God-Given Three Wishes

Chapter 21. Fun at the City Gates

A large city stood in the middle of a huge beautiful plain, a large towering wall surrounded the city and a behemoth gate stood there mightily, acting as the only entrance in and out of the city. Sapphire city was busy as usual today. The local marketplace was brimming with noises of merchants loudly advertising their products and people who were angrily bargaining for a lower price. Its shops were filled with the voice of shopkeepers and street-side swindlers desperately trying to gain the attention of the people passing by on the brown brick streets. And at the end of the long trailing street was a huge gate which was patrolled by half a dozen guards who were at peak gathering realm.
"Morning guys!" A guard dressed in a light silver armor walkout from a house and walked towards the gate and happily greeted the others who were already there with a hearty wave.
"Morning Sir Gerald!" the others saluted and loudly replied as they happily smiled as Gerald slowly walked forward to a table that was at the entrance of the gate and in front of the table was a huge queue of people who were standing in a long line,
"Today, just like usual, so many people are already queued up, and its only morning," Gerald helplessly spoke as he looked at the long line of around a hundred people.
"So who's first up?" Gerald helplessly spoke as he sat down on his wooden chair and raised his head.
"Heh-? Children, where are your parents?" Gerald confusedly asked. There were two little kids that were holding an infant with them, they were wearing both wearing simple black shirts and white pants which caught Gerald's attention.
"We no longer have parents, it is just us three here," Leo simply replied.
"Where did you guys come from? You look like you guys have been traveling for a long time," Gerald asked curiously.
"We came from a village near the far south border," Leo blandly replied.
Hearing Leo's answer, Gerald's eyes widened as he was amazed at how these kids who looked like five-year-olds could possibly survive the wild and even navigate to this city, "I am surprised. You guys have made it here from the southern border. So tell me, why are you guys coming to Sapphire city?"
"Visiting the Decan family, more precisely the grand elder," replied Leo blank.
Hearing Leo's reply, the surrounding guards suddenly started laughing as they looked at the three kids in disdain, "Hahahaha! The Decan family huh?! Hahahaha!"
"Yes, what's so funny?" Leo plainly asked as he became slightly agitated by their behavior.
"Kid, look at yourself, do you think the grand elder would want to see you when you don't even qualify to meet the clan elders?" a certain guard who was standing behind Gerald laughed out in contempt as the other guards soon joined in the laughter.
"How is that your business? I said I will meet him, so I have the means to do so," Leo coldly spoke to the guards before turning to Gerald to ask, "What do we have to do to get permission to enter the city?"
"Why you little child! Just because you are a child doesn't mean I'll let you off lightly, you are just a puny villager! You probably haven't even seen a city before in your life," the guard was instantly angered by Leo's reply and he immediately began threatening him but just as he was about to throw another insult at Leo, Gerald authoritatively raised his hand and commanded the guard, "Stop this instant!"
He then turned towards Leo and answered, "There is an entry fee of five bronze coins, although you guys are kids, the fee cannot be discounted due to the fact that there are no adults with you."
"I understand," Leo spoke as he reached towards a small leather pouch that was hanging on his waist and brought out fifteen copper coins.
"Th-That is a spatial pouch!" Gerald quietly exclaimed in surprise as he could clearly sense the space inside the pouch.
"You little thief! Where did you steal it?!" the same guard shouted angrily as a deeply hidden spark of greed lit up in his eyes.
"We didn't steal it, can we go through now?" Leo nonchalantly replied as he turned to Gerald and asked.
"No, you can't! You are under arrest for theft!" the guard shouted angrily but Gerald abruptly interrupted him.
"Indeed, have a great time during your time in this city!" Gerald kindly replied as he waved Leo, Lex, and Aurora off. Once he saw that they were out of their field of view, Gerald immediately slapped the guard on the back of the head.
"You bloody idiot! Do you want me and the rest of our squadron to get killed?" Gerald angrily berated him.
"Sir, there is no possible way for a child villager like himself to be able to come into possession of such a treasure. He had to have stolen it," the guard confused replied.
"Are you thinking straight?!" Gerald loudly screamed as he furiously landed a crispy satisfying slap on the guard's face, he then explained, "To be able to steal such a treasure, don't you think that he must have the ability to do so? You are only a meager middle gathering realm cultivator, would you be able to do the same?"
'Sir, they could've been lucky and picked it up from a devastating fight that occurred between two experts," the guard spoke out as he tried to justify himself.
"That's where you wrong again! Hai! Why are you still so stupid and greedy?! Did you not see how he was talking to you? There was not a single speck of fear or stress on his face. Those kids are not normal, if I hadn't stopped you, God knows what would have happened?!" Gerald threw his arms up in the air in defeat as he seemed to not be able to tell the guard about his wrongdoings.
