Niya blinked her feline eyes in surprise before her face split into a massive grin.
"Nya?! You speak cat dialect, nya?!"
Her tail was practically vibrating with excitent now, swishing back and forth so fast it created a blur.
"Most humans can’t get it right, nya! But you nailed it, nya!"
She practically bounced forward, grabbing Nero’s hands with genuine enthusiasm that made several pedestrians glance over with amused expressions.
"This is so rare, nya! Usually only beast kin can do the proper nya emphasis, nya! Are you sure you’re fully human, nya?"
"Well..."
Nero actingly scratched his cheek with his free hand, a mischievous glint entering his eyes.
"I’d say I’m mostly human... But my spirit is 99% cat lover and 1% human, nya!"
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
Niya’s tail went into overdrive, her ears perking up so high they nearly touched.
"Cat lover, nya?! That’s even better, nya! So many humans just tolerate us beast kin, but actual appreciation is rare, nya!"
The catgirl practically glowed with happiness as she finally released his hands, though she remained noticeably closer than before.
Aurelia observed the interaction with her usual stoic expression, though sothing in her golden eyes suggested mild exasperation.
’Lord Nero seems to have a talent for befriending people within minutes.’
The thought carried a mixture of admiration and wanting him to teach her how to do that.
"..."
Celis maintained her gentle smile, finding the exchange endearing in its genuine warmth.
The six forr wives exchanged glances that clearly communicated: ’Is he seriously this good at charming everyone he ets?’
"Alright then, nya!"
Niya spun around with theatrical flair, her guide persona fully activated.
"Follow , nya! I’ll show you the best parts of Eidralis while explaining everything you need to know, nya!"
She began leading them deeper into the city proper, her enthusiasm infectious despite the "nya" verbal tic that punctuated nearly every sentence.
The streets grew more organized as they moved away from the gates, transitioning from the controlled chaos of the entrance to sothing resembling actual urban planning.
Buildings of varying architectural styles lined the broad avenues, each one reflecting the diverse origins of their owners.
A stone structure with gothic spires sat next to a pagoda-style establishnt.
Marble columns supported one shop’s entrance while another featured intricate wooden carvings that seed to move in the light.
The sheer variety was staggering, like soone had taken every civilization’s greatest architectural achievents and mashed them together without concern for aesthetic cohesion.
’Well... it definitely looks unique.’
Nero comnted internally.
"So about Eidralis, nya..."
Niya’s voice carried over the ambient noise as they walked.
"The city was founded shortly after the Dinsional rge, nya! When all the worlds started combining and people from different places found themselves sharing space, nya, rchants from various races saw an opportunity, nya!"
"An opportunity?" Nero prompted.
"For profit, nya!"
Niya’s tail swished enthusiastically.
"While everyone else was still figuring out what happened with the rge, nya, business-minded folk from different races ca together and established Eidralis as a free city, nya! Human traders, elven rchants, dwarven craftsn, beast kin entrepreneurs... they all pooled resources and built this place in just a few weeks, nya!"
She gestured broadly at the bustling city around them.
"It’s amazing how fast it ca together, nya! Though there’s still lots of work to be done, nya. The internal systems are still being refined, nya, and new structures are going up every day, nya!"
’A rchant city built for profit.’
Nero absorbed the information with interest.
’That explains the organized chaos. Everyone’s here to make money, not fight territorial wars.’
[The catgirl is totally right, master! And considering how fast everything ca together with all the different races involved, there’s definitely backing from other super business-minded people! No way a city this big gets built in weeks without so serious financial muscle behind it
Aria’s voice chid energetically in his mind, her cute ani girl tone unmistakable.
Nero nodded slightly, acknowledging the insight.
"So, this city was deliberately planned and made thoroughly despite being built in just a month," he comnted aloud.
"Exactly, nya!"
Niya bead at his understanding.
"The rchants who founded it knew what they were doing, nya! They picked this location because it’s near the borderlands of the newly rged Reford Earth, nya. Strategically far from any major faction territories, nya, so if conflicts ever break out between the bigger powers, Eidralis won’t be caught in the middle, nya!"
"Smart positioning," Carn observed astonishingly.
"Very smart, nya!"
The catgirl nodded vigorously.
"Neutral ground for trade ans everyone benefits, nya! And since no single faction controls it, everyone feels comfortable doing business here, nya!"
They passed through a massive archway carved with intricate symbols representing various currencies and trade goods.
"The city’s governance is still developing, nya,"
Niya continued.
"Right now it’s mostly rchant councils making decisions, nya. They use magical contracts for serious agreents, nya, but a lot of the systems are being built as we go, nya!"
"What about security?" Frila asked.
