Chapter 304 — The Sprite Monitoring Station

Suo Jilin had not dropped his disguise merely because he had passed the human checkpoint—staying vigilant at all times was an essential quality in a fine ranger. And besides, when he set out, he had brought only women's clothes...

He was, after all, a veteran of the guild.

After Berna flashed her third silly grin, Suo Jilin could not help glancing at her. "You're in high spirits."

"Of course! We're almost at the monitoring station!" Berna laughed happily. "This is the biggest monitoring station in the north of the continent—there's a whole city right around it! Once we get into town and settle in, the first thing I'm going to do is find a tavern, down a big mug of fruit mead, and eat dried fruit and Suminy pies till I'm stuffed! I'm telling you, the human world is fine in every way except the food—it's simply unbearable. Those flatbreads and that swill they call beer, I've had more than enough..."

Suo Jilin listened to Berna's chatter in silence, and before he knew it, the city entrance had appeared not far ahead.

As Berna had said, this was the largest monitoring station in the continent's northern region. The sprites held the entire valley here, and deep within it they had built a sizable city centered on the communications tower. Looking at those spires and walls in the sprite style, and at the kinsfolk standing guard at the city entrance, Suo Jilin could not help but show a faint smile.

At the city entrance, the guards stopped the two of them for the routine identity check and questioning.

Suo Jilin produced the Silver Empire badge that proved his identity, and asked casually, "Any activity at the Sentinel Tower lately?"

"All normal—the Sentinel Tower, the monitoring station, and Xuanque City alike," said the guard conducting the check. He wore the standard silver-white sprite light armor and held a spear; taking Suo Jilin's badge with one hand, he went on, "How does it feel, traveling through the human world?"

Suo Jilin smiled faintly. "The novelty hasn't worn off. Their society is always changing at a furious pace."

Changing fast, certainly—the Profound Origin Sect had hung on the Wall for seven hundred years and then suddenly crawled out on its own. Who among you has ever seen an operation like that?

"Hm?" The guard checked the inscription information on the badge's reverse, and suddenly made a puzzled sound. He looked up at Suo Jilin. "Suo Jilin, male, House of Frostleaf... Are you sure this badge is yours?"

"Oh, I forgot about that," Suo Jilin said, quickly clapping a hand to his head. Then he cast a small spell on the badge; the spell resonance proved that he was indeed the badge's bearer. "That's me."

"Then you..." The guard looked him up and down, taking in his huntress getup. "Did you get into trouble in human society? Wanted for something?"

Clearly, this was a guard who had seen a thing or two.

Suo Jilin did not intend to explain too much. Though the man before him was one of his own kind, some things were a nuisance to explain, so he said offhandedly in a low voice, "Trying a new style lately."

The guard's face filled with understanding. "Oh, then no problem at all."

Clearly, this truly was a guard who had seen a thing or two.