The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 101 Lutia

When Eric left the forest ranger's cabin, his bag was stuffed with a lot more fresh tree fruit.

Kasha was going to give him some cured wild boar meat and bear meat, but he felt he was unlikely to have the chance to camp in the wild again, so he declined.

After riding along the path through the woods for a while, the view opened up, and Eric finally returned to Hero Avenue.

"That's it."

He turned around, and Kasha, who was behind him, dismounted and pointed out the way forward: "Keep going straight ahead, and at the first intersection, head in the direction where the sun sets."

Eric nodded; he had already looked at the map she had given him and memorized the rest of the route.

The two said their final goodbyes at the intersection.

After riding for a while, Eric looked back and saw an owl flapping its wings, following not far behind him.

He waved his hand forcefully and then swung the reins, causing his warhorse to accelerate.

When the galloping horses slowed down, only other pedestrians could be seen on the road behind them.

Eric let out a long sigh, and could only choose to keep the experiences of the past two days to himself.

He took a red tree fruit out of his bag, wiped it, and took a bite.

"Hiss...it's still sour."

According to Kasha, he drifted quite a distance, but the direction was surprisingly consistent with the original route, even saving him half a day's journey—if you ignore the resulting stops.

Eric continued on his journey, having learned his lesson. This time he was much more careful, taking a break every half day and no longer stopping arbitrarily along the way.

As night fell, he stopped in front of a hotel by the main road, asked for a room, took the bag from his horse into the room, and then went to find a place to eat.

After a day's journey, he was getting closer to Lutia, and the closer he got to the most prosperous city on the continent, the more crowded the inns and taverns became.

Lutia, a perpetually prosperous land, is the land-based divine kingdom that countless empires yearn to reach.

And the number of homeless people who, because they have no money, can only squat outside, using the light and the presence of people to hide from the wild animals of the night, has also increased.

As the heart of the empire, Lutia merely draws wealth and fresh blood from the empire's riddled wounds, occasionally giving back only a negligible amount of nourishment.

Most of these wanderers never make it to Lutia, and even if they do, they are stopped by the guards and not allowed to enter.

Eric walked through the throng of homeless people into the tavern and ordered some food.

Are there always so many people outside?

The tavern owner, an ordinary human, glanced outside upon hearing this and said, "That's right, there are fewer people only in the dead of winter when it's snowing heavily... but once the snow melts, who knows how many people are lying underneath."

He glanced at Eric. "Won't this affect your appetite?"

Eric shook his head, then turned to see that a group of people had just left, and several homeless people rushed in to share the leftover food on his table.

The tavern owner seemed used to this, but seeing Eric watching, he added that the table would be wiped clean.

Eric turned around, looked at the menu, and ordered a few more pieces of black bread. The taste was so-so, but the portions were large.

"You have a kind heart," the boss said calmly.

“It just costs a little more money, but it makes me more hungry,” Eric said calmly.

The tavern owner smiled, bowed, and said, "Please take a seat. Your food will be served shortly."

Eric found a seat and the first few dishes he ordered were quickly served. After he had eaten and drunk his fill, the next few large pieces of black bread were also served.

He tore off a small piece, put it in his mouth, and tasted it.

"Bill, please."

After returning to the hotel to rest for the night, Eric set off early the next morning to continue his journey.

It has been several days since he set off from Lesser. Although there have been some delays on the road, Eric estimates that he will arrive at the outskirts of Lutia by this evening.

Eric drove non-stop until dusk, when he stopped at the intersection.

The brand-new road signs clearly indicate where you are ahead.

Lutia

"Finally made it..."

Eric glanced at the brilliant sunset, then spurred his horse forward. Smoke rose from the fields beside the road.

Unable to enter the city, the wanderers gathered outside Lutia. The lucky ones could find a simple hut closer to Lutia, while the unlucky ones had to live in the wilderness and forests. Fortunately and unfortunately, because the nobles loved hunting, there were hardly any wild animals left in the wilderness outside Lutia.

