Silverbrook came into view just a few hours into the second day. What had taken an entire week, even with the faster and stronger horses of Orion, took about 15 hours of actual driving. They had caught up to the bike riders and camped with them the previous night, and it was now just past noon as they drove over the hill and the city became visible in the distance.

Overall, Nick was impressed with the bike riders. They had averaged well over twenty miles per hour, even with a few hours of breaks per day. It was in large part due to how strong the essence users of Orion actually are in comparison to humans from Earth.

Knowing the priests and priestesses mixed in physical training as a part of their development as clergy certainly helped Nick wrap his head around this. The orcs were stronger and faster, so even while they were armored heavily, they still kept pace with their scouts and the humans of Zura.

However, only a few of the priests had been allowed to join the pilgrimage. Frederick once again made an apperance, but the rest were to continue with their atonement and purification back at Frosthaven.

Each of the girls had taken their turns driving, though Kaya was nearly a lost cause. Her animal-like tendency to watch everything she spotted in the forest as they drove by caused her to drift off course constantly, nearly sending them into a ditch if Nick wasn’t watching.

He shuddered to imagine what would happen if Fang drove, though perhaps Nick’s warnings and orders to keep an eye on the road would keep her focused.

Nick had an easy time focusing on the sights as Eirwen drove the vehicle in its final stretch, Nick sitting at her side in the front. Silverbrook was a massive city compared to Frosthaven, though Havendale might have been comparable–if it wasn’t all ruins. There were several layers of walls, a sprawl of urban development and farms protected at different distances.

Watchtowers could be seen on the outskirts, meant for protecting against bandit attacks as well as potential difficulties with monsters. But Nick could tell they had kept the farms short, as Frosthaven had nearly half the number of farms already.

While Nick and his party came from the West, there were also roads heading South and Southeast out of the city. Nick noted that the road heading Southeast was paved with cobblestone, the road heading South ending up near Shadowvale and having a few other branches Blackthorne’s bandits would frequently raid.

Despite Lothar’s success, they likely hadn’t cleared the forest of all the bandits. But taking down three major bandit camps and a minor one was significant enough of a blow that they would definitely have to be selective with their targets.

As Nick’s three vehicle caravan neared the first tower, they were waved down by a guard. Thankfully, it seemed they were already expecting Nick–the Lord of Silverbrook and his mayor had already received a prompt of the other lord’s arrival within the city’s Control Radius, probably sometime yesterday.

They got the okay to continue, after letting them know about the around a hundred orcs and humans on bikes on their way. It would be a week or so before the horses and carriages arrived because the crafters of his city were still working on them. None would be motorized like his, but they would move people and resources just the same.

Eirwen noted, “It’s nice of them to put us up at an Inn. I was excited to pick something out for us, but it looks like we’ll get to stay in one of the nicer places.”

Sable smirked at Rebecca. “We’ll have to make sure we can accommodate for this priestess to have her own room, though. At least for now.”

Rebecca blushed. “For now?”

Sable’s smile grew wider. “Yes, for now. We all know how this story ends.”

Nick looked back at Rebecca over his shoulder. As always, she looked flawless in her immaculate habit. “Even so, I’m enjoying our courtship. I’m content to win over both you and your goddess. You’re worth the effort, Becca.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you, Nicholas. I’m excited to see you help those in need here in Silverbrook, but I am also eager to spread Seraphara’s Wisdom. It’s been a while since we’ve had such a great opportunity.”

Kaya frowned. “Didn’t you send people on pilgrimages and similar? Or try to…convert people that came to Zura?”

“We…did, but the reality was that the area was not…that conducive to pilgrimages. One of the nearby cities banned it as they had their own religion, and several of the paths were either pricey due to tolls and protection fees, dangerous, or quite long and arduous.”

Nick arched his brow, though that tracked with what he saw from one of the priest’s Judgements he had done. “I thought near the core, things were a lot closer together than out here. Didn’t you have a lot of places to choose from?”

