Sights Within the City

The next morning, Navin Bessarius once again embarked on his long journey to the Embers of the Burned Empire.

As the war intensified, the long border between the Kassand Kingdom and the Thrace Kingdom was engulfed in flames, making this mission particularly arduous.

As for why not use Teleport?

After numerous attempts, it seemed that the space within the Embers of the Burned Empire's territory was imprisoned, making it difficult to break through.

Due to the war, the Thrace Kingdom was filled with disruptive spells, and there were even many cases where mages' teleportation attempts were torn to pieces by Space Rift.

Because of Otis's arrogance, he could not make a grand entrance this time and travel with a delegation as he had done before. He could only travel in secret and could only take two personal guards with him.

Inside the carriage, Naven felt uneasy.

"I hope this time it will be successful."

"If we can secure the aid of the Embers of the Burned Empire, perhaps His Majesty Otis can truly unify Fadlan and restore the glory of the empire."

He turned to look at the increasingly distant Holy City behind him, and gazed up at the towering "Eternal Sun God Tower," thinking to himself.

The carriage sped along the road.

After passing through a post station, they switched to a mule with excellent endurance.

He himself dressed in inconspicuous cloth clothes and pretended to be an ordinary merchant.

Over the next month or so, Naven will travel through the Dwarf Kingdom in the northeast, through the long Mill Valley, and first head to the Katpa Hills, which are now part of the Empire.

Next, he will head north into the Anzeta Corridor, heading towards the remote and isolated Anzeta Great Wasteland —the homeland of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom.

One month later, in the central part of the Anzeta Great Wasteland, on the Istaria City.

Naven, leading the mule, slowly took off his hood.

"This"

"How could that be?"

He gazed at the magnificent buildings in the distance, staring at the tall, thick chimneys and the plumes of smoke rising from the city, and couldn't help but rub his eyes.

Was he dreaming? Naven wasn't simply incredulous at the city's size; if that were the only factor, he was confident that no city could compare to Teotihuacan, the "Sunlit City."

What he found incredible was the speed at which the empire was being built.

Keep in mind that only a few months had passed since his last visit, and at that time, Istaria was still just a rudimentary city.

Now, it is more magnificent than many of the centuries-old towns of Kassand, and it would not be out of place even in the former Holy Fadlan.

He rubbed his eyes again.

It wasn't until he saw pedestrians walking towards him from a distance that he realized the newly built city wasn't an illusion, but a real place.

"On Amanata."

"This young and unfamiliar empire is more terrifying than I imagined."

Naven couldn't help but pray silently, feeling somewhat apprehensive about all of this.

He didn't know how the Embers of the Burned Empire did it, nor why they possessed such terrifying mobilization and construction capabilities, but he did know one thing— the Kassand Kingdom had to take it seriously.

Of course, Naven was unaware that the current Embers of the Burned Empire possessed nearly 200,000 high-quality laborers who were tireless and unafraid of death.

Although these guys caused a lot of chaos, they did bring about a qualitative leap in the Empire's productivity.

Nowadays, building houses by burning ashes has become an essential way for newbies to earn Gold Coin and Faction Contribution when they first start playing. It can be called a "newbie guide task" with the characteristics of the Embers of the Burned Empire, and the newbies have also been given an affectionate name - cows and horses.

The Empire Parliament Hall, the Embers Armory, the Istaria Grand Arena, the Empire Bank Building, and other distinctive landmark buildings were all constructed through the joint efforts of players and the Imperial Construction Corps.

In the distance, Tiefling Guard marched in in neat rows, each carrying a new type of Bayonet Rifle.

"As expected, it's that kind of weapon."

"The standard short stick is very similar to the one used by the Thrace army."

Naven thought to himself, looking at the guns in the hands of the Tiefling.

But as the Tiefling Guard gradually approached, getting closer and closer to him.

"Let's observe the situation inside the city first, and then carry out the task assigned by His Majesty."

"If they really do form an alliance with Thrace."

Naven put on his hood, lowered his head, and walked silently, leading the mule. He was slightly uneasy and prayed that the Tiefling hadn't noticed anything amiss.

"Stop."

"That's what Tiefling Guard said."

Naven quickly pulled his hood tighter, pretending to be nonchalant, and tried to walk past.

But the Tiefling Guard, their bayonets gleaming coldly, crossed and stopped him.

"Sir, I am merely a passing merchant. If you..."

Naven wanted to reach out and pay money to bribe officials.

But Tiefling Guard pulled out a piece of parchment with gold lettering.

"You must be Navin Bessarius."

"Please follow me. The great Embers of the Burned Emperor foresaw the arrival of the Kassand envoy. His Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time."

"What?"

Naven was immediately startled.

His mission was a secret visit, not revealed to any outsiders, yet the emperor already knew about it.

Could he really be as rumored within the Embers of the Burned Empire, possessing the power to know everything and foresee the future?

"Please come with me."

"Tiefling urged again."

With immense trepidation, Naven led his mule into the city under the guard of the Tiefling patrol.

The city was bustling with people, their steps hurried, and there were quite a few players dressed in strange costumes.

A group of fully armed soldiers.

A mule.

An inconspicuous traveling merchant.

This combination is indeed a bit strange.

Naven walked along, looking at the diverse architectural styles on both sides of the road.

But seeing that it was the Imperial Guard on official business, most pedestrians only glanced at them a few more times before going about their own business, since obstructing official duties was a serious crime.

"What is that NPC's job?"

"I don't know, but someone who can be caught by the Imperial Guard must be a very important person."

"Could it be a spy from the South?"

"Last time, they caught a remnant of the the North. I heard he died not long after he was arrested."

"Is there some kind of Hidden Quest?"

"Never mind, it's none of our business. We'd be better off spending this time doing some manual labor. Gold Coin are hard to earn these days, and it seems like the mining tasks have all been replaced by skeletons."

The players chatted casually, but none of them dared to approach. However, their words made Naven quite embarrassed.

Suddenly, the sound of a steam whistle caught his attention.

"Waaah—waaah—"

"We've arrived at North Wind Fortress Road Station. The next stop is the Empire Seventh Military Factory."

"Please allow passengers to disembark first, then board. Please do not crowd and queue to enter."

To Naven's astonishment, the steel "monster" came down the track, spewing out plumes of grayish-white smoke from the pipes at its top.

Those waiting by the roadside were already used to this; they simply yawned and waited for the passengers to get off, then lined up to enter at the conductor's call.

"Citizens! Please maintain order!"

Sheriffs riding Wyvern occasionally swept across the sky, but people were not surprised at all, only whispering among themselves.

Some players were still discussing topics like "That bastard fined me fifty copper coins last time" and "It was that son of a bitch again."

Several Ogre dressed in oversized tuxedos walked towards us on the street, their bellies bulging so much that the buttons were about to pop off their shirts.

The leader was holding a cane and wearing silver-rimmed glasses, giving him a rather "aristocratic" air.

"Isn't this Big Da Tou?"

"Good day, Viscount Da Tou Head."

"I hope you have a good appetite today."

People showed no fear, but greeted him respectfully, some even fawning over him, and the Ogre responded with nods.

There are many similar scenarios.

"This city."

"It's so strange, it's unlike any other place I've ever been before."

Navin Bessarius looked around at the bizarre and wonderful scene and couldn't help but think this.