Nobunaga Oda's Isekai Cultivation Experience

Just as their entry paperwork was being finalized, Nobu and Yui both noticed a middle-aged man with rugged features emerging from the direction of the gate. He had the look of a man that had seen too much bloodshed, yet, in spite of his war-weary expression, there was a certain confidence that radiated from every fiber of his being.While the surrounding guards immediately saluted the man, Nobu was too stunned to speak as he actually recognized who the man was. More accurately, he knew someone with very similar features. It's just, instead of a real person, he recognized the ashen-haired man as a fictional character..."Geralt...?"Understanding that Nobu was speaking towards him, the Geralt-lookalike gestured for the guards to stand down as he gruffly replied, "My name is Hayashi Hai, Guardian of the Southern Gate and Retainer of Oda Senken. Tell me, Nanamori-dono, what brings you to my Lord's city?"Though he didn't do it to threaten them, Hai casually rested his palm on the pommel of his katana. It was a little unorthodox but he had two equal-length katana resting on his hip. The emblem on his collar was also a silvery-green III, so, based on the available evidence, it was safe to say the man was a master of the nitoryu(two-sword style).After recovering from his momentary stupor, an incredulous but disarming smile developed across Nobu's face as he answered, "Sorry about that. You're a dead ringer for a man named Geralt. As for why I'm here...well..."Glancing towards Yui, Nobu's smile turned wry as he moved a little closer to Hai and gestured for him to lean closer. This caused the man to furrow his brows, but, rather than take offense to Nobu's stage behavior, he leaned in to hear the latter whisper, "I wanted to propose and have my marriage officiated by Lord Senken. I was originally intending to come near the beginning of Spring but I got delayed by a group of bandits and a trio of scantily clad women I suspect to be kunoichi..."Since there weren't any actual lies in his words, Nobu shamelessly blamed the group of farmers and the trio of Yuriko, Shizune, and Rynka for his delayed arrival. This earned him a visibly skeptical look from Hai, but, as there were no warrants or wanted posters demanding his arrest, the middle-aged man just hummed before saying, "I see. Well, so long as you don't cause too much trouble, talents such as yourselves are always welcome in Shuto..."On that note, Hai shifted his gaze to the guards, adding, "Let them through." before stepping to the side and gesturing in a casual, 'feel free to pass' kind of manner.Though he felt the man's reaction was a little odd, Nobu just nodded his head before looking back and extending his hand towards Yui, saying, "Let's go." with a smile. In response, she quickly linked her hand with his, a ruddier than average blush developing across her face as she averted her eyes from Hai like a bashful maiden. This didn't really match with the image of a warrior, but, considering their difference in status, realm, and rank, it was normal for her to 'cower' in the presence of such a 'great man'.Following the duo with his faded golden eyes, Hai waited until Nobu and Yui had passed through the gate before gesturing towards a handsome young man wearing high-quality armor. The badge on his collar only showed a silver IX, but it was still impressive considering he was just under twenty years old."Keep an eye on them. If they do anything suspicious, make sure to report it. If anyone tries to get in their way, arrest them. Our Lord is always looking for talented young warriors. Try and make their stay as pleasant as possible."Bowing respectfully but not submissively, the young man replied with a reverent, 'I understand, Hai-dono. I will not fail you."Nodding his head in approval, Hai remained silent as he saw the man run in the direction Nobu and Yui had disappeared moments prior. Then, as a silvery-green Aura began to manifest around his feet, he looked towards the surrounding guards and said, "Get back to work..." before disappearing in a flash of light........."We're being followed..."Hearing Yui's whisper, Nobu resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he replied, "Well, duh. I mean, we're two super prodigies. It would be strange if they didn't send someone to keep an eye on us..."Though he didn't actually consider himself a prodigy, Nobu knew others would regard him as one due to his cultivation base. It was kind of dumb, but, considering most people would need to invest decades of time and effort to reach his current level, it was understandable. Only those close to him knew how grossly incompetent he was...Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Nobu prevented Yui's rebuttal by adopting a sincere smile and saying, "This place is fucking incredible..."While the people were dressed in relatively tame, almost plain clothing, the buildings that made up the Capital City of Shuto were truly breathtaking. There were a bunch of carpet stalls and pushcarts lining the streets, but, as you moved closer to the secondary wall separating the peasantry from the nobles, the buildings became grander and more majestic. It was almost like looking at a painting..."If only it didn't smell like piss and shit..."As beautiful as the city landscape was, Shuto still had many of the problems plaguing other cities in Nian. It had a waterway for transporting goods and several aqueducts running throughout the city, but, for the most part, human waste was collected in buckets, mixed with soil, and given to compost merchants to be processed into various types of fertilizer. In poorer districts, these buckets were left outside to be collected, so, as much as he could appreciate its beauty, Nobu felt it would be more accurate to call the city Shithole instead of Shuto...Suppressing a sigh, Yui looked up at Nobu with a visibly concerned look as she asked, "Why not wear your mask? You've hardly worn it since you requested a custom order from the Iga Clan. You will have to take it off if we encounter any Nobles but the only law against wearing face coverings states that you cannot cover your eyes."Though he understood she was trying to help, Nobu couldn't help smiling wryly in response to Yui's suggestion. The mask he had ordered was actually pretty badass. It vaguely resembled the head of a wolf, and, as per request, it had replaceable filters that could be swapped out like the canisters of a gas mask. The only problem was that it was 'too badass'. Wearing it made him feel like a kid with eighth-grader syndrome, and, while he had never particularly cared about fashion, it created such a stark contrast with his clothing that Nobu was embarrassed just thinking about it."Nah...besides, if I walk around with a wolf mask on, people are gonna get suspicious. Let's just find a place to stay. I'll be fine once we get inside."Since it was ultimately Nobu's decision to make, Yui just nodded her head before falling into step beside him. He could be very prideful at times, so, rather than waste time trying to change his mind, she just focused on their surroundings as Nobu pulled her deeper into the city.........After another stressful day of listening to reports, signing paperwork, and managing the territory, Senken was preparing to seek comfort in his wife's embrace when a soft thud sounded outside his study. This caused his eyes to squint, but, hearing a familiar voice state, "Senken-sama, I bring an urgent message..." he quickly relaxed and said, "Come in."Abiding by his Lord's words, a young man with features remarkably similar to Hiashi slid open the door before falling to his knees and placing his forehead against the ground. At the same time, Senken pulled out a conch-like device from his inner robe. It has the unique ability to draw sound toward itself, so, after placing it on the table in front of him, a peculiar hum could be heard as the sounds of people moving about and speaking were drawn into the room. (A/N: It basically makes sounds coming toward the room louder while drastically reducing sounds traveling away from it.)Though the sudden ringing in his ears was uncomfortable, the young man maintained his calm as he reported, "A prodigious young couple with the surnames Nanamori and Yoshie were reported entering the city several minutes ago. According to their entry documents, both are Rank 3 Golden Warriors. Hai-dono has placed Shiratori-dono in charge of watching over them."Feeling his fatigue fading away, a somewhat feral grin spread across Senken's face as he crossed his arms and mused, "You said they were both Rank 3 Golden Warriors? Sounds like I'll need to pay this promising young couple a visit."Surprised by his Lord's words, the young warrior wanted to protest, but, similar to how Yui couldn't speak out against Nobu, he was powerless to change Senken's mind. He could also understand why his Lord would want to personally secure such talents for himself, so, after quickly recovering from his surprise, he pressed his forehead to the ground and exclaimed, "Lord Senken is truly wise! If the Lord of Owari were to appear before them, they would be fools to refuse your request...!"Furrowing his brows, Senken resisted the urge to snort as he remarked, "You can go ahead and return home. When you