The stew at The Grey Hearth was thick, salty and warm. It was the best thing Li Yu had tasted from this realm in weeks. As he ate, his eyes remained fixed on the room around him.

  He had expected the Human Nations to be a sanctuary for just humans. A place where humanity huddled together against the dark and was segregated from the monsters. What he found in Fortress Iron Wall was something far more pragmatic.

  The common room was not filled solely with humans.

  In the corner, a group of Rock-Kin mercenaries were arm wrestling a human soldier. Their stone skin grinding against the table. At the bar, a Fire Imp was wiping down tankards and wearing the apron of an employee. A Lizard-Kin merchant sat by the fire and was haggling with a human quartermaster over the price of medical herbs.

  It was mixed like everywhere else but there was a difference.

  In Gorm, strength dictated the hierarchy regardless of race. Here, the humans were the ones in charge. The soldiers patrolling the room were human. The innkeeper was human.

  The other races were here but they walked with a deference that Li Yu wasn't used to seeing from the other races here before. They were tolerated guests, mercenaries or refugees who had bent the knee to human rule for safety. They were following the laws that the humans had set here.

  Li Yu finished his stew and signaled the serving girl again. He placed a spirit stone on the table, paying her extra as a bit of a tip.

  "The border is quiet tonight," Li Yu said casually. "I expected more fear given what happened at Black Pass."

  The girl swept the stone into her pocket with practiced speed. She lowered her voice and was leaning in slightly.

  "Fear is for the open plains, stranger. Behind the wall, we have the Three."

  Li Yu raised an eyebrow. "The Three?"

  The girl looked at him as if he had just asked what color the sky was. "You really are from the deep wilds, aren't you? The Saviors. The Pillars of Humanity. Our greatest hope and pride."

  She gestured vaguely to the West, toward the heart of the human territories.

  "Saintess Elara, Grandmaster Thorne, and Lord Jareth. As long as they draw breath, the Demon Lords won't cross the Cinder Peaks."

  Li Yu leaned forward as he had never heard of these three before. This was the information he needed.

  "Are they truly that strong?" Li Yu asked. "Strong enough to fight a Demon Lord?"

  A scarred mercenary at the next table turned around. He was a human, missing an ear and with a greatsword strapped to his back. He looked like he had seen enough winters to know the difference between legend and reality.

  "They are strong enough to make it expensive," the mercenary grunted. "A Demon Lord is a force of nature. You don't 'beat' them. You survive them. But the Three... they can hurt a Lord. They can draw blood. They make it so it isn’t worth it for a Demon Lord to fight them over these forgotten lands."

  The mercenary took a swig of ale.

  "There are ten thrones in the Infernal Court," he continued while holding up ten fingers. "Ten Demon Lords. They spend most of their time fighting each other for dominance. They don't want to risk a fight with the Saviors because even if the Lord wins, they'll be weakened. And a weak Demon Lord is just food for the other nine."

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  Li Yu nodded slowly. It was a stalemate of mutually assured destruction. Li Yu’s mind began processing the information. If they could hold their hold against a Demon Lord, even if it was 3v1 it was still really impressive.

  "I wish to pay my respects to these Saviors," Li Yu said while steering the conversation back. "Do they accept visitors?"

  The serving girl laughed. "Visitors? They are practically gods, stranger. Saintess Elara hasn't been seen in fifty years. Grandmaster Thorne guards the Capital. And Lord Jareth... no one knows where he is. He hasn't been seen in a decade."

  She paused and then tapped the table.

  "But... if you want to get close to that kind of power, you don't look for the sun. You look for the rays."

  "Meaning?"

  "Disciples," the mercenary interjected. "The Three rarely take students but when they do, those students become leaders. The city west of here, Highland Reach, is governed by City Lord Taren. He is a direct disciple of Grandmaster Thorne."

  Li Yu’s eyes lit up. A direct disciple. Someone who had learned directly from one of the strongest humans in this realm.

  "City Lord Taren," Li Yu repeated. "Is he strong?"

  "He's a monster," the mercenary said with respect. "They say he stood on the walls during the last Beast Tide and didn't take a single step back for three days."

  Li Yu stood up and was preparing to leave. He had a general direction now. He had to meet these powerhouses and ask them if they knew a way to get back to his own world.

  He didn't need to meet the Saviors immediately. He just needed someone who understood the higher mysteries of this realm first. A direct disciple would know these things or at least they would be his best bet.

  "Highland Reach," Li Yu said. "How far?"

  "Three days ride through the pass," the serving girl said. "But like I said... the pass is locked down. You need a permit."

  "I'll figure something out," he said with a smile.

  Li Yu left the inn and walked out into the night air of Fortress Iron Wall. The city was asleep but the walls were awake. He could feel the hum of the defensive arrays and see the silhouettes of guards patrolling the ramparts.

  He walked toward the inner gate, the one that led West. It was heavily guarded. A squad of ten soldiers stood at the gate and were being led by a captain whose armor glowed with defensive runes. The gate itself was sealed with glowing runes.

  It would seem that he wouldn’t be able to go through there just as they had mentioned. He thought about slipping through with his Void Step but then thought about how he would entire the next city.

  He didn’t have permission to go through here and when confronted at the next city, he wouldn’t have an answer for them. He had to figure out a way to move past this gate without cheating. His chance came the very next day. There was a merchant group that was allowed to go through because they were delivering a special cargo.

  The group had been devastated on the road here and were looking to load up on additional guards. They were having little luck as many viewed it as dangerous. Li Yu saw his chance to join the guards and get through with a pass.

  He stepped forward to join but was rejected. His origins and background were too unknown. The merchants didn’t trust him. They were only recruiting from other known mercenary groups that had a history of getting the job done.

  This left Li Yu back at square one with no solution once again. He had to think of another idea so he sat there and thought through what he could do.

  ‘I could hide in their cargo? Or should I just head there and get into the city by staying in the first layer of the void. However, if the direct disciple is as powerful as they say, perhaps he will be able to detect me. I would become a spy or something worse if I was caught sneaking in… No, I must find a real way in. But what can I do when everything seems restricted.’ Li Yu kept pondering but came up with no good ideas.

  It was at this moment that the captain of the guard came over. The very same one that had rejected him earlier in the day. Desperation, or perhaps he was feeling bad for Li Y but either way, it had him coming back.

  “We need to get moving and there aren't enough people here. You can join us as a guard but I expect you to be at the vanguard. If I see you running away at the first sign of danger, I will kill you myself.” The captain said to Li Yu.

  “That sounds fair, I will pull my weight.” Li Yu simply said. Thankfully he was allowed to join. The captain handed Li Yu a token that showed he was allowed to pass by and enter the city they were heading to.

  The caravan quickly gathered and began moving. The guards let them through the gate and Li Yu was finally able to enter the true Human Territories for the first time.