Chapter 18
The Xenia patrol formed a circle around Avnas’s group; some of them even pointed their spears at Avnas’s friend, daring them to move a muscle. Lynas, Elian, and Alex could sense the Xenia’s soldiers’ watchful eyes locked on them like hungry predators, almost wishing they tried to do something, but they were wise not to fall for their threatening gaze. They remained calm under pressure. Avnas glanced at the strange weapon some of Xenia’s soldiers were carrying. It appeared to be a rifle or a musket, to be more specific, which made Avnas remember something. During her conversation with Sister Helena, Avnas recalled seeing some photos of Sister Helena carrying that type of weapon. So, it appears that there was gunpowder in this world as well, or something similar, which does not surprise Avnas at all. After all, if humanity could build those giant aerocrucibles, a cannon or a pistol wouldn’t be far-fetched or impossible for them to make, in Avnas’s opinion. Still, it was the first time Avnas saw someone carrying one of those rifles, and it was weird since it made her wonder if this type of weapon was common at all.
Still, to Avnas and perhaps everyone’s surprise, the Xenia’s soldier didn’t launch an attack but began interrogating them. This unexpected turn of events brought a wave of relief, especially to Avnas. She wanted to try to ease things over. The last thing she wanted was to kill humans in front of Mariel.
“I want a search party to immediately enter the town and investigate the situation now,” commanded one of the soldiers, leaving no doubt that he was in charge. His gaze then focused on the group, yet strangely, he seemed unfazed by the presence of Avnas, a demon, among them. Avnas tilted her head but said no more.
“Now, I’m curious to know how four adventurers and a child ended up in this specific location,” the soldier asked, causing the group to frown in response. However, it took a few moments for Lynas, Elian, and Alex to realise that they were all wearing the pendants dictating their class. So, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for the soldier to assume they were all part of the same group despite Elian being part of the Hero Guild or that Avnas was neither.
“We’re sorry, sir,” Elian responded, surprising everyone. “We noticed smoke in the distance and rushed here to offer assistance. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, it was already too late.” The blue-haired girl swiftly glanced at the group, her eyes silently urging them to follow her lead, which they did. If Elian was that worried about being near these soldiers, it had to be for a good reason.
“Is that so? You wanted to help?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, it’s too late for that,” the soldier muttered. Although they could not see his eyes or face behind the helmet, they could feel a strong, mournful gaze. “Nevertheless. If you’re what you say you are, then you should know that your kind is not welcome here.”
“Our kind?” Alex mumbled.
“Yes, adventurers and heroes. By decree of our Great God Emperor, all affiliated with those guilds are forbidden to enter the empire.”
Avnas frowned a bit after hearing that. Not welcomed? What does he mean? She pondered deeply.
“I’m sorry, but my friends and I are not familiar with this area. This is our first time visiting Iuphan, and we got lost while doing a quest,” Elian responded hastily. “We didn’t know about these laws, sir. If you’d like, I can provide you with our credentials.”
“Mm, I see...”
The Xenia soldier appeared deep in thought, contemplating his next move. He was determined to avoid any conflicts, as battling heroes or adventurers was always messy. However, this particular group had a demon in their midst, and he strongly desired to avoid engaging with one of those creatures.
Thankfully, he wouldn’t need to do it, as a rider quickly approached him with urgent news.
“Sir!” Quickly, one soldier rode to him. “We found trails heading towards the forest. It may be the rebels. If they continue this path, they’ll reach Lein’xi,” the soldier whispered alarmingly.
“Tch! I will not let them get away again!“ the soldier hissed loudly. “All of you, head in that direction. It will take you away from our borders! If you fail to follow this order, I will be forced to arrest you.”
“Of course, sir,” Elian replied quickly. After that, the Xenia patrol swiftly galloped in the opposite direction towards Lein’xi. Where all their attention appeared to be focused now.
“What was that all about?” Lynas mumbled, taking a deep breath and watching the patrol quickly fade away in the distance. “They surely ride fast.”