get back, tell your father to send someone he trusts to watch over them."Bumping his head against the floor, the young warrior answered with a respectful, "Ha...!" before backing out of the room and closing the sliding door behind him. This caused Senken to roll his eyes, as, even after twenty years, he still wasn't used to all the formalities associated with being a Daimyo. If Hitomi's reports were accurate, his son had inherited this trait.As that thought crossed his mind, a smile returned to Senken's face as he promptly bounced to his feet and practically ran back to his room. If he didn't immediately report this to his wife, she would put up a barrier between them in the bedroom. Others might scoff at such boundaries but Senken had always viewed Nana as his equal. She reminded him a lot of his late mother, so, while there had been rocky moments in their relationship, he never lashed out or tried to force her.Unfortunately, Senken's eagerness caused him to make a fatal mistake. Nana had just managed to get Nobuhime to fall asleep. His sudden arrival caused her to wake up, and, while she didn't cry, a disapproving pout developed across the infant's face as Nana sent a paradoxically icy yet fiery glare his way...With a cold sweat spreading across his body, Senken held his hands up in a placating gesture as he said, "Listen...I can explain..."......Using some of the money Yui had given him, Nobu secured a place for them at an upper-middle-class ryokan, a type of inn with a bathhouse. It cost them a whopping three gold koushukin a night, but, as cultivators in the Fourth Realm, such extravagance was to be expected.Truth be told, Nobu just wanted to relax in a hot bath with Yui. The bath back home was constantly crowded with people, and, while he had gotten used to it, the presence of young girls vying for his attention made it hard to relax. Thus, now that it was just him and Yui, Nobu allowed the tensions in his body to drain away as he leaned back and allowed Yui to ride his dick at her own pace.........(A/N: Toss a coin to your Witcher, O' Valley of Plenty, O' Valley of Plenty, oh~)

One of the benefits of staying in an upper-middle-class Ryokan was that the staff went above and beyond to make sure their guests had a pleasant stay. This included preparing meals on-demand, and, if guests were alone, they would even send by escorts to keep them company.Though he had arrived alongside Yui, the Proprietress of the Ryokan, a beautiful woman with dark purple hair, still gave him the option of choosing some of the younger staff members to personally attend him for the night. He ultimately refused, but, after his encounter with the Geralt look-alike, Nobu still gave them a once-over to see if any of them resembled characters he might have known from his previous world.In the end, Nobu spent a peaceful night alone with Yui. After they got out of the bath, they, more or less, just cuddled for the rest of the evening. There weren't any televisions, gaming systems, or even radios in Nian so there really wasn't much else to do besides work, train, and meditate.With the technology present in their automata, Nobu suspected that Granus might have access to televisions and such but it was hard to be sure. According to what had learned from Suzune, most of their trade vessels were masted, iron-hulled tall ships. They generally brought 2-5 automata with them, but, unless it was an emergency, the bio-mechanical cyborgs stayed within coffin-like devices located in the ship's hull.If Nobu's guess was correct, Granus did have the technologies he coveted, but, fearing they might be stolen, the burgeoning nation kept most of their quality-of-life devices back home. Granus was lacking in cultivation knowledge and resources, so, while there were a few powerhouses serving in their Navy, they predominately relied on firearms, cannons, and automata to fend off pirates and anyone else who might covet their technology.Nobu would be lying if he said he wasn't among the crowd that coveted their tech. The problem was, even if he did eventually declare war on Granus, they would most likely just retreat overseas. After that, he was basically powerless to do anything because the supposed distance between the northern tip of Nian and Granus was a mind-boggling 79,492km.While he couldn't recall the exact circumference, Nobu knew the Earth had come from was around 25,000mi or 50,000km. In other words, navigating the Eastern Abyss, the Nianese-given named for the Pacific Ocean, was the equivalent of circumnavigating his previous Earth more than 1.5 times.With modern sailing technology, the trip was anywhere between 2-5 years depending