“That is…true, but not entirely correct. Ordeals were likely closer together at some point, but they are often destroyed or merged through Conflicts. There are also some Ordeals that heavily alter the nearby terrain. The arduous path I mentioned was a large mountain with the tower at its peak, and the cultivators at the top only rarely see the value in Seraphara’s Wisdom.”

Winny drove the vehicle through the main city gates, the third set of walls they passed through. These were stronger and sturdier than the previous ones, clearly built by essence from the Ordeal itself.

Other than a few people turning to look at their odd vehicles, Nick’s caravan passed through without much fanfare, though it took some time.

The place was crowded, with dozens of people and carts lining the streets. Nick’s utility vehicle just barely passed through the main boulevard, with some maneuvering and waiting for people to move. The inn in question was nearly a mile into the city, putting them not that far from the Ordeal.

There was over ten thousand people here in Silverbrook, and it was a melting pot of the North. Nick saw orcs, humans, elves, dwarves, and numerous races of beastfolk. What Nick didn’t see a lot of though, was monsterfolk.

Nick was shocked at a particular detail as he stepped out of the vehicle with the girls striding to stand next to him as they all took in the surrounding area.

“The air here feels so stilted. And it’s not just the bad smell.”

It seemed there was not much access to a decent sewer system within the city for all the residents. On their way in, they had seen a shanty town area, and most of the buildings had been built high up, many around four stories.

He’d be impressed if it didn’t look dangerous. He supposed that the wood on Orion was simply stronger, but the cobbled together mess was worrisome looking.

Rebecca took a deep breath. “It’s the essence. Too many people in the area is making it thin.”

Kaya was looking at the city with wide eyes, her ears and tail flicking around. “It’s even worse than Havendale was. I’m really surprised.”

Eirwen was about to add to that, but a man stepped out of the inn in front of them, and began walking toward them with what looked like a young employee of the inn.

The man was wearing a black top hat, with a well-tailored black suit with a silver trim. The man was a brown-haired elf that looked in his early thirties, but that didn’t mean a whole lot for elves on this world.

When they reached the second stratum like the man in front of him, they could live several hundred years easily. The man’s soul gave Nick a good impression, seeming like the average law-abiding person.

But what Nick was most surprised about, was that Nick felt something a little different from the man which he was not expecting. The only thing he could think of was that it was a form of kinship.

Like meeting a fellow countryman abroad, it was like he instantly felt a sort of connection with this man. The only thing he could equate it to was that the man was an elf, and Frostalfs were a descendant race of them.

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The man’s voice was cheerful, and he looked pleased to see Nick by the smile on his face. “Lord Noblefrost, I presume! Welcome to Silverbrook!” He walked up to Nick, and reached out his hand for a shake. As Nick met his and matched his firm handshake, the man continued, “I’m Mayor Allen, as you might have guessed. It’s good to meet you all!”

“Likewise, Mayor Allen. Thanks for your hospitality, I didn’t expect to meet with you upon arrival.”

Mayor Allen pulled back, standing a respectable distance away. “It’s certainly not every day we welcome another lord! Lord Silver is excited about our new neighbors, and what you have already accomplished. Mighty fine work, your Honorable Raiders crushing those bandits! No doubt more shall return, but our people will all breathe a little easier for a while. Now who are all these lovely ladies?”

Nick introduced his wives first, each nodding at the mayor in turn. The girls had left their weapons in the vehicle when they had dismounted, but otherwise were wearing much of their combat gear.

“A fighting family! How exciting. To conquer that Path of Kings means you all must be quite the elites.”

Eirwen’s eyes widened. “You know about it?”

The elf laughed. “Of course, you must have no idea how many people have gone through over the years, how many expeditions have ended in failure. There are records of a man who tried almost his entire lifetime, bringing numerous parties with different makeups, all in hopes of defeating the final boss and claiming it before he gave up and moved on. But you and your people managed it! Congratulations.”

