Under the farewell of the village chief and Rachimon, Tang Zheng left Carne Village.
Did Rachimon finally feel like he could breathe a sigh of relief.
From the first glance at Tang Zheng, his intuition had told him this was an extremely dangerous man. Moreover, he had never heard of anyone capable of taming hellhounds—such magical creatures.
Rachimon's throat bobbed.
That small hellhound that appeared affectionate toward the man was actually terrified of him!
Glancing at the carefree expression of the village chief beside him, Rachimon knew his warnings hadn't been taken seriously.
At least the man meant no harm to the village.
After leaving Carne Village, Tang Zheng no longer restrained his speed. Scooping up the small hellhound, he advanced swiftly.
Only scattered wild beasts appeared—not a single goblin or magical creature in sight.
Seeing this, Tang Zheng realized the impact of his month-long hunt had far exceeded his expectations—no wonder the Adventurers Guild had dispatched teams to investigate.
Judging by the absence of adventurer squads in the forest and the news from Carne Village, the Guild likely hadn't obtained useful information.
With no magical creatures hindering him and his enhanced capabilities.
Tang Zheng already spotted E-Rantel in the distance.
Back when he'd traveled from E-Rantel to Carne Village, the journey had taken an entire day.
Three concentric walls encircled the city, their sturdy grandeur exuding a rough, oppressive weight that bore down invisibly on all who approached.
At the checkpoint beneath the main gate.
Several soldiers clustered together, chatting idly during their relaxed break.
As defenders of a fortress city, such laxness was unbecoming—though admittedly, it was still early.
In border regions , travelers and merchant caravans alike preferred safer hours to depart. Surrounding villages also avoided arriving at this time.
Even with the recent sharp decline in magical creature and goblin attacks, most people's travel habits remained unchanged.
In short—it wasn't busy yet.
"Hey, hey, stop messing around—someone's coming." A soldier suddenly noticed the approaching figure and alerted his companions.
Another soldier yawned as he stood, turning to look.
The two previously lax soldiers' expressions grew stern.
The closer Tang Zheng got to E-Rantel, the more the fortress city's massive walls impressed him.
Though not his first viewing, such colossal urban fortifications couldn't possibly be built by human labor alone—not without magic.
The small hellhound trailed closely behind Tang Zheng, its head swiveling constantly to observe the surroundings with evident curiosity.
Approaching the checkpoint.
Tang Zheng eyed the two soldiers guarding it, retrieving pre-prepared copper coins from his pocket to offer.
The soldier didn't accept them, instead studying Tang Zheng with slight seriousness.
"Sir, are you an adventurer?"
The soldier cautiously glanced at the hellhound before asking respectfully.
"No." Tang Zheng's brow furrowed slightly.
The soldier blinked in brief surprise at the answer, exchanging looks with his companion before hesitantly continuing:
"Sir, might you possess a travel permit?"
Tang Zheng recalled the Rocks squad mentioning this.
Throughout the Li Yestige Kingdom—except the capital—nobility required passage fees (or walking taxes) for entering their domain's major cities.
Naturally, local residents received preferential treatment, with some generous nobles even waiving the fee entirely.
To qualify, one needed the specially issued permits that villages within the territory used instead of paying the "passage fee."
Tang Zheng obviously lacked such documentation.
The problem was—the soldier should already know this. Tang Zheng's hair color alone confirmed he wasn't a local resident.
His first thought: Had something happened in E-Rantel?
When visiting E-Rantel, there'd been no such heightened security—just pay the fee and enter freely.
Probably unrelated to his activities in the Great Tob Forest.
Tang Zheng doubted killing some goblins would cause this effect.
Seeing Tang Zheng shake his head, the soldier showed no surprise—possession of a permit would've been suspicious.
"Might our magic caster briefly inspect your belongings?" The soldier asked nervously.
Anyone accompanied by a magical creature was clearly extraordinary.
Had Tang Zheng been an adventurer, they wouldn't need to risk offending him.
Tang Zheng became certain—something had indeed occurred within E-Rantel.
"Could you tell me what happened?" He asked flatly instead of immediately complying.
"Well..." The soldier looked uncomfortable.
Another soldier observing nearby suddenly seemed to recall something, striding over urgently.
"You're the one who came with Lady Barayalev last time?" This soldier exclaimed in recognition after getting a clear look at Tang Zheng's features.
Jet-black hair was uncommon enough to leave a lasting impression despite the month's passage.
The first soldier's eyes widened. "The apothecary Lizzy Barayalev?"
Tang Zheng's eyebrow twitched slightly.
He knew Grandmother Lizzy's potion workshop was renowned in E-Rantel—he'd sensed it during their last entry.
But now Tang Zheng realized he'd still underestimated Lizzy Barayalev's prestige in this city.
Tang Zheng gave a slight nod.
"Is that so?" The inspecting soldier hesitated, exchanging more glances with his comrade.
"Deepest apologies, sir."
"These are orders from above—we don't know the reasons ourselves."
The soldier whispered apologetically.
Tang Zheng waved dismissively as another soldier promptly collected the proffered coins and waved him through.