ctnovel Chapter 555 The Lord of Star-Moon City
Chapter 555 The Lord of Star-Moon City
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The mansion occupies a vast area, and its outer walls are made of gray-white square stones, about five meters high.
As Lin Tian approached, he could see the fine textures on the stones, and some stones even had the names of the builders engraved on them, though the writing had become blurred.
Every few meters along the wall was a brazier, and even though it was daytime, the flames in the braziers were still burning—these were runic flames that needed neither more firewood nor extinguishing.
The main gate consists of two large ironwood doors, the panels of which are so thick they seem capable of withstanding a battering ram.
The facade is studded with copper nails, arranged neatly, each about the size of a fist.
Above the lintel hangs a plaque with the five large characters "Star Moon City Lord's Mansion". The characters are vigorous and powerful, with a sharp momentum between the strokes, as if the writer is competing with someone when he puts pen to paper.
Two guards stood at the entrance, dressed in standard armor and with long swords at their waists.
The armor was polished to a high shine, and the brass clasp on the sword sheath was also polished to a gleaming shine.
Their rank wasn't high, only around level sixty, but they stood ramrod straight and had alert eyes, clearly indicating they were proper soldiers, not just ceremonial guards putting on a show.
As Lin Tian approached, the guard on the left raised his hand to stop him. The hand moved quickly, rising from his waist to his chest, palm open, fingers closed, clean and crisp.
"The City Lord's Mansion is a restricted area; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter." The guard's voice was not loud, but it was powerful, and each word was pronounced clearly.
Lin Tian stopped and looked into the guard's eyes.
"I want to go to the city lord to apply for permission to go to a level one main city," he said, his tone calm, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.
The guard was taken aback.
He looked Lin Tian up and down – he had an aura of level 70 or higher.
He glanced back at the other guard. The guard nodded slightly.
"Please come in, sir."
The guard on the left lowered his arm, stepped aside to make way for the doorway, and pointed into the courtyard.
"The city lord is in the council hall. After entering the main gate, walk straight, pass through the front courtyard, and the tallest building is there. There's a sign at the entrance, so you won't get lost."
Lin Tian nodded and pushed the door open to enter.
The ironwood gate was very heavy, requiring considerable force to push. The hinges made a deep rumbling sound as they turned, like the growl of some kind of giant beast.
Behind the main gate is a spacious front yard.
How big is the courtyard? I estimate it can fit four carriages side by side with room to spare.
In the center of the courtyard stands a stone fountain, its water shimmering silvery-white in the sunlight, its gentle murmur clearly audible in the quiet front yard.
The fountain's base is a three-tiered stone platform, with a stone-carved crescent moon and star emblem on top. Water gushes out from the center of the emblem, flows down the edges, and falls into the pool at the bottom.
There are corridors on both sides, with lanterns hanging on the pillars.
The lanterns were lit even during the day, their warm yellow light illuminating the stone pavement.
The corridor floor is two steps higher than the courtyard, paved with blue bricks, and makes a crisp sound when you walk on it.
Lin Tian walked through the front yard at a leisurely pace.
He didn't look around, but his peripheral vision had already scanned the surroundings—there was a small door at the end of the corridor on the left, probably used by servants and handymen;
There was a row of flower beds at the base of the wall on the right, planted with some kind of red flower whose name he did not know;
There are several koi in the fountain pool, their colors are very bright, but they swim slowly and calmly.
The council chamber is located on the first floor of the main building and is a spacious hall.
The main building is the tallest building in the entire city lord's mansion. It has three floors and the outer walls are made of the same gray-white square stones as the surrounding walls, but they are polished more finely, and the seams are almost invisible.
The doors to the council chamber were open, letting in bright light—not sunlight, but the light from a crystal chandelier, as the hall had few windows and the lighting was generally poor.
Lin Tian walked through the door.
The hall is rectangular, about 30 meters deep and 20 meters wide.
The size was larger than he estimated from the outside, probably because the walls were very thick and took up a lot of space.
The floor was covered with a dark red carpet, which was so thick that it made almost no sound when you stepped on it.
Four stone pillars stand on each side, their shafts carved with the emblem of Star-Moon City.
A crescent moon encircles a star, the carving is exquisite, the curve of the crescent and the edges of the star are handled very well.
Near the ceiling at the top of the pillar, there are carved outstretched wings, probably for some kind of symbolic meaning.
At the far end of the hall was a long table.
The long table is made of dark solid wood, with a smooth, mirror-like surface that reflects the light of the crystal chandelier overhead.
The table is wide enough for three people to sit side by side, and its length, from one end to the other, is at least five or six meters.
Behind the long table sat a person.
An old man.
He looked to be in his sixties—or older—but he was well-preserved.
Her hair was gray, but very thick, and she combed it meticulously, with each strand lying flat against her scalp.
The wrinkles on his face were deep, as if carved by the wind and frost, especially the forehead wrinkles, which looked like deep ravines.
His eyes weren't large, but they were bright—a brightness that only comes after a great deal of experience has been accumulated.
It's not the kind of brightness that's overtly sharp, but a gentle brightness that can see through everything, like a deep well with a calm surface and an unfathomable depth below.
It's not about sharpness, it's about depth.
He wore a dark blue robe, the fabric of which looked expensive, but without any extra embellishments.
The collar and cuffs were embroidered with silver patterns, the official emblem of Starmoon City, in the same style as the insignia carved on the pillars.
A dark gold belt was tied around his waist, with an oval metal buckle engraved with a small character for "city".
He sat there quietly, without a crown or a scepter, like an old tree that had been rooted there for many years, unmoved by the wind or rain.
As Lin Tian entered the hall, the old man looked up.
His movements were slow, even somewhat slow, as if he had just come out of deep thought.
His gaze fell on Lin Tian, scanning him from head to toe slowly and deliberately, like an old tailor taking measurements.
Then his gaze settled on Lin Tian's face, as if he had finally confirmed something.
"Lin Tian".
The old man spoke, his voice not loud, but very clear, echoing in the hall.
The voice had a peculiar quality, unlike the voice of a man in his sixties—it was full of energy, and the ending of each word was very clear.
Do you know me?
Lin Tian asked. He was indeed somewhat surprised.
The old man's lips curled slightly upwards, but it wasn't a smile; it was just a small movement of his facial muscles.
The wrinkles on his face rearranged as a result of the movement, making it look as if some ancient runes had been activated.
"If I don't recognize a young man like you from Starmoon City, I might as well not be the city lord."