Every day, countless people entered the city of Saniya, eager to find their fortune hidden somewhere in the maze of roads. Even with the impossibly fast construction methods of the local workers, they still could only barely keep up with the residential demands of the new immigrants, so all the streets of the city would constantly feel overstuffed. Worst was the congestion around the old city wall.

After years of expansion, the city had long grown beyond its old limits, but the wall was still around. Since it was too much trouble to tear down, the king had decreed to keep it around ‘as a tourist attraction’.

Rather than demolish the whole thing, the workers of the city had simply broken through the wall wherever they had to place their major roads that would connect different parts of the city. Many of these major roads were still under construction, so the few completed ones were the only ways to travel between what was now called the ‘old city core’ and the ‘new city limits’. Since so many were eager to move between the two and there were limited places to go, it caused a permanent congestion in these spots.

People from the core were sometimes dismissive of those from the limits, since many living outside the wall were new arrivals in Saniya, often poor and uneducated. However, to one of the figures trying to force his way through the masses at the city wall, they were all one and the same.

Although he was protected by four burly figures around him, they couldn’t prevent all the masses from squeezing against him. In this sea of people, even they were only mere cliffs, who could barely affect the flow of the current. Every time the man was touched by one of the people on the street, the face hidden underneath his deep hood grimaced.

Heavens above, how can one city alone attract this much rabble!?

Despite the crowded street, the group of five tall men still drew attention. One of the guards at the open gate lowered his posture to get a look underneath the man’s hood. There had been many instances of spies in recent years, so the local forces had become vigilant.

However, when he saw the noble face with the graying hair hidden underneath, he stood back up again and looked away. Maybe he thought that someone of that age couldn’t possibly be a spy, or maybe he was afraid to offend someone who clearly looked of higher status. Or maybe he was responsive to the silver coin one of the old noble’s companions slipped him.

Either way, the noble considered the guard’s action a personal insult. This was a sign of the times, the lack of respect the commoners showed towards those of higher status. With concern, he stared at the streets, and all its people who thought so little of the old values.

Everywhere else in Medala, the people were taught to understand their place in life, and to act accordingly. As the ancients said, aberrant behavior would only cause a social upheaval. The lords understood this, and the commoners understood it as well. Only here, in this forsaken city, did commoners act like lords themselves.

Sure, they still wore simple colors like gray and brown, since others were still forbidden to them by law. However, their cloth was of high quality, shiny and smooth, and the cuts of their dresses and robes were complex and expensive. Some of them were huffing under the weight of all the folds they had surrounded their bodies with. It was pure decadence, entirely unbecoming of the common folk. Like this, they skirted the edges of what was legal, in a desperate attempt to appear important. And their absurd wear was far from the only instance of decadence that the noble could spot.

Others would wear simpler robes, but they would still carry around many new-fangled gadgets. While there were clear restrictions for most traditional shows of wealth, the overconfident commoners here had become creative. He saw several men walk around with pieces of clear crystal draped across their noses, openly flaunting their wealth on their faces. Others wore gaudy shoes that clacked on the pavement. To the sides of the road were the sources of all this decadence, various shops that sold absurd wares no one had ever heard of, surely nothing more than than useless baubles, further attempts to circumvent the law.

A shop that displayed strange shelves filled with ticking gears was especially well-traveled. It looked as confusing as it looked useless, just another attempt of the commoners to rise beyond their standing. Surely, they would meet in private and discuss which among them had the most useless, most expensive metal box.

Worst of all, they were clogging the street, and the stench of their incessant rose waters poisoned the old noble’s sensitive nose. Only commoners would be able to withstand such noise and stench. To the nobles with their fine senses, it was an affront, as was the entire manner of these people, careless and lazy.

They should be out in the fields, working hard for the betterment of their territory, and the family which gave them home and food. Their role was to keep society working, to provide for the warriors who would fight for them, for the priests who prayed for them, and for the lords who harbored them.

Instead, many of them sat by the roadside, in open cafes and chess shops, and whiled the day away. Their actions were surely just another way to tell the entire world that they could afford to do so, could afford to be lazy and unproductive. Really, the further he went along the roads, the more the noble’s mood dropped.

Only lords could travel in palanquins, since no commoners were allowed to be carried on the shoulders of others. This was the very reason he had come here on foot. Since he was traveling in secret, he could not enter the city on such a grand scale. However, once again, the arrogant mortals of Saniya had become creative and imitated the ways of the lords. Since large animals had become outlawed inside the city, drawn carriages were no longer an option for the commoners.

