140 -) The Capital (1)
The capital of the Hazaroth Union, Balgar, was located slightly east of the very center of the Union of Hazaroth. From there to the east until reaching the shore lies the busiest road of the Union and probably the continent. That also brings up the main wealth and growth of the capital and many other cities related to it, affecting the whole Union positively, even in extenso.
There were many cities and ports across the east shore of the Union, but the biggest and most prominent one of them is the city called Estamar. Besides the other coastal cities and ports, it links its large and diverse trade volume directly to the capital.
The goods unloaded there would be sold and distributed around Estamar. However, the main direction of those goods would be toward the capital. Along the way, a small portion of those goods would be sold. The only place that can redirect a considerable amount of goods is the mining city, Vanore.
Vanore was a big mining city, and it had multiple mines that produced different kinds of ores. It produced a considerable amount of those ores, processed most of them, and held a considerably important position for the Union’s progress. The reason it can access many resources that are destined for the capital is that it relies on external supplies, thanks to its industrial focus. In the end, even after some caravans stop their journey at Vanore, more of them join the existing ones to transport the goods they produce in the city.
This is the capital of the Hazaroth Union, the biggest trading hub of the continent. Even the cities leading to it are flourishing with growth and prosperity. So it is only natural to expect something grand as I am visiting it.
Now, a vast city lay beneath me, surrounded by multiple circles of stone walls. As I took Sarya with me and teleported with the Warp spell to the closest location to the capital as possible, we stood on a hill a few kilometers south of Balgar.
The city seemed to be built on flat land, which is not common in the Union. Since both the south and the north of the Union have great mountain ranges spanning around border areas, it is uncommon to see a wide flat area except for the middle of the Union.
I could see a humongous castle, as it was huge even from a distance here. The castle is circled with a relatively low but thick wall. It looked like it was the innermost circle of the capital, probably the place where the leader of the Union resides.
Outside of that wall, stately and spacious buildings were located. They were hard to discern since they were not as big as the castle, not even close. However, it was clear that they were places for people of high class or status, either Ahrims or people close to or related to royalty.
There was another wall circling that second site. Outside of that was also another circular place that was holding many buildings and people. But that circle was so much wider, as if the earlier two sites were just a small town. It was also packed with buildings that were closely adjoined to each other, as if trying to buy more space. There were no visible roads or streets; possibly they were not seen because it was far away, aside from main roads.
With that last circular wall, the city’s definition should have finished, but there were many more outside. After around a hundred or so meters from the walls, there were wooden walls that stood like a wall to protect the outer buildings that stretched from the last stone wall to the wooden walls and filled within the perimeter.
The wooden walls were not completely connected, as there were 4 wide openings between 4 long walls. All 4 of those spaces were located on roads leading in and out of the 4 gates of the city at the north, west, east, and south. It seemed to me that those wooden walls were built against sudden wild beast attacks rather than against organized enemy groups, as they were too flimsy compared to the stone walls behind them.
Even outside of those wooden walls, there were buildings placed on roads and close to the walls. They stretched on the left and right sides of the roads, trying to profit from it. There were likely establishments for travelers and merchants, like some shops, restaurants, taverns, inns, etc.
It was a fantastic sight. I am amazed again at what humans can do if they accumulate efforts for generations like that. If I hadn't come from a major trade city like Yargan or visited here briefly before, I would have been standing there with my mouth agape.
“... It is fabulous, is it not?” After smiling at the sight with a proud expression, Sarya said and turned toward me with a dubious expression, before asking, “However, you don’t look as amazed as I expected. Did you come here often?”
“... It is indeed eye-catching,” I said after collecting my thoughts. I expected her to question me about our instant arrival in the capital, but it seems like my expression after seeing the city was more of her concern for some reason.
“Is it just… Eye-catching?” She asked as she raised one of her eyebrows.
“Of course not.” I replied as I shook my hand before explaining, “This is the biggest and most magnificent city I have ever visited. I visited here before, since I have to use my Advent skill. And Yargan was a fascinating city itself, don’t you agree?”
I explained to her before coming here that I have the Advent skill. It was necessary since she refused right away to go there because she thought that it would take a long time to reach. We could also use intermediary cities to jump around with the help of other adventurers, which I used as my first visit to the capital, or rather, the spot we were now occupying, but it would also take quite some time. There was not much exposure to revealing my Advent skill, too, as all adventurers would have that. The only problem was explaining how I could jump from Yargan to here in one go.
“You are right. Yargan is also a city that many admire.” She nodded as she agreed with me, then her eyes turned sharp, and she said, “As for the Advent skill you mentioned… Let’s talk about it somewhere where there aren't many eyes.” She said this out of concern for me.
Where we are right now is one of the 4 advent points around Balgar. There are four advent points at the north, south, west, and east; we are not at the south. These points serve as security checkpoints before entering the capital.
The whole capital, its structure, buildings, and even walls, were mixed with a special kind of cement, and important places were even strengthened with magical devices, as I heard. So the important part is that Advent won’t work in and around the city where structures are built. You can jump right outside of the walls, of course, but it is banned, and you would be considered a spy. In the end, you have to use these checkpoints before entering the city safely.
“Sure, I am fine with that,” I agreed with her, and we moved to be checked by guards.
Since we used this checkpoint, guards naturally assumed that we used the Advent skill, so they expected at least one of the party members to be an adventurer or their higher counterpart. We approached, and I explained the situation. Sarya was a merchant, so I had to show that I had the skill.
When I showed the guard my intelligence card, he saw that my job was the Truth Seeker. I was aware of this checkup, so I changed my primary job beforehand, and I deactivated some of my skills because of that.
The guard started to act a bit more respectfully after seeing my job, as he must have thought that I was not just an average adventurer. Sarya also looked a bit bewildered, as if she was not expecting it, but I could also see a bit of dubiousness, as it was still not possible for a truth seeker to be able to use Advent to jump from Yargan to Balgar.
Unfortunately for her, as she listened to my explanation to the soldier about where, how, and why we came here, she became even more dumbfounded. After all, I explained as if we visited several cities and rested before coming here to trade some items. She and I were the only ones who knew it was a lie.
After the guards bought it without a hitch, we thanked them and moved toward a small district for hiring carriages. Along the way, Sarya kept looking at me with suspicion, but in the end, she let it go with a deep sigh.
When we arrived at the place to buy or rent a carriage, it was already crowded. It made me worried as I started to think about how the line to enter the city would be if just getting a carriage was troublesome like that. Fortunately, I had no shortage of money and quickly dealt with the issue by throwing a gold coin without asking for change. It was several times the normal price for a simple carriage, and at least double for a good one, so we took a decent carriage for the short trip toward the city.