The two carriages continued to move along the tree-lined path until they finally emerged from the forest. The change in the scenery was dramatic, and the fields of golden wheat filled the view of the young man who observed the landscape with curiosity. Due to his strong resistance to leaving the castle and straying from the forest, this was the first time Apolo had seen the fields where the farmers he had heard so much about worked.

And this golden landscape also indicated that Apolo had finally left his own lands, as the surroundings of the forest did not belong to his family; they were the property of another neighboring noble family.

After a few more kilometers, the houses within the fields began to grow more abundant, until finally the two carriages reached the village where the neighboring noble family stayed, and also the location where the caravan headed to the capital was situated.

The caravan itself was made up of a large number of carriages and people who, for various reasons, had to travel to the capital: among the individuals in the caravan were traders seeking to complete their trade routes, as well as commoners aiming to improve their lives by visiting more prosperous lands. Of course, there were also nobles like Apolo who sought to enhance their political position in society to maintain the accustomed lifestyle. The majority of people in the caravan were men, owing to the cultural traditions of the empire, which demanded that noble titles be carried by male heads of households. Hence, if there were no suitable male heirs, the title was conveniently returned to the emperor or to the noble to whom the title owed direct allegiance. This noble or emperor could then dispose of it as they pleased, such as exchanging it for political power with a powerful noble or pleasing a landless family member. Over time, this tradition of noble inheritance was also incorporated into the lives of commoners, so the few observable women in the caravan were those traveling with their children or those displaced from their lands due to poverty or war.

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However, this noble inheritance tradition didn't imply that women lacked certain political power and influence in the empire. The best example would be Apolo's mother, as her family didn't allow daughters to marry outside the family. Therefore, the men from noble families who married women from her family were strategically sent to forfeit their status as candidates for the noble title or the "throne" of their respective birth families. These strategies were commonly employed in large families to prevent internal wars over inheritance. Another method of disinheriting a family member was the one applied to Apolo: sending the potential candidate to become a mage of the empire.

Setting politics aside, the reason these travel caravans were assembled was due to the lengthy journeys and the general insecurity of the territory. While the risk of robbery wasn't too high, it still existed when traveling alone. However, stealing from as many people as there were in these caravans was an impossible task for a group of bandits.

Seeing so many people walking along the dirt streets, Apolo, feeling uneasy, decided for the first time in a long while to take off the bronze ring from his finger and hide it in his pocket. For someone like him, who had been born and raised in a sparsely populated castle, this was the first time he had seen so many people in his life. To be honest, Apolo wasn't even aware that there were so many people outside his lands. Which wasn't too surprising, as Apolo's family castle was merely a grand fortress where his family and servants lived; no one else was allowed to inhabit the forest, and his historically isolationist family never accepted visitors to the castle.

Through the carriage window, Apolo observed with curiosity and nervousness as people moved about everywhere. Naturally, the village was more alive than ever due to the arrival of the caravan: all the children were eager to see what curiosities the merchants from distant lands had brought, adult men curiously engaged in conversations with farmers from other lands to exchange advice and learn about peculiarities. Opportunistic mothers sought to marry off their daughters to wealthy merchants, offering them a better life than they would have if they married within the village.