Yet now, they simply drew the carriages themselves. They had shrunk them down to only a seat and two wheels, so even a mortal could drag them around. To the noble, it looked uncomfortable and impractical, but the commoners didn’t care. They were surely happy to sweat in front of these things, so long as they could disturb the natural order.

Even when he entered what was considered the ‘noble district’ of the city, where all the southern lords had come to build their second and third homes, he could see the mortals all over the street, like maggots infecting a ham. There was no reason for a commoner to be here of course. Surely this was just another frivolous provocation from the lowly classes who were emboldened by their unscrupulous king. Finally, the old noble and his entourage reached the goal of their journey, the largest courtyard in the district, so they could finally leave the crowded streets.

With satisfaction, the noble saw that he only had to show his face to the warriors at the door. who nodded knowingly, opened the gate, and bowed without a word.

These were the high-born, with the proper understanding of how things worked. Although they were just warriors, at least they understood their place in society, their value as people in a system that had prevailed unchanged for centuries. Now that the people around him once again acted the way they were supposed to, the old noble’s bad mood cleared instantly.

He had left the common streets filled with common people and was once again among his own. As soon as the gate closed behind him, the man threw off the simple outer robe he had used to hide himself, only to reveal the expensive inner robe of gold and red.

Mixed, the two would produce a copper color, the sign of his family. While several servants appeared to clean up the robe on the ground and to guide away the noble’s own guards, one skinny servant came towards him with a flattering smile on his face.

“Lord Ogulno! This servant welcomes lord to Saqartu Manor. Master is eagerly expecting lord. Please, this way.”

Without a word, Ogulno followed the servant along the paths of the courtyard, past several buildings and gardens, until they reached the largest building in the complex. Even from the street outside, Lord Ogulno had already seen the high roof. Apart from Rapra Castle at the mouth of the Mayura River, it was the tallest construction in the entire city, even beyond the local Pacha-temple’s public beacon, stretching its peak high towards the stars.

Although the house had been built from common materials and wouldn’t withstand much force, its appearance reminded Ogulno of a fortress, combative and powerful, showing the style and glory of the house, as well as its ambitions. The look of the building increased Ogulno’s insurance of success during the talks that were to come. Someone with this much ambition would never allow himself to be subdued beneath another.

However, the servant did not lead Ogulno into the fortress-like main building. Instead, he was led beside it, through an opulent, traditional Yaku garden, until they reached a large, artificial lake in the shadow of the fortress. The lake’s water was a bright blue, almost unnatural, and so quiet that it seemed frozen over. A wooden path led Ogulno to the pond’s shore, and extended further, turning into a bridge that would ultimately lead to a pavilion built in the center of the lake.

“Lord Ogulno, please.” The servant stood to the side of the path, and motioned for Ogulno to continue by himself. From here on, not even the confidantes of the house would be allowed to travel. Only the most noble of lords would have access here, so Ogulno took his steps with no hesitation.

On his path along the long bridge, the shadowy insides of the pavilion slowly became clear. A table had been set with steaming tea and refreshments, with two deep, comfortable chairs across from each other. And taking posture in front of the arrangement, with a prideful look on his face and his hands clasped behind his red cape, was the man who had agreed to meet Lord Ogulno today.

“Nephew,” Ogulno greeted his host with enthusiasm. “What a fantastic spot you have built here!”

“It is just a small summer retreat, uncle. Nothing much,” Mayu Saqartu, Governor of the South, replied in faked humility and hit his uncle’s shoulder in a friendly greeting. “Please, have a seat. I hope you had a pleasant journey.”

The words brought a bitter smile to the lord’s face, but he still sat down as his nephew asked.

“Hah, nothing pleasant about it. The streets are full of rabble who fancy themselves kings. One feels they are just looking for an excuse to upend the natural order and drive us all into chaos. Had I not come in disguise, the mob may have taken to their hoes and pitchforks to strike me down on my way here. For how nice your new mansion is, I do not understand why you would insist on a meeting in this orderless city, nephew.”

“This city is where things are happening, much to everyone’s dismay.” As he spoke, Mayu was pouring tea for his uncle, and then for himself. His hands were steady, but his expression was troubled. “Back before the succession war, everyone was always spending their time in Arguna, but that’s no longer an option after the war. As an alternative, this is the place to be, I’m afraid. This is where all the banquets are, and where all the deals are happening. All the southern lords spend most of their days here now, so whoever is elsewhere is out of the circle. If we want to impact the empire in any way, we will have to start from here, one way or another.”