Aurelio said, "Next, we are getting closer and closer to the besieged battlefield. I don't know what the situation is and where our troops are. So we still have to act cautiously." The two of them slightly deviated from the main road and advanced in the forest. An hour later, they arrived at the south of the city of Ventona and did not encounter any enemies along the way.
Gloria looked at the city wall of Ventona and said, "Look, our national flag is flying on the city wall. Our people are resting inside the city. Don't waste any time! Let's go in quickly!"
She jumped out from behind the bushes and ran straight towards the city gate, not looking the least bit tired or dejected. Aurelio also stood up and followed behind. He was not as impatient as she was and just walked forward unhurriedly.
Aurelio came to the city wall. He looked up at the city wall across the moat. Ventona was the largest city in Westrick. Under the successive sieges of the rebels, its city wall was already dilapidated. There were dozens of gaps just on the south city wall.
Ventona was originally just a small town, but it was located at a strategic transportation point. Benefiting from the prosperity of southern ports such as Salencia, it gradually developed as a freight transfer station. In 258 of the Second Era, Queen Racina I of Westrick established a new city here.
This city wall with a history of hundreds of years protected tens of thousands of urban residents and also sheltered the descendants of Queen Racina I, even Finn II, an out-and-out tyrant.
"This wall really looks like it was built four hundred years ago." Aurelio thought, "In that era without guns and cannons, such a high city wall, combined with this moat, was indeed difficult to capture. However, times have changed. Compared with the fortress of Salencia, it is too fragile. No wonder it was so badly beaten by mere militias."
He was looking intently when a quarrel broke out in front of the city gate. He lowered his head and looked straight ahead and only then found that the female knight was stopped by the guards.
Gloria knew nothing about the Catallis language. She didn't understand at all why the other party was stopping her. The guard who stopped her also didn't understand the Salencian language. Both of them gesticulated and talked, their emotions becoming more and more agitated, and they couldn't communicate with each other. The attitudes of both sides became worse and worse, and a meaningless quarrel began.
Aurelio quickened his pace, crossed the wooden bridge over the moat, and quickly came to the city gate. Seeing her companion catch up, Gloria said, "He's stopping me from going in! And he keeps babbling. You know their language, right? Can you talk to him?"
Aurelio nodded and turned to the guard and asked, "What's the problem?"
The guard repeated to Aurelio, "Who are you? No one is allowed to pass now."
"Can't the soldiers of Salencia pass?" Aurelio asked in the Catallis language. He slightly raised his voice to make himself sound more amiable - he still wanted to discuss with the other party.
"No... no!" The guard shook his head repeatedly, "The order I received is like this. No one can pass! Unless..."
"Since no one can pass, what does it matter who we are?" Aurelio asked.
"That's not important! Unless you... pay the toll."
"Whose order is this?"
"O... of course it's the order of His Majesty the King."
"Really?" Aurelio asked in a lowered voice. He took another step forward and was already in front of the soldier.
The soldier was not tall. He was more than half a head shorter than Aurelio. Moreover, his standing posture was not upright, making him look even shorter. Aurelio looked down at him, making him more and more nervous, and his figure shrank even lower.
"A... actually it's... the captain's order." Being completely overpowered in momentum, the guard had to tell the truth, "I... I'll open the gate for you now."
At this moment, seven soldiers, or people dressed as soldiers, walked out of the city. They were wearing armor and dressed like soldiers, but they walked unsteadily, not looking like trained soldiers at all. They had a vulgar air about them, and instead of weapons in their hands, they were holding a few wine bottles.
Gloria didn't know what was happening, but as soon as she saw the postures of these infantrymen, she frowned repeatedly. "I thought the enemies were a motley crew. I didn't expect... the allies to be even more so." Aurelio just shrugged, showing helplessness.
"What's going on? Why so much noise?" The fat man in the lead asked. He held his head high, looking arrogant.
