Milele Town

Population: 570,046 Permanent Residents

Distance: 170.7 kilometers Southwest of Jua Village

Estimated Size: 5000 square kilometers

As a town located next to a gigantic shield volcano with one of the largest calderas in the Zika world, Milele was a major destination point for tourists, miners, traders, and settlers from all over Toro and the neighboring lands. Therefore, its actual population especially in the high seasons was much higher than the population of its permanent residents. It was not uncommon for over 2 million people to frequent the town around the high season.

The town had an estimated size of 5000 to 10,000 square kilometers when accounting for adjacent settlements and the expansion during high seasons. In relation to the Jua village, the town was 170.7 kilometers away constituting a journey that could take a day to a week depending on the mode of transportation. Between Mwana’s village and Milele town, there were many unsafe zones that made it necessary for even powerful warriors to be cautious when embarking on such a journey. That was the main reason, merchants, warriors, and people of other professions would band together in a caravan when travelling long distances.

In terms of the town’s structure, it was divided in 2 areas: the Inner Ring also called the Business District and the Outer Ring also referred to as the Residential District. The outer ring was divided into 4 Sections named after the 4 Cardinal Directions with each section overseen by government officials referred to as Headmen and Headwomen. The inns and lodgings that travelers like Mwana’s party would stay in were also within the residential districts.

As previously mentioned, Milele was famous for its location near a massive crater. However, there was more to this fame as a crater alone did not account for much. The other reason for the town’s fame was that one of it’s external settlements, the Sundown Settlement, had a giant Magic Competition Platform. While such platforms were nothing special, this particular one had been established by a Magic Grandmaster!

In Toro, even an ordinary Magic Master would receive extreme respect. As for the most powerful Magic Masters, they were comparable in status to Great Generals and Void Core Crystal warriors. As for Magic Grandmasters, their illustrious reputations, social standing, and combat power were comparable to Lords and Kings! They were top existences not just in Toro but in the entire Sword Scar Continent.

The magic platform established outside Milele was named the Magic Peering Platform by the grandmaster. Its purpose was to help enlighten young magicians allowing them to peer into the secrets of magic.

An even more shocking fact was that the platform was build right next to the God-peering Crater. One could not help but wonder what would happen, not just to the platform but the entire Sundown settlement and in extension Milele town, if the volcano exploded one day. However, Milele had an extremely long history lasting in these plains right next to a volcano for close to half a millennium. After all, the town’s name translated to ‘Eternal’. In the old days of Muwawa and the ensuing civil wars, the town had even been a military fort under the name, the Eternal Stronghold.

On the question of: who established the town, which people contributed to Milele’s economy, as well who were the inhabitants, the town was a mixed pot of people from all over Toro most of which had settled there over the past 2 or 3 centuries. However, the main ethnic groups within Milele were the Jemedari tribe, the Kusini clans, the Cat and Mouse tribe, the Majiwe tribe, Thuo people, the Siribi tribe, and the Mutheca-Itu tribe.

Mwana and the people of Jua village were part of the Jemedari tribe. As one of the largest ethnic groups in Toro, the tribe consisted of over ten clans each with their own vocation including the Vua clan of fishermen, the Jua clan of blacksmiths, and the Mwezi clan of farmers, among others.

As for the Kusini clans, they consisted of the descendants of immigrants from the Eastern lands across the ocean. Someone like Mwana’s classmate Vitali would be counted as a member of the Kusini clans within Toro.

Milele was also home to the people of the Cat and Mouse Tribe - a small tribe with only 2 clans, the Cat clan and Mouse clan. The Mouse clan was responsible for a large part of Milele’s trading activities. Most of the traders, shopkeepers, and merchants in the town belonged to this clan. As for the Cat clan, they were mostly hunters who operated outside the town.

Further, Milele’s structure and architecture was supported by the people of the Majiwe tribe – the Rock people. They were experts at anything to do with the earth including farming, mining, architecture, and construction. The tribe was responsible for designing, building, and maintaining most of the buildings in the town as well as supplying food through farming. In addition to crops as a source of food, the Thuo people also provided fish to the town. The Thuo people worshiped the God of Fishery Thuo-le and mainly lived around the rivers and small lakes outside Milele town.

The last two groups were the Siribi tribe and the Mutheca-Itu tribe whose name translated to Cloud-Piercing tribe. Both tribes were labeled as two of the tallest tribes in Toro. Even in Mwana’s village, Uchoyo who was just half Siribi was already taller than a lot of adults. However, the Cloud-Piercing tribe was even more extreme in the height department. Some of the tribesmen of the Cloud-Piercing tribe were as tall as 14 feet. The tribe was basically similar to Giants and body proportions were the only difference between them. The Cloud-Piercing tribesmen were well proportioned unlike Giants who had an extremely stocky build usually with a crouched back, broad chest, long arms but shorter legs.

With Giants, it was clear that they were another species different from humans. While it was observable that giants were close to humans on the taxonomy scale, it was clear that they were still a separate species. As for the Cloud-Piercing people and the Siribi, they were clearly 100% human in every way only that their heights were a bit exaggerated.

When it came to the people of the Cloud Piercing tribe, they were distributed across the entire Sword Scar continent. In fact, their people within Toro were just one of the tribe’s many clans, the Yellow Cloud Clan. All in all, Miilele was a truly diverse place as not only did it have the major tribes mentioned but many other smaller ethnic groups. All contributed to keeping this town eternal.

The scene of the crime this time had been in the outer parts of the Eastern Residential district of Milele town. After Mr. Black had left through the skies, the crime scene was cleaned up and the bodies were carried away. The hullabaloo started to dissipate and the remaining crowd slowly dispersed. As Mwana and Kia were preparing to leave, Jua Umeme appeared behind them while yawning and scratching her stomach. She had clearly had a great nap.

“Did you guys even sleep? We just arrived so I expected you kids to sleep through at least half the day.” Seeing the two kids out and about so early, Umeme was surprised by how energetic they were even after a long journey.

Although it was a cold morning, Umeme was wearing wolf fur around her shoulders that barely covered anything and exposed her heroic stature. Umeme’s body could be described as well proportioned with impressive musculature that not many men could even hope to compete against. Even in terms of height, she was taller than most men. However, she did not lose any of her womanly charms as she could be described as ‘big’ everywhere. God clearly did not hold back when crafting her. Further, her impressive lightning tattoos were openly showcased to the world. As for her lower body, Umeme wore a short purple warrior’s skirt and sandals made of animal hide. Even as someone who just woke up from taking a nap, she looked as if she was ready for battle at any moment.

Umeme proceeded to ask them about their plans to the day, after greeting the two children. As the party had just arrived in Milele, they would have some free time before everyone was busy again.

“Aunty, we want to visit the town library later.” Mwana was the one to answer the question. He had gotten a bit closer to Umeme after she tried to recruit him into the Thunder Bull Martial School. Although Mwana had not chosen the martial school he would join yet, Umeme had gone as far as to help him in his training.

“Don’t call me aunt, I’m not that old. Call me big sister, I have already told you this at least five times.” Umeme could not help but defend herself from the title of ‘aunt’ in an exasperated tone. “You will forcefully age me just by calling me that.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

While patting their heads, Umeme thought that she had to let the two children know of the process to be followed within facilities such as the library. After-all Milele’s town library was considered a legacy location in Toro. One could not just waltz in there however they wanted.