264: Chapter 264 Emerald City and the Divine Court's Bounty

The city gate of the Emerald King City was formed by the interweaving of two towering, living ancient trees, emanating a soft, healing green magical glow.

Zhou Wannian stood quietly amidst the caravan and mercenary groups entering the city. His cyan robe was stained with a bit of dust, and he exuded the most ordinary fluctuations of wood-attribute magic around him, perfectly blending into the background of these weary travelers.

The elven warriors guarding the gate held spears flowing with thunder magic, their sharp eyes scrutinizing every passerby. When it was Zhou Wannian's turn, he calmly handed over a small coarse cloth pouch containing several mid-tier magic crystals. The elven guard weighed the pouch, nodded slightly, and waved him through.

The scene inside the city was completely different from the outside. The buildings here perfectly fused flawless white jade with massive living trees. Huge floating wooden platforms, driven by wind magic, moved steadily through the air, transporting various rare treasures and travelers from different realms. On both sides of the street, alchemical shops and magic guild signs flashed with colorful lights.

Zhou Wannian passed through several bustling main streets, turned into a relatively quiet alley, and entered a tavern named the Whispering Leaf.

The light inside the tavern was slightly dim, the air filled with the sweet aroma of fruit wine and the greasy smell of roasted meat. He sat down at an oak table in the corner and casually ordered a cup of the local specialty berry wine.

At the neighboring table sat several heavily armored mercenaries, speaking in hushed, extremely animated tones.

"Have you seen the highest-level bounty notice just issued by the Central Divine Court?" A warrior with a scarred face gulped down a mouthful of ale, suppressing his excitement, "The reward on it is enough to buy a small kingdom in the Southern Borderlands."

"I heard a high-ranking Inquisitor of the Divine Court fell in the Asura Wasteland," a thin man dressed like a thief leaned closer to the table, his voice dropping even lower, "Rumors say the target possesses incredibly terrifying physical strength and masters some extremely rare space magic. The Divine Court is now acting like mad, deploying hounds in every hub city across the realms."

Zhou Wannian's expression did not change. His slender fingers held the rough wooden cup, turning it extremely slowly, his gaze calmly watching the purplish-red liquid inside gently swirl with the motion. The Central Divine Court's reaction speed was a bit faster than he had anticipated, but the distance across the realms ultimately diluted their absolute power.

Thud.

The tavern's heavy wooden door was suddenly pushed open by a rough force.

A heavy, oppressive aura instantly flooded the hall. Three tall figures cloaked in dark golden robes stepped into the tavern. Emblazoned on the armor on their chests was a sun pierced by a sharp sword. That was the emblem of the Central Divine Court's Heresy Inquisition Bureau.

The previously noisy tavern fell into a deathly silence in that instant.

The leading Inquisitor held a magic crystal orb emitting a faint red glow. At the core of that orb seemed to be sealed some extremely keen detection Law. His cold gaze, through the slit of his metal visor, slowly swept over everyone in the hall.

"By order of the Central Divine Court, all travelers must undergo aura verification," the Inquisitor's voice was icy and carried an unquestionable authority.

Zhou Wannian picked up his cup and took a measured sip of the fruit wine. He suppressed the Law fluctuations of the Great Five Elements Illusory World Secret Canon within him to the deepest recesses of his Soul, wrapping them layer by layer with his newly perfected wood-attribute essence. At this moment, in the view of any detection magic, he was merely a low-tier superhuman with ordinary wood affinity.

The Inquisitor walked among the tables, holding the crystal orb.

When he walked near Zhou Wannian, the orb, which had maintained a faint red glow, suddenly flickered almost imperceptibly for half an instant.

The Inquisitor's steps halted instantly. He turned his head, looking down from his height at this man in a cyan robe sitting in the corner.

"You," the Inquisitor extended a finger clad in a cold arm-guard, pointing at Zhou Wannian, "Stand up."

Zhou Wannian placed the cup in his hand steadily on the oak table, wood meeting wood with an extremely soft thud. He stood up, his movements unhurried, his breathing steady, showing not a trace of panic, nor any overly deliberate, feigned calmness.

The Inquisitor moved the crystal orb forward, almost pressing it against Zhou Wannian's chest.

The crystal orb showed no reaction. That extremely brief flicker earlier seemed to have been merely a tiny disturbance caused by the overly dense wood-attribute magical elements within the Emerald King City.

"Where are you from?" the Inquisitor narrowed his eyes, interrogating coldly.

"From the borderlands of the Southern Realm," Zhou Wannian replied flatly, "a traveling scholar."

The Inquisitor's oppressive eyes stared fixedly at Zhou Wannian, holding his gaze for a full three breaths. Zhou Wannian did not avoid the other's gaze. His eyes were hollow and slightly weary, perfectly portraying the demeanor of a long-traveled wanderer accustomed to hardship.

"Keep a low profile," the Inquisitor finally withdrew his gaze, tossed out the cold remark, and turned to walk towards the next table.

Zhou Wannian sat back down on the bench. He picked up his cup and drained the remaining berry wine in one go. The cold liquid slid down his throat into his stomach, bringing a faint burning sensation.

The Divine Court's hounds had indeed caught the scent, but the detection tools in their hands were still unable to penetrate the disguise of the world's fundamental Laws.

He placed a copper coin on the table, ignoring the still oppressive atmosphere in the hall, rose, and quietly left through the tavern's side door. Outside were the brilliantly lit, magically radiant bustling streets. He now needed to find an absolutely safe place to carefully study that Stellar Sea Chart and plan a hidden route that could avoid the Divine Court's surveillance and lead to the next super-large spatial teleportation array.