Adam glanced at Robert’s hungry grin as he placed eggs and delicatessen inside his bread. He took a bite, the rich flavor of smoked meat striking his taste buds. The soft-boiled egg followed, adding layers of richness before the still-warm bread’s crust crunched beneath his teeth. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the taste, slightly regretting the absence of vegetables that would have sprinkled everything with a bit of freshness.
Then, he sipped from his sweet tea, finally smirking at Robert. "It’d be a pity to see you die of starvation right before becoming rich. Eat, Robert. Brineheart awaits us."
Less than ten minutes later, Robert had engulfed his meal and was already moving toward the deck along with the other eager passengers.
Adam cleaned Quintella’s mouth from the bread crumbs and grease with a clean napkin, causing her to giggle with the innocence of a girl her age.
"Thank you, big brother." She stood on her chair, then leapt on Adam’s back. A hand wrapped around his neck, the other raised overhead, she exclaimed. "Let’s discover this capital!"
With a sigh, Adam adjusted her legs to make her more comfortable. It wasn’t exactly noble behavior, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop her. He glanced at the almost empty buffet hall and walked out to a sight that rendered him speechless.
Wide-eyed, he rushed to the railing, the adults making way for him with gentle smiles. And there he saw the capital. Not around him. Beneath.
Smoke rose from domestic chimneys and broad factories. Even from that height, he could see carriages rush down the streets flanked by narrower pedestrian walkways. The soft pulse of magic crystals, tucked inside streetlamps, illuminated the metallic fences rising around mysterious platforms crowded with people.
He watched them clench the fences before mana rumbled. Without warning, the platform rose half a meter, then sped toward a district of arched-roofed buildings that reached for the sky.
At a single glance, Brineheart boasted the best technology he had seen in a city—and that was just the mundane part.
Many devices hovered everywhere around the city, some absorbing ambient moisture before raining freshwater over gardens, while voices too far to understand echoed from others.
"Woah!" Quintella exclaimed, the wind whistling between her raised hands. "The river is flying... or are we?" She tilted her head, then screamed again. "Look! It’s bigger than your palace!"
Adam’s eyes trailed the river’s current, gaze landing on another city.
He gasped at the opaline barrier that made him both want to understand it and shudder. It was, without a doubt, far more advanced than the best one he had set up.
Behind it, castles rose like trees in a heterogeneous forest. Twisted dark spires rose like the gnarled finger of a giant. The one right beside it was an alabaster tower as straight as a spear of knowledge. Somber ambers formed the third, giving it a worrying gothic visual with its deep orange lights flickering through the windows. There were hundreds, each different.
But none matched the central building.
It towered like a magical beast, breathing mana to fuel the shimmering symbols engraved on its every wall. Towers, lush gardens of multicolored flowers spiraled upward in helixes, defying gravity. The spires themselves seemed alive, pulsing with veins of pure energy that traced intricate patterns across their crystalline surfaces.
Magic devices hummed and whirred at every level—floating platforms that drifted between balconies, self-tending fountains that painted the air with liquid light, and great mechanical flowers that opened and closed in rhythm with the building’s mystical heartbeat.
The architecture was like nothing he had ever seen before. No, it was as if it blended dream and reality into something he could have never imagined.
"Worthy of the capital of magic." A fascinated grin spread across his face as two giant doors groaned open to allow the ship in.
A moment later, sailors moored the boat and set the gangway.
Against his expectations, the other passengers didn’t rush onto the immaculate pier, where white, curly-haired men dressed in long, red coats fidgeted with quill and papers. Behind them, armors sparkled with different coats of arms that shared the same glaring detail—Leviathan coiled around a sword, roaring over a ship, or towering above flowers. Instead, they moved in an orderly line, waiting for their turn.
Noticing his darting eyes, Robert caught his attention with a tap on his shoulder.
"I’m in awe each time I visit the noble district. Ah... I wish we had the same facility in Port Vaelora, but I guess it’s not important enough yet." The Merchant pointed at the men with a grin. "You should know the drill by now. They’ll check the passenger list, then our background through the blood registry. It’s tedious, but well... I guess we can’t expect any less from Brineheart."
Adam whistled. "They don’t joke with security measures."
"You have no idea," Robert growled. "Sometimes, I wonder if checking us each time we enter a public building is worth the time..."
"Wait! Each time?" Adam’s eyes widened. Between the giant doors, the barrier, and the flying city, infiltrating the noble district would be a miracle. And with the archmages and magi living here, the miracle would be very short-lived. That was without even taking the college rector, who was most likely a supreme sorcerer, into account.
Robert pursed his lips. "Trust me, I would have avoided those procedures if I could. After all, time is a merchant’s most important resource." He leaned closer, whispering. "Unfortunately, even bribes can’t twist the rules. I tried, they almost kicked me out..."
Adam clicked his tongue, then spoke with Quintella, who never stopped exclaiming each time she saw something new. Just like that, they waited half an hour before their turn finally came.
As Robert said, the procedure didn’t stray from the previous ones, except that the men jotted down everything, and the guards kept glaring at him, as if daring him to create trouble.
Once done, Robert waved. "Follow me. We’ll settle in the hotel first. We can then visit Brielle. I know no archivist more invested in restoring ancient documents."
Adam raised a brow. "Because you know many archivists?"
Robert coughed, then ignored the question. "I’m sure Quintella will like the hotel gardens. Oh, and we can auction your items in a day or two, three if we’re unlucky." He walked faster, not giving Adam time to answer. "Did you know noble houses auctioned tier-seven potions and enchanted items every three days?"
"Answer my question." Adam’s lips curled into a smirk as Quintella echoed his words.
Robert glanced back, then bolted toward the hotel as Adam and Quintella chuckled.
AN: Describing cities is exhausting...