Ge and the others flew towards Demacia. After crossing a range of mountains, a vast plain unfolded before them. Waves of green grass swayed gently in the wind.
"This place looks quite peaceful," Ge said, surprised as he looked at the scenery below. "It's not what I imagined."
Zhao Xin scoffed, saying disdainfully, "Don't let the surface fool you. The data says that things are not like that inside Demacia."
Cheng Yaowen also nodded: "It's said that their attitude towards Magic here is extremely prejudiced, to the point of outright persecution."
They continued to move forward, crossing the grassland, and the terrain gradually became rolling hills. Ge and the others didn't stop for long, continuing to fly toward the Royal City.
"Speaking of which, do we really have to be so high-profile, as Boss suggested?" Ge scratched his head. "Can't we be more low-key?" He had never liked high-profile actions and was more accustomed to resolving problems quietly.
Zhao Xin laughed heartily: "What are you afraid of? We're so powerful. Besides, the God-King Set that Boss prepared for you is so cool. Wouldn't it be a shame not to be a little high-profile?"
"Exactly," Cheng Yaowen patted Ge's shoulder. "Your white Lion is so cool. If you don't want it, give it to me."
Ge rolled his eyes, thinking how much these two liked to show off, but he certainly wouldn't give away the Lion.
As the three joked, the outline of the Demacia Royal City appeared in their line of sight. The pure white city walls were marked by the passage of time, thick and sturdy, with banners flapping in the wind.
"Looks quite prosperous," Ge lowered his voice. "If I didn't know they persecuted Mages, I would really think this was a good place."
Ge raised his hand and lightly touched his forehead. He then activated the Dark Energy Satellite already deployed over the city, and a series of images appeared before the group.
"No way, this Garen looks way too much like me!" Ge stared at the projection, unable to stop himself from touching his face. "His jaw is squarer than mine, though."
Zhao Xin leaned in for a look. "A little bit, yeah, but he looks much more imposing than you used to. Your old demeanor..."
"Hey, hey, don't bring that up!" Ge's face instantly flushed as he thought of his past loser appearance.
"Brother Xin, don't just talk about me. Your counterpart in this world looks much more composed," Ge teased.
"Nonsense! You don't even look at how old he is!"
After observing, Ge created equipment identical to what the three of them were wearing.
Ge donned the silver-blue Knight Armor, Cheng Yaowen changed into the unique gold-trimmed blue Royal Robe with a Longsword on his hip, and Zhao Xin also changed into a tight light Armor, holding a Spear.
"The set Boss customized is in the Dark Energy Space. We'll switch to that when the time comes."
After tidying up, the three swaggered directly toward the city gate.
The Guards saw them from a distance, and their eyes immediately widened.
One of the Guards rubbed his eyes hard, wondering if he was seeing things.
"This... isn't this Prince, Knight Commander Garen, and Steward Zhao Xin? When did they leave the city?" The Guards quickly lined up, raising their swords and giving a standard Demacian Military Salute.
Ge nearly burst out laughing, feeling nervous and comical at the same time. Zhao Xin quietly kicked him from behind. He quickly suppressed his smile and, pretending to be an aristocrat, slightly raised his chin.
The Guards didn't dare to be negligent and quickly opened the huge central city gate.
The farmers and merchants waiting near the gate to enter the city all stopped to watch and whispered among themselves.
"Who are those people? Why are the Guards so polite to them?" a farmwoman carrying a vegetable basket asked curiously.
A well-dressed middle-aged man next to her explained proudly: "See that young man in the Knight Armor? That's Knight Commander Garen of the Crownguard Family! I heard he recently accomplished many feats on the border and is about to be appointed as the Commander of the Dauntless Vanguard!"
"Wow, he's so handsome!" a few young girls whispered to each other, their eyes shining as they stared at Ge.
The middle-aged man continued to show off his knowledge: "The one holding the Spear is Steward Zhao Xin, who once single-handedly fought hundreds of Noxian Soldiers! Now he is the Steward of the Royal Palace!"
"Wow! That's impressive!"
"The one in the very front is even more extraordinary," the middle-aged man lowered his voice. "That is Prince Jarvan IV! Most importantly, I hear he's still single!"
At this, the girls nearby became excited, their eyes passionately fixed on Cheng Yaowen's back.
The trio passed through the city gate and stepped into the capital of Demacia.
The wide stone-paved road was bustling with people coming and going.
The buildings on both sides were mostly pure white, grand yet refined. The city's residents were neatly dressed and had rosy complexions, looking prosperous.
"The people of Demacia seem to be living well," Cheng Yaowen remarked, looking around.
While the group was observing the Royal City, a small figure suddenly darted out of an alley and directly bumped into Ge.
