Nestled within two towering mountains, Thorne City stood as a testament to the legacy and power of the House of Thorne. A city filled with grandeur and sophistication that served as the main headquarters where the Thorne family resided. Its walls, forged from the two mountains that flanked its sides, exuded an ancient aura.
Various runes were carved into it, which only increased its majestic appeal to any who saw it. However, right now, Adrian's attention wasn't on the magnificent walls, but rather on the city gates.
Multiple array flags could be spotted in various areas around the two city gates. They definitely werent there the last time he departed from the city.
For some reason, staring at those array of flags planted outside the city gates, Adrian became increasingly anxious.
What was even weirder was that the guards at the city gate were preventing people from leaving the city. The second city gate, which people used to leave the city was closed. This meant that People could only enter the city, but none could leave. This made him even more skeptical of the situation.
Thorne city was run solely by the members of the Thorne family. No other noble family besides them could reside in the city.
All the shops in the city were either run by the Thorne family or had to pay tax to them.
This was the situation in basically all the major cities run by the great families.
'What's going on?' he thought. He didn't rashly enter the city. Who knew what kind of arrays were set up? Perhaps rashly entering would trigger something unexpected.
Adrian decided to sneak into the city. Unlike others, since he was the heir of the House of Thorne, he was aware of things others were not. Secret entrances and hidden paths into the city were common knowledge for him.
Before they got into the line for carriages to enter the city, he quickly informed the servant to stop the carriage. He got off and instructed the servant to enter in his place. Though confused, the servant still did as he was told.
The swift change went unnoticed by the surrounding individuals as everyone was minding their business in line. He quietly drifted far away from the crowd and then turned in a different direction. He was heading towards the west, where one of the mountains flanking the city stood.
He ran at top speed and was soon able to arrive at the mountain after a few hours. By that time, the carriage he was previously in had already entered the city. The arrays didn't have any reaction, and everything worked out smoothly.
Of course, this was because Adrian wasn't inside. Without his knowledge, he had just avoided a major disaster for himself by making that simple decision.
In an inconspicuous corner on the mountain, Adrian stood in front of a large boulder. There was nothing special about it, as there were many others just like it where he stood.
He took a deep breath and, with a punch, he firmly struck the boulder square in its center. The point where his fist struck the boulder crumbled, revealing a small, rectangular-shaped hole.
Without wasting time, he retrieved a talisman from his storage ring and placed it into the hole. As soon as the talisman entered the hole, a faint tremor reverberated in the surroundings before a small hole appeared right beneath Adrian.
Adrian promptly fell for a few dozen meters before landing in the center of a small narrow area. On the ground were runic patterns which suggested a formation. He swiftly retrieved a small crystal from his storage ring.
Immediately the crystal appeared, the patterns on the floor lit up before engulfing Adrian in a blinding light. When the light subsided, Adrian was no where to be found.
He opened his eyes to find himself in a room in the outer regions of the city. This house, outwardly belonged to a small shop owner that resided in it with his family. However, it was one of the secret passages into Thorne city.
This was Adrian's first time using such passages. Knowing about it and experiencing it were two different things entirely. Since it was currently mid-day, the house was currently empty. This wasn't a problem for him as he swiftly left the building.
He used a scarf to cover his face and entered the city streets quietly. After entering, he began to make his way back to the House of Thorne briskly. Usually, he would have called a carriage to take him back, but now he didn't think that was a good idea.
As he made his way silently through the city, he noticed some men wearing black robes and hoods all over the city. Normally, he wouldn't have paid attention to them because there were all kinds of people in the city, and people wearing hoods were not uncommon on the streets. What drew his attention to them was that they were constantly walking back and forth through the streets. It was as if they were patrolling.
Adrian made a mental note to inquire about them as he continued to make his way back to his home while stealthily avoiding them. The closer he got to his house, the more black robes individuals there were. It made it increasingly difficult for him to avoid them.
He has to make a lot more detours in order to avoid them. Even though nothing had happened and the streets looked relatively normal, he still decided to avoid them until he knew exactly what was going on.
One thing about Adrian was that he always trusted his instincts. Only after verifying something thoroughly would he choose to engage in it. This was part of his upbringing as the heir of the Thorne family. Someone who was going to inherit the family could not make rash decisions.
As his thoughts wandered, he spent the rest of the day walking towards the core of the city. However, Thorne city was too large. Such a journey wasnt something he could make in the remaining time left. As the sun began setting, Adrian turned the corner of a street and entered into a nearby inn.
He had already reached the inner regions of the city where the fairly wealthy individuals resided. Naturally, the inn was much more expensive than the one he stayed at in Stonehold city. Of course, money wasn't a problem for him.