"You guys still talking about us?" Leo's voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
Startled, they both immediately jumped and looked back and they saw Leo standing right there, with an emotionless expression on his face. Seeing that it was Leo, the guard did not heed Gerald's scolding at all and immediately scoffed, "You had the chance to run and escape, you thief! But you do not even appreciate our leader's mercy! Let me teach you a lesson!"
"No!" Gerald shouted out. But just before he could continue talking, Leo interrupted him as he turned his head towards Gerald and asked, "Do you want to stop him? He clearly won't listen. Let me quickly teach him a lesson, you have a lot of people to let into the city."
"I-" Gerald was left in a loss for words as he had not expected Leo to agree to fight the guard. He eventually hopelessly gave up and agreed, "Sigh... Ok fine, but please don't kill him."
"Hahaha! Leader, you are looking down on me! Look at this child, a mere villager, he probably hasn't even started cultivation yet. Most kids his age have already begun cultivation, there is nothing to worry about!" the guard laughed arrogantly as he walked forward towards Leo.
"Too weak..." Leo lifelessly spoke out.
"What?" the guard asked in confusion. Did his eyes really hear what he thought he heard?
"You're too weak... I can't fight you," Leo lifelessly spoke as he raised his head to look directly into the guard's eyes.
"Me, weak? I am more than enough to take care of you!" the guard haughtily spoke out as he threw a punch at Leo.
Boom! A strong wind swept the grounds near the gate for a second sweeping up a certain amount of dust but not blocking the visual of Leo and the guard.
The next scene left all people who were spectating in shock as they had amazement written all over their face,
"How did he do that?"
"He's just a kid, how did he do it?"
The guard's face was in utter disbelief as he looked at his hand in shock. His attack did go through and strike Leo. But it had struck Leo's palm and was suddenly grasped by Leo.
"Wh-what is this?!" the guard exclaimed in shock as he tried to move his hand free but Leo's grip was like a fresh unremovable bear trap that had been stepped on and would not budge an inch no matter how much strength the guard put on it.
"Do you see? I, a villager, do you think we are all so weak? If it weren't for your leader, then I would've killed you already," Leo coldly spoke and he turned towards the crowd and loudly spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, all men and women are born fair and square, status is just a word that is taken advantage of if villagers did not exist then all of this kingdom's food would be missing. I want all of you to realize that the most hard-working people in the country at the soldiers defending the kingdom right now and the villagers who are forced to work overtime to provide food, metal, and other resources. Do not ever make fun of a person because of their status ever again. We are all contributing to the kingdom."
"What a load of rubbish! Did your stupid parents teach you that?! Was it their hopeless dream?" the guard's mocking laugh rang out as he raised his other arm to deliver a punch to Leo's face.
Boom!
A soundless yet explosive explosion of a rich dark red aura began escaping from Leo's body as his killing intent began rising and almost going berserk.
'Ugh! What is this killing intent? How many people has this child killed before to have such a strong killing intent? It's even able to put me at an extreme disadvantage,' Gerald thought as amazement and fear filled his mind as he looked at Leo with wide-open eyes.
"You can insult me and my status and my skills but you cannot insult my parents or anyone I love," Leo's extremely murderous cold voice sounded as he raised his head revealing two crimson dark red pupils instead of the initial eye-catching golden color.
Fear filled the guard as his initially arrogantly expression was instantly replaced by one of fear and terror. Although he was a guard, he had never killed anyone and never met someone who had killing intent like Leo, thus his mind instantly broke down as he began begging for his life, "Please! Please let me go! I am truly sorry for what I have done! I will never do it again!"
"Ok, I'll let you go. Take what I said seriously I meant it," Leo blandly spoke as he retracted his killing intent and started walking off again and at that instant, the atmosphere immediately became more relaxed.
"Yo-you are letting me go just like that?" the guard asked in confusion. Why would he let me go? If it was me then I would've punched myself a few times at least before being satisfied.
"I'm in a hurry, plus, violence won't solve anything. You are just inexperienced just like your leader said. I hope you can take his advice more seriously now, he is a good leader," Leo spoke as he simply waved without turning back to look at them.
"I-" the guard was knocked speechless as he suddenly realized the disparity between him and Leo. 'He's just a kid but why do I feel like he is an experienced adult? Am I really just a frog at the bottom of a well?' the guard's thoughts became a mess as he tried to understand what really just happened.
But before he could even turn to look back, Leo was long gone, his body was nowhere to be seen. On the side of a street next to a small fruit stall, Aurora was impatiently waiting for Leo as she stood there leaning on the strong wooden wall of a house.
"Did you really have to do that? You let me wait here without spectating for so long" Aurora who was carrying Lex asked annoyedly towards Leo who had just come out from an alleyway next to the small wooden house.
"Hehehe! I wanted to have some fun..." Leo answered as a serene smile appeared on his face and the trio slowly walked down and made their way into the city center.