After receiving a place to stay, Mash’s initial instinct was to go and explore the town. He still had his mask and could disguise himself but doubted that it would do much. They would stick out regardless of what he did. They had made a pretty large commotion when they arrived at the city and still needed to handle the aftereffects of that. So, he didn’t go outside immediately, wanting to let the situation cool down instead.
The fact that he wasn’t going out seemed to relax Aifell. She didn’t leave though, taking the opportunity to lecture them. None of them minded, and Red actually insisted that she go into more detail. Aifell responded in kind, making sure everyone understood the rules of the city and some of its history.
The City was known as Asborn and originally it was much lower to the ground. The city had actually been built atop trees in the past. Slowly the trees grew and carried them into the sky. The story described how the trees had changed from being normal to what they were now. The wood turned blue, and the leaves became clouds manifest. Strangely enough, the leaves that they pulled from the trees returned to being leaves and were the basis of most of their magical items.
The tree itself had naturally high mana densities, and every leaf was good enough for basic magic items. It was also what enabled them to become such magical creations like the moving platform they had ridden to arrive at the city.
Learning of the story of the city was enlightening, but it had been the introduction of the lords that truly surprised them. As Aifell continued the story, Mash got invested in the story. A dragon’s power was rarely mentioned back home. Everyone there had a fear that the sheer mention could provoke the creature’s wrath. Aifell's people revered them, and hearing the end of the tale, he understood why.
Nothing could stop the tree's growth, and eventually, it became dangerous for the people to live atop them. Soon, the people would either have to flee or die as the city became inhospitable. That was when a group of dragons had arrived. Each was a master of the winds and owned the skies. However, they did not punish the people for approaching their territory and instead aided them in their plight. One of the dragons bound the trees to the world below, stopping them from growing any further. Another bestowed the trees with power, granting them the ability to grow fruit and provide for a city. The final dragon granted the people a small portion of their power, allowing them to live atop the trees.
As it had turned out, the Vians believed that they had not always had wings and had been gifted them by the dragon. It had changed their people, turning them into what they were now. They were free to roam the skies but were careful to never encroach on the skies of the dragons. Instead, they flew across the sky below, using the ground beneath for additional resources and food. Hearing the story was fascinating, but it felt like nothing more than a story.
That was the end of the story but the start of another discussion, and Red had started asking her about other things. Rules and things they should and shouldn’t do. Badmouthing the lords would earn them imprisonment or execution depending on what was said. Only a lord could pardon someone for that crime. Ultimately, the rules all boiled down to be a generally good person. Nothing was too offensive or controlling, and he thought that the rules were well designed. Enforcement was cold and unforgiving. The lords were the only ones that could pardon someone, and Mash highly doubted that there was a precedent for that. He bet that nothing could make a dragon do anything, let alone pardon someone.
The strange part of the rules was the fact that Mash was essentially allowed to do whatever he wanted. Which extended to his friends as he could pardon them of any crime. It also explained why Aifell had felt no need to worry about costs in aiding him. Honestly, he doubted that he could do anything to make his stay here “normal”. The lectures had gone on for hours, and they were finally relieved at dinner.
Aifell referred to dinner as night-food. It was simple nomenclature, but he actually liked it more than how they made names for every little thing.
“Well, what do you guys want to do tomorrow?”
They had already decided to spend the rest of the night relaxing, and he wondered what they wanted to do first. While he wanted to check out magic items to find a present for his brother, the others might want to find a way out first. It was a concern that he should probably take more seriously, but he had the key that his sister had given him and the monsters here were a relatively high level. Leaving was not on the top of his list.
“I kind of want to check out the concert halls that she mentioned. If their language is naturally melodic, I’m curious to hear their music.”
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Hearing Luke’s words, Mash smacked his own forehead loudly. He had completely forgotten about enjoying his stay and had been constructing a list of things he could do to be productive. Who knew that it would be so hard to relax? It sounded like such an impossible concern, yet he found himself constantly trying to make the most of his time. He knew that his childhood had been strange, and this was just one byproduct of it.
“Yeah, that sounds a lot better than what I was thinking.”
None of them tried to pry more from Mash’s response. They could probably have guessed what he was thinking. Feeling a pat on his back, Jill spoke from beside him. Her words reminded him of something that he hadn’t thought about.
