At dawn on September 19, Eagle Rock City, the Hindukush Basin.
Eagle Rock City sat on a flat mountaintop among the mountains in the basin's northwest. It was only a few square kilometers in size, and sheer cliffs surrounded it on all sides.
The city had no walls and not many buildings. At the very center of the mountaintop stood a towering stone spire. A ring of small, four-story buildings encircled it, with scattered stone houses farther out.
Although there were few buildings on the flat ground, the cliffs leading up to the mountaintop were crowded with layers upon layers of wooden huts and stone houses. Rather than complete buildings, they were more like facades for cave entrances.
It had only just grown light when Landen was brought to Eagle Rock City by Shuyun, a Legendary Panda-kin. Landen had hoped to wait a couple of days before coming, but Shuyun had laughed and said he simply couldn't wait any longer.
The Legendary Panda-kin led Landen up the tower at the city's center and showed him the mountains and rivers surrounding the city. About ten kilometers to the north lay a high-altitude lake, its emerald-green waters set among the mountains like a piece of jade.
"The lake you see is the largest source of fresh water in this area: Cloud Lake. Most of its water comes from melting snow high in the mountains," Shuyun explained. "We're going to install a Magic Furnace beneath the lake shortly!"
Standing atop the stone tower, Landen said with some concern, "Sir, this building we're in is a Dragon Perch, isn't it? Aren't they supposed to be for the Dragon Race alone? If we stay up here, won't any dragons passing by take notice of us?"
"Hahaha, you know quite a bit about the buildings here,"