The city of Rhazgord was protected by walls made of makeshift logs. The city had three entrances. These were located to the east, north and south of the city. The convoy approaching the city arrived at the southern gate. The young man at the front of the convoy and another man with him approached the soldiers protecting the entrance. The young man was saying something in Adler language and the man next to him was translating it to the guards. The guards understood only the words 'Corvus' and 'Tiamat' from what the young man was saying.

"The young man next to me is Belisarius, the crown prince of the Adler Kingdom. He has brought some materials requested by Corvus Tiamat."

The guards were from the Tiamat family and did not feel the need to check the convoy after hearing Corvus' name. They also did not want the 'tribute' they received from the merchants entering the city.

"Go straight ahead. When you approach the mountain, you will see Sanguianr's Mansion. You can find Corvus there."

The guards made no difficulty, so the interpreter handed the money Belisarius handed him to the guards and signalled for the convoy to move off.

As Belisarius entered the city, he agreed with Corvus' words. He had entered the city with a large convoy without even being checked. Given the city's lopsided walls, it already seemed easy to enter the city, but entering the city so easily through the front gate made him question the security of the city. The roads of the city were crooked like the houses in the city. At some points in the city, the roads were in such a bad condition that the convoy could not move forward. There was nothing in the name of order in the city.

Another thing that attracted Belisarius' attention was the merchants in the city. Most of the merchants were not from Rhazgord. They were immediately recognisable by their appearance. Moreover, the goods they sold were both very poor quality and expensive. Nevertheless, there were long queues in front of each of them.

As Belisarius rode through the city, an old man holding several swords approached his horse. Belisarius' bodyguards had been on high alert since the moment they entered the city, and they gripped their swords in the face of this unexpected event. Belisarius' interpreter immediately turned round to calm the soldiers who were coming up behind them and reaching for their swords. Then he turned to the man who was trying to show Belisarius his swords and listened to what he wanted to say.

"The old man wants to sell his swords, my lord, the Rhazgords are skilful blacksmiths. Are you interested?"

The interpreter's translation explained the situation. The old man's gaze was not that of a warrior, as Belisarius had expected. The only thing in the old man's eyes was weakness. The old man's gaze caused Belisarius to feel a deep sadness. Belisarius dismounted from his horse to examine the swords sold by the old man more closely. He examined all three swords for a long time. The swords were too heavy for Belisarius, but they were of a quality comparable to the best blacksmiths in the Kingdom of Adler.

"All three are very fine swords. I would like to buy all of them. Would you ask the price for me, Perze?"

Belisarius' interpreter spoke briefly to the old man. Belisarius was very curious about the price of these quality swords.

"My lord, it is worth 200 Rhazgord coins. That is almost five Adler silver coins. You may pay in Adler coins."

Belisarius was stunned by the price he heard. "Are you sure it's five silvers? Not gold?" Belisarius' astonishment alarmed the old man. He looked at Belisarius with pleading eyes and made the sign of four with his hands.

"I'm sure I translated it correctly, my lord, and even he says you can buy it for four silver coins if it's too expensive for you."

Belisarius was surprised not because the price was high, but because it was so low. Four pieces of silver was less than the daily income of the most menial labourers in the Kingdom of Adler. These swords could easily be sold for several Adler gold coins each. One Adler gold coin was worth a hundred Adler silver coins. The old man's price was dozens of times cheaper than it should have been.

Belisarius took five Adler gold coins out of his pouch and handed them to the old man. When the old man saw the gold coins, he didn't want to take them. He looked a little angry.

"My lord, he says that the money you gave him is too much, he says that he is not a beggar. He sold it for this price before." Belisarius knew how prideful the Rhazgords were. "Perze, I want you to translate exactly what I say."

"I know you are not beggars. I paid you what your swords were worth. Whoever it was who bought them from you at that price before has deceived you. If you have other swords of this quality, I would like to buy them too."

Belisarius' statement shook the old man. After saying something angrily, he quickly calmed down. He took only three gold coins from Belisarius' hand and said a few more words.

''My lord, he only agreed to take three gold coins because you told him the true value of the weapons he made. Unfortunately, he said that he was out of the ore needed to make weapons and that he only had these three swords..." The old man intervened and said something. "As I was trying to tell you, he only has three swords left, but if you wait a week or so, he can get the necessary materials and make a few more weapons."

