Chapter 205 - 177: Perfume Lily Avenue
"They said that back when they were still alive, this Pure White City was constantly expanding outward, and the Heaven-Reaching Tower was built in the middle of the city." Shire walked over and also looked up at the relief carving.
"So, you're saying this Floating City is huge?" Agatha frowned. "I've heard of a Mage building their Magic Tower in the sky before, but that was always achieved with special materials and an Arcane Rune Array. An entire city..."
"Yeah, Elton said the city is huge," Shire said, pointing a finger at the adjacent relief carving. "According to them, the City of Ten Thousand Races could already hold tens of thousands of residents. The Pure White City, once fully built, would be no smaller."
"That means this city was built almost entirely with those white Rune Speech materials," Agatha said, turning to glance at the white stones the goblins were organizing. "I thought those stones were strange from the start. I've basically never seen them on this continent. They're neither granite nor limestone."
"I actually asked about that," Shire said, rubbing his nose with a smile. "Elton said that type of stone is called White Holy Stone, and it's mined from the Golden Peak."
"Golden Peak?" Agatha repeated doubtfully. "Another place name I've never heard of."
"Don't worry about it for now. We'll definitely find out more later." Shire gently patted the relief carving. "As for those other cities, the Skeleton Warriors said they had no memory of them, nor had they ever heard of them."
"Those cities look like they're in a different style from these two." Agatha paced to the latter half of the relief carving, looking up to examine the cities depicted there.
"I'm guessing they were probably built after Elton and the others died. After all, they all died in December of the year 374 in the Holy Calendar." Shire looked at Agatha, shrugging and spreading his hands.
"That makes sense. They all died in a Wave of Magical Beasts, but that's a concept no one has even heard of nowadays." Agatha nodded, once again studying the relief carving on the wall.
"Well, you can research here on your own for a while. If you need anything, you can find me or just ask the Skeleton Warriors directly," Shire said, also glancing up at the relief. "I have other things to do. You know, with the Race suddenly expanding by so many, there's a lot to arrange."
"Mm, you go ahead." Agatha paid Shire no mind, her eyes completely filled with these relics from the Ancient Times.
Shire smiled. He knew that once his old classmate saw these ancient secrets buried underground, she would completely forget about everything else, even ignoring her favorite gossip from Plantagenet City.
"If you make any new discoveries or find new Rune Speech, let me know as soon as possible," Shire reminded her, but Agatha just waved her hand impatiently, her gaze never leaving the wall.
Shire shrugged and had no choice but to turn and walk toward the Teleportation Gate. Next to the gate, he saw Lame Leg flipping over a Fulu.
It looked like he was studying the Fulu's structure, trying to figure out how it expelled air and maintained its balance. His Secret Servant had been stretched into a flat disc and was currently floating about half a meter above the ground.
The Fulu blinked its eyes repeatedly, all of its tentacles turning deep red with Anger.
"What are you doing?" Shire walked over.
"Chief," Lame Leg said, looking up at Shire. His hands didn't stop, continuing to hold the Fulu firmly to the ground. "I want to understand how they float. That way, maybe I can stand on my 'Big Treasure' and fly."
Shire opened and closed his mouth a few times but said nothing. The Fulu was currently engaged in Mind Communication with him, loudly accusing, "Bandits! They're all bandits!"
"Twenty shells." Shire crouched down and looked at the Fulu on the ground. Now that his enterprise was getting bigger and bigger, he needed these floating "translation chatrooms" everywhere to help with communication. Just like now, with Lame Leg working for Agatha, he needed the help of a Fulu.
"Bandits!" The Fulu's deep red tentacles trembled as it roared. It was clearly furious.
"Thirty." Shire held up three fingers.
"Ban... dits." The Fulu's struggles weakened, and even its roar became intermittent.
"Forget it. I'll just get another Fulu." Shire made a show of getting up.
"Thirty! Thirty it is!" the Fulu hurriedly said. Ever since Shire taught them "Forest Poker," the Fulu had been completely hooked. Being an intelligent and curious Race, the shells began to circulate among them, and they had gotten used to checking a large board every morning to see what commissioned tasks were available for the day.
After the Fulu spoke, its tentacles stopped trembling and instead fell limply around its disc-like body in an attitude of surrender. Some of them even turned a light pink, signaling pleasure.
Shire shook his head slightly, then instructed Lame Leg not to hurt the Fulu and to go over immediately if Agatha called for him.
He then returned to the Fortress through the Teleportation Gate. Herb gathering had already begun in the area near the Ant Nest, and he now needed to check on the Healing Potion situation with Little Claw.
'I wonder when that Mr. Salumu will visit again. How much Red Bull should I sell him this time?' he thought, crossing his arms and stroking his chin as he slowly walked out of the Teleportation Gate's stone chamber.
And on the nearby wall, a red, seven-spotted ladybug slowly began to follow Shire's steps.
...
「Plantagenet City, Perfume Lily Avenue.」
The entire street looked spotlessly clean. In the flowerbeds on either side, clusters of multicolored flowers bloomed in a vibrant display. It was currently winter, and although the temperature had not yet dropped below freezing, keeping flowers in full bloom like this clearly required a great deal of money and time.
Perfume Lily Avenue was lined with luxurious houses with white walls and colorful roofs. Men of all ages in fine attire and women in gorgeous dresses were constantly coming and going. The sound of laughter and cheerful chatter filled the air above the street, like the sweet songs of larks.
In the middle of the avenue, in front of a five-story building with white walls and a pink roof, a number of people were lined up, waiting to enter the lavish structure. But soon, the black lacquered main door opened, and a man in a servant's uniform emerged.
"The master is not seeing any more visitors today." He puffed out his chest, an arrogant expression on his face as if looking down his nose at everyone. After speaking, he turned and went back inside the building, and the black lacquered door shut with a THUD.
Just as the people at the entrance were murmuring and complaining to one another, the door opened again with a CREAK. The same arrogant servant hurried to the side of the avenue, then bowed respectfully as a black carriage pulled to a stop in front of him.
"My beautiful lady, Master Affif is awaiting your arrival."
The carriage door was slowly pulled open, and a young woman in a long, black Cloak stepped out. Her hood was pulled down low, completely obscuring her face. Immediately after, an old Mage with a long, grayish-white beard and wearing a blue Magic Robe also emerged.
"This Affif just loves all this pomp and circumstance," the old Mage said, glancing at the crowd.