As we approached the entrance to the city, it grew congested, and we ended up in a line of carts waiting to enter. Outside the city was practically a city of its own. The main city appeared to be made of stone, with a giant city wall surrounding and protecting the structure, but at each of the three exits, there was a small wooden city built on the outside. This was the gate cities which served to take in the poorer and the less reputable. It offered some of the protection of the city, without being as highly regulated.
It looked to me like a lot of horse trade was done here, among other things. There appeared to be a tavern, some inns, and what looked to be a brothel? Well, when I looked at it too closely, a mysterious stone suddenly smacked me in the head. It wasn't probably just a coincidence. When I looked, all of the girls were looking in other directions.
The west gate city was the one we came in from, and it was actually a pretty lively place. There were people everywhere going about their day. Just seeing a living, breathing world like this put a smile on my face. This experience beat the video game world a hundred times over. My only regret was that there weren't more of other types of creatures. There were animalkin, but most of them had slave insignias on them. I felt a little relieved I hadn't managed to resolve the slave tags for the girls, or it would have made things a bit more difficult during this visit.
"Present your identification card!"
"Ah… actually, I don't have one…" The guy in front of us announced sheepishly.
"Oh… well… then come right on in. You can stop at the local Adventurer's Guild, fill it out, and then get a card for next time."
"Oh… wow… thanks, guys, that's really-"
The two guards burst out laughing. "Yeah… right. Scram!"
"Huh? What about…"
"If we just let you in the city because you asked real nice, what is the entire point of the identification system!"
"Ah… come on… I come out from the… um… country. That's why I don't have a card. Just let me in."
"Suspicious…" One guard frowned.
"Super suspicious." The other added. "Arrest him."
"H-hey! Wait! This… is… it's a mistake!"
"Mistake or not, we're not going to risk the safety of the Capital. You'll just be taken in for questioning from a magistrate. You'll get a cavity search. You'll be out and proper in 4-5 hours."
"Four… no… wait!" He continued to try to argue, but some men who were much bigger than him chained him and pulled him away.
I breathed easier. Fortunately, I did have my identification papers which I had sorted out with Chalm ahead of time. This entire process felt odd like being in an airport and passing through security to get on a plane. I even had to stamp that I wasn't bringing in any perishables.
One thing was for sure though. It was much easier to follow the world's rules. I was happy I started in such a small village. When I came to this world, had I appeared right outside the Capital here, I could have been just like that schmuck expecting guards to just casually let me into a secured city because I smiled at him nicely. Being carefree or an outlaw doesn't do anyone favors. I was starting to think that maybe all the misery main characters go through in fantasy stories I read might be self-inflicted.
Our carriage was allowed entrance rather quickly. We were finally in the Capital City.