Lust System: Conquering the World Beauties

After another stretch of riding, the scenery around them gradually began to change. The endless fields they had crossed for most of the day slowly gave way to a wider road packed down by countless travelers, and the farther they went, the more signs of civilization appeared. Wagons rolled in both directions, merchants called out to one another from the roadside, and occasionally Liam caught sight of groups of armed travelers moving toward the same destination.

Nobody had needed to ask where they were going.

The enormous structure rising beyond the horizon made it obvious.

At first, it looked like a mountain.

Then the distance between them and it gradually disappeared, and the truth became impossible to miss.

It was a city.

Liam slowly pulled on the reins, bringing his horse down to a slower pace as he stared ahead. The others followed his gaze, and for several seconds nobody said anything. They had traveled through villages, forests, caves and dangerous wilderness, but none of them had seen anything remotely comparable to what stood before them now.

The walls were enormous.

They rose so high into the sky that the upper sections disappeared slightly into the haze, making it impossible to see what existed beyond them. Towering structures stood at regular intervals along the wall, each one reinforced with thick stone and metal. The entire city looked less like a place built for ordinary people and more like a fortress designed to survive an invasion from an army.

Tatiana’s eyes widened.

"Wow."

She unconsciously leaned forward on her horse.

"I’ve never seen anything like this."

Liam smiled slightly.

Neither had he.

The closer they came, the more details became visible. Large banners hung from the towers, and enormous metal structures were positioned above the walls. There were guards everywhere, their armor reflecting the sunlight as they watched the approaching travelers.

Then Tatiana noticed something above the entrance.

A large symbol had been carved into a stone pillar.

Beneath it were words that were easy enough to understand.

NO FLYING WITHIN THE CITY WALLS.

Tatiana frowned.

"No flying?"

Liam nodded.

"Looks like it, that rule feels personally offensive."

Irina rolled her eyes.

"You have two feet. Use them."

Liam gave her an offended look.

"My feet are excellent. My wings are better."

Tatiana laughed quietly as they approached the enormous gate.

A long line had already formed outside it.

People stood patiently beneath the towering entrance, most of them carrying bags, weapons, merchandise or other belongings. Some were alone while others traveled in groups. What immediately caught everyone’s attention, however, was the small silver coin held by nearly every person waiting in line.

Gregor leaned forward slightly.

"Is that the entrance fee?"

Liam nodded.

"Apparently."

Gregor looked at the coin again.

"One silver?"

Agatha glanced toward the line.

"That seems expensive."

Gregor looked back at Liam.

"So it costs one silver coin to enter the city?"

Liam shook his head.

"Not exactly."

Everyone looked at him.

Liam continued explaining while guiding his horse toward the end of the queue.

"Not everyone has to pay it. City residents can come and go as they please. The fee mainly applies to traders, business people and first-time visitors."

Gregor’s eyebrows rose.

"So once we pay the silver coin, we won’t have to pay again? We can enter, leave and come back whenever we want?"

Liam smiled.

"No."

Gregor’s expression immediately changed.

"The silver coin only gives you permission to stay for a week."

"A week?"

"Seven days," Liam confirmed. "After that, you’re expected to leave unless you have some other form of permission to remain."

Leonid chuckled.

"That sounds easy enough to avoid."

Liam looked at him.

Leonid shrugged.

"How would they even know I’ve been there for more than a week? I could walk through the gate and simply refuse to leave."

Liam’s smile became slightly wider.

"You’ll see for yourself."

Leonid stared at him suspiciously.

"What does that mean?"

"You’ll see."

Before Leonid could question him further, they reached the end of the queue.

The horses slowed to a stop.

They came down as they joined the queue.

People continued joining behind them, and within a few minutes the line had become longer and more crowded. The space between everyone gradually disappeared as newcomers packed in behind the group.

Irina happened to be standing directly in front of Liam.

At first she didn’t think anything of it.

Then she turned around.

She immediately regretted it.

Liam was close.

Much closer than she expected.

There were so many people behind them that there was barely enough room to move, and Liam was only a short distance behind hers. From where she stood, she could smell him.

