Chapter 406: The Princess Goes Out
Yuliya was heading north all by her lonesome.
This Great Star Realm was indeed vast—after fifteen days of wandering, she hadn’t seen the end of it!
Along the way, she passed through many cities, but they were all orc cities. It seemed like this direction was primarily orc territory.
Finally, on the sixteenth day, she laid eyes on a city belonging to the humans.
At last, she was about to see some actual people!
She arrived just outside the city and, keeping it cool, entered.
The entrance was crawling with security, so they asked Yuliya to take off her hood for a peek.
Once they confirmed she was human, they let her through like it was no big deal.
Their main concern was orcs.
The differences between humans and orcs were glaringly obvious—hiding was basically a no-go.
If there were any sneaky beings around, they were certainly not the kind of folks a measly guard could handle.
Once inside, Yuliya looked around and was surprised to find it all rather peaceful.
People were going about their lives and working, completely oblivious to any signs of war.
She stopped by a fruit stand, casually bought a few items, and struck up a conversation with the vendor.
“Hey there, Boss! I’m an adventurer. I heard there’s a war going on around here, but from what I can see, it’s just a chill day!”
“Oh, an adventurer? You’re a bit off course there! The fighting was in the more western lands. But that was months ago. The war got sorted out ages ago. If you head there now, you’ll be lucky to find even a cleaning detail to join!”
“Sorted out?” Yuliya raised an eyebrow. “I was kinda stranded in a far-off place, so I missed the scoop. Who handled the peacemaking?”
“Who else? It’s gotta be the Elves! They’re the only ones with enough clout and ability.”
“Elves?” Yuliya’s eyes lit up. “Do you know how I could find them?”
One of her main goals on this journey was to seek out the Elves! She couldn’t believe this massive realm actually had representatives from all kinds of races—even the Elves!
“How would I know? I just heard other adventurers talk about it. But I’ve actually seen the Elves once before—they’re quite remarkable. You might want to stick around; maybe you’ll bump into one someday.”
“Ha! I’ll pass,” Yuliya chuckled and waved goodbye.
She continued to ask around and found out the Elves were rare in this vast realm. Actively seeking them out would be a challenge.
Though they were few in number, their clout was significant. The Elves were working diligently to maintain peace and stability, smoothing out tensions between all the races.
In other words, they were like those rare Pokémon—hard to find but incredibly valuable!
Even for Yuliya, trying to track down the Elves in this huge place would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Ah well, one step at a time.
To clarify, the current situation was that the Elves were inviting her to their forest, not her barging in unannounced.
How to get there? That’s a puzzle for the Elves to figure out.
She firmly believed that the Almighty primordial spirit had everything under control.
Now that the war was over, and with no clear destination, she’d do what she did best—wander around and enjoy some snacks!
But she still decided to head west, toward the site of the previous conflict.
One day, Yuliya found a nice spot in a town to have a bite.
This town was called Penganlu City, a border town where, on the other side, the orc nation loomed large.
The kingdom of Laisiti, on her side, was the one that previously battled the orcs, but the actual battlefield lay further west.
As Yuliya chowed down with Little Li, she eavesdropped on conversations around her.
Her method for gathering intel? Just stand there and listen!
Suddenly, the crowd grew lively, with someone shouting, “Princess Inif is coming! She’s passing through here!”
Everyone instantly perked up, passing the news like a hot potato, and folks scrambled to get a glimpse of the dazzling princess on the move.
Yuliya couldn’t help but stand up with curiosity.
A princess going out? She usually knew of stealthy escapes that went unnoticed.
Well, she was the only one who did that—or maybe Alisa was forced into such secrecy as well.
Anyway, she wanted to see what a princess from another realm was like.
She nudged a bystander and asked, “Hey, big guy, I’m new here. Who’s this Princess Inif?”
“Oh, Princess Inif? She’s our Laisiti’s first princess—the future queen!”
“Future queen?” Yuliya frowned. “How can anyone be so sure? Royal succession isn’t a light matter.”
“Ah, you outsiders just don’t get it! Everyone knows that as soon as Princess Inif finishes her studies, the throne will be hers. The regent and the ministers announced it publicly at the former king’s funeral!”
“Oh?” Yuliya squinted. “Looks like Princess Inif’s ascension is a done deal then?”
“Absolutely! You’re lucky! You picked a great time to arrive and catch a glimpse of His Highness the Princess!”
With that, the guy continued to stretch his neck, peeking down the road.
Meanwhile, a caravan began to lumber into view.
Yuliya simply stood back, occasionally glancing in that direction.
She could see just fine, no need to push!
Suddenly, she turned her head to the side.
There, four individuals were striding purposefully out of the city.
They were dressed quite normally, looking like everyday passersby, but in a crowd of onlookers, they were too focused on getting somewhere to really engage.
As they passed by Yuliya, she called out, “You folks in so much of a rush? Aren’t you interested in Princess Inif’s grand outing?”
They paused, glancing at her suspiciously, but said nothing as they continued walking.
Yuliya watched them depart, her gaze glinting with interest.
She checked the caravan’s movement and then looked back at the direction the four had taken.
A smirk crept onto her lips as she resumed watching the princess’s entourage.
As the caravan rolled by, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Amidst flowers and applause, the caravan exited the city gates, heading into the unknown.
It seemed Princess Inif was quite the celebrity among the folks!
As the caravan’s shadow vanished, the gathered crowd slowly dispersed.
But not far away, outside a dessert shop, a few silver coins were scattered on a table, with no sign of their owner.