“I’m not sure, but whatever is happening seems to be far more important than dealing with us.” Alex sighed, relieved that there had been no bloodshed. “Honestly, I don’t know what’s happening in the Xenia Empire. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of this Great God Emperor. I don’t know if I should laugh at the name or take it seriously.”
Alex’s understanding of the continent of Iuphan was limited to a few books he had read some time ago and sporadic news snippets he heard or read occasionally. The continent of Iuphan was an odd place to live, in his opinion. Culturally, it shared very little with Equidaeria or Alberam, even though humanity was the most prominent race living there. Iuphan lived according to its own set of rules. What rules were those exactly? That Alex didn't know.
It was an old continent for humanity, yet still new to them.
Despite this, Alex was well aware that the Xenia Empire held a position of great influence as one of the world’s dominant powerhouses and played a vital role in shaping the Iuphan continent into what it is today. However, he pondered if something was happening inside this vast empire that could be slowly destroying it from the inside. It would not surprise him if that happened; all empires rise and fall. However, Alex did not want to be here if that happened.
“It’s quite a preposterous name; I’ll give you that,” Lynas scoffed, trying to understand why anyone dared call themselves in such a manner.
“We must leave now,” Elian said as she glanced at them. “I would like to leave this nation as quickly as possible.”
“What’s going on? Why are you so stressed?” Alex questioned, a hint of confusion in his voice as he observed Elian’s sudden sense of urgency. Elian appeared troubled for a brief moment before letting out a deep sigh.
“My family has quite a reputation around the world, but unfortunately, it’s not a positive one,” Elian whispered anxiously. “We have a talent for making enemies.”
Lynas looked at Elian with a stunned expression as she asked, “Did the Aquilae family really manage to make enemies of an entire empire?” The blue-haired girl glanced nervously around, unsure of how to respond to Lynas. “Because if that’s the case, well, wow! Congratulations are in order!”
“That's not funny, Lynas. We can discuss this later; I don’t feel safe here,” Elian’s voice carried an apparent unease that was palpable to anyone.
“Alright, I mean, he told us to go that way, so I think we should,” Alex mumbled before letting out a slight hiss. “I really would like a map.”
As Avnas remained silent all this time, her thoughts revolved around the fact that she shared the same desire as Alex—to avoid getting caught up in whatever was happening in that empire. However, another thought was the lack of reaction from the Xenia soldier towards her.
It seems this place doesn’t mind having demons walking around. Curious, very curious.
“Master Avnas, is everything alright?” Alex asked as Avnas only hummed deeply.
“Um,” Avnas said, pointing her horns. “Why didn’t he seem to mind my presence at all? Are demons welcomed here?”
Lynas and Alex then glanced at Elian, who appeared to know more about the topic than the others.
“Uh, sort of, I think,” Elian replied, unsure. “I don’t know much, only that Semi-Races are not discriminated against in Iuphan.”
“That seems good enough,” Lynas added with a smile. “Right?”
Avnas let out a deep hum, contemplating the use of the term “Semi-Races” in this world. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was something previous Players had introduced to this world as well. After all, back in Antherion, that was a term used to describe races that weren’t humanoids.
“I’ll take it,” Avnas stated, glancing at Mariel. She remained unusually silent, peering timidly from behind Avnas’ leg, her gaze fixed on the direction the riders had departed. “Mariel, is something wrong?”
“No,” Mariel whispered. “Just, the voices were loud for a second.”
Avnas frowned deeply. “The voices?”
Mariel nodded before quickly grabbing Avnas’s hand. The princess took a deep breath before looking into Avnas’s eyes. “But they went away. I am safe. We are safe.”
Avnas remained silent, bringing the girl closer to her. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of voices Mariel was talking about. They couldn’t possibly be the same voices she had heard at New Altes. Otherwise, she would have heard them as well. It had to be something else, maybe something connected to Mariel’s unique ability. Whatever it was, Avnas felt relieved that Mariel didn’t have to experience those voices in the meantime.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Alright, it appears we have a long way to travel,” Avnas said, trying to sound optimistic.
