Chapter 432: unexpected encounter is the salt and pepper of a journey
When I was still in the hospital, my favorite activity was looking outside the window--since it was the only thing I could do.
The hospital was situated on a higher ground, and my room was on a high floor, so I could see the city from my window--yay for a VIP room. At night, I could see the city lights sparkling like stars, and I dreamt of one day coming down to look at the illumination from up close.
The Lord’s Quarters balcony, which was also located on a higher ground, allowed me to look at L’Anaak Eed too. However, the light on the City of Greed only came from the street, which wasn’t as strong as the one on Earth. They sparkled dimly, and did not scatter as much, only following the path of the main street.
This time, as the ship docked in the harbor of Ahrat, I could finally realize my dream.
This was the land of stars I had been dreaming of--the lights filled the entire space from the high ceiling to the deepest ground.
The ceiling, which was high enough for Vrida to fly around if she wanted to, was filled with strings of glowworms and fluorescent moss giving out all kinds of colors that made it seem like there was an endless stream of fireworks in the sky. It was supported by several large pillar statues crawled with glowing cave flowers.
The walls were an arrangement of alcoves, stairs, and tunnels leading to different areas; carved artistically with relief, and decorated with sculpted jewels that reflected the glows of the natural underground light coming from the glowworms and fireflies. Along the streets and between buildings, lights flooded from sconces and streetlights, making sure no corner was too dark for people to travel in.
The airspace, just like cities on Earth, wasn’t free of cables. But instead of electricity cables and telephone poles, the cables were used to transport crates of goods and also drows in some kind of gondola, going in and out of many alcoves, with staff high within the pillars to control the traffic so they wouldn’t crash with each other.
While transportation to and from the surface wasn’t available in the evening, the city itself looked as busy as any city during the day. Drows, elves, and druids--with occasional demons caught in my eyes--filled the streets and the terraces of the walkway along the high walls. Whether they were walking somewhere, conducting business, or just going about mundane things, the lively noises could be heard all the way to the harbor.
If I didn’t know it beforehand, I would have thought it was just a city at night; not one located underground.
"Waaah...so many lights!" Jade’s energetic voice still sounded like a chirping even in his human form. "So colorful! Like Jade!"