Because he practiced Wood-Attribute Cultivation, Ge immediately sensed a faint Wood-Attribute Aura on the little girl.
When she looked up and clearly saw Ge's Armor, her small face instantly became even paler. She turned and tried to continue running away but was picked up by Ge.
"Where are you rushing off to? Slow down, don't fall," Ge said, keeping his voice as gentle as possible. He then noticed the little girl was at most seven or eight years old, her clothes ragged, and her hair messy.
The girl trembled with fear, her lips white, unable to speak a word. Just then, a rush of hurried footsteps came from the alley.
Five or six fully armed Mage Seekers rushed out of the alley, carrying specialized Weapons, their eyes behind their masks cold and devoid of emotion.
They were about to make a move but then clearly saw the faces of Ge, Cheng Yaowen, and Zhao Xin, and their footsteps abruptly halted.
The leader of the Mage Seekers quickly removed his mask and bowed to the three: "Esteemed Prince, Knight Commander Crownguard, Steward, we apologize for our offense and beg your pardon."
The remaining Mage Seekers also quickly half-knelt on the ground.
The leader looked up, his tone respectful: "We are a Mage Seeker Squad under Lord Eldredge. We received a secret report that someone had awakened Magic Power and are currently carrying out our mission."
He shifted his gaze to the girl in Ge's arms. "Since the Lord has already caught her, just hand her over to us."
Ge was confused: "Did she do something bad? Did she hurt anyone after awakening?"
He had sensed the girl's weak Magic Power; it would be difficult for her to even kill an insect.
"This little bit of Wood-Attribute Magic Power can at most make flowers bloom faster. It shouldn't warrant arresting her, should it?"
Ge only knew that Demacia banned Magic, but he didn't expect them to arrest even a child with only a tiny bit of weak Magic Power.
The Mage Seeker was stunned, as if he had heard something outrageous: "Lord, what are you saying? Awakening Magic Power itself is a serious crime! Everyone who can use Magic must be locked up in the Anti-Magic Institution for Purification!"
"Please hand her over to us for disposal, Knight Commander Crownguard."
Cheng Yaowen sneered, "It seems this Demacia is exactly as the data described—only glamorous on the surface."
Ge looked down at the little girl in his arms. She was tightly gripping his Armor, her small body trembling slightly.
He had originally intended to complete the mission peacefully, but now he realized that this was likely impossible.
"I will not hand this child over to you," Ge's voice was firm.
Just as Ge was about to act, an odd, high-pitched voice suddenly piped up from the side.
"Oh, isn't this the little Knight Commander of the Crownguard Family and our little Prince? Oh? Even Steward Zhao Xin is here?" The person's voice was very shrill.
"What's this? The three of you dare to openly obstruct the Mage Seekers from enforcing the law? Is this the will of the Royal Family and the Crownguard Family?"
The voice was very irritating. The three looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man in a luxurious robe standing not far away, followed by a Squad of Mage Seekers.
'I don't know who this is, but his face looks very punchable,' Ge silently evaluated.
Zhao Xin directly stepped forward and questioned: "Excuse me, who are you, bro?"
The man raised an eyebrow: "Steward has a short memory. Let me re-introduce myself. I am the Mage Seeker Commander Eldredge."
"What kind of bullsh*t Mage Seeker Commander? Get out of the way! You're blocking the road!" Zhao Xin impatiently waved his hand.
Eldredge sneered: "Oh? Are you truly going to openly shield a Mage in front of everyone? The consequences are not something you can bear."
Ge couldn't be bothered with him and walked forward, still holding the little girl. Unexpectedly, Eldredge suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his arm.
"An ignorant child!" Eldredge wore a disgusting smile.
"We'll be a family soon. You'll have to call me Uncle in a while. Let me teach you a lesson today: some things shouldn't be done casually."
Ge was already disgusted by the man's expression, and being grabbed now made him completely lose his temper. Holding the little girl with his left hand, he directly drew his Greatsword with his right.
"Oh? Are you angry?" Eldredge was unfazed. "Then let your Uncle test your strength today." He slowly drew the Longsword from his waist and looked at Ge.
Ge didn't bother with idle talk and directly brought his Greatsword down.
Eldredge calmly raised his sword to meet it, a relaxed smile still on his face.
He was extremely confident in his Swordsmanship and was already contemplating how he would humiliate Ge after winning.
However, the smile froze on his face the next second.
As soon as his sword met Ge's Greatsword, he felt an irresistible, immense force sweep over him.
The Longsword in his hand instantly shattered, followed by a sharp pain from his right arm.
He looked down and saw that his entire right arm was gone, with copious amounts of blood spurting out.
"Ah!!!"
"Tch, so useless after all."
"Exactly! He came on so strong; I thought he was powerful! Tui." Zhao Xin spat disdainfully toward Eldredge.