to this rugged man with a crippled leg .

"Sir… this is too much . " The husky man immediately peered at Bu Fang with some perplexity . A golden coin for a meal… Now, this refined young man was well off .

"Not really . Other than the cost of the meal, consider the spare change a payment for answering my following questions," Bu Fang said calmly .

The waiter's eyes instantly lit up . He looked toward Bu Fang and patted his own chest, "You are generous, dear sir . Just ask me . I won't miss any details as long as I know the answer . "

Bu Fang pondered for a short while, gazed at the waiter and opened his mouth: "How many armies are there in the Western Mystery City?"

The waiter was taken aback by Bu Fang's question . He eyed Bu Fang with scrunched eyebrows and replied: "Sir, there is only one army in our Western Mystery City, which is the Western Mystery Army that all men yearn for in the northwest . "

"Huh? All men in the northwest yearn to join it? Is this Western Mystery Army really as good as you say?"

"To be honest, I was once a soldier in the Western Mystery Army . But one of my legs was paralyzed in a battle . Afterwards, I had to quit the army and become a restaurant waiter," he explained and patted his disabled leg .

"If it weren't for this lame leg, I would have definitely stayed in the army until the last drop of my blood dried! I heard that the empire has sunk into chaos lately and that war might erupt again… Nobody knows how many of my fellow comrades will die on the battlefields . "

Regret and dismay were stamped across the waiter's face .

Bu Fang kept his silence . He wasn't familiar with such matters . Since this waiter had served in the army before, it must be only natural that he was overcome with emotions .

The Western Mystery Army… it sounded pretty distinguished .

"Can you tell me more about this Western Mystery Army?" Bu Fang asked .

"Yeah, of course . The Western Mystery Army is the most well-known troop in our Western Mystery City because it is the major force that protects the city," the waiter continued . "Because of the city's unique geographic location, we suffer all kinds of hazards every year . Sometimes spirit beasts that roam out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains would threaten the Western Mystery City . Issues like these need to be settled by the Western Mystery Army . Each time, the savage beasts would be slaughtered by the Western Mystery Army so that they don't jeopardize the safety of the city's residents .

"Besides, the Great General of the Western Mystery City, also the eldest son of the Western Mystery City Lord, general Kong Xuan, has a formidable cultivation level . It is said that he has recently reached a breakthrough to the echelon of Battle-Saint and has become the strongest warrior in the Western Mystery City . With him here, our city is definitely more invincible!"

"This is not an exaggeration . The Western Mystery Army will not be at a disadvantage even in the face of the Imperial Army!"

The waiter went on and on . He was obviously very familiar with the Western Mystery Army and took great pride in it . He unknowingly patted his chest proudly from time to time as he recounted these tales .

Bu Fang listened to him carefully and nodded along sometimes .

"Here is the last question…" Bu Fang paused and peered at the waiter before continuing: "If I want to join the Western Mystery Army… how should I go about it?"

"What? Sir, you want to join the Western Mystery Army?"

The burly man before him instantly widened his eyes, staring at Bu Fang with utter astonishment . This pale-faced, gigolo-like of a man… with such smooth and refined skin, evidently came from a rich household . Why was he even interested in joining the Western Mystery Army?

Bu Fang smacked his lips and handed another gold coin to the man: "My objective in joining the army is certainly to train myself and make myself stronger . "

The muscular waiter's eyes sparkled when he saw another gold coin . He stored it away without batting an eyelid and puffed his chest as he guaranteed Bu Fang this: "Sir, since you trust me so much, I'll cut straight to the chase . It is not difficult to join the forces . With the war going on, army recruitment won't stop . However, to genuinely be part of the Western Mystery Army is not a piece of cake . Here, I personally know some fellows in the troop . I can take you there tomorrow and put in a good word, just so they can cut you some slack, haha . "

Bu Fang was taken aback, but then he nodded as the corners of his mouth curled .

The waiter rubbed his head in a good-natured way and then staggered away, dragging behind his crippled leg .

Bu Fang returned to the restaurant the very next day and found the waiter waiting for him by the entrance .

"Sir, let's go . I've already asked for a half-day-long break . I'll accompany you there . By the way, you can call me Er Niu . " The burly man smiled .

Bu Fang nodded and followed behind Er Niu . The two then headed toward a certain direction in the Western Mystery City .

The city was vast in size, but the recruitment center was not far from them . Therefore, they decided to go on foot . After around one hour, they finally arrived at the place that Er Niu mentioned .

The recruitment center was in a large building . It rested in front of a mansion and at the gate stood a long queue .

"Sir, do you see this? Everyone here wants to join the army but more than ninety percent of them will be allocated to some small campsite . It's pretty difficult to join the genuine Western Mystery Army . Let me go and ask around for you, but I cannot guarantee anything . " Er Niu stated seriously .

Then, Er Niu lugged his crippled leg and walked toward the group of soldiers . Bu Fang watched Er Niu's movements, realizing that he was indeed acquainted with this place . At the moment, he was conversing with an armored soldier .

Not after long, Er Niu brought over that soldier .

This soldier carried a somewhat domineering manner . He held his head high and squeezed his hands behind his back . Er Niu stood by him, smiling from ear to ear .

"Chief Liu, this is the young man I told you about . He wants to join the Western Mystery Army, so…"

"Want to enlist in the Western Mystery Army? Heck, who doesn't want to join us… Why should I let him through the back door?" Chief Liu glimpsed at Bu Fang's gentle, refined appearance and the strange puppet behind him . Then, he shot a glance at Er Niu and questioned him .

Bu Fang knitted his eyebrows . What was going on here?

"You lad… want to join the Western Mystery Army? Of course, there is a way… but, don't you need to show me some sincerity?" Boss Liu sneered coldly .

Er Niu instantly glowered . He already gave Liu a golden coin for this!

Bu Fang cast a look at Er Niu's expression and realized instantly that the fellow before his eyes considered him gullible and wanted to rip him off . Once he got his money, whether he'd live up to his promises was another story .

However, Bu Fang couldn't really be bothered and simply responded calmly: "Just make sure of the arrangements first, money is not a problem . "

Bu Fang fished out a couple more golden coins from his pocket and played with them in his hands . The shining coins clicked and attracted Chief Liu and Er Niu's gazes .

Chief Liu's eyes instantly glistened as the beaming smile on his face grew wider and wider .

He stretched out a hand in hope of grabbing the golden coins, but of course, snatching things from Bu Fang was never an easy feat .

"Not a problem, not a problem . I'm the right person to consult if you want to join the Western Mystery Army! Er Niu, you may head back now . This young master, please follow me . " Chief Liu coughed softly and drew his hands behind his back . He instructed Er Niu and then led Bu Fang into the mansion .

Er Niu wasn't suspicious of anything . He and Chief Liu were old comrades on the battlefield . Though Chief Liu was indeed a greedy man, their military bonds remained . Er Niu was sure that Liu would make the right arrangements for Young Master Bu .

Therefore, he bid goodbye to Bu Fang and stumbled away with his lame leg .

Little did he notice Chief Liu's narrowed eyes as he twisted away his head . A cold sneer smeared across Liu's face .