"Ah, that’s one of the areas still being worked out, nya..."
Niya’s ears drooped slightly.
"The city guard exists but they’re stretched thin, nya. With new people arriving every day and construction happening everywhere, nya, it’s hard to keep everything secure, nya. But the rchants are working on it, nya!"
’... Interesting.’
Nero filed the information away.
’A rapidly built free city with incomplete security systems. That creates opportunities and vulnerabilities.’
They passed through what appeared to be a market district, where vendors hawked everything from enchanted weapons to exotic foods.
A dwarf shouted about the superior quality of his forge work.
An elven rchant demonstrated a cloak that changed colors based on the wearer’s mood.
A human woman sold what she claid were genuine wyvern scales, though Nero suspected they were probably high-quality fakes.
"The dinsional rge didn’t just bring people together, nya..."
Niya continued her explanation as they navigated the crowded streets.
"It literally reshaped the entire world, nya! Earth as humans knew it basically doesn’t exist anymore, nya."
"What do you an?" Frila leaned forward with interest.
"It’s now the 13 new major landmasses, nya!"
Niya held up her fingers as if counting.
"Each one is huge, nya, like continent-sized or even bigger, nya! And each is inhabited primarily by different races or factions from the rged dinsions, nya."
"13 territories," Nero repeated thoughtfully. "That’s quite a lot."
"Eidralis itself counts as one of the 13 territories, nya! The only one that’s completely neutral and not dominated by any single faction, nya. It’s more like a free trade zone than an actual territory, nya!"
"So 12 other major lands exist beyond this city," Aurelia observed. "Each is controlled by different groups, I assu?"
"Yes, nya!"
"..."
Several pedestrians glanced at Aurelia’s wings as they walked, their expressions showing curiosity rather than shock. The divine wings drew attention, but in a city filled with diverse races and beings, they were more of an interesting sight than anything truly shocking.
A dwarven rchant stared for a mont before returning to his sales pitch.
A group of elven travelers whispered among themselves but seed more fascinated than concerned.
"Angels are rare here," Nero noted casually as he observed the other people’s reactions, "but not completely out of place. Just another unusual sight in a city built on diversity, I guess?"
"Mhm, nya!"
Niya nodded enthusiastically.
"Though I don’t know too much about the other territories, nya. Most of what I hear cos from travelers passing through or rchants who’ve done business in multiple lands, nya."
She tilted her head thoughtfully.
"There’s supposed to be a massive human kingdom to the east, nya. And sowhere north there’s this huge elven domain with forests that go on forever, nya. I’ve heard rumors about a demon territory in the south that’s actually pretty civilized, nya, not like the scary demon lands from old stories, nya."
"What about the other territories?" Zara asked.
"Hmm, let think, nya..."
Niya’s tail swished as she concentrated.
"There’s definitely a dwarven stronghold sowhere, nya, built into mountain ranges that appeared during the rge, nya. And I’ve heard stories about a territory where beast kin like are the majority, nya, but I’ve never been there personally, nya."
She shrugged with a sowhat sheepish expression.
"Sorry, nya! Most of my knowledge cos from gossip and secondhand accounts, nya. I’ve lived in Eidralis my whole life since the rge, nya, so I haven’t actually traveled to the other territories, nya."
"That’s understandable," Nero assured her. "You’ve already given us more useful information than we had before."
The group continued through the city, taking in the sights and sounds of a truly cosmopolitan environnt.
Humans, elves, dwarves, beast kin, and creatures Nero couldn’t even categorize all moved through the streets with purpose.
The streets widened as they moved toward what appeared to be a more affluent district.
The buildings here showed better maintenance and more elaborate decoration, though the newness of construction was still evident in the fresh mortar and recently painted facades.
"This is the rchant quarter, nya!"
Niya explained cheerfully.
"The wealthier traders who’ve invested heavily in the city mostly operate here, nya. Better quality goods and more established businesses, nya–! Eh?!"
"!!!"
Nero’s senses suddenly scread a warning.
*Spike!*
His enhanced perception kicked in automatically, his body already moving before his conscious mind fully processed the threat.
*Whoosh!*
A blade whistled through the air, aid directly at his throat with lethal precision.
Ti seed to slow as his heightened reflexes took over.
His hand shot up, fingers closing around the weapon’s handle mid-flight.
The motion was pure instinct, muscle mory from the ti of continuous fighting and training.
*Whoosh!*
Without pausing to think, he redirected the montum and hurled the blade back toward its origin.
*Thunk!*
The weapon whistled through the air and imdiately found its mark with pinpoint accuracy, embedding itself in the eye socket of a figure erging from a nearby alley.
The attacker dropped instantly, dead before hitting the ground.
"!!?"
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