A million questions appeared in Red’s mind, but he held himself back.

“What happened?” he asked.

“No one can tell for sure.” the man shook his head. “I was hoping you could tell me about it.”

The Captain seemed to be gauging the youth’s reaction beneath his mask.

Red, however, didn’t lose his cool. “I didn’t kill them.”

The man smiled. “I know you didn’t. Well, I don’t really know anything, but it seems weird that you would kill them now after having a better opportunity to do it earlier in the wilderness, away from prying eyes. Not to mention, my guards saw you arriving on the road earlier, so the timing doesn’t match up.”

Despite all his explanations that cleared Red of any suspicion, the youth still felt as if the captain was trying to get something out of him.

“If you know I didn’t do it, what do you want out of me?” he asked.

“Don’t you find it strange that they would end up dead just like that?” Loras asked. “Their bodies were found in the slums, but there were no witnesses, and no one saw them approach the city, either. Not to mention that the manner that they died…”

The man trailed off, looking at Red with an intense gaze. It was as if he was trying to stoke the youth’s curiosity to make him ask how exactly those people died.

Red wouldn’t jump into this trap, though, even if he was innocent. “It is strange, but I have only just arrived and am not familiar with the power struggles in the city.”

Loras sighed. “So it seems. However, did you really not notice anything strange during your trip? Maybe something that stood out during your interactions with those mercenaries and that merchant.”

‘Something that stood out…’

Nothing about the merchant stood out to him, but there was indeed something strange about how his conflict with his escorts came to be. Something about how someone stole all their merchandise with no one noticing, and how Emer insisted none of the mercenaries got too close to his cart.

None of that made much sense to Red, even back when he first heard it, but he didn’t pry any deeper since it wasn’t related to him. Now, though, it seemed that there was more to it than he thought.

The youth stood silent, as if recalling everything that had happened earlier in the day. A few seconds later, he shook his head. “Nothing stood out.”

He still chose not to get involved in the end of the day. He was already unfortunate enough to be indirectly involved in the murder of several mercenaries, and who knew what other forces were at play here? The best thing he could do was to disengage and stay as far away from it while he still had the chance.

“That’s unfortunate, but I suppose there’s nothing you can do.” Loras scribbled on his papers with an unconcerned expression. “I still have a few general questions to ask about the nature of your visit, if you don’t mind it.”

‘So he won’t speak any further about it.’

Red was interested in knowing how the mercenaries died, of course, but if the Captain wasn’t going to talk about it, he wouldn’t insist either.

For the next fifteen or so minutes, Loras asked a myriad of questions about the youth’s background and intentions. Red was very evasive about most of it, but the man didn’t seem to mind it. In the end, though, he still felt like he needed to give something to the city so they wouldn’t bother him too much - so he revealed some details about his plans and skills.

“You know Arcane Scripture?” Loras seemed surprised.

Red nodded. “Some basics.”

“So you intend to open a shop in the city?”

“If possible, yes.”

Red always preferred to stick to the shadows where possible, but he knew how to leverage advantages where possible. Even in the capital, cultivators who knew arcane scripture were a rarity, so he knew this could be a large source of income for him he could use for his own cultivation.

Loras smiled with sincerity. “That’s good. Our capital is always in more need of Arcane Masters, much more so during these times… Although, I would offer you some advice, for your own safety.”

Red frowned. “Do tell.”

“You are an outsider, so you might not be too familiar with the forces at play here… Most of the commerce and masters in our city are sponsored by some larger factions. Very few people can afford to be truly independent in this kind of environment, much less someone that just arrived here.”

The man was trying to put it in the nicest way possible, but Red knew what he meant. It was very likely that the factions of the city monopolized certain businesses and manipulated prices, and if any outsider tried to break that system up, nothing good would be awaiting them.

Red could only imagine that this applied even more so to such a profitable business as Arcane Scriptures. He would be lying if he said he didn’t think about undercutting others for the sake of quick profit, but he knew nothing would be that simple.

“I will keep this in mind.” he nodded.

Loras smiled. “Good. Since that’s settled, I officially grant you passage into our capital.”

Red was taken aback.

The man laughed. “What are you surprised? Of course, your guarantor is this merchant Emer, and if he removes his guarantee, then we would be forced to expel you. However, a cultivator of your power and skills is always welcome in our city, and you shouldn’t have problems finding another guarantor if you ever lose this one.”

The youth nodded. “I understand.”

“Good. Now we only need to go over a couple of rules.”

The man started to read from a list in his hands. He went over a lot of basic laws, some things that stood as common sense and others that seemed to be designed especially for cultivators like him.

For instance, fights between cultivators were not allowed in the streets, regardless of your cultivation realm. Cultivators also weren’t allowed to use their powers on mortals, with the punishment being even higher than if they fought against each other.

Red was surprised that there were such laws in place to protect mortals, but he assumed the situation wasn’t as simple as they made it out to be. Sure, bullying others with power on the streets was against the law, but what about away from prying eyes? Would the guards be able to track the movements of every cultivator? Would a mortal provoke a cultivator, knowing they might be killed in their sleep without even being aware of it?

