The one-storied house had three bedrooms and Faxul and Daneel were led to one which had two separate single beds by the kid who was still smacking his lips, savoring the tasty broth they had all just had.
After a good night's rest, the two departed after leaving behind a little silver in their bedroom even though the family had insisted that they would take no payment as there was no way that their home could pare to a proper inn.
Resuming their journey, the duo passed through many villages and towns while stopping in each for a little while to find out the living conditions and thoughts of the people.
As they did so, Daneel felt more and more that his supposition had been correct: this Kingdom really was like a cult, but it was an open one.
This mainly stemmed from seeing the utter devotion almost everyone had for the deity. Aside from this, the desire to serve and protect their Kingdom and uphold the pride of the Black Raven was also something which they heard repeatedly from both kids and adults alike.
Although the Black Raven King was also talked about fondly due to his actions to make the Black Raven Kingdom known to the world, it was clear that his importance was much lesser when pared to the deity in people's hearts.
Also, the taxes in the Kingdom at the moment were absurdly high, but almost no one plained, quoting that it was all for the "Good of the Kingdom".
40% of what the people earned was taken by the government, but there were few starving families because of the attitude of the people to not shirk away from helping their "own kind".
The foreigners were few and far in between, and the only one that Daneel had interacted with had run away when he had asked if he felt dissatisfied with the Kingdom.
All in all, this was one of the most unique Kingdoms that Daneel had ever seen.
On finally arriving at the Capital, he was quite amazed to see the landmark which had been praised by many along the way: "The Raven that Watches"
This was a gigantic statue on top of the central gate of the Capital who looked down at all those entering the city.
Apparently, it was said that the spirit of their deity was still present in the two such statues in the Kingdom, watching over them and taking care of them even if he wasn't present in person.
The other statue was, of course, in the Throne Room, and it was said that both were identical except for the size with the one on the Gate being 3 times larger than the other.
While walking into the Capital after showing the token he had been given at the border, Daneel really did feel as if someone were watching him.
Yet, try as he may, both he and the system couldn't figure out just who or what it was.
Having no other option but to shrug it off, Daneel and Faxul made their way to an inn before taking a room and settling in.
After messaging Elanev their location, Daneel was just about to sit on the sofa when he heard a knock on the door.
The first reaction that both of them had was panic, as no one that they were staying at this location except Elanev.
Could he have been promised?
Calming down, Daneel shouted, "Who is it?"
"plimentary dinner. The owner felt that you two looked hungry, so she sent me up with today's broth."
Hearing the sweet voice of a maid, Daneel relaxed a bit and asked the system to use the Anti-Surveillance Tool to scan the outside of the door.
[Two individuals found. One is an Eminent Human Level Fighter with a Black Raven of similar level on his shoulder. The other is a female who is still training to reach the Amateur Human Level.]
A Black Raven Fighter? Why was one looking for them?
Thinking quickly, Daneel shouted back, "Just a moment! I was just about to take a bath! Son, get up! Sleeping the moment you came to the room, humph! Just wait till we get back to the farm!"
After puzzling Faxul with these words, he silently walked to his friend and whispered, "There's a Black Raven Fighter outside. Just stay calm and play along. Let me handle it."
Seeing Faxul nod with the panic leaving his face, Daneel made a few stomping sounds before throwing a few clothes from their bag on the bed and walking to the door.
As he opened it, he saw a blade ing towards his neck.
Daneel wasn't a regular man who would have felt helpless on witnessing such a sight. His fast reflexes and eyesight which came from being an Exalted Human Fighter allowed him to see that the intention wasn't to behead him; it was just to stop the blade at his neck to act as a threat.
This was evident from the speed of the blade, which was already slowing down the closer it got to his neck.
Even though he could blow this opponent away with a single punch, Daneel froze and allowed the blade to nick his neck, making a small stream of blood flow.
After waiting for a few milliseconds, he made a frightened expression e on his face before letting out a whimper due to the pain that came from the cut.
"Wha-what's going on? I've done nothing wrong!
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