“Well, how about we finally try using those harmonicas? I think I can teach you some of the basics of music. Plus, I think Aifell would enjoy it as well.”
The person in question had been following them from a small distance away. She looked up suddenly, turning away from a sheet of paper in her hands. Apparently, she had been working on something while walking, and a quick glance at the sheet told him that it was probably the item that he wanted. Feeling a little bad about that, he added to Jill’s comment.
“Yeah, I think you will really like the harmonica. It’s a fun little instrument. Also, you don’t need to rush on that.”
Her eyes went wide, as she glanced between the paper and his group. She quickly tucked the paper into a fold of her dress. Her clothes were made of leaves and Mash realized that many of the seams were actually pockets. He wondered how many different things she carried on her and decided that he could do with some clothing like that. It just seemed very convenient.
“I would love to learn of the music of your people. A lord’s taste must be immaculate.”
Mash stumbled hearing the words fully. He definitely couldn’t meet those expectations and turned to face the Vian. His look must have given something away because she started laughing, speaking through the chuckles.
“That was a joke. I. Heard. You guys mention that you were learning.”
Her words came out irregularly, as she struggled to keep her laughter in check. Mash stopped and just looked at her. The others did likewise. None of them had been prepared to hear a joke from her. The reverent looks she had been giving him lessened during the lectures, but he was surprised at how normal she acted now.
“You got a lot relaxed, was really not ready for that.”
Jill spoke for them, her words articulating how they all felt. Aifell looked at them like they were fools. Her expression slowly shifted to realization, her explanation coming out quickly afterward.
“Night has fallen, and the darkness will hide me from the light. The day is where the world can see us, and the night gives us the blessing of silent freedom. One to make us diligent, another to provide us with reprieve.”
The words sounded extremely rehearsed, and it was obviously something they believed wholeheartedly. This sounded like it meant that she was free to relax, now that the sun was down. While he didn’t know how this world worked, he didn’t think that the sun and moon did anything special here. Their ancestors had probably just given it meaning to make their people more productive.
Still, he was glad to see Aifell relax, even if it was for a ridiculous reason. Then he considered what this would mean if he went out at night. Would he be free of the reverent treatment he had received thus far?
“Wait, does that mean you guys won’t treat me specially?”
Mash couldn’t hide the eagerness from his voice, but Aifell just responded quickly.
“It would not be as severe as during the day, but nothing would open at such a time. Nobody would be caught working after the light has turned away.”
Aifell made it sound like the very idea was blasphemous. So, working at night was just as bad as relaxing during the day. He didn’t know what to think about that. He remembered his schedule as a child and how much work he had done after that. These people would have a heart attack if they knew about his past. It was a silly thought, but it made him smile despite the disappointing information.
The conversation died a little after that response. However, the silence didn’t last long as they entered a dining room. Its structure was very different from the ones back home. Rather than a single large table that they would sit around, it was a series of small tables spread into a large circle. There were gaps between each of the tables. The spacing seemed convenient, but he doubted that sharing would be very common with seating arrangements like this. There were far more seats than they needed, but Aifell didn’t do anything about it. Instead, she walked in casually moving beside the tables.
His eyes went to the walls, and he noticed that it was surprisingly bare. There were green lights mixed into the wood there, but it wasn’t anything special. What had surprised him was the way the lights seemed to shift. He watched it, mesmerized by how the wood of the room seemed strangely alive. It felt like it was a living breathing entity, and he felt a temptation to take a bite. A sudden slapping sound surprised him, and he turned to face the noise.
Aifell had placed one hand against a wall and snapped her fingers. Mash watched as mana swelled around her and mixed into the tree above. He hadn’t paid much attention to the ceiling but looked at it now. The ceiling had been blank a moment ago. The wood had been an unblemished blue like the trees from earlier. Flowers grew on the ceiling and turned into fruits as they fell to land on the tables. Soon each of the tables was piled with a stack of fruit.
Mash had found something he really wanted to learn. He spent a lot on food as his hunger had been growing with his strength. If he could just make fruits grow from the wood that he made, that would solve the problem entirely. He was about to ask her about it but stopped when he heard a strange knocking sound echo in the room. It seemed like they would be meeting someone else.