“Yeah, well, it couldn’t be that bad, right?” Lynas muttered. “I mean, it’s not like we’re on a different continent, far from home, without any clue about our destination.”
“Positivity, Lynas,” Avnas said.
“Alright, whatever! Shall we?”
Soon, the group began their journey, hoping to avoid any trouble.
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Surprisingly, their path led them to a bustling, seemingly overcrowded, long road. It was paved in cobblestones and conveniently situated near the shore. From there, they could see the vast blue sea and the constant flow of ships arriving on the continent, telling them they were quite close to a port city.
“Where did all these people come from?” Lynas whispered as they saw the number of people passing next to them.
“I’m not sure, but this is now the eighth caravan that has passed us,” Avnas replied, observing a large group of people who seemed to completely disregard their presence and walk ahead on their own path without stopping. However, she couldn’t help but notice that the carriages were laden with food and brimming with weapons—a vast array of every kind imaginable.
“I doubt they are civilians,” Avnas noted, watching how these groups of caravans were heading towards the Xenia Empire.
“Yeah, they don’t look friendly either,” Lynas joked with a scoff. “Whatever is going on in Xenia is going to get quite messy soon.”
“I am just glad we are out of there,” Elian sighed, feeling now relaxed.
As they continue walking, a sprawling city gradually emerges on the horizon, but “city” hardly does it justice—it’s more akin to an imposing fortress. Towering walls, solid and impenetrable, stretch far and wide, adorned with majestic towers that punctuate the skyline. The scent of brine wafts through the air as the city stands proudly near the shore, accommodating the arrival of numerous vessels, each of distinct sizes.
However, that wasn’t the end of it. Numerous aerocrucibles of various sizes were also set up near the city, with some of these airborne vessels utilising the tall towers within the city for docking purposes.
Pirates on the sea and pirates in the sky? That’s quite amazing. Avnas thought, marvelling at the sight.
“Ah, I do hope it is not the city I have heard of before,” Alex said, his face mixed with emotions.
“Which city is that?” Lynas asked with mild curiosity. Yet, Alex could only glance at her with quite a shocking look on his face.
“Do you not know? I mean, aren’t you supposed to be, like, a hundred years old? You supposed to be wise and know stuff,” Avnas inquired, glancing at Lynas, whose cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Was she ashamed of her age? Or maybe she had been sheltered from the outside world despite having lived for decades?
“W-well, I don’t know everything!” Lynas replied with a high-pitched voice. “What’s this with me having to know stuff? It’s because I am a half-elf?! Because of that, I need to know everything about the world?!”
“It’s because you’re old compared to us,” Alex replied teasingly. Elian and the princess chuckled at Lynas’s reaction. “So, you should know at least a bit of geography compared to the rest. Aren’t Elves like scholars and know-it-alls?”
“Excuse me, kind sir! I apologise for not conforming to your narrow perception of elves,” Lynas retorted, puffing out her chest. “Allow me to enlighten you. I am unfamiliar with the ways of the world! I lived with my mommy and big sisters until I was forty years old! I can’t even name all the countries and continents! And among my own people, I am still considered a young one!”
“So, you’re saying that you’re an idiot among your people? An idiot child?” Alex asked, and Lynas simply smiled.
“Yes!”
“Why do you sound so proud?” Avnas muttered, a hint of amusement in her voice. Moments earlier, she had sensed a pair of eyes in the distance, peering at her from somewhere deep within the city. Unfazed, the white-haired woman met the gaze with mild annoyance. Surprisingly, Avnas didn’t need to use any of her skills to investigate further. Avnas attempted to use her magic differently, with no skills or stats. She utilised the advice Albarien had given her regarding surpassing the limitations imposed by Antherion. She concentrated solely on the region where she sensed the presence, akin to fixating on a single light amidst a multitude. Then, Avnas allowed her power to delve into that person’s mind, like letting waves crash onto the shore. That took that person, whoever it was, by surprise. Avnas was just letting a bit of her power out. Yet that was enough.