on whether or not you encountered rough seas, pirates, or literal sea monsters. In other words, even if Nobu were to build a Navy to invade Granus, it would take years to prepare the ships and years more to complete the journey. Even then, the defenses of Granus were known to be monstrous, and, unless you were flying the correct flag, they would either raid or bombard you like a bunch of pirates. After all, what were you going to do? Turn around without resupplying?Simply put, Granus took advantage of their advanced technology to close off their country despite expecting other countries to open their borders for trade. When Nobu had first learned about this, he almost felt like he was back home because this was inarguably one of the most American things he had ever heard...With this and several other thoughts on his mind, Nobu stared up at the ceiling of his room with a listless look on his face as he remarked, "I'm bored...""Mmm..."Instead of offering any advice, Yui just hummed her response without bothering to raise her head from Nobu's chest. She had become rather fond of moments like this, so, even if they just spent the rest of the morning lounging about in their room, she wouldn't mind.Resisting the urge to ask where his training junky of a fiancee had gone, Nobu continued to stare up at the ceiling for a good twenty minutes longer before saying, "Let's go and explore the city. As much as I enjoy the peace and quiet, I didn't come all this way to remain indoors..."Nodding her head, Yui pushed herself to a seated position before rising to her feet without a single strand of clothing to cover her naked form. This gave Nobu an obscured view of her full and round ass, her pale white cheeks periodically peeking through the glossy strands of her inordinately long, raven-black hair.Noticing her Lord's gaze, Yui raised an eyebrow as she looked over her shoulders and asked, "Are you planning to walk around naked...?"Smiling wryly in response, Nobu hopped up to this feet before searching for his carelessly scattered clothes. This took a little longer than he would like to admit, but, due to the preparation required by females to look 'presentable', he was still finished long before Yui. Thus, to speed things up a bit, he picked up a brush and lent a hand.........With a surface area of more than 6300 hectares, approximately 62km², Shuto was unreasonably large for a City with just over 100,000 permanent residents. It wasn't really noticeable when you were in the poorer districts, but, as you moved closer to the massive wall separating the Nobles from the peasantry, the quieter things became.Since the capitals of each Province effectively served as emergency shelters and military Garrisons, the only people allowed to live there were the families of Nobles, their vassals, warriors, and a few prominent merchant families. Everyone else was a tourist, so, while the actual population of the city was closer to 280,000, nearly two-thirds were just visiting.Due to the cost of goods in the middle and higher-class districts, most people visiting Shuto simply couldn't afford to venture deeper into the city. Instead, they spent their time on the outskirts where all the street vendors and hawkers had set up shop. As a result, most of the people walking around the upper-middle residential district were wayward Nobles, soldiers, merchants, and their families.Though the ambiance was a little strange, Nobu actually preferred this sort of arrangement as it let him explore the city in relative peace. Yui hadn't been lying when she said it was better to stand out and act as if you belonged rather than trying to blend in and lie low. Nian was a very conservative nation so most people tended to steer clear of people they didn't know. This was especially true if said people were dressed as warriors and mercenaries, so, while they were stopped a few times by random patrols, their exploration went largely unobstructed."This place really is beautiful..."Nodding her head in approval, Yui continued to lean against Nobu's shoulder as they stared out over the city from the highest vantage point available to people living outside the inner walls. This wasn't her first time visiting the capital, but, seeing Nobu gawk at things other people would find completely normal, she couldn't help seeing everything in a new light. It could be the result of her conditioning but his child-like wonderment was infectious to the point of making the whole world seem just a little brighter.Unfortunately, all good things invariably came to an end. Thus, just as Yui was about to suggest they move elsewhere, a brash and authoritative voice called