Chapter 50

What is a silver coin worth? Entering a city gate costs about a hundred, and Xu Dong was also a bit annoyed. In his previous life, he didn't need to spend so much money to enter a museum. Is it that everyone inside Blood Helmet City sells antiques?

Even if we take a step back, Xu Dong, who had just received a large sum of money, wasn't short of cash. It wasn't that he was unwilling to part with a mere silver coin. However, the key was the guard's condescending look—

This had nothing to do with money but was closely related to one's status!

Xu Dong had heard before that city dwellers looked at country folk the same way petty shopkeepers looked at beggars, finding them unpleasant to look at. Now, he saw that it wasn't baseless.

Suppressing his anger, Xu Dong pursed his lips and said, "Why do I have to pay a silver coin? That's not fair. Can you give me a discount, even fifty copper coins would be fine."

The guard shrugged, his expression disdainful, as if he didn't even want to say another word to him. "No money? If you don't have money, go wait over there. When I'm in a good mood, I'll let you in."

You...

Xu Dong had already checked, and there was a significant difference between Blood Helmet City and the countryside. In the countryside, it was hard to find a single armored soldier. However, in Blood Helmet City, they were easy to come by.

For example, the guard captain in chainmail armor. Because of the slight commotion, he had already attracted the captain's attention.

Even without such awakened individuals, Xu Dong knew that he wouldn't dare to conflict with Blood Helmet City based on his personal strength. Xu Dong was also good at being patient, so the anger in his heart quickly passed. Knowing that the conversation was fruitless, he didn't think of rolling up his sleeves for a fight but was preparing to pay and enter the city.

At this moment, a strong man carrying a large sword suddenly walked over from the side.

He first glanced at Xu Dong, didn't say anything, but his eyes conveyed a strange meaning. Xu Dong could feel that this man was likely a seasoned awakened individual.

Xu Dong was puzzled, and that look lingered in his mind for a long time. Not knowing what he was thinking, he stopped reaching for his money, took a step back, and decided to see what this man was up to.

The strong man immediately asked, "If I want to enter the city, how much gate tax do I have to pay?"

The guard, with his head held high, didn't even look at him and said, "You? One gold coin. If you want to enter, pay up. If not, scram."

When Xu Dong heard the price of one gold coin, he was first stunned, then a flash of insight came to his mind, and he made a connection.

A hint of a smile flashed in the strong man's eyes as he calmly asked, "Is there any way to enter without paying?"

The guard's reaction completely surprised Xu Dong. "Sure, look over there." He pointed.

Xu Dong and the others followed the direction of the finger and saw a wall by the city gate, strangely guarded by four guards.

Xu Dong didn't understand what this meant, but the strong man nodded in thanks and walked over.

Xu Dong instinctively wanted to follow, but the guard gave him a sideways glance, either to explain or to continue humiliating him, saying in a harsh tone, "Waste and trash like you, if I were you, I'd give up and go home to farm."

Xu Dong didn't get angry, suppressing his frustration, and turned to walk away. The guard still looked disdainful. He moved away from the crowd entering the city and stood in an open area, watching the strong man from a distance.

The man walked to the wall the guard had pointed to, where there were also four guards. At this point, the man began to speak, but Xu Dong couldn't hear what he said. He only saw the man roll up his sleeves, walk to the edge of the wall, and place his hands on it.

Xu Dong was taken aback and exclaimed, "No way, is he trying to push down the wall? That's too unreliable!"

As he spoke, he noticed that the four guards suddenly swayed as if they were drunk, some barely managing to stand by leaning against the wall, while others fell to the ground, looking quite embarrassed.

The next second, a loud roar echoed from afar. Even though they were far apart, the sound wave still made Xu Dong feel dizzy. At this moment, he finally understood why the guards had such a reaction—they were knocked off balance by the roar.

Xu Dong's eyes widened. This man's strength was truly extraordinary!

The crowd waiting to enter the city was shocked, but a few showed admiration. They could tell that this was a powerful awakened individual!

Then, the man's arms emitted a bright red glow, activating his blood armor.

A two-star awakened individual!

Finally, a crack appeared in the "wall," and as the man pushed with all his might, the crack grew larger. A part of the wall, like a door, was pushed open from the outside, revealing an entrance.

