"Esteemed Guests! Please calm down!" Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, the Chief Gate Guard had no choice but to step in and try to placate the visitor's outrage.
"Y-you.." The two guards felt overwhelmed with the scenario. The fury and disdain of the merchants and travelers directed at them, the livid expression of the Chief Gate Guard and the venomous yet irrefutable words that Dylan had just spoken drove the both of them to the brink of insanity.
'We're doomed...'
They looked at each other with the clear intention of asking, "What should we do?"
'Just a little more.' Seeing them being pushed to the brink, Dylan knew that he had to push so everything would fall into his favor.
He approached them as he modulated his voice enough to be heard by Paul and Ronald but not loud to the point it would be heard by others, "See. In the end, all you can do is bark. Now, bark for me, bitches."
"I'll fucking kill you, you fucker!" Paul could not hold it any longer. The emotions he felt throughout the entire thing had now burst forth into rage! He raised his sword and attacked Dylan!
"You will die a dog's death!" Ronald also flew in a fit of rage and slashed down his axe towards Dylan.
'Bingo!' Dylan smiled as everything has now fallen perfectly in place.
Both Paul and Ronald's weapons were cloaked with Innate Energy. It was evident that they were trying to kill Dylan.
The heavy axe and sharp sword sliced through the air, bearing down on Dylan with lethal intent.
To the horrified onlookers, Dylan seemed completely frozen in shock—a defenseless target about to be brutally slaughtered right in front of the city gates.
"Stop!" the Chief Gate Guard roared in panic, realizing the sheer catastrophe of his men murdering a civilian in broad daylight before a crowd of wealthy merchants.
"He's dead!" someone in the crowd screamed.
Instead of retreating, Dylan actually moved forward with his insane speed! His muscles bulged as they glowed with power. He aimed for the space between them!
*Whoosh*
"Die!" Paul and Ronald tried to adjust their attacks to hit Dylan who had just leaped towards them.
But they missed!
*Boom*
It was their weapons that clashed instead, causing the both of them to be blown away a few steps from each other.
In an instant, Dylan had actually traversed through tens of meters in a single leap!
"Oh my heavens! T-they attacked a visitor out of nowhere! After the injustice they put him through, they blatantly tried killing him!"
"I will take this up to the City's management! This unruly behavior should be crushed on its roots "
"That young man... Why did he jump forwards? If he was slightly off, he could have died just now."
"I think he was just lucky. He has no cultivation after all."
The onlookers were absolutely terrified and started protesting! Their purpose was merely to visit for either personal reasons yet their very safety was now being threatened by these gate guards.
'If there's a big commotion like this, I should capitalize upon it.' Dylan thought as he saw that the scene had greatly shifted in his favor.
'It seems I'm actually faster than them... I could have hit them just now but it would be best to maintain the image of being the oppressed in this situation.' Dylan quickly contemplated. He felt that he had enough time to attack either one of them just now.
Dylan put on the face of an oppressed as he continued with his speech, "To think that they would even resort to immediate execution, simply because I chose to speak up? Again, how tyrannical of you! Was it because I'm weak? This threatens the safety of visitors! Was it because you used to bully me? This is precisely why I left this post."
Then, he condemns, "I firmly believe that most of the Gate Guards are dutiful and respectful! Yet, you two are malignant tumors for the prestige of the Gate Guards!"
"You bastard!"
"Die!"
The two turned around and immediately attacked Dylan one more time. Their sword and axe was once again laced with their Innate Energy.
"That's enough!" The Chief Gate Guard stepped in. He unsheathed his twin swords and blocked their incoming attack.
"Chief?!" The two did not expect that the Chief Gate Guard would step in.
Without giving them a chance to process everything, he disarmed them of their weapons with a sweep of his swords. In that same breadth, he used the hilts of his sword to bash Paul and Ronald's shoulders, causing them to fall over and writhe in pain.
"Argh!" The two rolled on the ground from Chief's attack.
"You have sullied our oath to be fair and just! You threw around your weight and wrongly treated the visitors! By my authority as the Chief Gate Guard, from this moment forth, you both are effectively removed from the Gate Guards!" The Chief Gate Guard had to do damage control after seeing things escalate.
"How could this be we were only following you-"
"But it was the City Lo-"
Before the two guards could complete their protest, the chief then smacked with the flat side of the blade which knocked the two completely, "You dare question my authority with your pointless drivel! Guards, come here and detain these men!"
The other guards by the gatekeeper's guard post flinched as they saw the entire scene. They immediately went over to the scene to capture Paul and Ronald.
'City Lord, so that's how it is.' Dylan's eyes narrows as he understood what happened.
Others might not have put things together quickly but knowing Alistair's animosity towards him due to the incident with Scarlet, he knew immediately, 'Alistair seems to be hell bent in making me suffer. He's probably not able to do anything direct as long as Victoria is here... I need to be more careful moving forward.'
He momentarily looked at Dylan who had exaggerated this entire thing before looking at the two idiots who passed out before him. He thought, 'As much as I want to kill this two idiots immediately, the situation does not allow me to do that.'
