On this occasion, Shane arrived at the Imperial City not only to fetch Tielle back but also to investigate some matters concerning the Princess named Moro that he wanted to clarify.
Hence, Shane did not want to expose his identity to avoid drawing the attention of those with ulterior motives and to prevent being noticed by people from the Imperial Palace.
Now he was no longer an unknown person; once he announced his name and let others know that he was the Count of Beizut from the Kingdom, the fiancé to the Kingdom Treasure, and that he had the support of both the Demon Clan and the Divine Race behind him, those at the Imperial Palace would surely take corresponding actions.
Prince Harvis had also reminded Shane that if he came to the Imperial City, it would be best not to casually reveal his identity to avoid drawing Moro's attention and wariness.
Therefore, Shane did not enter the Imperial City with the status of a Kingdom Noble, but instead, he took out the identity of an adventurer that he hadn't used in a long while.
"You're a Black Iron Level 1 adventurer?"
Outside the East City Gate of the Imperial City, a gatekeeper looked at the adventurer's badge Shane showed to him, and with a grin on Shane's face, the gatekeeper had quite a peculiar expression.
It couldn't be helped.
"A newbie adventurer escorted by such a beautiful maid and such a cute little girl, it's my first time seeing one," said another gatekeeper beside him, glancing at the expressionless Lasha and the looking-around Lilith, not knowing whether to be sarcastic or envious.
People coming in and out around them also glanced in this direction from time to time, proving that Shane and his party had already drawn attention.
With a grinning face, Shane, however, had a phrase of 'MMP' in his mind, not knowing whether to say it or not.
His intention was to keep a low profile and not to draw the attention of others, so he entered the city with the identity of an adventurer.
But he had overlooked that the two young girls by his side were in themselves the focus of attention.
Lilith was exquisitely cute; not just men but even women couldn't help but take a few glances, so how could she not attract attention?
Let alone Lasha, though dressed in maid's attire, her looks were so incredibly beautiful that you couldn't find another like her in a thousand miles. In such a bustling metropolis, how could she not draw attention?
Having stayed in the Elf Country for some time, where he was frequently in the company of high-level beauties, Shane carelessly forgot about this.
Thankfully this was the Empire, not the Kingdom, otherwise Lasha's resemblance to Laischa might even have led the gatekeeper to link her to a major wanted criminal, thus causing a great commotion.
(If I had known this, it would have been better to just use Instant Teleportation to enter the city, directly passing through the Barrier to the Imperial City; why bother with city gates?)
Shane cursed himself a little too late.
But he did it just in case, so as not to trigger any defense mechanisms while passing through the Barrier and be spotted.
He could only say that his recent prolonged stay in the Elf Country had made him somewhat forgetful of the stir his company of beauties would cause in the mundane world.
So, this blunder was one he could only take upon himself.
Thus, Shane spoke out with an innocent tone.
"I can't help it, but my family worries that I, alone as an adventurer out in the world, might not be able to take care of myself, so they insisted I bring a maid. I had no choice but to comply."
Shane had an expression of helplessness and eyes filled with utmost sincerity, as though everything were true.
Of course, this made the gatekeepers even more annoyed with him.
"Looks like he's quite the young master," remarked a gatekeeper with a sense of wonder: "Well then, young master, it's one thing to have a maid to take care of yourself, but what's with bringing such a cute little girl?"
This question made Shane blink his eyes unconsciously.
And then, Shane laughed.
He laughed very evilly.
"You all think she's very cute too, right?"
While saying this, Shane picked up Lilith and planted a big, smacking kiss on her smooth, pale little face like an alligator, his face showing pride and intoxication.
His demeanor made everyone present shiver inwardly, instantly understanding something.
Shane's behavior made people first think of the decadent hobbies that wealthy young masters indulged in behind closed doors.
This way, could this little girl possibly be the forbidden fruit of a rich young master?
At this thought, everyone began to look at Shane with contempt in their eyes.
Is this an adventurer?
This is clearly just a rich brat playing at the game of adventurers!
"Alright, you may enter."
The gatekeeper threw the adventurer's badge back to Shane as if he didn't want to tangle with Shane anymore, his attitude extremely curt.
Shane, seemingly unaware of all this, walked into the Imperial City with Lilith, whose mood had inexplicably improved, leading Lasha by the hand with great fanfare.
Everyone watched Shane leave, whispering to one another.
"That little girl is really pitiable."
"To be targeted by such a degenerate."
"He calls himself an adventurer, but I think he's just out for a good time."
"I bet that maid is his plaything too."
