After selling the bones of the Giant Bear to a particularly needy villager, Gaius and company left the place. As it turned out, Tsurugi and his followers were also able to fly, because they had a Dynamo each, and Gaius couldn’t help but recall what Nalus told him nearly a year ago.

The North had sent details about how to make a Dynamo, an ultra-cheap knockoff of an Engine with an inferior Flight and Barrier ability, to the East-West Alliance, as well as any forces that found themselves in opposition to the Southern Continent and the Central Circle. But this was the first time he heard about the events surrounding such a technology transfer — apparently many observers had come from throughout the Five Lands to witness their new military doctrines when the North marched onto the Central Circle.

And from Tsurugi’s words, the Eastern militaries were undergoing a massive overhaul. Whatever forces that had been sent out in the previous war between the East-West Alliance and the South had been the conservatives, those who had been resistant to the new technology, but the destruction of the Divine Ladder annihilated most of these people.

That said, although the true rulers of the East had sent the conservatives out with the intention of bleeding them, none of them had expected the entire bunch to be killed when the Divine Ladder was destroyed. When Tsurugi was explaining this to him and Isabelle, Gaius wasn’t too sure about how he was supposed to react, given that he was the culprit behind its destruction in the first place.

But this wasn’t the first time he’d felt that there were consequences to his actions that he couldn’t perceive. Many actions of his had resulted in results that would have been unimaginable before they happened, things beyond his control.

Gaius shook his head, and Nakama — who was hanging on his back, with a bracelet on her left arm — moved in her sleep. The bracelet on her arm was dull and lined with expended gemstones, but it was a weird artefact that enabled its user to fly for 5 minutes every twenty-four seconds. The boy had brought the item months and months ago for Nakama, but this was the first time it was being worn for its intended purpose.

“Another one,” Gaius said quietly. Isabelle and Tsurugi stopped as he spoke, and as they hovered in the air, three cow-like monsters, huge ones with sharp horns, crumpled over as their necks burst into blood. The others in its herd roared in surprise, a full twenty of them, and then began to flee as another two such monsters fell over.

“How convenient,” said Gaius.

Isabelle nodded her head. “These monsters couldn’t take a single attack from the Dragoon. Their skin is probably softer than the snake monsters from earlier…not good for light armour.”

“Leggings, I guess. Or normal everyday wear.”

As the two spoke, Tsurugi landed beside the three corpses, and half-buried a small wooden box. According to him, it was part of an artefact that would guide the main body to its current location — which was how he intended to get his men to cart the food back. His followers had dropped out of the small group one by one, to watch over the corpses while his peers made their way over to the dead monsters.

“How close are we to the capital?” Gaius asked.

“Around another three hours to Seireiden, Gaius,” replied Tsurugi. The young man clearly didn’t know where to look at when he was talking to Gaius — the former had picked up on the semi-subservient behaviour of Isabelle’s rather quickly — and instead settled on looking at the boy’s shoulder instead.

“Have you been there before? What’s the capital like?” asked Gaius.

“The cities of Mi-Zu are usually quiet, unlike that of Eo-Seu and Feng-Lang,” said the young man. “Doubly so for Seireiden. There’s a culture of silence embedded within us…one could say it’s part of our identity.”

“Citizens of the Eastern Territories usually identify with the Territory they were born in,” Isabelle explained. “Unlike the South, where people identify with their affiliated House or city of birth. I don’t really understand how Easterners are able to do that, but that’s how it is.”

Tsurugi muttered something unintelligible, and the conversation ended there. As the small group continued to fly onwards, the forest below them began to change in colour. Green gave way to pink, and given the slower speed that they flew at in order to accommodate the weaker Dynamos, Gaius was well-placed to admire the scenery.

“Sakura blossoms,” Isabelle whispered. “Mi-Zu is rather famous for that.”

“We’re close to Sereiden,” said Tsurugi. “Behold, the land of the silent Sun.”

He waved his hands, gravitas permeating every action, and Gaius was suddenly thought of a devout person on a pilgrimage. It was an odd feeling, but it was definitely emanating from Tsurugi right now.

A fanatic? Or is it just…Gaius narrowed his eyes. The boy had grown suspicious of anything that seemed too natural, after learning that the world of Orb had numerous mental compulsions. If such fanaticism existed throughout Mi-Zu, it was quite possible that such a feeling was engendered specifically by some being of immense might.

Gaius hadn’t reached any confirmation that one’s lifespan had a correlation with one’s cultivation, but that was most likely the case. And it was likely that whatever being that would have been responsible for creating such a phenomenon was still very much alive and kicking. Of course, these thoughts were his alone — Gaius didn’t dare to voice his words out loud, when he was not in the Library of Ancients.

After all, he’d tried doing something along these lines before to Isabelle and Campmaster Magnus. Both had reacted badly towards his attempts to dispel whatever assumptions these two held towards the world, and his intuition told him that doing so in Orb proper would likely stir up problems beyond his ability to resolve.

Pink petals danced and twirled as the small group descended right outside the gates of Seireiden.

“As per our agreement,” said Tsurugi, “I’ll ensure your passage into the city itself, and act as your guide for the next three days. My men will handle your board and lodging.”

Gaius glanced at the guards manning the gate, his eyes narrowing somewhat as he took in the solemn expression on their faces, and walked towards the checkpoint.

“Let’s go.”