out, "You there! What do you think you're doing this close to the Inner city? This isn't a place peasants can trespass at their leisure."While Yui closed her eyes to suppress a sigh, Nobu turned back to find an arrogant-looking man with dirty-blond hair, amber eyes, and a cocky smile approaching them. The man was handsome enough to pass as a male model back in his previous world, but, due to the smug grin on his face, Nobu felt he was more punchable than attractive.Accompanying the arrogant-looking blond was a slightly taller man with comparable features, wild black hair, and sharp, golden eyes. He stood behind the arrogant asshole like a servant, but, even at a glance, Nobu could tell he was strong. At the very least, he was the strongest among the group of servants following behind the man like a pack of dogs.Resisting the urge to simply tell the man to fuck off, Nobu forced a smile as he said, "There seems to be some kind of misunderstanding. The soldiers near the base of the stairs said we were allowed to come up here. If it's truly off-limits, please accept my apology and let us be on our way. We will not trouble you further."Furrowing his brows, the arrogant-looking youth snorted before shifting his attention to Yui and saying, "You, wench, what makes you believe you have the right to walk around in the attire of a warrior? That sword on your hip is an insult to the proud warriors who have given their everything to protect this land and its people. Have you...no...shame?"Noticing the Golden III pinned to Yui's collar, the man's words gradually trailed off as his expression darkened. He was considered talented with a cultivation base of Silver VIII at the age of twenty. In his generation, the number of people more talented than him could be counted on one hand so he refused to accept that someone even younger, much less a peasant woman, could surpass them all in cultivation base.With a look even pointer than the naginata he carried with him, the blond-haired man glared at Yui as he asked, "Where did you get that badge...?"Instead of responding with words, Yui raised her hand to demonstrate that her Aura was, in fact, golden. Impersonating someone with Higher Realm was punishable by death so very few people attempted to do so. Those who did would never appear near one of the Capital Cities so she found it pretty senseless that anyone, much less a Noble, would question her base.With an expression similar to someone that had swallowed a bug, the blond-haired man shifted his gaze from Yui before glaring at the badge pinned to the belt crossing Nobu's chest. He found this far more acceptable given Nobu's height and physique, but, at the same time, the notion that there wasn't just one, but two peasants stronger than him made him sick to his stomach.Since there was a chance that Nobu and Yui were the children of dignitaries visiting from outside the city, the blond-haired man forced himself to remain calm as he asked, "What are your names?" and, "Why brings the two of you to Shuto?"Though his desire to tell the man to fuck off had increased exponentially, Nobu forced himself to continue smiling as he answered, "My name is Nanamori Nobu. This is my fiancee, Yoshie Yui. We have come to the capital because we heard it was the most beautiful city in Owar-"Interrupting before Nobu could finish speaking, the blond-haired man said, "I don't care about that. What I want to know is the name of the family or business you are affiliated with. I have never heard of the Nanamori or Yoshie Clans. Were you invited here as dignitaries from another Province?"Realizing the direction things were headed, Yui stepped forward to place herself between the man and Nobu. This caused an ostensibly sadistic smile to develop across the man's face as the darker-haired warrior at his side slowly drew his weapon."I see. You have no backing yet thought you could wander around the capital with impunity? Even worse, you continue to stand proud despite being in the presence of a noble son of the Oda Clan. I don't know what things are like where you're from, but, here in Owari, there are rules. Refusing to pay respects to the ruling clans is more than enough justification to have you thrown into a prison cell or executed. Your status as Golden Warriors may have allowed you to act arrogantly among the peasantry, but, here, in Shuto, you are scum. If you refuse to lower your heads to the ground, don't expect to keep them for long."Finished with his speech, the blond-haired man shifted his gaze to Yui before adopting an even more sadistic smile as he asked, "You said this woman was your fiancee...?"......(A/N: And so it begins...)