"What kind of rich family would hold their maid's hand while walking?"
"Hope he gets eaten by demons in the wilderness."
Voices like these, more or less, reached Shane's ears.
All Shane wanted to do was to chuckle.
"Did I unlock the achievement of 'Loathed by Thousands' on my first day in the Imperial City?"
This was truly annoying.
However, the ethos of the Imperial City people seemed to differ from that of the Kingdom.
"Clearly, I've intentionally shown that I come from a good family, yet regardless of whether they're gatekeepers or civilians, they dare to despise me to my face, impressive indeed."
The spirit of the Empire seemed somewhat fierce and straightforward.
Being a military superpower, the people of this country naturally revered those with real ability, and they had a heartfelt contempt for those spoilt scions who abused their family's name and had no real talent of their own.
In fact, inept dandies are looked down upon by everyone.
But for most people, fear of the other's family background usually outweighs disdain, so they don't manifest their true thoughts openly.
However, the Imperial People seem different, even if they don't show it outright, they aren't servile either.
"No wonder, in the long-standing disputes between the Empire and the Kingdom, the Empire has always played the dominant role."
The Kingdom has suffered the Empire's harassment throughout its thousand-year history, proving the latter to be both domineering and unreasonable.
In the Empire, to earn respect, one must rely on genuine ability.
Otherwise, you might get verbal agreement, but never heartfelt recognition.
"Anyway, I've managed to bluff my way through."
Shane was still in a good mood.
"Mr. Shane," Lasha suddenly said, "Lilith is still young, please don't harm her, okay?"
Still the same old saying, there are words in my heart that I'm unsure whether to voice out loud.
After learning from this lesson, the first thing Shane did upon entering the Imperial City was to buy several cloaks, the kind with hoods that could somewhat cover one's features.
One cloak was given to Lasha, another to Lilith, having both of them wear it to hide their trouble-making beauty.
Shane wore one himself.
He also needed to disguise himself.
Not just to avoid recognition by those who knew him, but also not to stand out.
Among the three, if he was the only one not wearing a cloak, wouldn't it be too conspicuous?
Thus, the trio donned their cloaks and hoods, instantly transforming into a group with a suspicious bearing. Part of a series hosted by My Virtual Library Empire (MV&LEMP&YR).
Fortunately, the Imperial City also had an adventurer's guild, and adventurers wearing various styles of attire were often seen wandering the streets, making Shane's group, though somewhat suspect, not too noticeable.
But Shane still noticed some issues.
That was, the atmosphere in the Imperial City seemed somewhat amiss.
"Why do I feel like there's a sense of panic among the people here?"
Shane thought to himself.
Along the way, he had noticed many people occasionally gathering to whisper about something, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.
This made Shane want to inquire further, but the people around seemed to have some reservations, brushing him off with noncommittal responses, never getting to the point, causing Shane's brows to furrow.
Using his enhanced senses from "Outer Destiny," Shane managed to catch snippets of conversation.
"Knight Captain stepping down..."
Shane heard phrases like these.
Lasha seemed to notice as well.
"Shall I go find out more, Mr. Shane?" Lasha asked indifferently.
With this formidable maid's abilities, she should be able to quietly investigate and find some leads, right?
Shane thought for a moment and then shook his head.
"Let's go meet up with the Prince first; I'm sure he will tell me what's happened in the Imperial City."
He didn't distrust Lasha's abilities, but he felt that meeting up with Harvis would naturally resolve his questions.
Therefore, there was no need to deliberately inquire further.
"How shall we meet up with Prince Harvey?"
Lasha didn't seem to care, her tone remaining as placid as ever.
Shane was content to converse more with this maid.
"The Prince mentioned that after arriving in the Imperial City, we can directly seek out Rocque at the Bigusler Family; Rocque will arrange everything for us."
Shane pulled out a piece of parchment from his breast and smiled at the address marked on it.
"If that's the case, let's go find the Knight Captain."
Certainly, Rocque also should be able to tell him what exactly had happened in the Imperial City.
After all, part of what he had just overheard was related to him.
"What about you? Do you want to go find Laischa first?"
Shane turned to Lasha.
"No, there's no need," Lasha quickly shook her head and said, "Tracing Lady Laischa's movements is most difficult. Once she decides to hide, basically no one can find her. When she discovers us, she will naturally come to us."
"Okay," Shane nodded, "then let's head to the Bigusler Family first."
Lasha didn't express any more opinions.
And if Lasha had no objections, Lilith certainly wouldn't either.
The trio set off directly for the Bigusler Family.
Little did they know, a trouble awaited them there.