Nick smiled and thanked him, before he gestured to Rebecca. “And this is Rebecca, the Arch Priestess and acting Bishop of Seraphara in Frosthaven.”

“Ah, a pleasure to meet you as well. There are many in Silverbrook that could use your compassion, it’s a very fortunate thing indeed that you and your clergy have decided to come here.”

Rebecca asked, “Are there no other healers here?”

Mayor Allen sighed. “There are…but there are not many who are proficient and willing to give their services free of charge. The poor have difficulty scrounging up enough funds to receive skilled treatment, and many are in dire straights due to the…crowded nature of the city, among other problems. There are many with old wounds that are suffering.”

When it came to healing, it was much easier to deal with a wound that hadn’t healed over yet. What Mayor Allen was likely talking about was missing limbs or similar injuries, which would take several times the effort, even for a low-level target.

The orc shamans could handle these types of injuries, but it would take a significant investment of time and effort even from them. A healer of a lower level, even more so. The priestesses of Seraphara were on a whole other level, and made healing wounds on low-level targets look easy.

“Now, these vehicles of yours are quite eye-catching! The inn has a place for parking your carriages, if you just follow the stable boy here. Let’s get you settled in here at the Silver Chalice, then I’ll show you the place reserved for the Pilgrimage of Seraphara.”

They parked their cars in the stables, which had some areas for carriages. The orcs detached their trailers and locked the parking brakes. Without the keys to the vehicle, it would be extremely difficult to move them.

The orc soldiers and scouts secured the goods and materials brought, and started to make their preparations for their own stays. Most of the more expensive items would remain on their persons within their spatial items.

While theft might be something to be concerned about, they would have to trust their patrons to prevent it on some level. Several town guards patrolled the street, this being the nicer area of town–near where the climbers lived.

Mayor Allen looked impressed as they finished parking everything. “Excellent. Those things are quite maneuverable, aren’t they? Are you able to make more of them? I can see many of the merchants interested in owning these vehicles.”

“Not for sale at the moment, but we do have something else that will be–we’ll be taking orders for them soon. You’ll see them arriving tomorrow.”

The mayor had them follow him through the city, and he pointed out a few good places to eat and shop. There was a merchant’s guild, which was several stories and massive. Multiple warehouses and shops sat across from it, thought there were also what looked like apartments built on top of them.

Mayor Allen noticed his gaze above. “The crowding is a major problem. Lord Silver has stretched his coffers and his Ordeal to the brink of collapse to support all of these people. It has been…a downward spiral, thanks to the bandits.”

Nick arched his brow. “Is it that difficult to deal with bandits? My orcs are skilled, true. But it seems like a city of your size should have access to plenty of resources to counteract the threat. There were only a few hundred enemies in those woods.”

The gentleman elf sighed. “They were always one step ahead of us. We hired many mercenaries and even came after them with the town guard and some of our climbers. But we only won minor victories, unable to find their true hideouts. The bandits would come back, more numerous and even more devious and damaging to our people.”

Eirwen shared a look with Nick, and he thought he could tell she was thinking the same as him.

Blackthorne likely had a mole here in Silverbrook.

“Ah, here we are.” Mayor Allen spread his hands wide, “The Central Plaza.” He gave a proud smile, and there was much to be proud of. Numerous levels of shops lined the plaza, almost like Nick’s mall but outdoors. There was a bazaar and various other special structures, including a small amphitheater and what looked to be an auction area with seating and a raised platform.

Mayor Allen pointed off near the center, where it was devoid of tents, a few signs laid out that indicated the area was reserved.

“It’s not much, but you may set up your clinic and pilgrimage here for the time being. If you would like to proselytize anywhere in this plaza, you may, and anywhere in the city is fine as long as it’s with small groups. You can even reserve the stands over there for a fee, if you so choose–it’s where we hold auctions and other special sales. Lord Silver’s only requirement is that you do not approach anyone wearing a silver or bronze mask. Those are our esteemed climbers, and are an important resource for our kingdom.”

Rebecca asked, “That is not a problem. You said we cannot approach. What if they start speaking with us?”