When the entrance appeared, the man helped the guards up one by one and entered calmly amidst their awe. After he entered, Xu Dong faintly heard the sound of a mechanism turning, and the hidden door, indistinguishable from the wall, closed again, leaving no trace from the outside.

At this point, Xu Dong finally understood that the adventurer's test had already begun from the moment of entering the city! He didn't rush to enter but continued to observe carefully. In his careful observation, he indeed noticed some interesting phenomena.

If an awakened individual joined the queue to enter the city, no matter how well they hid, they would inevitably be discovered.

After discovery, someone would signal, and the guards would know what to do—charging a high entry fee based on their strength.

Some people, sensing something amiss, would follow the example of the first man and accept the challenge. Others, knowing they couldn't pass, would grit their teeth and pay to enter.

The challenges were of two types: strength and agility. The strength challenge is not detailed here, but the agility challenge involved climbing the wall within a time limit.

From this, it could be seen that intellectual awakened individuals received considerable preferential treatment. Conversely, intellectual awakened individuals might be more powerful and rarer, so they were exempt from this step.

In the short hour that Xu Dong observed, about forty people entered the city. Only six of them passed the test, all of whom were two-star awakened individuals.

It was likely that those who paid the high entry fee or failed the test would face another examination after entering the city, as the elimination rate for adventurer tests was always extremely high.

Historically, there had even been cases of 100% elimination.

Xu Dong was deeply engrossed in his observations and suddenly murmured, "The city guards are not all armored soldiers, but they likely have the ability to distinguish between armored soldiers and ordinary people. Another point to note is that the Adventurer's Guild has an incredibly vast influence, even coordinating with the city's military for the selection process."

Lola, who had been squatting on a nearby rock, was usually quiet and often lacked the desire to assert her presence. Many times, Xu Dong would inadvertently ignore her.

She suddenly stood up from the rock, placed the wind-up toy on the ground, and said softly, "I have something to do, I'll enter the city first."

Without waiting for Xu Dong's opinion, she walked away independently.

Xu Dong stared at her back. This woman was incredibly mysterious and had extraordinary strength. Even his Insight skill couldn't reveal her name.

Of course, Xu Dong was used to solitude, and their brief interaction hadn't led to any emotional attachment. If she wanted to leave, let her leave.

After standing for a while, Xu Dong made up his mind. Since this was the first challenge of the adventurer's test, he couldn't afford to fail!

With this in mind, he perked up, picked up the wind-up toy, and put it in his backpack. Then he strode toward the city gate. The time was already late, and the queue to enter the city was sparse, so it was his turn quickly.

It was still the same guard. When he saw Xu Dong, he felt a surge of anger and spoke harshly, "Why are you here again, you waste? Damn it, you didn't pay earlier, were you just messing with me? One gold coin for the gate tax!"

Since Xu Dong was mentally prepared for the challenge, he focused all his attention on it. He wasn't as easily provoked by the guard's strange provocation as he was the first time. He calmly said, "Is there any way to enter without paying?"

The guard's words surprised Xu Dong. "No! Either pay or get lost. I just don't like the look of you, and I won't let you in."

Xu Dong was truly puzzled. What had this guy eaten wrong to keep targeting him? He hadn't offended him, had he?

The guard grew angrier the more he looked at Xu Dong, his eyes burning with rage. Suddenly, he reached out to push Xu Dong.

Xu Dong's reaction was incredibly quick, acting before he even thought.

He swiftly reached out, used his wrist strength to wrap around the guard's arm, and then pushed hard. The guard immediately let out a cry of pain and fell backward.

This cry of pain immediately drew everyone's attention. The next second, a shrill voice shouted, "Someone is trying to steal the city, someone is trying to steal the city!"

Steal the city?!

Xu Dong's expression suddenly changed. The concept of stealing the city, even with a toe, was like endangering national security, a top-level crime. In reality, he had only injured a single guard, at most it was assault...

He coldly looked at the guard on the ground. After shouting, the guard's face showed a sinister smile, and he silently mouthed, "You're dead this time!"

The next second, a group of well-armored soldiers ran over and surrounded Xu Dong. Soon, the guard captain, a tall and strong man with a beard, stepped forward. He looked exceptionally rugged, with sharp eyes, and sternly demanded, "What happened just now!"

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