The train station at the capital was huge. Five parallel tracks with boarding platforms and interconnecting tunnels. in peacetime maybe hundreds, thousands of travelers arrived and departed but in these troubled times, fewer dared to come to the big city. Following his mother's advice, Nero waited for the train to empty before leaving. Altia carried the smallest trunk and they made it to the platform. Despite not being crowded, it was far from deserted. People met their loved ones with long embraces, and others went on with their day as there was nobody to pick them up.

Altia and Nero, though, had. A man with dark skin and two leathery wings that doubled as arms, with thick glasses and wearing polished shoes, linen trousers and shirt with a leather vest full of pockets on it was holding a sign with their names. Nero approached and saw the big black ears at the sides of his head.

"Professor Bezzias?" Nero asked, using the preferred honorific as the man signed his invitation letter.

"Ah. You must be Nero and Altia. What a lovely couple. Yes, I'm Bezzias, a researcher at the Lyceum," He introduced himself. The man's voice was high and sometimes Nero could feel a buzzing high-pitched harmonic in it. "I'm glad you made it, the Knight's crackdown on the passengers was brutal. I overheard some conversations, not a few passengers were detained for... further investigation."

The bat-kin cleared his throat. "Probably some stupid quota they have to meet. The mines are busy. Well, you are here, I hope they didn't give you much trouble."

"No, professor," Nero answered. "They did say they'd send someone to check if we were indeed hosted at your place."

He snorted. "Let's not talk about unsavory business. You are here on your honeymoon, after all. Mrs. Altia, you are as lovely as Tinkwezilsky said you were. Congratulations on your wedding and don't shy from asking for anything. I pledge to do whatever is in my power to give you the best honeymoon ever."

The researcher was excited. Nero noticed his eyes wandered to his Arbitrium on several occasions. But they were not giving up his hospitality because of some baseless suspicions. The Gadgeteers were devoted to their research, not the country. They did support the kingdom and the Knights in their functions, as exemplified by Tinkwezilsky visiting Hom.

Altia curtsied. "Thank you, Master Bezzias. We are delighted by the opportunity to visit the capital, help with your research, and discover a bit more about Nero's unique qualities."

"Oh, lovely. I think you are tired of the delayed train trip. Please, this way."

They left the platform and descended a flight of stairs to the underground tunnel. Bezzias led and Nero went after Altia. The stonework of the tunnels was superb. A panoramic view of the capital was engraved in the walls, and if not for the monotone texture of the stone, Nero would believe he was looking at the city from above. Essence lanterns equally spaced dispelled the darkness of the tunnel and cast shadows on the engravings, giving it depth.

"The dwarves of Growink Mountain carved this as a gift to the King. A marvelous piece that never failed in captivating visitors," Bezzias explained.

On the other side of the tunnel, sunlight blinded them for a while. The bustle of the capital was even more numbing for Nero than Honeywitch. A thousand voices, hundreds of wheels squealing on the cobblestones. The scents of the city assaulted him. Rotten fruit, sweat, offal, burnt oil. DIfferently from the train station, the square in front was crowded. A statue of an armored figure stood vigil against intruders coming from the station. Several booths and food cards attracted the weary and hungry travelers with shiny baubles, souvenirs, even some city maps.

A crowd of street urchins eagerly harassed the travelers asking to help with their luggage. Bezzias screeched, making Nero's ears pop and the kids scattered, fleeing.

"I'm sorry for such an unsightly display. But these helpers are also pickpockets. Please, this way, my vehicle is waiting."

They walked down the sidewalk and next to an open carriage made of metal and wood an elf wearing a riding jacket flagged them. As Bezzias led Nero and Altia toward him, the young Adventurer noticed the elf had an Arbitrium too and that there was no beast of burden to pull the carriage. Instead, there was a large box covered by metal panels in front of the coachman's seat.

"Master Bezzias and guests. Welcome. I hope your trip was pleasurable. I am Lamuril. Anything you need, please ask me." The elf bowed. With uncanny grace, he opened the door of the carriage and two steps folded down to help the passengers climb. Then he moved to relieve Nero of the trunks. "Young master Nero, please let me take the luggage."

Nero looked at Bezzias and the Gadgeteer nodded. He moved to hold Altia's hand and help her climb to the seat. Once everyone was comfortable, Bezzias ran his hand over the upholstery like a lover. He was sitting with his back to the elf while the two youngsters sat on the forward-facing bench.

"Beautiful, isn't it? This is one of the first prototypes of a new horseless carriage. It runs on Essence and steam. Imagine how it will change the world! No longer we'll need to concern ourselves with feed, grooming, and horse dung!" He explained, excited.

"It is a lovely vehicle, indeed," Altia beamed.

"Must be expensive, though," Nero commented.

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"Oh, this prototype would sell for two to three dozen million Essence if we were selling. But with mass production, the cost of the finished product will surely be way lower."

Nero froze. A down-to-Earth carriage with a pair of horses cost a bit more than a good green Skill card. With the price of the one they were riding, they could outfit a whole battalion of soldiers with tier II Classes.

The contraption revved, chugged, hissed, shook, and the sound of hundreds of cogwheels clattering their teeth rang softly in the background. A plume of steam came out from the back and the wheels started turning. A moment later, the carriage was moving.

After the initial ignition, the ride was smoother than a normal carriage. Bezzias let the two look around, taking in the sights of the biggest city in the kingdom. The streets were wide and the front of the houses all had different but harmonic styles. Stone and brick, with glass windows gleaming under the sun.

