Chapter 111: First Arrival in Little Xia City

The next morning, the weather in Summer Palace City remained clear and bright.

Just as Lin Huang got out of bed, he received a notification from the Alliance Government.

“Recently, there have been a series of murders at Outpost 7B61, Summer Palace City. The truth has been uncovered. The culprit is a mentally unstable serious criminal who escaped from Summer Palace Prison. A total of fifteen inmates escaped; twelve have been recaptured. The remaining three are still at large. Please remain calm.”

“To prevent the criminals from fleeing the city, starting today, all four city gates of Summer Palace City will be under martial law and investigation. Your cooperation is appreciated. Patrols will be intensified within the city, and a curfew will be enforced from 8 p.m. onwards. Please avoid going out. If you have urgent matters, applications can be submitted to the local government before 5 p.m.…"

“Just as expected, they’ve tried to cover up the truth…” Lin Huang raised an eyebrow after reading the notice. The Alliance Government’s message indicated the situation had become serious enough that decisive action was necessary.

After having breakfast with Lin Xin, Lin Huang mounted his Azure Scale Wolf and headed straight for the west gate of the outpost.

Lin Xin watched him disappear from sight before returning to the hotel room with Bai.

At the west gate of the outpost, city guards were conducting inspections; long queues formed both for entering and leaving the city.

Helpless, Lin Huang reined in his Azure Scale Wolf and joined the line.

Though he had left the hotel shortly after eight, by the time he passed the gate, it was nearly ten o’clock.

Summoning his Purple-Eyed White Eagle, it took less than ten minutes for Lin Huang to arrive at Little Summer City.

Little Summer City was a small D-level outpost.

By conventional standards, there shouldn’t be another outpost within just over eighty kilometers of Summer Palace City, a B-level stronghold. Establishing outposts so close together wastes precious resources since each requires substantial investment.

However, due to the presence of the Summer Palace Ruins, the Alliance Government had set up a dedicated outpost here.

Originally, the outpost wasn’t intended for tourism but was established to support archaeological work.

Before Little Summer City was built, the area around the Summer Palace Ruins was wild territory. Archaeologists living there faced frequent monster attacks and lacked convenient access to resources, having to travel eighty kilometers back to Summer Palace City for supplies. Thus, the government spent heavily to create a small outpost centered on the ruins—what is now Little Summer City.

Eventually, as successive teams of archaeologists departed, most movable relics from the ruins were taken away. The government, reluctant to see such a costly outpost abandoned, transformed it into a tourist attraction.

The mysterious allure of the Summer Palace Ruins, combined with government promotion, made it a popular destination.

As the site grew in fame, and with its proximity to Summer Palace City, many people relocated here to settle. Supported by government policies, the small outpost gradually flourished.

Stepping into Little Summer City, Lin Huang briefly wondered if he’d come to the wrong place. This D-level outpost was bustling, rivaling even the C-level stronghold, Dominance City. Whether this was due to the influx of tourists or its closeness to Summer Palace City was unclear.

Once inside, Lin Huang summoned his Azure Scale Wolf again and consulted the map on his Imperial Heart Ring, quickly pinpointing the location of the Summer Palace Ruins.

The hotel he had booked the night before was less than a kilometer south of the ruins' south gate.

Following the map, Lin Huang soon found the hotel. He also realized Little Summer City was quite large—about four or five times the size of Wulin Town, nearly one-third the size of Dominance City.

Arriving at the hotel, it was still before 10:30 a.m. Lin Huang expected to be too early to check in, but the front desk confirmed he could.

The hotel was a small, antique-style building with five floors and no levitating elevators.

After checking in, Lin Huang climbed the wooden staircase.

The stairs creaked underfoot, a sign of age, but the place was well kept and clean.

His room was on the fifth floor, number 505. He noticed there were only five rooms per floor, meaning the entire hotel had just twenty rooms.

“Is this the off-season?” Lin Huang wondered. It was summer vacation, so there should be plenty of tourists. With such a prime location and so few rooms, it was surprising the hotel wasn’t full.

Opening the door, he found the room peaceful and quiet, which pleased him.

It was a scenic room with a balcony facing the Summer Palace Ruins.

The ruins lay sunken underground, and with no taller buildings around, standing on the balcony allowed a clear view of a portion of the protected site.

After a moment gazing out, Lin Huang stepped outside and immediately encountered a young couple moving into the room next door.

Descending to the first floor, he greeted the slightly stout middle-aged innkeeper at the front desk.

“Boss, is this the off-season?”

“The summer vacation just started. Tourists usually spend some time in Summer Palace City before coming here, so business is slow for now. You arrived early, so there are rooms available. In three to five days, booking a room here will be much harder,” the innkeeper explained with a smile.

“I see…” Lin Huang had suspected other reasons for the hotel’s slow business, but the explanation made sense.

“Boss, I imagine this hotel has been here a long time. You’ve probably lived in Little Summer City for many years, right?” Lin Huang continued the conversation.

“I’ve been here over twenty years, and the hotel has been running for eighteen,” the innkeeper nodded cheerfully.

“Do you know any legends about the Summer Palace Ruins that outsiders like me might not have heard?” Lin Huang asked. “Please tell me some.”

“The ruins have always been mysterious, but there aren’t many stories. I’ve heard one from guests over the years. If you’re interested, I can share it, but don’t take it too seriously,” the innkeeper said.

Lin Huang nodded, and the innkeeper began his tale.

“Long ago, a powerful figure known as the Summer Emperor established an empire. The Summer Palace Ruins are said to be his palace. His subjects numbered in the tens of billions, and he was beloved by all. Then one day, disaster struck. No one knows what happened, but overnight, the entire empire vanished, along with the Summer Emperor and his palace, as if they’d never existed… Of course, whether the vanished palace in the legend is the same as these ruins, no one knows.”

After hearing the story, Lin Huang fell silent briefly, then nodded approvingly. “That’s one I haven’t heard before. Any other stories?”

“No, the rest are all the usual ones you can find online,” the innkeeper shrugged.

“Alright, I’ll head to the ruins now. Thanks, boss!” Lin Huang said, turning to leave.

Exiting the hotel, he walked directly toward the south gate of the Summer Palace Ruins, not far away.