RoleplayNovel Chapter 556 The Trial of the City Lord of Star Moon City
Chapter 556 The Trial of the City Lord of Star Moon City
His tone was calm, but his words carried great weight.
He raised his hand, gesturing for Lin Tian to sit down.
The hand was raised to a height that was just above the table, with the fingers slightly spread. It was a very casual gesture, but it carried an undeniable aura.
There is a row of chairs on each side of the long table. The chairs are made of dark solid wood, with star and moon emblems engraved on the backs. The cushions are made of dark red velvet, which looks very soft.
"I'm here to apply to travel to a Tier 1 capital city," he said.
Get straight to the point, don't beat around the bush.
The city lord's time is precious, and so is his.
The old man was not surprised, as if he had expected him to come.
His expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even blink.
He only looked at Lin Tian quietly for two seconds. During those two seconds, the hall was so quiet that you could hear the crystal chandelier gently clinking.
Then, the old man nodded.
The nod was so slight that it might have gone unnoticed unless you were watching closely.
The old man stood up and came out from behind the long table.
He stood up slowly, first supporting himself on the table with both hands, then slowly straightening his back, and finally shifting his weight off the table.
He was half a head shorter than Lin Tian, and his back was slightly hunched, but his steps were very steady, and each step was firm, with almost no sound when the soles of his shoes touched the carpet.
He walked to the window on one side of the hall and looked at the night outside—no, it was daytime now, but the light outside was indeed not very good because the window faced north and the sunlight could not shine in.
The view outside the window was a gray stone wall and a small patch of sky, nothing particularly interesting.
But his gaze went far, as if he could see even further beyond the stone wall.
"There is an ancient barrier on the northern border called the North Wind Barrier."
He spoke, his voice lower than before, as if he were talking about something he was reluctant to mention.
"That was laid down by our human ancestors a thousand years ago to seal away high-level magical beasts deep within the icy plains. Those magical beasts are of a very high level; if they were to escape, the entire northern border would become a hell on earth."
He paused, as if organizing his thoughts.
"The barrier itself has a self-repairing function and has been operating normally for thousands of years."
He turned around and looked at Lin Tian.
The sunlight from the window shone on his face from the side, making his wrinkles appear even deeper, as if they had been carved out stroke by stroke with a sculptor's knife.
"But recently, the barrier has started to fluctuate unstablely."
"What fluctuation?" Lin Tian asked.
"The integrity of the seal is decreasing."
The old man's voice deepened, like a stone sinking into water.
"The monsters inside have started to spill out, and three villages have already been attacked. I thought it was a coincidence, so I sent people to investigate. The people I sent back said that cracks had appeared on the surface of the barrier, and that someone had tampered with it."
His gaze sharpened, and although his tone remained calm, the sharpness was undeniable.
"Someone tampered with it," Lin Tian repeated.
"Yes," the old man said. "It's not natural wear and tear, nor the erosion of time, but rather someone deliberately damaged the structure of the barrier. My people can't figure out the specific method, but they are certain that the crack didn't originate from the inside; it was knocked out from the outside."
Lin Tian's brows twitched slightly.
"What do you need me to do?"
The old man walked back to the long table and picked up a palm-sized token from it.
The token is silver-white, with the character "北" (North) engraved on the front and an ice crystal pattern on the back.
The token's edges were smooth, as if it had been touched many times, but the writing was still clear, with a faint blue glow flowing between the strokes—that was the mark of enchantment; the token itself was a magical item.
"Go to the North Wind Barrier, find out the cause of the anomaly, and solve the problem."
He handed the token to Lin Tian.
Lin Tian took the token; it was icy cold to the touch, like holding a block of ice.
The chill wasn't from the low temperature of ordinary metal, but from the icy magic emanating from the token itself; holding it for a long time would make your fingers go numb.
He didn't pull his hand away, but instead gripped it tighter, letting the weight of the token linger in his palm for a second.
"Restore the barrier to stability, so that no more monsters can escape."
The old man said that he pronounced every word very clearly, as if he were reading a formal document.
"As for how to resolve it, that's up to you. You can either repair the barrier or kill the leader that escaped from inside. Among the group that escaped, there's a leader who's quite high-level. If you can take care of him, the pressure inside the barrier will be much less, and it will naturally stabilize again."
He paused, then added in a lower voice, as if offering some kind of private advice:
"But I'm warning you, don't forcibly destroy the barrier. Once that barrier completely collapses, all the high-level magical beasts sealed inside will pour out, and it won't just be the three villages that suffer. The entire northern border, including Star Moon City, will be affected."
Lin Tian put the token into his backpack.
The backpack interface popped up, and he put the token into the top slot, which was for quest items and wouldn't be mixed with ordinary items.
"Is this the trial to go to the first-level main city?" he asked.
Although I already had a guess in my mind, it's better to confirm it anyway.
"Yes," the old man said, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"It's done. I'll personally submit the application to the level one main city. If it's not done, you'll stay in the level two main city until you're qualified." He paused, looking Lin Tian up and down. "Your current level is high enough to apply, but being able to apply and being qualified are two different things. Level one main cities don't want useless people, and I don't want to recommend useless people and embarrass myself."
Lin Tian didn't say anything more. He didn't need to say anything more.
The task has been accepted, the goal has been defined, and all that's left is to do it.
He was never one to haggle when accepting a task.
The old man nodded, this time with a bit more force than before, as if to express his approval.
He turned and walked back behind the long table to sit down, his movements more agile than before, probably because he had been standing and talking for too long and his back was a little sore.
"The North Wind Barrier is located three hundred miles north of Star Moon City."
As he spoke, he tapped the table twice, and a simple map projection appeared on the table, marking the route from Starmoon City to the North Wind Barrier.
"Be careful on the road; those overflowing monsters are quite powerful."
Lin Tian turned and walked towards the door.
Her pace was as unhurried as when she arrived, her boots making no sound on the dark red carpet.
When he reached the doorway, the threshold was just ankle-high, and he stepped over it.
The old man's voice came from behind.
"Lin Tian".
He stopped and turned his head.