That all went without saying. These laws were probably in place just to keep order in the street, but Red didn’t believe they would be that effective at the end of the day.

“There is also another matter.” Loras said. “A law established some time ago for cultivators at and above the Lesser Ring Realm. We will need to be aware of your place of residence within the city at all times as a protective measure. I hope you understand.”

Red frowned, but he didn’t protest. “I do.”

This was likely due to the Blood Moon and the rising demonic activity on the continent. The guards would need to be able to locate the biggest suspects as soon as they could in case of accidents, so simplifying the matter of investigation and establishing alibis for the most powerful cultivators in the capital was a must.

Red wasn’t too worried about it either. Even if they kept an eye on him, he was confident once he was more familiar with the city, he could sneak away into the night and do as he pleased.

“Is that all?” he asked.

“It is.” Loras nodded. “Now let’s meet with your guarantor.”

The man stood up and walked out of the room. Red followed behind him, escorted by a few guards, and soon enough, he met up with Emer, who was also being accompanied by some soldiers.

He looked relieved when he saw the youth and looked over at Loras with anticipation. “Everything went well?”

“It did.” The Captain nodded. “He’s allowed into the city under your guarantee. I’m sure you know that if he does anything bad, it falls on your head too, correct?”

The merchant smiled. “Yes, yes. I’m aware!”

“Good. Then my men will escort you back to the gate and you will be allowed into the city.” Loras looked over at Red. “There’s just one more thing, though…”

The youth suddenly had a bad premonition.

“The mask.” The man pointed at his face. “You need to remove it.”

Red frowned. “Why?”

“It’s a matter of security. You can feel free to put it back on once you’re in the city, but I need to record your appearance within our registries in case of any accidents. Be assured, none of that information will be leaked to the public.”

The youth was silent for a long while. “… I can’t do that.”

Loras frowned. “Why?”

“I just can’t.”

The air around the room immediately changed, as all the friendliness of the Captain’s face disappeared. The guards also seemed to sense this change, and their hands gripped their weapons tightly, as if they were ready to strike Red.

The youth was confused at first as to why the man waited until now to make such a request, but looking at the situation now, it became clear. A dozen soldiers and a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator surrounded him inside of their headquarters, with who knew how many more men waiting around to reinforce them. This was a pressure even a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator couldn’t ignore, and it was clear that the captain was counting on it to force Red to give way.

He wanted to know his face.

Perhaps if he approached the youth with such a request right from the get go, he would have been denied and Red would have had no qualms with just turning away. Instead, Loras lured him in with his approval of his entry, and now he was making demands.

It was as if he was saying, ‘You’re already allowed into the city, so why cause trouble just because of this small matter? You’re so close already!’. He even tried to reassure Red by saying this information would be kept just at the city’s guard, and maybe if it was another cultivator in his place, they would indeed feel compelled to agree to this deal.

To the youth, however, this was the one thing he couldn’t budge on. No one could know his appearance, even if they were completely unrelated to the Empire. The risk was just too great to take a gamble.

Loras seemed to understand that the youth was not going to change his mind. He sighed. “Are you hiding something from us?”

Red nodded. “If I wasn’t hiding anything, why would I use a mask?”

The man chuckled. “That’s understandable, but I’m afraid that if you don’t show your face to me, you will not be allowed entry into the capital.”

The youth was silent for a few seconds. “… So be it.”

Both the merchant and captain seemed surprised by his resolve. He didn’t even try to negotiate with them before outright accepting Loras’ decision.

The man looked at him with a curious expression before nodding at his men. “Please, escort him out of the city’s premises.”

The soldiers seemed ready to do so, but the merchant suddenly got in their way.

“Wait!” He raised his hands to stop the guards.

The guards stared at him with unfriendly gazes, ready to push the old man out of the way.

Loras held his hand up for them to stop, though. “What is it now, sir?”

Emer hesitated. “I-I… I need to speak to you!”

“Then speak.”

“Umm… It would be best to do it in private.”

Loras frowned, looking between Red and the merchant. He seemed reluctant to leave the youth alone with his guards.

“Approach me.” he said, waving the merchant over.

Emer seemed reluctant, but he did as he was instructed.

Once he got close enough, the man waved his hand, and an opaque brown barrier formed around them.

Red frowned at this. He could neither hear nor see anything happening inside there, only relying on his crimson sense to gauge their emotional states.

As their hidden conversation progressed, Emer seemed afraid and reluctant, while Loras showed extreme surprise. Whatever the merchant said seemed to have caused a change of hearts in the captain, leaving Red completely puzzled.

The conversation lasted no longer than a minute, after which the barrier covering them disappeared. Loras looked over at Red with a strange gaze.

“You can keep your mask and enter.” he said.

The youth was shocked, but he didn’t say anything.

The Captain looked over at the merchant, who was smiling in relief. “If anything happens, it’s on your head!”

Emer nodded. “Yes, I will take full responsibility!”

The merchant then scooted over to Red with a smile.

“We did it! You can enter the city!”

The youth, however, didn’t feel much relief at this. Instead, he felt like the situation got even stranger.