The King's palace sat on a tall hill, overlooking the entire city. It was made of white marble and a myriad of small mirrors reflected sunlight in several directions. It was hard to find a spot where you could see the whole palace without glare. Nero commented that and Bezzias laughed.

"That is some security measure, and also to leave a good impression. Arce Luminis is the name of that palace. "The Castle of Lights", if you will. it is said there is no shadow for an assassin to hide in."

"That's amazing," Nero replied.

"Well, the fact is there were no assassination attempts in the last century. The place's security is really tight. And the danger of invading such a place, where all the guards are level two hundred or more!" Bezzias laughed.

The carriage went around the city, and Bezzias showed them some places of interest in a big square with a tent market in the middle.

"This is the guild square. Several guilds and services can be found here. We have the mage's guild, the messenger, the Adventurer's guild. I believe you want to register for a delving license, right?"

"Yes, it is in our schedule," Altia answered. "We can't delve without a license, but the tax is a bit too high.

All the Dungeons inside the capital and on the outskirts were managed by the Kingdom. Several of them were very lucrative but the guards with lie detection Skills would question everyone that came out of the Dungeon and tax twenty percent of all loot. Some cards were also subject to mandatory seizure but at least the Kingdom compensated for these. It wasn't unusual for most of these dungeons to suffer constant breaks as they weren't fully cleared in decades.

"Surely is. The rewards, however, are increased. You know how bosses increase in grade as a Dungeon goes without clearing, right?"

"We do, professor Bezzias," Altia nodded and then frowned at Nero.

"The boss of our own Dungeon was yellow," Nero added.

"So, some Dungeons here at the capital reached purple-grade. Most of the low-ranked ones because it is so easy to increase Levels at the beginning."

"You tell me," Nero joked.

"You are a special case, of course. Oh, we are here."

A fenced-off area occupied an enormous city block. The Lyceum campus was huge, with several buildings with various shapes apparently haphazardly thrown around. On top of a hill, a round building with a dome and what looked like a giant metal dowel sticking out of the dome stood alone.

"That's the observatory. Our astronomers use it to study the sky. Our Lyceum is a source of pride. The pinnacle of our craft. We study subjects ranging from the interspecies relations to engineering to astronomy and even alchemy, I am sure Mrs. Altia is interested in that. We can arrange a visit to our laboratories later. And on the other side, that house with the red brick wall, that's where you'll stay."

"I would be delighted, professor," Altia cooed.

Nero looked to the other side. The 'house' Bezzias mentioned was a mansion. Nero estimated it should be stories tall, made entirely of red brick and with a black roof. Two guards opened the gates when they saw the horseless carriage arrive and they drove up the stone path to some sort of garage without being challenged. The lawn was impeccable, with some bushes trimmed as topiary monsters.

"Is this your mansion?" Altia asked. "It is gorgeous! So full of class and personality. I bet it has a long history."

"Yes, my family owned this house for sixteen generations. And I thank you for your kind words. Mrs. Altia."

The vehicle came to a full stop and they unloaded. The mansion didn't have three floors but two, double the height. The corridors were wide and spacious, without much decoration save for some paintings and tapestries on the walls.

"Very spacious here, isn't it?" Nero commented as he admired the stranged architecture.

Bezzias chuckled. "We wouldn't be able to fly around if it weren't, young Nero." To prove his point, the professor stretched the folds of skin in his arms. It was visible that a good part of it was underneath the clothing even with the wide slits underneath the armpits. "Although with modern clothing, that's impossible."

After a quick tour of the mansion, the two newlyweds were left alone in a spacious guest room. A four-poster bed and a table with food and drinks were the highlights.

Nero threw himself on the bed, sinking a good inch in the soft mattress. "So, what do you think, Altia?"

"I had my reservations coming here since the visit of the Knights wasn't the most pleasant, but professor Bezzias is an awesome person. And very professional too. I could tell he was dying to ask you several things but after that slip in the carriage, he gave up."

"It is a golden opportunity, Altia. If he can shed some light on my condition, maybe I can improve even faster. For example, I want to ask him about the extra messages I get every time I earn an Accolade. And I know you almost drooled when he told you we could visit the alchemy labs."

Altia laughed. "Guilty as charged, husband."

A knock on the door interrupted their banter. After getting permission, a cat-kin maid entered with some towels and robes.

"I'm sorry, young master, young mistress. The governess was not informed we would have guests. I'm Nala and I'll be your personal maid during your stay. Please ask me anything. Here are the towels and robes for your bath."

Nero looked around. There was no tub in the room. He was about to point it out but the maid didn't wait. She went to a door on the side of the room and entered. Altia followed the sashaying tail of the cat-kin woman. Nero heard the squeal and ran after them to see what it was. The room on the other side of the door was a rectangular stone bath, about four meters wide and two long. Steam rose from the calm pool of water. The maid and Altia were having a conversation but they stopped talking when Nero arrived.

"Now that the young master is here, I'll leave you alone. And don't worry, the walls are sound-proof. Enjoy, relax, and clean the dust from the road," She purred.

It was a characteristic of the cat-kin to purr when they were amused by something, almost an involuntary reflex, just like wolf-kin usually wagged their tails when happy. The maid closed the door to the bedroom and they were alone.

"So, together?" Nero proposed, nudging his head to point at the bath.

Altia was already undoing his shirt's buttons. "Always."