Though he hadn't expected the journey to be short, Nobu never expected it to take more than five hours just to reach the edge of the forest separating Shuto from Yumegakure. Even then, they still needed to travel more than two hours on foot just to traverse the massive clearing that surrounded the entire capital.As a precaution against invaders and Aura Beast stampedes, most capital cities were surrounded by large swaths of open terrain. This allowed the people atop the wall to spot anyone approaching the city, and, during times of war, it served as the terrain in which armies clashed.The current Emperor wasn't particularly popular among the people of Nian so he had enacted a law that forbade the looting and razing of cities. If an enemy army happened to reach your capital and you were unable or unwilling to defend it, they could send a request to the Emperor to have your status as a Daimyo revoked. This would effectively lead to the annihilation of your entire family, so, more often than not, the clans of conquered territories would submit and become the lesser vassals of their conquerors."When we get back, remind me to draw up a design for some hiking boots or something. These cavaliers ain't gonna cut it."Since he spent most of his time indoors or walking around barefoot, Nobu had never really gotten used to the footwear of Nian. The boots Yui had purchased for him had worn out pretty quickly due to their shoddy materials. He also hadn't expected to leave the mountain so soon so the notion of travel wear hadn't even crossed his mind.As this wasn't her first time hearing Nobu complain, Yui simply nodded her head while keeping a close eye on their surroundings. They had reached the main road shortly after leaving the forest so there were a number of carriages and individuals passing by on horses as they rushed to reach the city before the outer gates were closed. Camping was forbidden in the expanse surrounding the city so failure to get inside before sunset meant turning around and seeking shelter in the forest till the following day.Casting a glance towards the ever-alert Yui, Nobu grumbled in his mind but ultimately kept silent. She had never been talkative, and, thanks to his previous warning, she was even more alert than usual. Thus, while the past few hours had been mind-bogglingly boring, he wasn't going to lash out at her for doing her job.Fortunately, the gate was already visible in the distance so it would only take them another ten to fifteen minutes to reach the queue lined up outside. He also got to see the city wall from up close, and, if he were being honest, Nobu had no idea how such a backwards group of people were able to build such monstrous constructions.Though it was just the outer wall that protected the civilian residential area, the walls surrounding Shuto were easily twenty meters in height. There were also a number of massive balista-like objects spaced out along the wall, and, though it was currently late in the day, it was possible to make out hundreds of people patrolling around the base and the top of the wall.The thing that surprised Nobu most, even though he had already noticed then when he was back in the port city of Asai, was the sheer scale of everything. If the wall was any indicator, the dimensions of Shuto might actually dwarf some of the metropolises back home. There were even a few massive towers peeking out over the city walls, their height easily exceeding fifty meters despite resembling large pagodas.As silly as it might sound, Nobu was actually looking forward to entering the city. Before deciding to become a Civil Engineer, he had been fascinated by some of the architectural achievement of humanity. Now that he had found himself in a fantasy setting, his curiosity and intrigue had been piqued. This made others view him as a bumpkin, but, so long as they didn't go out of their way to fuck with him, Nobu didn't give a damn what they thought. Cool shit was cool."Here, take this. There are fifty koushukin inside. Never reveal the content of the bag to anyone and always keep an eye on your money pouch. I will do my best to keep people away but a skilled thief could snatch your purse in an instant if you're not paying attention."Accepting the heavy pouch, Nobu bobbed his hand a few times to test its weight before placing into the enchanted leather bag on his hip. He wasn't wearing a yukata, but, even if he had been, there was no way he would place such a heavy bag into his sleeve. He honestly had no idea how others were able to do so without getting annoyed.Fortunately, Nobu's current outfit consisted of a form-fitting brown top that vaguely resembled a t-shirt, a pair of thick brown pants lined with the hide of an Aura Beast, a leather belt made from the same material, and a large square pouch with a hidden compartment inside to stash his money. He also had a sling for the broad ax on his back and the basilard placed at his hip. Both of which were currently bound with cloth and a special white cord that were intended to prevent them from being drawn in the city.Though his clothes made him stand out like a sore thumb, Nobu had been told he would look a lot more suspicious if he tried to blend in. He was, after all, a cultivator in the Fourth Realm. For his age, that was pretty fucking monstrous. If he tried to dress like a farmer while Yui was wearing the armor of a warrior, it would be extremely suspicious...With such thoughts on his mind, Nobu stood in the queue with Yui until they had finally reached the customs checkpoint. He had actually expected someone in the crowd to mess with them, but, even though a number of people