It wasn’t anything overwhelming.

It was simply clean.

A faint combination of fresh air, leather and the natural scent of someone who had spent days traveling outdoors, with something warmer underneath that she couldn’t quite identify. It was an oddly pleasant scent, and because Liam was standing so close, there was no way to ignore it.

Then she looked up.

His face was right there.

His dark brown hair fell naturally across his forehead, slightly tousled from the journey. His deep blue eyes looked even sharper at such a close distance, and the structure of his face seemed almost unfair. His jaw was sharply defined, his cheekbones prominent without looking exaggerated, and his skin still carried that strange healthy glow that seemed almost impossible considering everything they had been through.

Irina stared for half a second too long.

Then Liam smiled.

It was a simple smile.

Nothing more.

But somehow it made everything worse.

Irina immediately turned toward the gate.

Her expression became tense.

"What is wrong with me these days?"

She muttered the words so quietly that she hoped nobody had heard.

Liam leaned slightly forward.

"Are you okay?"

Irina’s eyes closed.

"Yes."

She answered too quickly.

Then, realizing how suspiciously fast that sounded, she added,

"Yes, yes. I’m fine."

Liam blinked.

That was strange.

Very strange.

He was about to ask again when the line suddenly moved.

Someone behind them pushed forward.

The movement wasn’t particularly aggressive, but because everyone was standing so close together, the force traveled through the line.

Liam shifted.

His body moved forward.

And before he could react, he collided with Irina.

Irina froze.

Her entire body stiffened.

She suddenly found herself pressed directly against Liam, with his chest against her back because there was nowhere else for either of them to move. The crowded line gave them no room to separate, and the warmth coming from behind her immediately made her mind go completely blank.

She could feel his breath near the side of her neck.

Her heart began pounding.

For one terrible second she couldn’t even remember how to breathe.

Liam, meanwhile, looked over his shoulder with an expression of pure annoyance.

"Leonid, what are you doing?"

Leonid’s eyes widened.

"Me?"

"Yes, you!"

"It wasn’t me!"

Leonid immediately raised both hands.

"Someone behind me pushed."

Liam frowned.

"What happened to your strength?"

Leonid stared at him in disbelief.

"What happened to yours?"

Liam opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

He looked down briefly.

He had a point.

The push had happened unexpectedly, and Liam hadn’t been prepared for it either.

"I wasn’t even prepared."

The moment the words left his mouth, Liam’s expression changed.

He slowly covered his face with one hand.

"That sounded ridiculous."

Leonid snorted.

"You think?"

Liam lowered his hand.

"Fine. Forget I said that."

Leonid shook his head, amused.

"Gladly."

Neither of them noticed what was happening directly in front of them.

Irina was having an entirely different battle.

She could feel Liam’s breath against the side of her neck whenever he spoke. She could feel the warmth of his chest against her back, and the crowded line made it impossible to create any meaningful distance between them.

She knew it was accidental.

She knew Liam wasn’t trying to do anything.

That somehow made it even harder.

She swallowed.

Don’t turn around.

That was the first thought that entered her mind.

Then she immediately turned around.

Her eyes caught his face again.

She shouldn’t have looked.

She knew that.

But she did.

Her gaze dropped for the briefest moment and landed on his lips.

Irina’s heart skipped.

She quickly looked away.

Why am I looking at his lips?

She clenched her teeth.

The thought disappeared almost as quickly as another one replaced it.

For one dangerous moment, she imagined grabbing his face and pulling him closer.

She immediately shut the thought down.

No.

Absolutely not.

She faced forward again, trying desperately to pretend nothing was happening.

Behind her, Liam remained completely oblivious to the internal chaos he was causing.

He simply adjusted his position as much as the crowded line allowed and waited for them to reach the gate.

Ahead of them, the guards continued checking travelers one by one.

The massive city gates stood open.

Beyond them was a world none of them had seen before.

And somewhere inside that enormous city was the blacksmith Liam had been told to find.

But for Irina, getting through the gate suddenly felt like it was going to be much more difficult than she had expected.