He looked over the faces of the concerned public and reaffirmed his thoughts, 'I can no longer resort to further violence due to this words. Any killing would reinforce his words and cause damage to Soaring Cloud City.'
He looked at the bystanders as he apologized and bowed his head "I humbly apologize for the disturbance these two imbeciles have caused. We have worked hard to maintain fair and just procedures over the years. Perhaps, it was my negligence that caused such corrupted individuals to be posted in the gates of our glorious city."
The Chief made sure that he simultaneously labeled the two as black sheep within the order of the guards and even lauded Dylan's actions, "That is why while it is unfortunate that it has been revealed in this manner, I have nothing but thanks to our good friend who chose to speak up and address this problem! Please rest assured that such behavior is not representative of our values, and they shall face the full extent of the law for their insubordination."
"I see, the Chief was able to summarily solve entire situation immediately!"
"True, this was the first time I encountered such behavior from the gate guards. I simply think it's because those two are rotten to the core!"
"He even praised the young man for standing up for himself! He appreciates our concerns as well!"
"Thank you very much chief!"
The bystanders were satisfied with the beatdown and the apology as they praised him.
'Impressive.' Dylan was impressed by how quickly the Chief Gate Guard was able to solve the problem. He made sure to disassociate the two stooges while praising him for his behavior. 'I guess he's not the Chief Gate Guard for nothing...'
The merchants and the travellers then turned their attention to Dylan and praised him for his immense bravery in standing his ground against corrupt cultivators.
"Young man, you have true backbone! To face down armed guards with nothing but the truth that takes serious courage!" a heavily dressed merchant shouted, clapping Dylan on the shoulder.
"If not for your willingness to speak up, who knows how many more innocent visitors those two bullies would have harassed or extorted?" a traveler chimed in, nodding approvingly. "You've done this entire city a great service today."
The surrounding crowd erupted into warm applause, their earlier outrage completely transformed into admiration for the "defenseless, uncultivated youth" who had inadvertently exposed the gate's rotten apples.
Dylan maintained his humble, slightly shaken facade, bowing his head gracefully to the crowd. "I am also but a simple businessman who wish to trade with Soaring Cloud City. I only spoke because I believe in the justice of Soaring Cloud City," he said, his voice laced with practiced sincerity that reached the Chief Gate Guard's ears. "I knew that an honorable organization could not possibly condone such tyranny."
"..." Chief Gate Guard's jaw tightened subtly at the subtle praise. A double-edged sword that publicly bound him to act with absolute fairness.
"Oh so you're a businessman! If you have any problems, do not hesitate to come to me." A fat merchant said proudly, his nose pointing upwards.
"Indeed, young friend! Let me know if you need anything!" Another ebony-skinned merchant offered.
With a cheeky smile, Dylan took advantage of this situation to promote his business "Is that so? I don't ask for much fellow brothers and sisters. I am opening up my business venture in Cirrus Cloud Town! I would really appreciate any sort of promotion to it! It's a restaurant called Garden Ford Tavern that I made and I assure you that the variety of meals and depth of flavors we offer is as vast and deep as the ocean!"
"Hahaha, how cheeky yet smart! I like you, young man. Screw saving face. Promoting your business is important for us!"
"I will send over my men to have a taste of your cuisine. If they like it, then I will consider visiting there haha."
"I can do that too! I look forward to their feedback regarding your restaurant."
"Now, I feel pressured but welcomed pressure. I can't disappoint everyone now, can I? I assure you that all of you will definitely want to visit my tavern!" Dylan assured.
"Oh, how confident! I'm liking you even more!"
"You are welcome to like me, sir. Just not too much, haha!" Dylan joked. His natural charisma and quick-wittedness had made the onlookers to look at him in an even more favorable light.
"He's even joking right now! Hahaha!"
...
As the crowd praised and gathered around Dylan, the Chief Gate Guard forced a warm, authoritative smile, stepping toward Dylan and offering a deep, respectful bow of his own.
"You have our deepest gratitude, young man," the Chief announced loudly, making sure the public heard every word. "To make amends for the distress and delay caused by our former officers, please allow me to personally escort you through the gates. Your inspection is cleared."
"You are too kind, Chief," Dylan replied smoothly, offering a polite salute. "I am merely a humble visitor seeking to conduct my affairs."
As the Chief gestured for him to enter, the crowd parted, cheering and offering encouraging words to the "brave young man." Dylan walked past the unconscious, battered bodies of Paul and Ronald, who were currently being dragged away in chains like dead dogs by their fellow guards.
Passing the threshold of the Northern Gate, Dylan kept his posture modest and his expression serene. But deep within his eyes, a cold, sharp light flickered.
'Paul and Ronald are ruined, the Chief's hands are tied by public scrutiny, and Alistair's little scheme of making my life difficult has already begun,' Dylan thought, the corners of his lips twitching into a microscopic smile.
He glanced back one last time at the towering gatehouse, his mind already shifting to the real threat lurking deeper within the city.
'So, City Lord Alistair... you're already pulling strings from the shadows, are you? Enjoy your little mind games while you can. Because next time, it won't just be your gate guards bowing to me.'