In front of the gates of Winterfell, the inhabitants lined up in two long lines, moving slowly forward. A small team of guards stood guard on both sides www.biquge.info of the gate, cautiously asking about the identity and recent experience of each person who wanted to enter the city, so as to decide to let them go, refuse to enter, or take them to the peace hall for careful interrogation.

They took a clear, hollow stick filled with some kind of blue liquid, and swept it over everyone who was questioned. It is a simple item made by a wizard or alchemist to detect the concentration of mana in the vicinity to determine if there is a magical item, or if someone has had their appearance altered by a secret art.

Of course, it is impossible to discern a specific spell with such a simple prop. But wizards only need to report their identities, and someone will naturally verify and greet them - then again, if a wizard above the middle level tries to break in, the guards of this squad can't even try to stop them.

As the sun set, the line in front of the gate seemed to be shorter than in the morning, but there was still no sign of emptying. The guards looked much more lazy, probably calculating how long it would be before they could change shifts and where to drink.

Two young female travelers walked up to the guards and removed their hoods, revealing their long black hair and slightly delicate faces.

"Your name, your identity, what you're doing here?" The guard yawned and repeated the same question, swiping his baton in front of and behind them. It emits a faint blue light.

"Elena, she's Nia, my sister." The seemingly slightly mature woman nodded to the guard, and with a slight touch of her right hand with the guard's palm, she quietly handed over an imperial silver coin, "We are mercenaries registered in the Guild of Winterfell, this time we will go home and have a look, and find a better task to do by the way." ”

"In this way, the second-level mercenary, or a beginner wizard, is only twenty-three years old...... It's pretty impressive. The guard took the guild certificate handed by the woman, compared it with them for a while, then handed it back, and patted her on the shoulder by the way, "Good job, little girl, I'm optimistic about you!" ”

The two thanked the guards, walked through the gate, and quickly blended into the flow of people on the street.

Naturally, they are Yuffie and Lynn who have changed their appearance. Although he can't change his form as freely as September, it is not too difficult for Yuffie to disguise himself as another person for a short time. Not to mention, Lynn has remained the same as a human most of the time, but she is a real dragon after all...... Well, just the young dragons.

The identification of the two is from Pfister. As the creator of the Guild, the Dream Traveler has many resources at his disposal for special occasions. Yuffie had borrowed Elena's name and appearance, but she had only recently learned that all the experiences of the 'maiden' from childhood to the present day could be verified by various administrations - and only a few people knew that 'she' had never actually been born.

They strolled along the side of the street and enjoyed the city's winter scenery. I don't know if it's because of the cooler climate, or because of the worries of the war, Winterfell at this moment is a little more deserted than when the girl first visited. Most of the broad-leaved trees on both sides of the street have fallen into full bloom, and only a few dry leaves hang on the branches, carried away by the cold wind that sweeps from time to time. Residents of a busy day rush to the scene for a warm drink in a streetside tavern, a few like-minded friends, or someone waiting for their return.

None of that Yuffie and Lynn wanted. They walked along the Avenue of Apricot Trees to the end and turned right. Not far away, insignia engraved with swords, shields, gold coins, and stars sparkle in the night light.

"I'm coming to Kratos." Yuffie pushed open the door and walked to the front desk of the Guild, where stood a man she didn't know, "Where did he go?" ”

The man narrowed his eyes and looked at her, and she looked at the other as well. He was nearly two meters tall and had a very short round head, which made it easy to look like a Saatchi at first glance; Despite the fact that it was winter, he wore a light black tank top, showing off his strong chest muscles and angular arms.

He grinned, revealing snow-white teeth, and a smile big enough to melt the cold.

"Welcome, I'm Fael, Kratos, he has something to do today!" He stepped out from behind the counter, trying to give the girl a bear hug. She stepped back away and shook her head politely.

Fael didn't look embarrassed at all, his face was still full of smiles, "Anyway, I'm here for now, just tell me anything!" ”

"Okay." Yuffie and Lynn looked at each other and decided to at least try to ask, "You should know about the Eddar cult these days, and how they are spreading in this city?" ”

The man scratched his head and continued to smile warmly, "That...... I've heard it's a good sect! But I don't know how to join, can you tell me? ”

"I don't know. Do you have any commissions related to the Imperial Army or the Imperial Family? This time it was Lin who asked, "It's better to pay more." ”

"Ah...... If you ask for it, I don't think so. Fael shrugged his shoulders and propped his chin in a somewhat cute pose, "Maybe you can go to Glow City and ask, someone over there knows, right?" ”

Still nonsense - Glowlight City is the capital of the Empire and one of their destinations, but this is clearly not the answer the two were expecting.

They asked several more questions, including when Kratos would return, and received perfunctory and ambiguous answers. In the end, the two of them could only casually accept a simple commission from the city and bid farewell to Fael. By the time I completed the commission to repair the roof, and got some innocuous news from the owner of the house, it was already late at night.

After washing, the two lay side by side on the spacious and soft double bed of the inn, turned off the lights, and whispered in the dark.

"It seems that at least this kind of big city has not been brainwashed by the 'god Edda'." Yuffie turned his face sideways, feeling the familiar aura of his friend, "That Fael...... I always felt that something was wrong. It would be nice to have a way to find Kratos, even if he wasn't very likable. ”

"Leave Kratos alone." Lynn rolled over and hugged her lightly. The dragon girl's arms were soft and slightly warm - she had always been in the habit of sleeping with something, but fortunately she was still far from the octopus, so Yuffie let her go, "Mother told me before that there is someone here who can tell us the news we want." ”

Yuffie nodded, moving on to the next topic. They discussed spells for a moment, guessed about the current state of the academy, and then fell asleep.

……