Chapter 430: Town!
Zion stood atop a tall hill overlooking a small but bustling town nestled near the northern edge of the Giant Forest. The evening sun painted the sky in brilliant shades of crimson light and gold.
The sound of merchants calling out their wares, children laughing and playing, and craftsmen working overtime echoed through the warm evening air.
Disguised in a simple traveler's cloak, he walked calmly through the town's paved streets. The townsfolk greeted one another with cheerful smiles, unaware that the man passing quietly among them was their emperor.
He paused near a market square, where a group of children had gathered to watch a street performer juggling glowing stones. Their laughter was pure, innocent, and free of the burdens of war and politics.
Zion watched in silence, the corner of his lips lifting into a rare, gentle smile.
"Looks like things are still stable here, just like the other towns and cities," he murmured to himself.
