040

I decided to postpone my training for the day as I was out of Qi. I could wait for it to recover in the room itself, but I was thinking of having some breakfast first.

Walking out of the hotel, I passed by the old woman receptionist who gave me a warm smile as I left.

It was still very early in the morning but the town was bustling with activity. Seeing people carry load of rubble and trash away from the damaged area and bringing freshly cut stone and wood. The repair was going on in full speed.

I guess this is to be expected as this is something that is bound to happen, so them being prepared and used to fixing damaged buildings shouldn’t be surprising.

The town’s reconstruction was looking good and moving at a swift pace. It won’t be long before the town resembles it’s old self.

When the town was breached from the south, it was almost ran over, a town being run over is sadly a very real thing here.

After my talk with Rachael at the Union I had a better understanding of things like this.

It isn’t uncommon to have a town completely destroyed and survivors of that town to die on the way to the next town. This is why the party system is so popular here.

And I’m probably the only one here who doesn’t have a party or is part of one. I mean, it’s not like I don’t want to party up, it would be nice not fighting everything alone for a change but that is easier said than done.

I don’t want to party up with random strangers. The best option for me right now would be look at other parties and see how they operate.

As I was thinking this, I was also munching down on a skewer.

“What’s with the dumb look on your face?”

I heard a sweet teasing voice behind me.

I turned to look and it was the blue haired receptionist of the Union. It was still early in the morning so I guess she was on her way to work as well.

“Good morning miss Lara.”

She smiled and bought herself a skewer as well. As she was curious about this, I explained my situation about a party to her and she listened very carefully.

After thinking about it for a moment, she said.

“It will indeed be a problem to travel between towns without a party. But that shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”

I was confused.

“Why?”

“I mean, you can just run to the town you want to go. The others need carriages and protection because they can’t outrun monsters, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

I did think of that.

“But running to the capital seems too much, don’t you think?”

“Eh? You want to go to the capital? Why?”

“Why are you surprised? Didn’t you say yourself that the Union’s biggest library was in the capital?”

She looked really surprised.

“Well, I did say that, but I didn’t think you’d actually want to go, after all I didn’t think you’d actually be talking about travelling for a month or so.”

A month? That can’t be right.

“U-um, a month?”

“Oh yeah, you didn’t know, did you? So this is why Rachael told me to teach you a little common sense once in a while…”

After that rude statement. She finished up the skewer in her hand, and we both walked towards the Union.

Along the way she continued to talk about this and that. And I think I’m starting to get a better idea of this.

The Ice Garden Plateau is a little different than the other places surrounding it. Here other than the five main cities, none are officially managed totally under the rule of the royal family. Sure, they fall under the same name and they pay taxes and stuff but regarding rules, each city’s ruler basically takes it upon themselves.

The royal family doesn’t take interest in it in the slightest, unless it involves them directly or indirectly.

The five main cities they do manage are the four Greens, the East, where we are, the west, the north and the south. The last city that is in direct control is the capital itself, Ice Garden.

As long as they pay their taxes, they don’t care how they manage their cities. They only care about the four Greens and the capital and nothing else.

“Why are they so lax? Aren’t they afraid of being overthrown or something?”

“Why are you asking such a stupid question? Of course they aren’t afraid, their family members are blessed by the Ice Immortal herself. They also have the sentinels and the strongest party that ever lived –The Foreigners, why would they be afraid? Rather it’s the others who are afraid of ever going against them.”

I just keep hearing troublesome things one after the other.

I wanted to be sure of something so I asked this question.

“What does the royal crest look like?”

She was surprised but still showed me. Her hand hovered over the storage crystal on her wrist and she retrieved a small ID. She didn’t show me much, but the back of the card had a very distinct emblem.

It was a circle with four directional marks, like a compass and a snowflake at the middle.

It was a very eye catching emblem.

I thanked her and she stored it again.

I was both relieved and vexed at the same time. Relieved that the emblem on the knife didn’t belong to the royal family, but also vexed because I still didn’t know my enemy.

“Why did you ask to see the emblem?”

“It’s nothing, I think I saw a similar emblem when I was young but I was mistaken.”

“Hoh~ so, what does that one look like? Maybe I know it.”

I was a little hesitant, but I still decided to say, I think whoever that emblem belongs to doesn’t have a good relation with the union, otherwise why would the union leader attack the formation.

I described the emblem on the knife, rather roughly, I wanted her to think that I really did not remember what it looked like, and so I tried to be as vague as possible while also giving the most important detail of all. A triangle with two clashing swords. I could have described it in more detail, like the type of sword, position of the triangle, but I don’t think I should be sharing too much information without knowing the people I can actually trust.

She almost immediately answered me.

“Oh that, I know, that’s the Guardon Family of Ice Garden. You weren’t too far off on that you know. Their authority comes below only the royal family. Even the first wife of the head, Lady Istala is known to have been blessed by the Ice Immortal.”