had cast rather nasty looks towards Yui, none of them spoke out. The Nianese were a very conservative people and anyone with the wherewithal to walk around with weapons near a capital city wasn't someone they wanted to mess with.What Nobu didn't know was that his height had a lot to do with the reason people kept clear of them. He was easily a head taller than the tallest people in the crowd, and, thanks to his constant infusions of Yin Elemental Energy, he had a lean yet muscular figure without any visible blemishes. This, combined with the fact he was armed and accompanied by a remarkable beauty dressed like a warrior, were more than enough reason for them to give him a very wide berth...Seeing Nobu among the crowd waiting to enter the city, the guards manning the customs station actually called in a few extra men over just to be safe. Nobu was, of course, completely unaware of this. Fortunately, that was actually a boon in this situation as his obliviousness and genuine intrigue matched perfectly with the cover story he and Yui had come up with.Approaching a desk manned by a piggish man with beady eyes and a flat nose, Yui allowed Nobu to step forward as she kept an eye on the guards flanking them. As for Nobu, he was looking down at the inordinately fat man, or, more specifically, the silver insignia on his black leather armor. It was literally the roman numeral for four, so, for a brief moment, he was genuinely confused.Mistaking Nobu's confusion as awe, the rotund official cracked a black-toothed smile as any fear he had towards the 'giant' promptly faded away. He was even tempted to knock Nobu down a peg or two, but, after someone had reported his previous misconduct to the Lord, he was already walking on eggshells. Thus, after fixing his sneer, he adopted a stern and commanding tone as he ordered, "State your name and hand over any identity tokens you may possess."Though he was annoyed by the arrogant sneer on the man's face, Nobu did his best to remain calm as he answered, "Nanamori Nobu. My identity token was lost during an Aura Beast attack so I need to purchase a new one before entering the city."Snorting through his flat and wide nose, the portly man muttered, "Presumptuous..." before writing a few notes on a piece of paper. Then, after quickly stamping said paper, he pushed it toward Nobu, saying, "Fill out your information. Replacement identity tokens require currency corresponding with your Realm and Rank. If you're Iron Rank 3, that'll be 7 iron pieces. If you're Iron Rank 7, the cost is discounted to 3 iron pieces. Since you are armed, you'll also need to hand over ten koushukin as a security deposit. So long as you don't commit any crimes prior to exiting the city, you will be able to reclaim part of your deposit upon departure. After ten days, it will no longer be returned."Since Nobu had been 'awed' by his Silver 4 identity token, the portly official automatically assumed he was a hunter or a low-ranking mercenary from one of the surrounding villages. It would certainly explain why he had been looking around like a bumpkin prior to approaching the station.With such thoughts on his mind, the portly official's eyes nearly popped out of his skull when Nobu casually produced 34 golden koushukin. This was not an amount some country bumpkin could pull out on a whim.Looking closer, the man noticed that the pouch on Nobu's hip was of a much higher quality than he had initially thought. In fact, even the shirt covering his body seemed to be sewn from some kind of Aura Beast fiber. These would cost doznes, if not hundreds of golden koushukin on the market, so, after recovering from his momentary stupor, the protly man promptly stood up, politely cupping his hands as he asked, "Might I ask what this young lord's Realm and Rank are?"Though it was customary to return a polite greeting, Nobu remained standing tall as he answered, "I recently broke through to the Third Rank of the Fourth Realm. My parter has a similar base so this should be the correct amount."Swallowing hard the moment he heard Nobu's response, the official and many of the surrounding guards eyed the duo as if they were monsters. Neither looked a day older than twenty, yet, based on their relaxed postures, it was easy to tell they weren't afraid of being questioned.Fortunately, Yui realized the direction things were heading, so, before Nobu was asked to reveal his Aura, she promptly raised her hand to produce a golden dagger that hovered over her palm as if it were suspended in a magnetic field. This caused the portly official's eyes to widen as any intention of questioning the veracity of Nobu's claim faded from his mind. Offending those of a higher Realm was borderline taboo, so, rather than risk his life by demanding Nobu display his Aura, he promptly sat back down and processed their paperwork while one of the guards split off to go inform the on-duty Commander.Though Nobu noticed the man running off, he just crooked a brow before crossing his arms and waiting patiently. Yui had warned him that something like this was going to happen so he wasn't too concerned that they would be chased away or thrown into a prison cell. Rather, the assumption most people would make after learning about their cultivation base was that they had come to the capital to join the army. With their power, they would quickly rise to the rank of Lesser Nobles, so, unless they specifically went looking for trouble, most people would pay them the obeisance their Ranks and Realms demanded.........(A/N: Imagine the guards asking Nobu to prove his Realm and he just blows air at them xD...)

Chapter 109: Surprise : Relaxation