The mere presence of Avnas in that person’s mind sufficed to halt whatever this person was trying to do.
We didn’t know we could do this. Avnas wondered how much she could play with her magic in such a fashion. What else could we do?
“Master Avnas, is there a problem?” Elian asked as Avnas shook her head.
“Nothing, just let’s be careful. Someone is watching us.”
The group cautiously proceeded towards the city, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. But before, they had to cross what appeared to be the city’s port. They couldn’t help but notice the considerable number of people residing outside the city’s protective walls, inhabiting makeshift houses crafted from various materials like wood, steel, or anything these people could get their hands on. Some houses and buildings looked ready to fall. Surprisingly, even old vessels, like galleys or fishboats, were salvaged from the shore and ingeniously reconstructed to serve as dwellings for these resilient individuals.
The port appeared more like a graveyard of hope and dreams than anything else. It was muddy, depressing, and filled with poor people. The smell was disgusting—the sort of smell only seawater, mud, and dead fish could bring.
“Well, what a slum this is,” Lynas muttered as they walked down the muddy street that led to the city’s large, almost intimidating gate. “It’s worse than Hon-T-Kha-Ra. And that’s the worst port city in all Equidaeria.”
“Why are there so many people looking sick?” the young princess asked as she looked at a group of children around her age leaning on the walls of a house, eating fish with their bare, dirty hands. That scene made her sick, but not because she was disgusted by what they were eating. Mariel could only sense sorrow in their eyes. “Why is no one helping them?”
Avnas looked at the view, and for a moment, she saw herself in those children. She, too, once had to eat garbage to survive. The orphanages weren't luxurious places to be, and sometimes it was better to live in the streets, remembering that Avnas hissed internally. Disgusting little things. Disgusting young lives. Death is preferable to living in suffering! Do it; put them out of their misery like we wished someone had done to us! Do it! Save them from being abused! Save them before it happens to them, too! Avnas shook her head quickly, pushing that voice away. No. Avnas thought before taking a deep breath.
“Princess, lamentable events are unfolding across the world all the time. Countless people endure suffering daily, often unbeknownst to us or often without us caring. It’s just the way life is, and it has always been like that.”
Avnas made an effort to respond with utmost gentleness. Deep down, though, she harboured bitterness and possessed a rather distorted perspective on life and everything else. Nevertheless, she didn’t want Mariel to confront the world’s harsh realities unprepared, knowing that as she grew older, she would witness them more frequently. This was especially true considering Mariel’s unique gift. Avnas pondered over how one could shield a child’s innocence in a world that could be so cruel at times. The answer eluded her, leaving her uncertain.
Yet Mariel’s response surprised Avnas.
“I know the world can be cruel, but it’s not right,” Mariel whispered back at Avnas, showing that she wasn’t a naive little girl. “It will never be right.”
Avnas stared at the small girl briefly before nodding at her. “That’s true, it’s not right,” Avnas said. “And it’s a good thing you think like that. Because maybe, one day in the future, your compassion will make a difference for someone.”
“You think so?” Mariel whispered, her beautiful eyes gazing at Avnas.
“Absolutely. Perhaps you will save me one day,” Avnas chuckled before hearing a small cackle coming from Lynas.
“You’re such a mommy to her,” Lynas snickered. Then, Avnas used her long tail to whip Lynas on her ass, causing the half-elf to hiss in pain. "At least invite me for a drink first!"
“Be quiet, Lynas,” Avnas said as Elian and Alex now laughed at Lynas.
As they reached the gate, a group of individuals caught their attention. They appeared to be adventurers engaged in a heated argument with the city guards. Among them, Avnas noticed a Minotaur of impressive stature, standing almost four metres tall. The minotaur tightly gripped a massive axe in its hands, taking deep breaths as he appeared to be losing patience. Meanwhile, his companion, a cat woman with scars covering her face and half of her ear missing, seemed also to have little tolerance for these individuals. “I told you, people, you don’t have what it takes to enter the city,” the Etline woman stated with a sneering tone of voice.
