The journey through the city and countryside held nothing worth Shade's attention. Whether it was the urban scenery or rural landscapes, the Green Lake Region had no particularly distinctive features compared to the cities he had visited before.
When they prepared to cross the border at the sentry post, the coachmen indeed produced the same Special Pass Captain Rades had given Shade, so they did not need to wait in line for registration. While the coachman showed the pass to an officer Shade had never seen before and the carriage temporarily stopped, Shade looked out the window and saw that there were even more people waiting to cross the border than last time.
The long line barely held together amid the soldiers' shouted orders. After winding around the camp once, its end nearly stretched beyond the camp itself. Shade's hearing was quite good, and amid the noisy chatter, he learned that a major market held only once a month was taking place in the villages and towns on the Mikella Blast Furnace City side today. That was why it was so lively here.
Since he did not see Captain Rades, Shade did not get out of the carriage. The coachmen quickly handled the border-crossing procedures, and the two carriages passed the waiting crowds and entered the neighboring country directly.
Another dull stretch of travel followed. At a little past ten in the morning, a yawning Shade jumped down from the carriage and looked at the distant "Glass Blast Furnace," then said to the Apothecary Miss, who had also stepped down not far away:
"Next time, we should take a boat. It may be a detour, but at least the journey would be more interesting. Riding in a carriage like this is just too boring. If I'd known, I would have