Rebirth of the Phoenix God

In just a few moments, Fen was sent back to the other queue, reaching almost all the way to the first major turning point of the main street. Looking to the front, the speed at which the line moved forward made the young man wonder whether the would even manage to reach it before the night.

At the very least, Fen never intended to go through the thorough checking process. The young man perfectly aware of how brittle his disguise was. In fact, save for clothes, he didn't even change his general look!

That's why, after only about an hour of standing in the queue, when his position moved right beside the entrance of some small alley, Fen made sure to disappear right away in it!

In one instant, from yet another potentially suspicious person, he turned into just your average traveller who just so happened to lose his way and wander off to this exact street! A few moments later, the young man emerged back to the main streets, only a fewteen meters away from his original position.

Thankfully, no guard was capable of watching over such a huge crowd all the time, meaning that his escape most likely went through unnoticed. But to escape from a potentially dangerous place and to be completely free of danger, was two different things.

Even if Fen managed to avoid being found out through the intense controlling session at the gate, the fact that he was confined to the city didn't change. With every moment that he lingered there, the chances of someone sniffing him out continued to increase!

Soon, the young man's legs carried him all the way back to the Inn that he spent his last pleasant night at, as if the situation where he remained in the town could only be resolved by booking yet another visit in that place. To his surprise though, doing so ended up tipping him off about how real the danger actually was!

"So, how long ago did he leave?"

Stopping himself from walking right into the open patio in front of the main Inn's gate, Fen bent in half, pretending to fix some problem around his shoes. With his ears pricked, sentence after sentence continued to flow into his brain, filling the young man with terror.

"I got it. Young man, dignified look, was looking around for liquid metal and planned to leave the city today through the eastern gate. Tell your boss that his tax exception ticket will wait for him at our office. Company, with me!"

The group that talked with the exactly same girl that was not only guiding Fen around the Inn but even offering her charms for the night service, didn't look like soldiers. Just the fact that each of the seven people that twitched when their clear leader issued his order each wore a different set of armour and equipment, clearly personally suited for every single one of them made the young man certain that he was dealing with an opponent way smarter and craftier than any gigantic organisation like Inquisition.

He was dealing with mercenaries!

"Yes, sir!"

At this point, it became clear that this group didn't really care whether anyone would take notice of them or not. Given how crowded this city was, even with how peculiar they looked once someone paid a bit of attention to them, as soon as they would mix with the crowds flowing through the streets right away, they would regain their complete stealth. 

It seemed as if the crowd wasn't Fen's ally, but a potential trap where the life as he grew to know would come to an end once again!

'Fuck, what to do…'

Straightening himself up and instantly picking the pace, Fen moved along with the crowd, using the fact that the group of mercenaries that he was lucky to spot moved in the opposite direction, towards the eastern gate. 

It wouldn't take a genius to understand that finding out the traces of Fen's presence there would only take them a moment! And given the situation, even just how much more confident they could be with their actions given how they most likely worked directly for the royals or inquisition, it was only a matter of time before Fen would end up in their hands!

Unless…

Unless he went to a place where the official authority of any local power was completely meaningless!

Even without visiting the place himself, Fen could tell how the infamous Thief's gate was actually a major place in the city. Not only was it located at the single entrance of the Highway from the capital part of the road, it even managed to ingrain its status into the hearts and souls of the local inhabitants, making them shudder even when only mentioning it!

If such a place existed, then as dangerous as it might be for anyone, it could actually end up being Fen's safe haven!

'There is no time to waste, then. Let's get moving!'

Hyping himself out in his thoughts, Fen didn't take long to slightly redirect his course through the extensive network of the city road. Even during the times when he was actually an important figure as Arcanist apprentice back in Akhaz, all the respect that was instantly given to him as long as he flexed the emblem of his robes made the young man uncomfortable to the point where he actually hid those dress under some simple robes he bought, before going off for a trip incognito!

Those several occasions when Fen toured the city without escaping to the usage of his fake status taught him that rather than opposing the wishes of the crowd, one could move along its side in order to properly commune through the vast distances of the town!

With the general direction of the criminal-infested district in mind, in less than an hour, Fen could notice a huge difference to his surroundings. While there was no distinctive difference in the way the building was built or decorated, just the atmosphere of the place was enough to suffocate anyone of the lesser will.

But as repulsive vibes as this place was giving off, the frantic ringing of a city bell that resounded in the area just a moment ago was the best indicator of how lucky Fen was to reach it before the city-wide chase could begin!

"What the heck do you want here?"

Even sooner than Fen expected, one of the nearby building's gate crashed open, releasing a small crowd of the thuggiest looking thugs into the street. In one instant, Fen was completely surrounded by the mob full of armed people. 

"I only want to get off the city without all that pesky controls at the gate. I heard that doing so here might prove to be less… Problematic to do so."

There was no point in hiding his intentions here. People like the ones that currently surrounded him would smell some stupid lie from a mile away, so proving that he was actually interested in what they had to offer was in Fen's best interest.

"That will cost you quite a bit."

Instantly latching on the chance of earning quick money, one of the biggest men out of the group walked a few steps forward, nearly pushing his muscular chest into Fen's face.

"Ten silvers. Give or take."

This price was bad. If it was anything lower, then Fen could still consider accepting the offer and just getting rid of the people around, but now he simply couldn't do so. If he was willing to give out so much to the first group that approached him, then there would be no end to unofficial mugging! If that situation were to occur, there would be a huge chance that he would ultimately lack the money to bribe the people he actually needed to convince about the profitability of helping him out!

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can accept that."

Not bothering to even raise his head to see the bunch's leader face, Fen momentarily unlocked just a fraction of his potential. Back in the days he spent in the forest, training this little trick of his has become a habit for the young man. After all, he never knew when he would get into the trouble, and without anything to protect himself outside of the skills he obtained by living off the forest, the chances of ever reaching the border would be too slim to bet his life on them!

"Then we will take all your money anywa…"

Not willing to take the no for the answer, the huge man was about to erupt and escalate the situation all the way up, when Fen simply placed his hand on top of the burly man's chest. 

It couldn't be even called a hit, as this movement was closer to some kind of bonding ritual between brothers in the arms.

"Huh?"

That was the sole reaction of the man, as his feet suddenly lost the touch with the ground, when Fen's powerful slam sent him flying across the street, right back into the gate where he emerged from!

"Hey, you!"

Sadly, it seemed as if this action would have its price, as a group of relatively better-dressed men, all equipped with the same kind of swords appeared in the vincity!