After riding for a while, we arrived at the southern entrance of Lutia. At the bridgehead outside the moat, guards stood on both sides, scanning those entering the city.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar city of Lutia behind them, Eric couldn't help but take a deep breath.

In terms of grandeur and prosperity, there is no other city like it on the continent. The city of Lessier, where he stayed for two years, only surpasses it in terms of its sacredness.

The first login screen after the launch of "Thorns of the Crown" was Lutia amidst the flames of war; he had never seen it without black smoke billowing from it before.

They lined up to cross the bridge, dismounted, and entered the city.

Upon entering Lutia, the sun had not yet fully set, but the lights were already on. The streetlights illuminated the streets, and people of all races could be seen coming and going.

Among them were some poor people whose clothes were even worse than those of the homeless outside, but as long as they had the ability to sneak into Lutia, they could stay there indefinitely without being driven out by the guards.

Even within this most bustling city, there are different levels of elevation. The royal palace is located in the center of Lutia, while the remaining urban area is divided into four parts: east, west, south, and north.

The North District is also known as the Noble District, where the true nobles of Lutia City reside. The East District has the cathedral, so it is also home to a number of devout and wealthy believers. The West District is relatively ordinary, but it is close to the scenic western suburbs. As for liveliness, the South District, where he is currently located, is the most bustling.

Of course, this place is a mixed bag and also the most chaotic.

Eric led his horse through the streets, and along the way, countless people brushed against him, trying to steal something.

Some people even reached into the bag on his horse right in front of him.

"Tch." He was even a little impatient when Eric called out to him, until a sword was pressed against his neck.

"This...this is Lutia, what do you want to do..."

Eric slightly raised the sword in his hand and patted his face. "This is my first time here. I want to test whether the rumors that nobles can kill without being punished are true."

"That's not true! Please don't be impulsive..." The man's legs went weak. "I was the one who offended you. I'll leave right away."

Eric sheathed his sword, and the man, as soon as he said he was done, disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

The passersby only glanced at him a few more times, without much panic.

"So the South District was already this chaotic before the war..." Eric put away his weapon, muttered to himself, and continued searching towards a certain address.

After searching for a while, he left the main street and turned into a side street in front of a tavern.

Ahead lay a large cluster of interconnected buildings, some stone and some wooden. He found a relatively new two-story building, looked up at it somewhat uncertainly, and then took out a letter from his pocket.

"This is it..."

Bang!

Suddenly, Eric heard a sound of something hitting the ground behind him. He turned around and saw a middle-aged knight staring blankly at him. The thing that had fallen to the ground was his sword.

"What's going on? Are you filming an idol drama?"

"...Young Master!"

The person who arrived was Leslie, who had escorted Eileen to Lutia and stayed there.

“I’ve been waiting for you these past few days since I received your letter, young master. I didn’t expect you to arrive while I was out for a meal.” He quickly picked up his weapon and strode over. “It’s been two years since I last saw you, young master. You’ve grown so tall.”

Eric glanced at his belly. "You've gained weight too, Captain."

Leslie was essentially a servant who stayed here to take care of the young lady, but Eileen mostly stayed at the academy. Except for the occasional trip into the city to buy something that required him to carry her bag, he had nothing to do most of the time. Meanwhile, all the expenses in the capital were covered by the Earl, who was far away in Otwell. He lived a very comfortable life.

“Life in Lutia isn’t easy.” Leslie quickly came over to open the door for the young master.

"What's difficult about it? Losing weight isn't difficult."

"Hey..."

"You're even sighing now."

After taking the things down, Leslie led his horse to the yard next door and tied it up. Eric went into the small building and looked around.

It has two floors and several rooms, and the interior is furnished with everything you would expect, and surprisingly, it is neat and clean.

This is Leslie's residence, and it will be his place of residence in Lutia for the foreseeable future.

(End of this chapter)