Mayor Allen replied, “Of course, Lord Silver’s climbers have their own free will. If they approach you, you are welcome to speak with them and let them know what your Goddess is about. He merely asks that you are not…aggressive about it.”

Rebecca smiled. “That’s no problem at all, Mayor Allen. While we are here to hopefully gain some adherents and clergy, we are only interested in a gentle approach. We will let our actions speak for themselves, and if people are eager to join us, we will be happy to give them the opportunity to see the value in Seraphara’s strength through wisdom and compassion.”

“Wonderful, and of course, that matches with what we’ve all heard about Seraphara and her adherents, we just wanted to be clear. That aside, while Lord Noblefrost and his wives are welcome to stay at the Silver Chalice, I’m afraid it’s a little much to board so many of your clergy and your soldiers…”

Nick smiled. “Not to worry, Mayor Allen. Those on pilgrimage will be happy to sleep under the stars in a camp outside the walls, and our soldiers may do the same, but alternate renting rooms at their personal desire. We even have decent transportation to come and go as we please. We may like to rent a small warehouse for a few weeks, however.”

Eirwen and Rebecca both squared away several details about their visit with the Mayor, and it appeared the merchant’s guild would be a prime target for much that they needed to take care of.

Nick eventually said to the mayor, “Thank you for taking the time to ensure we had everything we needed, Mayor Allen. I know taking some people off your hands is a favor to Lord Silver, but if there’s anything you or Lord Silver needs help with, I’d be happy to aid you to repay your hospitality as Lord Noblefrost.”

“There is…something, but I will leave it for another time. Let’s get you and your people settled for a few days, and then we’ll talk. If you require anything, either see the owner of the Silver Chalice or come visit me at the City Hall.”

They said their farewells, leaving them in the plaza. The bustle of the people was evident, the place extremely busy.

Eirwen said, “So, we got until tomorrow before the soldiers and clergy arrive on their bikes. What should we do for now?”

“Well, I think it’s high time I took my girls shopping. There’s stuff from all over the shard here, and I know this one here is going to go berserk if she doesn’t get something in that stomach soon.” Nick thumbed over to Kaya standing behind him, and she whipped his face with her tail as she coughed–her appendage actually stretching to more easily connect.

She didn’t take her eyes off the meat skewer vendor as she did it though, more or less proving Nick’s point.

Winny giggled, her ears wiggling. “I’m starved as well, I could definitely go for some food before we shop!” She whispered to Nick, “But what should we do about…”

Nick smirked as he looked around. There were several evil souls about, more than one watching them. “Nothing yet. Sable and I might try to have some fun in the evenings, once we’ve settled in.”

“Then after that, we can go after some bad guys, right Boss?”

Nick chuckled. “Right. We’ll just make sure we get the lay of the land first, and find the best way to make an impact. We wouldn’t want to get thrown in jail for killing bad guys, or letting the bad guys know it’s us.”

Rebecca frowned. “You are seeing evil people here? Will…our people be in danger?”

Kaya snorted. “It’s a good idea to be guarded, but these people are the kind that would only act in the dark–opportunists. You should definitely not allow any adherents or clergy to travel alone, though.”

Rebecca arched her brow. “That is…normal, in a big city like this. But I take it the problem is worse than just that?”

Nick nodded, thinking about how bad a few of the souls were. They were definitely as bad as the souls of the rogues he fought in Zura. “That’s right. Ultimately, Blackthorne likely has his men in this city. We’ll see what we can do to send them packing, since we have the law on our side here. You just look out for your people, and I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Rebecca gave him a look of determination. “We have learned from our previous struggles with the wicked. All of my priestesses and I have been training since we established our Faith cores. Those that come at us with ill intentions will harm us no longer.”

Sable chuckled. “That’s lovely to hear. I can’t wait to see these girl’s strong backbones.”

They would do their best to enjoy their extra time, seeing the sights of the city. Because tomorrow, things were likely going to be busy.