Otherwise, how could the Death Chief Sovereign have allowed Locke to take such a risk?
The Death Chief Sovereign had always felt that her own "Paragon-level" stroke of luck was perhaps meeting Locke.
Had she never met Locke, she would never have known that there were so many interesting things in the world.
Likewise, in terms of cultivation, Locke had shown her many things she had never heard of, never seen, and never even imagined before.
It was also thanks to Locke's help that she had been able to free herself from the influence of faith power and ultimately achieve Paragon in the Death Edicts.
Of course, what delighted the Death Chief Sovereign even more was Loran's birth.
...
Above the forest, a turtle over ten meters long flew through the sky at an altitude of more than a hundred meters. Locke's family sat upon its back, leisurely enjoying themselves.
After experiencing a period of traveling on foot, both Locke and Lilia felt that ordinary Saint-level creatures in the wilderness could not provide Loran with any meaningful training experience.
Thus, they gave Little Black an earth-element Demigod spark. After refining it and advancing to the Deity level, Little Black officially began fulfilling its duties as a "mount."
It had to be said that the mount Loran had chosen, Little Black, was indeed a notch better than the mount Locke had chosen, Little White.
Although a Deity-level Little White was several times faster than a Deity-level Little Black in terms of speed—
In terms of comfort, however, Little Black was superior.
Especially after revealing its true form. Little Black's shell was far larger than Little White's body.
"Master, Bluewing City is just ahead. Are we entering directly, or are we queuing up to enter?"
"Oh?"
Hearing Little Black's question, Loran turned his gaze toward his parents.
Unfortunately, neither Locke nor Lilia paid him any attention.
Although Bluewing City was not the first city Locke's group had encountered during their journey, it was the first city Loran intended to enter.
And while Little Black's question appeared to be directed at Loran, the one he truly wanted to ask was his young master's parents.
After all, to enter a city without waiting in line, one needed a Fiend badge.
Without a Fiend badge, even a Prefect-level expert would have to obediently queue up to enter the city.
Little Black knew that his young master was only a little over ten years old and had never even entered a city to take the Fiend Castle examinations. Naturally, he did not possess a Fiend badge.
Although Locke and Lilia only displayed Saint-level auras outwardly, Little Black was not foolish enough to truly believe his young master's parents were merely Saints.
After all, how could someone who casually used divine sparks to raise a mount to Highgod status possibly be weak?
Little Black even suspected that his young master's parents were at least Six-Star Fiends.
Seeing his parents' reaction, Loran rolled his eyes.
To be honest, when he had first come out traveling with his parents, he had been rather excited.
But later, he had figured it out.
Although he was their child, to his father, it seemed that his mother missing a piece of meat from her meal was more important than him getting injured.
Loran flew up from Little Black's head. When he saw the line stretching several kilometers from Bluewing City's gates, he slowly descended and arrived before Locke.
"Father, can you lend me your Fiend badge?"
"A Fiend badge?"
Locke turned to look at Loran and shook his head.
"Son, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
"Although your father is fairly strong, I'm actually not a Fiend of the Netherworld. I don't have a Fiend badge at all."
"Besides, the ones traveling with you this time are just two Saints. Have you ever seen a Saint carrying a Fiend badge?"
Loran did not believe a single word of his father's explanation.
Although Locke and Lilia had never told him their identities, and thus he did not know that his parents were the strongest Sovereigns—
Whether before or after his birth, Loran knew one thing.
His father and mother were unbelievably powerful.
Even the two pet snakes his mother kept were stronger than any Deity-level expert he had ever seen.
Whenever they stood before his father and mother, they acted with extreme caution, terrified of provoking them.
From this alone, Loran knew his parents were far more powerful than he could imagine.
In his view, the reason his father refused to lend him a Fiend badge was probably because the badge would reveal his father's identity.
Still, Loran did not want to give up so easily.
To Locke and Lilia, this journey from the Netherworld to the Frostsnow Plane was a trial for Loran.
But to Loran, was it not also a trial to uncover information about his parents?
Any clue regarding his parents, no matter how small, was something he wanted to know.
What Loran did not know was that this time, Locke truly was not deceiving him.
The only badge Locke possessed was a Fiend Castle badge from the Infernal Realm.
