By evening, the group could already see the silhouette of Dragon City in the distance.
Dragon City was considered a major city in the Heavenly Soul Empire, located in the northeastern part of the empire where the temperature was relatively low. Continuing north from Dragon City, if Huo Yuhao were to fly at his current speed, he could re-enter the Extreme North in less than half an hour.
In the far distance, a world of ice and snow had already appeared in their sight.
It was the first time for both Huo Yuhao and Die Qiu to come to Dragon City. This city, located in the northeast of the Heavenly Soul Empire and serving as the largest city in the empire's northern region, had now been reduced to a temporary warlord stronghold. It was truly lamentable.
The Heavenly Dragon Gate and the Earth Dragon Gate were the two major sects representing Dragon City. However, compared to the warlords supported by the nobility, these two major sects had a much richer foundation.
The mother and daughter pair, Nan Shuishui, guided Huo Yuhao and the Snow Empress as they flew into the city. Everything within the city seemed relatively normal, without the desolate and devastated look of a post-war city. Although the streets could not be said to be bustling with people, not every household had its doors shut. In a cold northern city like this, the population was naturally smaller than in the large cities of the south.
Huo Yuhao followed Nan Shuishui and her daughter as he walked forward, observing his surroundings.
Simple siege equipment was arranged on the city walls of Dragon City. The number of soul tools was not large, and only some ordinary soldiers were guarding here.
Based on this level of defense, if the Sun Moon Empire were to send a divided force to attack in the future, a regular legion equipped with low-level soul tools would be enough to conquer this city.
In a city, there was no place easier to gather information than a tavern. Huo Yuhao decided to take the girls to find a tavern to sit for a while and, at the same time, inquire about the current situation of the warlord forces in Dragon City.
Nan Shuishui and her daughter might know a lot of information, but they hadn't flown to observe the Proud Sword Sect's grand competition. In the time it took for them to travel back and forth, new changes might have occurred in Dragon City.
In a cold northern city, it was truly easy to find a tavern. Drinking could ward off the cold and warm the body, a common hobby of most northerners, and even some women were no exception.
Under Nan Shuishui's lead, the group quickly arrived at a tavern and walked in. The sign of this tavern was not too large, but as soon as Huo Yuhao walked in, he immediately felt a wave of enthusiastic atmosphere rush towards him.
The warm heat was intoxicating. As soon as she entered the door, Die Qiu felt herself enveloped by a wave of heat, and the chill on her body was washed away.
The tavern's area was not large, but the temperature inside was much higher than outside. Some strong men were even drinking with their arms bare.
There were a total of four or five tables and a bar in the tavern, but there were twenty to thirty customers. The tavern was full of clamor, and the atmosphere was very lively.
The Snow Empress keenly noticed that behind almost every table, there were some scantily clad women. They looked to be around thirty years old and were dressed uniformly, clearly belonging to the tavern, specifically to accompany customers for a drink. She subconsciously turned her gaze to Huo Yuhao, her eyes full of threat.
However, although the customers were drinking and joking with them, they kept a considerable distance from them and made no improper moves. It seemed that this was just a custom in Dragon City's taverns. These women accompanying them for a drink were just to liven up the atmosphere.
"Gate Master Nan, it's been a while." A woman walked over and greeted Huo Yuhao and the others who had just entered. Apparently, Nan Shuishui and her daughter were frequent visitors here. She spoke with a heavy northern accent of the Heavenly Soul Empire. Her voice was mellow but had a strong nasal tone. The yellow long dress she wore had the gorgeous style of the Heavenly Soul Empire, but the material was of a slightly poorer quality.
"Mm..." Nan Shuishui nodded slightly. "Are there still seats?"
The woman in yellow smiled at her. "The private room you usually sit in is still empty. Is that okay?"
"Good." Nan Shuishui nodded.
"These guests look unfamiliar. You must be from out of town, right?" The woman in yellow took the opportunity to hand Huo Yuhao a cup of hot water and asked.
Huo Yuhao had reverted to his appearance from his previous life. He nodded. "Yes! This Dragon City is really cold!"
The woman in yellow smiled. "Yes, it is. Looking at what you're wearing, you're probably going to freeze. How about a drink? What would you all like to drink?"
Nan Shuishui said, "Just bring some local specialty wine."
"Alright, please wait a moment then."
