The urgent sound of horse hooves echoed in the capital city of Luona.

The people busy preparing for the Welcome the New Festival quickly stepped aside. These were the leading horses, a sign of significant events occurring on the main avenues of the capital.

As expected, the governor's carriage suddenly appeared in people's sight, and they immediately cheered.

Rostov was quite influential throughout Luona, and people viewed him as the savior of Luona. He brought tremendous changes, so they genuinely respected this Politician.

Everyone thought that Lord Governor might have important business to attend to; otherwise, he wouldn't use two horses to lead the way. Thus, people voluntarily stepped aside, making the two lead horses seem quite lonely as people cleared the path even before they arrived, rendering them almost unnecessary...

However, if people knew that the respected governor was rushing out to welcome his son, their feelings might change.

Fortunately, most of these citizens didn't know; they only saw the busy Lord Governor.

Aevernan sat anxiously across from the governor; it was his first time riding in the governor's carriage. To be honest, since the advent of steam vehicles, Aevernan, responsible for transportation, seldom rode horses or carriages...

He looked at Lord Governor still sitting in this carriage, somewhat puzzled, wondering why someone who advocated for reform continued using such a traditional mode of transportation.

At this moment, Rostov did not notice Aevernan's expression. At any other time, such minor details would not escape his eyes, but now his mind was in disarray, really due to Hustace.

Rostov had only this precious son, and it would be strange not to treat him as a treasure. He always indulged his son and rarely stopped Hustace from doing anything—were it not for his wife's discipline, Hustace might have become a prodigal son long ago...

But these are not the main points. The main question is why this child, now back, cannot enter the city?

Rostov considered many possibilities, but none seemed plausible to him.

Whether injured or accompanied by others, his son could enter the city without any doubt.

If it were a kidnapping, no one would be foolish enough to demand ransom at the city gate... Moreover, the sound signaling Young Master Hustace's safe arrival would not have been transmitted if it were a kidnapping.

Could it be a contagious disease? Even more unlikely as the Thunder Army at the city gate doesn't possess the ability to identify infections, and since it's winter, such viruses shouldn't appear...

What exactly is preventing his son from entering the city? Rostov thought of many reasons, but he dismissed them all.

However, Rostov understood that the inability to enter the city was definitely not because his son couldn't, but because he didn't want to!

Hence, he felt uneasy. Could it be that his son really discovered something unusual in Guru Mountain that changed him, prompting another adventure? This was the last thing he wished to see; he didn't want his son to venture beyond the capital. He wanted him safe and sound...

But he had to wait to see Hustace before making any decisions. After all, his son was no longer a child; he had grown and was beyond being forced, although he never forced Hustace to do anything...

Rostov rubbed his eyes, feeling mentally exhausted. Matters concerning his son were more complicated than any other business in Luona, something he had never anticipated...

Thinking about it was futile; he had to wait until reaching the city gate to figure things out.

From the Twin Star Grand Hall to the city gate, there was still some distance, which now seemed long in Rostov's eyes.

Meanwhile, Nakasha also felt the waiting time dragging on.

According to his expectations, once his message was sent, Lord Governor would definitely send someone over, and everything would be clarified. By then, even without the governor's letter of command, these wooden-headed Thunder troops should allow Young Master Hustace and others into the city!

But he had to wait for this process, as the distance from the Twin Star Grand Hall to the city gate was not short and couldn't be covered instantly.

Unknowingly, it was already noon, and stomachs growled with hunger. The Thunder Army began their shift for lunch, and their meals were far better than the dry provisions Nakasha and his companions had eaten along the way, causing them to swallow hard. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

However, the Thunder Army was not wooden; they also knew that the young lad opposite was the son of Governor Rostov. So, they brought over some food and temporarily set up a table and chairs for Young Master Hustace to enjoy.

But Young Master Hustace did not indulge alone nor asked for more; he merely shared the decent meal with everyone...

Thus, Nakasha and his companions had a decent Thunder Army meal along with their dry rations...

Although Nakasha, with his anxious mind, hardly tasted anything, it was a different story for Igor and others. It was the best lunch they'd had in a while, complete with all the seasonings! Igor couldn't help but lick his fingers after eating, leaving Perkins beside him dumbfounded, wondering how long it had been since he'd tasted something so delicious...

Shortly after lunch, another urgent clatter of horse hooves approached...

Nakasha's heart surged; people from the Governor's Mansion were finally here. Now he wanted to see how these wooden-headed Thunder troops would justify denying Young Master Hustace entry.

But when he looked closely, his entire being was dumbfounded.

Damn, it was the leading horse, and following behind was Governor Rostov's carriage!

Governor Rostov personally came to take his son back!

The Thunder troops naturally noticed this, and all of them straightened up, for the arrival of Lord Governor was their honor.

The two leading horses halted abruptly at the city gate, demonstrating the knights' skills.

"Lord Governor has arrived!" a knight shouted.

Then the Thunder troops stood at attention and saluted!

This scene left Nakasha astonished. Although there were less than ten Thunder troops at the city gate, the aura they presented now was stronger than that of a whole League Guard team. Not to mention the saluting action, uniform and seamless...

Is this the discipline of the Thunder Army? Seeing it firsthand, it indeed lived up to its reputation...