Rise of The Demon General Chapter 962. Going Through the Checkpoint

Unlike the surface world, the checkpoints in the upper worlds experienced less traffic. Mostly Holy Temple members and caravans braved the wilderness. As for civilian cultivators, only a few went outside.

The reason was that the Holy Temple prohibited citizens from forming their own organization. In the upper world, there were no clans or factions. Public gatherings required authorization from the Holy Temple, and their executions were monitored. If the discussion were against the will of the Divine, the gathering would be branded heresy and its participants punished.

Of course, some gathered in secret, but such cases were rare. If they were caught gathering without permission, they would be accused of conspiring and punished on the spot. It didn’t matter even if they could prove that the gathering was only for a harmless gaming session. They would still be punished because they didn’t seek permission beforehand.

Hence, citizens rarely formed groups outside their direct families. This, in turn, compelled everyone to isolate themselves. Alone, most were not strong enough to journey outside the cities.

Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that nobody was at the entry checkpoint of Ceollach City when Peng Chi’s caravan approached, except for two guards.

The guards who manned the checkpoint were Holy Temple’s deacons. They wore similar white robes as the priests, except with fewer ornaments.

"Do we have a schedule for a caravan today?" One of the deacons asked.

His partner checked a list in his hand. He traced through the myriad information in the list before saying, "Aside from people of our order, there are supposed to be five caravans with deliveries meant for this city. Two are approaching their deadlines. This is probably one of those two."

"What are the names of those two caravan masters?"

"Xou Zong and Peng Chi."

"Alright. Let’s see which one this is."

The two stood before the open gate, blocking the way. The caravan stopped before them. Peng Chi sat beside Nao Dou, who had replaced Nao Pei as the coachman. He jumped down after the caravan stopped and approached the two deacons.

The deacons observed Peng Chi’s face before matching it to the portraits in their list. They identified him before he mentioned his name.

"Glory to the Divine. Are you Caravan Master Peng Chi?"

"Glory to the Divine. Yes, I am Peng Chi. I have a delivery meant for Ceollach City."

"We know. Show us your Caravan Emblem, please."

Peng Chi produced his emblem and handed it to the deacons. The deacons uttered a word of prayer before activating one of the words of power on the emblem. Trails of light seeped from the emblem, forming an image of Peng Chi’s face. These trails of light also flowed toward Peng Chi. They touched him.

"Mm, alright. This caravan emblem is legit, and you are indeed the owner," the deacon said as he handed the emblem back. The image and trails of light vanished.

"Thank you, honorable deacons," Peng Chi said, showing deference as he accepted the emblem.

"Now, we must check all your hired hands. Everyone, please bring out your citizen crests!" The deacon then turned to his partner. "I will do the checking. You go fetch Inquisitor Lei Xiang."

Nao Dou, who remained in the coach-box, tensed upon hearing it. He sent a telepathic message to Amon inside the caravan. ’Amon, we have a problem. As expected, there is an inquisitor in this city, and the deacons are calling that inquisitor as we speak.’

Amon’s reply came soon. ’Maintain our ruse, but be ready to act at a moment’s notice.’

Nao Dou didn’t like this, but he had no choice. If things went to shit, he would use Peng Chi to cover his escape. He sent telepathic messages to the others, so they were ready.

The deacon who checked the citizen crests noticed the anxiety, but he paid no heed to it. He was used to commoners being tense toward a Holy Temple member. He checked their crests one by one, neither in a hurry nor taking his time.

After inspecting the citizen crest of the last hired hand, he turned to the caravan entrance. He ordered, "Open the door."

Peng Chi complied. Before he opened the door, he told the deacon, "Please be informed that we carry several members of your order in our caravan."

"Do you now?" The deacon asked. "Nevertheless, I must still check."

"I understand," Peng Chi said. He opened the door.

When the deacon entered, he saw that Peng Chi told the truth. He gave a respectful bow to Tian Jung. "My Lord, it’s good to see you. May His light shine on all lives."

Tian Jung nodded. "May His light shine on all lives. Go ahead and do your job. Pay us no mind."

The deacon bowed another time before looking around the room. He took notes on the goods stocked inside the caravan’s storeroom before turning to Nao Yin. "Your citizen crest, please."

Nao Yin handed her crest to him. After the process was done, the deacon turned to Amon.

"I don’t have a citizen crest," Amon took the initiative to inform the deacon before he asked. This prompted the deacon to frown.

"I have lived in seclusion with my parents until not long ago," Amon explained. "This is my first attempt to enter a city. I wish to get my citizen crest here."

"To get a citizen crest, we will need your residence address and to speak with your relatives."

"I don’t have one."

"Which one? Residence or relatives?"

"Both," Amon answered. "This caravan is my current residence. I don’t have any other. My previous one is a hut in the middle of nowhere. I can point it out on the map if you wish. My parents are deceased, and I don’t have any relatives left."

The deacon glanced at Tian Jung, who shrugged and said, "It’s the same story he gave me."

The deacon nodded. He told Amon. "You will follow me to the citizen center once we are done here."

"You are not yet done?" Tian Jung asked the deacon. "Haven’t you checked everyone and everything?"

"I have, but I’m still waiting for my partner to fetch the inquisitor on duty. According to the last report, she was questioning some people regarding a suspicious activity in the Ironlit District."

"The Ironlit District? That’s half an hour away, even by flying, and there is no telling if the inquisitor isn’t in the middle of an interrogation. If she is, she won’t drop everything to help you with your job. Why don’t you call another inquisitor?"

"Unfortunately, Inquisitor Lei Xiang is the only one remaining in this city. For some reason, the headquarters have called most of the inquisitors away. There is no one else."

"So what? Do you expect us to wait here that long?" Tian Jung asked.

"Uh..." The deacon almost blurted out that Tian Jung and his priests could get off the caravan and enter the city without waiting, but he stopped himself. Just as the difference in caste was very blatant in upper world society, the difference in hierarchy within the Holy Temple was equally pronounced. If he offended someone of a higher rank, he could expect his life ahead to be living hell, and he could tell from Tian Jung’s tone that the bishop was not pleased.

He hurriedly said, "Well, I have checked everything. I found nothing suspicious. I see no reason to delay this caravan. Very well. I will approve it to pass."

Tian Jung nodded approvingly.

The deacon went out and informed Peng Chi that his caravan could pass. Peng Chi thanked the deacon. He returned to the coach-box and sat beside Nao Dou. The others walked beside the caravan as the Vagor Buffaloes began moving again.

Ceollach City and all large cities in the upper world had the same setup. They were surrounded by high walls enhanced by words of power. A barrier enveloped the city, preventing anyone from flying in or out.

The streets inside were straight. Its layout was symmetrical and mostly consisted of squares. The buildings looked similar to one another and lacked much flair. They all had the same height. Everything was in order. Even the people walking through the street had a similar rhythm with each other. It was as if most of them were programmed bots instead of human beings.

Soft hymns were heard throughout the city, accompanied by chants of prayer. In every district, there was an open plaza reserved for praying to the Divine. A statue depicting the Divine was placed there. There were always initiates present to clean it constantly. Every citizen was mandated to go there at least five times a day to utter a prayer.

The mind practitioners from the secluded village were all people who left civilization during childhood. Laying eyes on this place, they were reminded of how bleak and constraining the outside world was. Now that they made the comparison, the secluded village where they were imprisoned seemed to radiate more freedom than this city.

Feelings of regret began to creep into their hearts.