“What do you mean by that? You already charged us to enter the city!” One adventurer exclaimed loudly. "Around twenty gold coins for each one of us!"
“Oh, did I? Did that happen, Tox? Did they pay us?” The woman asked teasingly, as the Minotaur simply chuckled.
“I do not remember that at all, Yeye,” the Minatour replied with a low, deep voice.
“What?!”
“You can’t do that!”
“You’re stealing from us!”
The group of young adventurers exclaimed loudly.
Avnas and her group quickly approached the guards, and it didn’t take long before the Minatour and the Etline locked eyes with them. Both Tox and Yeye were seasoned warriors, not adventurers or heroes. They were mercenaries, experienced sellswords who had fought in numerous wars across the globe. They immediately sensed that this new group of individuals was unlike any they had encountered before, and it showed in how they greeted them.
“Welcome to this humble city,” Yeye said with an icy tone of voice as she glanced at the group and Avnas carefully. “Before allowing you in, here are the rules. First, don’t fight in the streets. It gets messy, and we don’t like cleaning after each murder. Do it in the fight cages. That’s why we built them. Second, prostitutes can refuse to sleep with you even if you have already paid them. The Cartel has no authority inside the whorehouses, only the Duchesses and you don’t want to piss them off. Third, if you steal something, don’t get caught, or you will lose your hand. There is nothing worse than a bad thief in this city. Fourth and last. If you are looking to employ a thief, the Cartel is more than welcome to do business with you.”
Yeye stated this before moving out of the way.
“Welcome to Yecora, the city of thieves.”
Avnas and the others couldn’t help but feel intrigued by the city’s intriguing title. A city of thieves? That sounds quite interesting, Avnas thought, just as the adventurers standing next to them reproached angrily.
“Wait! You’re allowing them to enter?! Just like that?!” One of the adventurers yelled. “They didn’t even pay!”
“That’s so unfair!”
"That's discrimination against us, heroes and adventurers!"
“Go back to Silvercast, kid,” Yeye scoffed loudly. “I am doing your group of teenagers a favour. This city will eat you all alive.”
“We are not children!”
“I couldn’t care less, so piss off, or my friend here will forcefully drag all of you into the mud and toss your bodies onto the shore,” Yeye snapped, her eyes gleaming in anger and her sharp canine teeth on full display.
The group of heroes appeared visibly devastated, their voices reduced to mere mumbles as they turned their backs and started to depart, exchanging insults under their breath.
“Um, what did the kids do not to earn a warm welcome into this beautiful city?” Lynas asked, amused, as Yeye snorted.
“They’re as green as lettuce, brand new adventurers and heroes who think they’re the big shot, attempting to venture into cities like this to save us all! Bunch of Idiots,” Yeye mocked, her laughter echoing through the air. Tox, the Minotaur, joined in with a chuckle of his own. “They are the ones who die first in tavern fights.”
“It doesn’t help they are from Silvercast City,” Tox added, muttering with annoyance. “Bunch of pretentious cunts.”
“You got that right,” Yeye added with a scoff.
“Excuse me, we need a ship to take us to Equidaeria; where can we find one?” Avnas asked, and Yeye, the cat woman, hummed deeply.
“Go to the Weeping Queen. You’ll find someone to take you there. Now, how much would it cost you? I can’t say.”
Avnas took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Just remember the rules, and you’ll be fine.”
As Avnas and the group proceeded into the city, their curiosity piqued as they pondered the nature of this new place.
The Etline and the Minatour, however, only stared at them as the group walked away.
“Is that who I think it is?” Tox whispered.
“It appears so,” Yeye replied softly, as she then pulled a small blue rock, an Echo stone. “We have to report back immediately. The Alabastrine is here.”