The woman in yellow led them into a private room to sit down. The soundproofing of the room was very average, which was just right for hearing the conversations outside.
Not long after, a dozen bottles of amber-colored wine with a rich aroma were brought before Huo Yuhao and the others.
Huo Yuhao raised his cup and sniffed it. Instantly, a strong aroma of wine wafted over. It was clearly a strong liquor.
Smelling the strong liquor, he couldn't help but be reminded of his past life when he had to accompany his boss for business, forcing himself to down cup after cup of wine. Times had changed. He no longer had clients he needed to deal with through drinking. Instead, he had the Snow Empress and Qiu'er, who were devoted to him.
Die Qiu's large, watery eyes blinked, full of curiosity about the dozen bottles of wine before her.
"Want to try some?" Huo Yuhao smiled, poured half a cup of wine, and placed it in front of her. A vine grew from his fingertip and dipped into the wine, as if testing for something.
It had to be said, Huo Yuhao was already traumatized by things he ingested. That Ten Thousand Men Drunk had trapped him for a full three years. At all times, he put caution first.
Seeing Huo Yuhao's cautious look, Nan Qiūqiū couldn't help but pout, casually filled a cup for herself, and gulped it down.
Nan Shuishui, however, saw something different. The reason Huo Yuhao was so wary of what he ingested must be due to some unknown trauma. The world only saw his glory but never understood the hardships behind Huo Yuhao.
After getting the signal that it was safe, Die Qiu immediately took a sip. Instantly, a spicy vapor with a strong wheat aroma entered her throat, as if turning into a line of fire that flowed all the way down to her stomach. The feeling seemed a bit intoxicating.
Huo Yuhao also downed a cup. He did not use his soul power to dissolve the power of the wine. Feeling that stimulating burning sensation, his face couldn't help but become a bit flushed.
Although he wasn't the kind of strikingly handsome youth in his previous life, because his appearance was slightly different from that of the people of Douluo, he had a different kind of charm. Seeing the change in his face after drinking, the woman in yellow's eyes clearly lit up. "Little brother, where are you from?"
Huo Yuhao made up a story on the spot. "I came from the south, to escape the chaos of war here."
The woman in yellow gave him a charming smile and said, "Then you must be careful. The empire is currently in a period of war, and this place has not been spared. Be sure not to provoke those military officers."
Huo Yuhao said without changing his expression, "Could it be that Dragon City is also..."
The woman in yellow did not shy away from anything. Instead, she followed his words and said, "Yes, Dragon City has now been occupied by a warlord. Originally, we didn't pay much attention, but now it seems the situation is a bit grim."
"Oh?" Huo Yuhao looked at her with some surprise and asked, "What has this warlord done?"
The woman in yellow said, "We commoners just want to be able to live. It doesn't matter who is in power. As long as it doesn't affect the common people, the result is the same for us."
"However, these soldiers are conscripting people everywhere, causing many families to be broken up. They are also plundering our property to fill their military coffers."
Huo Yuhao's brow furrowed, and he fell into silence. From the very beginning when he created this situation, not hesitating to stage a warlord partition in the Heavenly Soul Empire, he and Xian Lin'er knew that this turmoil would inevitably lead to devastation. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for the warlords to not harm the common people at all. It was just that the democratic ideology had not yet reached Dragon City, and the people's slave mentality was deeply ingrained. They were just silently enduring.
He could only hope that the ideological awakening of the people of Douluo would be elevated as soon as possible.
Huo Yuhao silently raised his wine cup and toasted the common people whose families had been torn apart. A revolution requires bloodshed.
In this tavern, Huo Yuhao's group did not overhear much useful information. After intentionally or unintentionally asking about the location of the warlord's garrison, Huo Yuhao led the girls out of the tavern.
At this time, the sky outside had already darkened. The flow of people on the streets had noticeably decreased, and the temperature had dropped quite a bit.
In order not to make the several beautiful women too conspicuous, Huo Yuhao took out several large gray robes from his storage soul tool and put them on the Snow Empress and Die Qiu. Led by Nan Shuishui, they walked slowly down the street.
Huo Yuhao planned to go to the warlord's garrison to have a look. There must be an undercover agent arranged there by the Xie Long legion. The speed of ideological liberation needed to be accelerated. It was far from enough to just rely on Zhang Lexuan and the others to spread the ideas.