After arriving in the Netherworld, Locke had never registered as a Fiend. Since then, he had rarely left Mount Abyssal. Where would a Fiend badge come from?
Of course, Fiend badges from the Infernal Realm carried some of the highest prestige throughout the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes.
Using a Fiend badge from the Infernal Realm would also exempt one from queuing.
However, Loran had asked for a Fiend badge of the Netherworld.
When Locke replied that he did not have one, he felt no burden whatsoever.
Because he was telling the truth!
"But Father, with such a long line, we'll have to wait forever if we queue..."
"Loran, if all these people can wait in line, why can't you?"
Hearing Loran's complaint, Locke frowned.
"I know you want special privileges and want to enter the city without queuing."
"But whenever you want something, Father hopes you'll earn it yourself."
"Your mother and I can provide some help."
"But can you be certain we'll always be able to help you? Or help you as much as you need?"
"This experience of waiting in line to enter the city—I hope you'll remember how it feels."
"Then, if you don't want to experience this again next time, register as a Fiend in this city."
"Take the Fiend examinations."
"And become a true Fiend through your own efforts."
"I understand, Father."
Under Locke's lecture, Loran lowered his head.
Thus, the group of four descended and joined the very end of the queue.
During this time, Little Black transformed into human form as well.
Whether by coincidence or intentionally, Loran's appearance resembled a child of four or five years old.
Little Black's appearance, meanwhile, was much older than Loran's. He stood a head taller, looking roughly eight or nine years old.
Locke's group naturally attracted quite a few curious glances after joining the line.
Most people waiting to enter the city were Deities from tribes near Bluewing City.
In terms of power, nearly all of them were Demigods.
Occasionally, there would be one or two Gods mixed in among them, and even they appeared somewhat uncomfortable standing in line.
After all, any God with even a little ambition would register as a Fiend through the Fiend Castle.
Those who had not become Fiends were either too weak and afraid of death, or Gods who had achieved their status by refining divine sparks.
Among Locke's group, there were two Demigods and two Saints.
They were utterly inconspicuous within the line.
The only thing people found strange was that the two Deities were actually children, while the two adults, Locke and Lilia, only emitted Saint-level auras.
Of course, although everyone was curious, people who traveled often understood one principle:
If it had nothing to do with them, they should stay out of it.
Even if disaster loomed ahead, they should focus on saving themselves.
Nobody wanted to stir up trouble.
Otherwise, they might not even know how they died.
The sun hung high overhead.
With Loran's strength as a Water-style Demigod, this amount of sunlight meant nothing to him.
Yet while waiting in line, he repeatedly flew up and down to check how far they still were from the city gates, eventually working himself into a sweat.
Little Black followed behind him, constantly running errands.
If Little Black had been a wind-style Deity, Locke suspected he would have summoned a breeze to cool Loran down.
Fortunately, although their position in line was fairly far back, Bluewing City's entrance inspections proceeded quickly.
In less than an hour, it was finally Locke's group's turn.
Loran took out four inkstones from his interspatial ring and placed them before the registrar at the city gate.
In exchange, he received four entry slips.
Using these four slips, Locke's group passed through Bluewing City's gates and entered the city.
Of course, like everyone else, these slips only allowed them to remain inside until nightfall unless they paid additional inkstones.
Although the inhabitants of the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes were far stronger than those of the Material Planes—
The management of cities was not significantly different.
Aside from Prefecture capitals, which possessed sufficient soldiers to maintain order, large cities, medium cities, and small cities all enforced curfews at night.
When that time came, there were only two options.
Either rent rooms at an inn and stay overnight.
Or leave the city before curfew began.
Once curfew started, city guards were fully authorized to kill any wandering individuals they found roaming the streets.
Knowing this, after entering Bluewing City, Loran first found an inn and rented two rooms.
Only afterward did he bring Little Black to register at Bluewing City's Fiend Castle.
The experience of waiting in line today had made Loran realize just how important a Fiend badge was when traveling through the Netherworld.
"So, Loran is going to register as a Fiend. Aren't you worried something might happen to him?"
At the inn, Lilia looked at Locke's relaxed appearance, sat down opposite him, and asked.
After all, Locke was not even using his divine sense to monitor Loran right now.
If Loran encountered danger, neither of them would know immediately.
"Hah, Lilia."
"Aren't you underestimating our Loran a little too much?"
(End of Chapter)
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