Erasmus was Thirteen's secret weapon here in Artem, so he made sure to keep it a secret even from the Jinns who had accompanied them.

After ordering the Leaders of the Jinns to find a place to hide their massive armies, Thirteen and Cranky left to investigate the town that the scouts had seen earlier.

"This is as far as you go, Rocky," Thirteen told his friend, who had brought him a mile away from the town. "Try to conceal your presence as much as possible, and do not enter the town. They might have a way of detecting monsters that we don't know about."

Rocky nodded before going back underground to wait for his Master's next order.

After making sure that there was no one around them, Thirteen opened the portal that led to the Domain of the Apocalypse.

A moment later, Erasmus crossed over.

He hid his face with a mask and blended in by wearing the customary daily fashion of the Artem nobility.

Erasmus had fully absorbed all of King Astrion's memories and had already sent the King's soul to the cycle of reincarnation.

He originally planned to turn the King's spirit into a Wraith, but Thirteen said that it would be best to show a little mercy to the King of Artem, and just send him on his way.

Erasmus agreed. It wasn't a bad thing to earn some good after hundreds of years.

Since he now possessed all of King Astrion's knowledge, it was no exaggeration to say Erasmus had truly become the King of Artem, in both mind and spirit.

"I just hope we are on the main continent," Erasmus muttered as he walked beside Thirteen. "There's a whole army with us, so it will really be difficult to travel if we aren't in our preferred location. It will be difficult to travel to another continent with a massive army."

"Don't raise flags," Thirteen commented. "Just think positively."

"That will be hard," Erasmus replied. "Did you know? King Astrion is a paranoid ruler?"

"Is he?"

"Yes. He doesn't really trust anyone, even his most loyal subjects. He is a very sad King."

After that exchange, no more words were spoken between them until they reached the town's gates.

Thirteen and Cranky were also wearing Artemian clothing, but its design was different from Erasmus'.

They wore the distinct uniform of a high-ranking noble's staff, ensuring they were met with a mixture of admiration and respect from those with status beneath theirs wherever they went.

In Artem's hierarchical society, one's station wasn't spoken but seen.

The design and color of a person's clothes were enough to proclaim their worth.

King Astrion enforced this law to strengthen the social hierarchy. Commoners were to dress according to their station and remain polite and respectful to their superiors.

In return for their obedience, they were given the bare minimum of human rights, which even nobles couldn't bypass so easily.

A noble might shout and nag at a commoner, but they were not allowed to use violence or worse, force them into servitude by randomly picking up women in the streets to serve and entertain them.

Of course, there were some loopholes in this system, and some were able to get away with it because of their family's background.

No government system was perfect, especially if the officials who enacted these laws only cared for their own profit.

When Thirteen, Erasmus, and Cranky walked towards the gate, the guards guarding it all lowered their heads and gave them a respectful bow.

None challenged or even asked who they were. A glance at Erasmus' clothes was enough to display their high rank.

In fact, the guards were even feeling anxious because they thought that one of the Ministers from the Capital was doing a surprise inspection, trying to check for signs of corruption in their town.

As Thirteen and his two companions strolled across the city, the busy streets suddenly came to a standstill.

People moved to the side, bowing their heads, while small children looked at Erasmus, wondering why all the adults were paying respect to a masked man.

When they neared the plaza, a chubby-looking man stood with several guards by his side.

He looked sweaty and seemed to have hurried to come and meet the noble guests, who had visited his humble domain.

"Greetings, Your Excellency," the chubby man said in a respectful tone. "My name is Armand Solenwyr, and I welcome you to the Town of Wyr. If his Excellency only sent a message in advance, we would have prepared our finest carriage to pick you up."

"There are times when I wish to experience the life of my people," Erasmus replied in an arrogant tone. "And as far as I can tell, you are doing your job properly, Armand of Wyr. A role model that every Mayor must follow."

"Your praises are too much, Your Excellency," Armand bowed deeply. "Such words are wasted on me."

"Raise your head and guide me to your residence," Erasmus ordered. "There are things I need to ask you."

"Of course, Your Excellency," Armand glanced at his subordinates, who hurriedly moved to fetch the carriage that they had prepared for their special guests.

The roofless carriage looked luxurious enough, which made Thirteen assume that this was Armand's personal carriage whenever he did inspections in the city, allowing the people to see him.

Thirteen was the last to enter the carriage, acting his role as Erasmus' servant perfectly.

Armand didn't ride the carriage with them. Instead, he rode a horse, and marched alongside the carriage, acting as a bodyguard for his guests.

This was a common protocol when receiving nobles that surpassed his rank, showing that even as a Mayor, his status was beneath them.

It didn't take long before they arrived at Armand's residence, where a sumptuous lunch was already prepared for them.

Erasmus thanked Armand for his hospitality and ate while chatting lightly.

He asked subtle questions about the surrounding towns and cities, as well as the rumors that had been spreading as of late.

This was the fastest way on how they could gather the information that they needed, and fortunately for them, their host was a man who liked to talk… excessively so.

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