Chapter 124: Infiltrate
After crossing the Solaris border, not before paying a huge amount as border fees, the group faced the Lunar Dominion’s far stricter scrutiny. As a realm steeped in magic, its security was formidable, several times surpassing that of the Solaris.
Five mana wave scans probed for hidden signatures, questions that dug deeper for the reason for their visit, and mana trackers that continuously hummed with relentless precision. They narrowly escaped being assigned a "guard" to shadow their stay, but only by paying an exorbitant fee, several times Solaris’s price, without a hint of protest.
Finally cleared, they stumbled into the nearest forest, collapsing among gnarled trees under the Dominion’s pale, rune-lit sky. ’Who knew just sneaking past two borders could be this grueling?’ Mirta thought, her muscles aching. However, one final hurdle loomed. Though it wouldn’t be as strict as what they just went through, they had to move correctly.
It was the main entrance to the Flameheart Kingdom.
Joining a throng of travelers, they summoned a carriage, and the ten Mistars executives climbed inside, while the Second Executive took the reins. The Mistars had already consumed three-quarters of their recovery potions to sustain their invisibility mist, and they’d need to maintain it through this last checkpoint.
Hours dragged as they waited in line, the carriage creaking under the weight of five hundred hidden souls.
When their turn came, a voice rang out. "Donto!" The man’s voice was one of surprise as he saw the second executive.
"Tim, is that you?" Donto leaped down, embracing his old friend with a hearty laugh.
They bantered, their voices echoing over the bustling border. Unnoticed, Donto slipped Tim a heavy pouch of coins, the exchange masked by their reunion’s warmth.
The group watched, stunned. Donto had warned them of the Flameheart royal family’s vast numbers—tens of thousands strong, but to find Tim, an ordinary security chief, among them? His eyes didn’t match the rumored royal mark—one blue, one red—but his red and black eyes felt too close for coincidence.
After greeting themselves, Donto got back on the carriage, and,