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Unfortunately, Belisarius had no time. After telling the old man that he would definitely buy the swords the next time he came to Rhazgord, they continued on their way. Along the way, many people, like the old man, approached the convoy and tried to sell something. Almost everyone who came offered a much lower price than they should have. Belisarius tried to buy everything that could be useful to him, but he had no intention of spending money on unnecessary things.

Belisarius wanted to explore the city, but he could not leave the convoy. They had wasted a lot of time with the sellers they met on the way, so they decided to speed up. As they approached the Rhaz mountain and the king's 'palace', they realised that there were many people on the slopes of the mountain, but they did not dwell on it too much and headed towards the palace. It was getting dark and everyone in the convoy was tired.

They were close to the palace when five warriors blocked their way. These warriors were well-equipped and big men. Even the shortest of them was two metres tall. The biggest warrior stepped forward and began to speak in a booming voice. The interpreter translated what was said instantly.

"Without Sanguinar's permission, outsiders are forbidden to approach Sanguinar's Manor or Mount Rhaz from here! If you try to go beyond here, we will use force! Turn back!"

The interpreter became alarmed. For a moment he even considered turning back. When he remembered that the cargo they were carrying belonged to Sanguinar's son, his panic subsided a little.

"The man with me is Belisarius, crown prince of the Kingdom of Adler. He is a friend of Corvus Tiamat. The cargo we are carrying consists of goods belonging to Corvus Tiamat and gifts sent to the Great Sanguinar Sakhaar."

After the warriors had spoken among themselves, one of them broke off and ran towards Sanguinar's Pavilion. The interpreter leaned into the prince's ear and said , "They have gone to summon someone named Kaelyra. Even if they don't let us pass, I know a place to stay." Belisarius nodded to the interpreter.

It seemed strange to him that Kaelyra had been summoned instead of Corvus, but he didn't press the matter. He remembered Kaelyra and knew she was an important figure. While waiting for Kaelyra, small talk passed between the interpreter and the warriors, but the interpreter did not translate it.

Soon Kaelyra and the man who had gone to summon her emerged from Sanguinar's Pavilion and headed for the convoy. Kaelyra was tall, but not a bulky woman. She wore her black hair in a single braid down to her waist and her green eyes shone. She was a woman any man would want to get close to, but the big axe on her back and the leather armour on her made men think twice. Kaelyra's anger was evident in every part of her body. She was like a walking fireball. Soon she was in front of Belisarius. She began to speak in Adler language.

"What brings you all the way here, prince of Adler?"

The interpreter interrupted and tried to speak, but Kaelyra's booming voice shut him up.

"Firstly! I am not talking to you, I am talking to the prince!" She grabbed the reins of the interpreter's horse and pulled him down. Both the interpreter and his horse fell to the ground. "Secondly! You will dismount when you speak to me! I don't like to raise my head when talking to my inferiors!" These words were directed at the interpreter, but everyone in the convoy, including Belisarius, dismounted. The Razgord warriors laughed, but their amusement was interrupted by Kaelyra's sharp gaze.

"Now for you, prince! I have a lot on my plate because of Corvus. I have no time for you. Tell me what you want."

For the second time in his life, the prince was being subjected to such treatment, but his fear overcame his pride. The woman in front of him was breathing fire.

"What Corvus wants from us..."

His words were interrupted by the screams of several men coming down from Mount Rhaz. Everyone turned to the man carrying a badly wounded youth on his back and a few others with him. Kaelyra's face went pale at the sight. In Rhazgord, she shouted , "Bastard! He's sworn to turn the whole city against him!" Belisarius realised Kaelyra was swearing. It was one of the first words Corvus had taught him.

Kaelyra looked worried. Just as Belisarius was about to ask what had happened, Kaelyra looked back at him. Immediately, he turned to the biggest of the warriors.

"The prince has an important message for Corvus. Brother, I need to get him to Corvus right away."

The person Kaelyra was talking to was her eldest brother. He was the head of the soldiers responsible for protecting Mount Rhaz and Sanguinar's Mansion. He understood his sister's intentions and nodded. Even before Belisarius realised what was happening, Kaelyra was dragging him towards Mount Rhaz. Belisarius' guards did not make a single sound, and his guards were left to watch as the man was dragged away.