"Captain, these two people want to enter the city." The previous guard stepped forward and pointed at the two and said. When he talked to the fat man, his attitude was extremely respectful.
"If you want to enter the city, you have to follow the rules." The fat man said, glancing at the two, "You must pay."
"But... they said they are from Salencia, and they don't look easy to deal with." Then, the guard looked at Aurelio fearfully again.
"Idiot, not easy to deal with?" The fat man slapped the guard, "There are only two people, and one of them is a woman. What's so difficult to deal with?"
"Yes... you're right." The guard seemed to have some objections, but he didn't dare to mention them again. He looked at the two again and then shrank behind the fat man.
"Do you understand our rules?" The fat man turned to Aurelio and said, "One silver coin per person. Judging from your appearance, you don't seem to be short of money. You should be able to afford it, right?" This fat man was very flexible when charging. When facing people from Salencia, he could also accept the currency of Salencia.
"What if we don't pay?"
"Then of course you can't enter the city." The fat man sneered contemptuously.
Aurelio also sneered contemptuously and said, "When the rebels attacked the city a few days ago, did you try to charge them?"
"What did you say!" The fat man raised his voice. He threw the wine bottle in his hand to the ground. The earthenware pot hit the ground and immediately broke into several pieces. "I think you're looking for trouble!" He roared again, rolled up the sleeve of his military uniform, showed his flabby forearm, and staggered towards Aurelio.
"Don't be impulsive." Aurelio said expressionlessly, "I suggest you talk it over."
"Talk it over?" The fat man stood there and laughed loudly, "It's too late!"
"Yes, it's too late." Aurelio curled his lips. When he spoke, his left hand was hidden behind his back. He was chanting a spell in a low voice and concentrating the magic energy on the palm of his left hand.
Gloria looked at his left hand in surprise. She saw that the light blue light slowly turned into a ball of flame. "You..." She was just about to remind her companion not to be impulsive when the ball of flame quickly extinguished. After the flame extinguished, there was a ball of condensed ashes in his palm.
"Humph! What are you muttering?" The fat man asked viciously, "A prayer?"
"Yes, it's a prayer." Aurelio replied expressionlessly. He still hid the ball of ashes behind his back.
"Then shouldn't you kneel and recite it?" The fat man laughed again and then raised his right fist to strike.
Aurelio neither dodged nor evaded. He just raised his right hand and slapped the fat man hard on the face. With a crisp "slap" sound, the fat man was directly knocked over to the ground. At this time, his fist had just been thrown out, and his arm hadn't had time to straighten.
"Ouch..." The fat man got up with his left hand covering his face. One side of his cheek was swollen, and there was a bright red palm print on it. "You... you dare to hit me!" He pointed at Aurelio and shouted, "Brothers... attack!"
"Cover your face!" Aurelio shouted in his native language. As soon as the words fell, the ashes he had prepared in his hand just landed on the bridge board. The sphere made of ashes burst immediately upon touching the bridge board. A large amount of smoke and dust rose into the air, covering an area with a radius of seven or eight steps. A total of ten people present were engulfed.
Before the smoke and dust had completely dissipated, Gloria was coughing non-stop, and her face was covered with dust, looking like a coal miner who had just finished work. Aurelio didn't give any prior warning. With a sudden shout, how could she react so quickly?
Among the eight guards, seven were blown into the moat. They were struggling in the waist-deep water, looking extremely embarrassed. Only the fat man, because he was heavy enough, wasn't blown far. He was now reaching out and grabbing the bridge board, hanging in mid-air.
"Who the hell are you?" The fat man looked up at Aurelio in fear.
"A Salencian." Aurelio replied coldly, "Your actions today will become a diplomatic issue. Your king will know about it." He walked forward and raised his right foot, aimed at the fat man's left hand, and stomped hard.
"Let's go." He said to Gloria, and the sound of the fat man falling into the water just came.