"I'm really very sorry. If I could, I’d much rather host you at the Elegant Restaurant in Saint Nary... This city is just too new, and a lot of things are still underdeveloped."
Fischer and Raphaëlle followed Keken onto his carriage, which would take them to his so-called “Lord’s Mansion.” Compared to the other buildings in the city, this one was much more refined, located right in the middle of the city streets, with so banks and governnt offices from Saint Nary nearby.
It was only a few streets away from where Fischer had done his shopping earlier, so they had a bit of ti to chat while on the ride.
"It's alright. This is already one of the better cities in the Southern Continent."
Fischer had traveled south from Port Carl, passing through many cities built by Western Continent settlers. Keken’s city was definitely one of the best among them. He still rembered staying overnight in so smaller towns where gunfights could break out, and people were killed without the culprit being caught even the next day. When the police failed to find anything, they simply gave up.
Fischer’s complint made Keken a little embarrassed, and he scratched his head awkwardly.
"You’re giving too much credit... So, Mr. Fischer, where are you headed next? Planning to keep exploring further south, or...?"
"My destination this ti is Port Carl. I'm planning to return to the Western Continent from there."
Hearing Fischer's response, a hint of regret appeared on Keken’s face. But then he seed to rember sothing and reminded Fischer,
"Ah, there probably won’t be any ships heading back to Nary from Port Carl for the next few months. If you want to leave from there, you’ll have to land in Schwalli first, then return to Nary from there… I heard the contract between the port and the Nary governnt expired. The parliant isn’t too happy with the annual fee Port Carl is asking for, and both sides are still negotiating what the new fee should be."
Fischer was montarily stunned, then sighed helplessly.
Nothing the parliant did could surprise him anymore. It reminded him of a proverb often passed around between students and professors back in school—
"The parliant..."
"All of the parliant mbers put together don’t even make up one full brain."
Just as he was about to say it, Keken beat him to it. Fischer paused for a mont, then chuckled as Keken smiled back.
"Typical Royal Academy tradition—mocking the parliant."
"Only because they never run out of reasons to be mocked."
Next to them, Raphaëlle didn’t understand what they were talking about. She leaned against the window closer to Fischer and gazed outside. Suddenly, she seed to spot sothing—Fischer noticed her pupils narrow into slits again, and her scales bristled.
Her sudden reaction startled Keken. He turned to Fischer.
"Mr. Fischer, is she a slave you bought here?"
"Ah… a research subject. No need to pay her any mind..."
Fischer didn’t elaborate. He followed Raphaëlle’s gaze and saw several cages lined up along the street. Outside the cages, a man wrapped in bandages was trying to attract custors. Inside the cages, just as expected, were several demi-humans—likely captured by local hunters in the wild.
At the topmost cage, a young male green Dragonkin was curled in the corner, covered in wounds.
Fischer noticed Raphaëlle’s claws gripping the window fra tightly and imdiately understood what she was feeling. But he simply stored the thought in his heart and looked back at Keken, not saying a word and instead continuing the earlier conversation.
"If you still want a direct route back to Nary by sea, Mr. Fischer, I’d suggest heading northwest out of town toward Fieron City. The contract between the port north of there, Port Crete, and the governnt hasn’t expired yet. Also..."
A hint of envy appeared on Keken’s face.
"Fieron City is the most prosperous city in the entire Southern Continent—it's practically on par with Saint Nary."
Saint Nary?
Fischer felt a bit puzzled by that statent.
No matter how early construction began, Fieron City couldn’t be more than five years old. Yet it was already being compared to the capital city of Nary.
Was the parliant’s governance really that bad, or was Fieron City just managed incredibly well?
"I see. Got it. Thanks for the heads-up."
Keken nodded with a smile, gesturing that it was no trouble.
By now, the carriage had already passed the street where demi-humans were being sold. Raphaëlle also looked away, but her pupils remained narrow, and her entire Dragonkin body still radiated aggression. Keken shifted uncomfortably toward the coachman's side of the seat. If he knew that Fischer had removed Raphaëlle’s Slave Mark, he might have jumped out of the carriage right then and there.
"We’ve arrived, Mr. Fischer."
The carriage slowed to a stop in front of the Lord’s Mansion. The guards standing by the entrance with guns in hand straightened up slightly from their previously lazy postures.
Leading Fischer and Raphaëlle through the gates, a woman in an ivory dress with black hair and eyes was already standing demurely at the entrance. When she saw them approach, she gave a graceful bow.
"Welco."
Fischer returned the gesture politely. Keken stepped beside the woman and introduced her with a raised hand.
"This is my wife, Dora… And this is Mr. Fischer, a well-regarded gentleman from Saint Nary. I’m hosting him for lunch—could you let the chefs know to prepare a bit extra? Oh, and let your sister know, too."
"No problem. I’ll go right now."
Dora smiled shyly, bowed again, and walked off.
Fischer glanced at the two rings on Keken’s hand and chuckled.
"She’s from Cardo?"
Cardo was one of the three major nations in the Western Continent, alongside Nary and Schwalli. It was known for its almost ascetic religious atmosphere. The religions practiced in Schwalli and Nary largely stemd from Cardo, though they had been altered enough that Cardo no longer recognized their legitimacy.
Not that Schwalli or Nary cared. After all, not everyone could stand praying every day and taking holy water baths. Even married couples had to pick designated days to be intimate, and had to sleep in separate rooms otherwise, to avoid “sun and moon inversion”...
In short, it was an extrely conservative country, but ironically also the birthplace of magic. After a series of reforms decades ago, Cardo had changed a lot. Otherwise, Fischer would never have been able to study the Complete Compendium of Magic Texts written by Cardo scholars at university.
Black hair and black eyes were characteristic of Cardo’s people—and Dora clearly matched that description.
"Ah, yes. Dora and her sister both are. Back when Cardo’s theological institute did an exchange with our school—hehe..." He smiled gentlemanly and looked at his rings. "The Southern Continent may have its flaws, but it does have so perks—like the practically nonexistent marriage laws."
There was no legal committee here to accuse anyone of bigamy. As long as you paid the parliant, they’d grant you the right to build a city—despite the fact they had never formally claid sovereignty over this continent. No one knew how they had the audacity to act like they did. Still, Schwalli and other small countries did the sa. If there was one thing the parliant excelled at, it was copying bad ideas.
This led to the current ss on the Southern Continent, where territorial boundaries were a blur. Most people treated cities as the dividing lines, and everything outside them—along with the demi-humans living there—was considered communal “resources.”
Fischer glanced over at Raphaëlle. She stood behind him, warily scanning the mansion's ornate decorations as if trying to spot hidden poison traps or ambush chanisms. But after failing to find anything, she yawned sleepily.
“Lunch will be ready shortly. Please, Mr. Fischer, co this way and have a seat.”
Keken respectfully took Fischer’s cane and hat, walked ahead to hang them on his personal coat rack, and then led him toward the dining room.
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