The Eastern continent was vast and boundless, with hundreds of races.
There were elves who could communicate with nature and dragons who had their unique magic.
There were dwarves who were skilled at forging, and orcs who had unparalleled strength.
There was a myriad of different races.
The dominant race of the Eastern continent, however, was the human race, whose magic and combat skills were in full bloom.
The places humans lived in could be called many names according to their size, including villages, cities, kingdoms, or... empires!
In the Orsi Empire, the emperor, Garr Orsi, ruled over more than half of the Eastern continent. Within his territory, there were a total of four kingdoms as vassals, and within these kingdoms, there were countless clans.
These clans had to pay up a certain amount of resources as taxes to the kingdom every year.
The four kingdoms also had to pay taxes to the Orsi Empire itself.
The weak submitted to the strong, while the strong submitted to the stronger.
It was like a pyramid hierarchy.
Vader City, located in the Borodin Kingdom, was a pretty large city on the border of the kingdom. It was considered the main economic artery of the entire northern border of Borodin.
However, Vader City lacked the bustling scene it was supposed to have. The desolate streets were piled with snow. The only movement that could be discerned was from the teams of soldiers patrolling the streets from time to time.
Other than the cold weather that discouraged people from going out, there was another important reason. Recently, there had been rumors that the mayor of the city and the grand knight were not on good terms.
Of these two people, one was the master, while the other was the subject.
Everyone would like to be on the throne. Though the emperor's position seemed unreachable, the mayor was less so. Once a subject became as powerful as his master, their relationship would have a subtle change.
For example, a coup could happen in Vader City at any time.
The reason was that Vader city was connected to the orc territory in the north. All along, in order to fight for territory, resources, and so on, war would often break out at the border. Grand knight Creed was the one who would guard the city and resist the orc invasion.
His fame grew day by day and he soon became a Guardian to the people in the city.
On the other hand, the mayor of Vader City, Nelly Vader, had a duel with the mayor of Lin City half a year ago.
The mayor of Vader City was defeated and returned with injuries. Rumors quickly spread that the mayor of Vader City was seriously injured and did not have much time left.
Grand Knight Creed was ready to make a move after hearing this news.
He was getting all the troops to return to the city and might be planning something big.
In addition, many unfamiliar mercenaries and adventurers that people had never seen before also entered Vader City.
Gold-tier adventurers had been spotted entering the grand knight's residence.
Other than these strange occurrences, the various powerful clans in the city also started getting very close to the grand knight after the mayor fell ill.
The son of the grand knight, Ang Li, had also passed the trial of the Imperial Magical Academy's branch school, becoming the student of a teacher with a high status in the branch. This caused support for Creed to become the mayor to increase.
On the contrary, although Mayor Nelly had a son, he was ignorant, incompetent, and had no achievements at all.
In this world, one was completely useless without strength.
Moreover, six years ago, this son of Nelly's had even mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Some said that he had already died outside the city.
Therefore, even though Vader City appeared to be calm and peaceful right now, everyone knew that it was just calm before the storm.
The Adventurer's Tavern in Vader City was very lively, a contrast to the empty streets.
Men gathered in groups of three or five, shouting loudly. It was indeed very lively.
There was a table by the window in the tavern. A young man sat on a bench leaning against the wall, alone.
This young man was quite handsome, though a bit lazy.
At first glance, he was just like anyone else, ordinary. In a crowd of people, he did not stand out at all. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that he was exuding a unique charm.
On the table, there was only a pot of wine and a plate of peanuts. Leaning at the side of the table, there was a huge sword with a person's height.
The young man poured himself a cup of wine. Looking at the snowy scenery outside the window, he slowly drank it. With a nostalgic expression, he said, "It has been six years since I left home. The taste of this wine is still the same. It hasn't changed one bit."
At this moment, a group of people rushed in from outside. There were about ten of them. Each of them had a dark expression on their face and wore the same uniform.
After this group of people walked in, the cold aura they had with them caused the temperature of the tavern to drop by a lot.
The originally lively atmosphere in the tavern immediately turned cold after this group of people entered. Many people's faces flickered with fear when they saw them. They hurriedly threw down the money for what they had gotten and left in a hurry. It was as if these people were ferocious beasts that were to be avoided at all costs.
"Waiter, serve up 15 cups of malt wine!" someone shouted.
The waiter who was watching from the side hurriedly said, "Okay, please wait a moment."
"I wonder when Young Master Ang will return. When he returns, it will be the end for Nelly!"
"That's right. Once the mayor dies, the resources that the grand knight had promised to the Shadow Church will be fulfilled."
Before the wine was served, the group began to talk among themselves.
"Speaking of which, doesn't Nelly have a son who is still wandering around? If Vader City has a new mayor and its name gets changed, that son might come back seeking revenge, which might cause some trouble," said a gray-haired middle-aged man.
"Ha, what are you worrying about? Haven't you heard? The mayor's son, Laylen Vader, has already disappeared for six years."
"Six years ago, when he was just twelve, he didn't show any talent in cultivating magic and couldn't cultivate at all. He was just a piece of trash."
"That little brat might have already been eaten and turned into fertilizer by the orcs!"
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone was talking, making jokes, and laughing crazily. Their laughter echoed throughout the tavern.
"Nelly is still alive, and he's still the mayor here. Don't you feel the least bit of worry talking like this?" Just when everyone was talking excitedly, an inappropriate voice interrupted.
The group of people stopped talking. They looked towards the source of the voice and saw the young man sitting by the window, looking at them with a gloomy gaze.
Realizing that the man was alone, the originally nervous crowd immediately relaxed, one of them mocked, "Looks like you're just an outsider, right? Everyone knows that Vader City is in a precarious situation, and the mayor's life is in danger. Grand knight Creed is the leader that the people need the most right now, and is the first choice for becoming mayor."
"Is this what you all really think, or did that Creed fellow say that himself?" The young man looked at them with a cold gaze.
"How dare you! How can you call the grand knight by his name directly?!"
"You're asking for it!"
The group of people immediately shouted angrily at the young man. A murderous intent flashed in their eyes.