On the last day of the new year, the atmosphere in the royal capital was very different from the past. The king, who had always been reluctant to spend money, sent people to hang some colorful flags on the road of the New Year parade, adding a bit of festive color to the city.
The New Year parade is an activity that has been passed down since the Black Dragon Empire. Empires can easily fall, but traditions still remain. On this night, the royal family, nobles, and civilian representatives will all participate in the parade on foot. Everyone holds a leather lantern with lighting crystals, oil lamps, or candles inside, and walks around the three holy places in the capital. Naturally, there will be music, singing, and dancing along the way.
Of course, the soldiers guarding the bridge would not let a civilian cross the bridge to the noble district on New Year's Eve. In the early morning of the last day of the year, the bridge leading to the noble district would be closed, and civilians who came to participate in the parade would start queuing on the bridge in the afternoon. Only after being reviewed and approved by the city guards would they be allowed to enter the noble district. Those who participated in the event had to at least dress appropriately and be clean in order to be allowed in. If they could be given a few bronze shields, it would be easier.
As a result, more than 90% of the common people had no chance to participate in such activities. However, the people in the common areas would also find their own fun to celebrate the arrival of the new year. Those who could not go to the other side would hold a more enthusiastic and cheerful spontaneous parade around the river bank and several main roads. Since the number of common people was far greater than that of nobles, this event was naturally more lively than that on the other side.
This grand event that many people in the royal capital were looking forward to was giving Xiao Chen a headache.
The source of the headache was the four women standing in front of her. Xiao Chen was against participating in such a noisy event at this time. Someone had just paid attention to them and tried to test Luo Ling. In his opinion, the best choice today was for everyone to finish the New Year's Eve dinner and go to bed early, but none of the people in front of him were easy to deal with.
"Senior, I received an invitation from Javier and Miss Mei. It's fine if you don't go, but it would be inappropriate for me not to go. Besides, with Miss Mei by my side, what accidents are there to be afraid of?" This is Ye Zi. Not only has her body fully recovered, but her strength has also improved. She has already shown signs of a breakthrough. Under Mei's guidance, she may become a mid-level fighter at any time.
"That's right. Don't you want me to be a good person? Now is my best chance to observe humans. I'll just follow Ye Zi obediently. What trouble can happen?" This is Xiao Mu. She has been quite well-behaved recently. She practices seriously and works carefully. When she has time, she also talks to magic apprentices about the cultivation of mental power. It seems that she cherishes the opportunity to change from a dog to a human.
"Brother Xiao, when people are happy like this, their guard is usually the lowest. I... I can collect intelligence. No one here is more familiar with the capital than me. Do you want me to get into trouble if you take a photo of me?" Catalina said with a smile. As a local, she had heard about the parade in the capital a long time ago and had been looking forward to it for more than a day or two. She estimated that even if Xiao Chen did not agree, she could slip away by herself.
Xiao Chen looked at Luo Ling, sighed and asked, "What's your reason?"
"Do I need to find a reason? Of course I can go if I want to." Luo Ling smiled with her hands covering her mouth, "It's just that they want to go and need your permission, so they drag me along to give them courage. After all, you are the person in charge of this office, and I am just the head of the foreign affairs team."
"Li Tianrui, Roger, what do you say?" Xiao Chen saw the two standing in the room and looked over here furtively.
"Hey, Brother Xiao, I think there's nothing wrong with getting close to the masses." Li Tianrui said, "This is not just my opinion. Comrades all think so. Right, Roger?"
"Sir, if the ladies want to go, it would be better if we protect them."
"Everyone is going? Then who will look after the house?"
"Of course, those who don't want to go can stay at home." Luo Ling replied.
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The task of guarding the house finally fell to Jacob and Li Jia. The former was mature and prudent, and took the initiative to take care of the house, while the latter was because Serinda didn't like this kind of hustle and bustle, and planned to visit on New Year's Eve to spend some time alone. In addition, half of the guards were left behind, and the rest were almost all out.
However, when it came to choosing which parade to attend, there was a disagreement. Almost everyone wanted to attend the parade in the noble district, but Luo Ling wanted to go to the civilian district.
"But the fun things are all in the noble area. The three holy places will have their own programs, the royal palace will be decorated with colorful lights, the Temple of Nature will have New Year's blessings, and the Royal Magic Tower will also have magic shows. The civilian area doesn't have these." Catalina asked puzzled.
"That's not necessarily true. They must have their own excitement there." Luo Ling said and glanced at Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen scratched his head and said, "Since we've decided, let's go. Everyone, be careful. I won't go with you. It's not safe for Luo Ling to go alone, so I'll accompany her."
Catalina said, "Then I'll go with you. I'm more familiar with that place."
Xiao Chen said: "Don't worry about us, we will just walk along the main road, you can go and have fun without worry."
Xiao Chen and Luo Ling parted ways with the others, each wearing a simple set of casual clothes and a cloak, and walked towards the civilian area.
When they arrived at the bridge, they found that besides them, there were actually some people walking from the noble area to the civilian area. These people, like them, were wearing low-key clothes, walking in groups of three or five, and looked very happy.
When passing the checkpoint, the guard saw Xiao Chen's mage badge, nodded and smiled, "I wish you two have a great time."
"Why are so many people from the noble area running to the civilian area?" Xiao Chen took out two copper shields from his pocket and stuffed them into the soldiers' hands.
"Sir, don't you know about the parade in the civilian area?" The soldier was a little surprised. "The parade in the noble area is very orderly, and no one dares to make noise while walking on the road. But the parade in the civilian area is very lively, and the songs and dances are also very different. Those young people who like to move and make noise naturally find it more interesting over there. Besides... many girls from civilian families will also come out to play, and tonight is a good time to hook up with them."
The soldier saw Luo Ling beside Xiao Chen and said, "Of course, there will be a big bonfire party in the market area, and you can see many handsome young men dancing. They have all taken a bath today, so they won't be as dirty as usual. Many young ladies like that kind of excitement."
"It sounds like each side gets what it needs." Luo Ling said.
"Of course, if I can catch the eyes of the nobles and get some reward money, I can use it for a long time in their families. If I am really liked by a young master or a young lady, I can live a good life as a lover."