The Royal City

At dusk, the afterglow spilling from the horizon painted Leyndell's white walls a magnificent rose-red, while the Erdtree at the heart of the city appeared even more dazzling. Its grand golden light not only illuminated a vast stretch of the night, but also shone together with the glazed tiles on the roofs of countless homes, bathing the entire royal capital in an atmosphere both noble and sacred.

At this moment, the main gates on the eastern, southern, and northern sides of the royal capital had already closed, but at as many as twelve side gates, long streams of carriages and horses could still be seen coming and going. Most of them were merchant caravans traveling throughout The Lands Between. The huge wagons drawn by packhorses were loaded with rare ores from the far northern icefields, finely crafted magical products from Academy Gate Town and Sage Town, as well as herbs and spices produced in Stormveil and even the Weeping Peninsula.

Eighty percent of these caravans were under the banners of certain powerful nobles, while a smaller number were backed by several major merchant guilds whose influence spanned the continent, or by individual local magnates. In the dozen or so years after the war of unification, every region of The Lands Between had become connected in practice. The traffic barriers once created by countless competing factions no longer existed, and so large caravans of this kind sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain. If Leyndell was compared to the heart of the Golden Dynasty, then they were the countless arteries growing out from that heart, supplying nourishment to the dynasty's operation through endless pumping and expansion.

And as the creators and maintainers of these blood vessels, the nobles of the Golden Dynasty had also amassed enormous wealth in just a few short decades. If one discussed noble foundations and history, then compared with those ancient human nobles who had originated in the Era of Stars and Moons and once served the Storm Dynasty and the Ude Dynasty, even the most senior meritorious nobles of the old faction seemed hardly worth mentioning. Yet when people turned their attention to power, wealth, and strength, they would discover that those old elites were now no different from commoners before the golden nobles at the height of their glory.

"Sister Lans," Lucia looked down over the endless giant city below and tried hard to steady his swaying mind, "how many people do you think Leyndell has?"

To be honest, the instant he saw the full view of the golden royal capital from high above, he was genuinely a little stunned. Judging solely by the scale of the city and the density of people flowing through its streets, the impression this city gave him almost reminded him of a modern metropolis seen from an aerial shot in his previous life, and in terms of the grandeur of its buildings, it was even greater.

At first, he had found it strange that such a massive city would appear in a world with something like a medieval background, but thinking about it carefully, the world of the Elden Ring was already filled with all kinds of unbelievable technologies and creations. Whether it was those giant puppets over ten meters tall, or spatial teleportation gates that could send people ten thousand miles at the drop of a hat, all of them displayed the imagination-defying creativity and productivity of this world.

"When Fortissax and I first came to the royal capital to preach ten years ago, it was probably a little over two million," Lansseax recalled. "But there have been many more in the past two years. I'm not sure of the exact number, but at the very least, it's over eight million."

"Eight million?" Although he had prepared himself mentally, Lucia still could not help clicking his tongue in astonishment.

It was not as if he had never read the materials on Leyndell collected in Sky City's Great Library, but the contents recorded in that document still stopped at Year 18 of the Golden Calendar. Nearly thirty years had passed since then, and Leyndell's population had expanded a full hundredfold over that span of time.

On the other hand, although the Ancient Dragon Dynasty could still stand on equal footing with the Golden Dynasty in name, Lucia knew very well that even if Sky City and the dozens of large and small islands affiliated with the eastern seas were added together, including dragons, humans, beastmen, and a small number of Demi-humans and Misbegotten, the total population of his own country did not exceed one million—only a fraction of Leyndell's.

"This gap really is huge..." His voice sounded slightly dry.

"Sister Lans, after we enter the city and settle down, I want to look through detailed information on the Golden Dynasty, including statistics on the number of individuals above hero level, background information on nobles above the rank of count, military expenditures and troop deployments over the past three years, and all the latest political, military, and financial intelligence that can be collected... The information we have back home on these matters is all outdated. Can you help me think of a way?"

Lansseax watched as he recovered from his brief shock and disappointment, then swiftly proposed the most reasonable plan of action for the present situation. Beyond her surprise, she was also deeply pleased, so she agreed without hesitation. "No problem. The Ancient Dragon Temple already has some archived files in storage. Once we return, I'll have people begin organizing them immediately. It can be done within three days."

At the same time, outside the main western gate of Leyndell, the welcoming party dispatched by the golden royal family had already cleared the entire area. A large force of Leyndell soldiers, dressed in golden armor and golden robes, formed neat square formations along both sides of the imperial road.

Every soldier on the left wore a ceremonial sword decorated with gilding at his waist and held a dynasty banner patterned with the Erdtree. The soldiers on the right each held a silver dragon spear modeled after the weapon style of the Wyvern Warriors, and from the upper end of each spear hung an ancient dragon banner embroidered with the outline of Sky City from the ancient era.

When Lucia and Lansseax arrived outside the city, a slightly cold autumn wind happened to blow across the open wilderness, and the court orchestra within the ranks also began playing a solemn symphony the moment they saw the dragons' silhouettes. Amid the forest of spears and halberds, the deep, rhythmic sounds of drums and horns surged like waves, and countless banners fluttered in the wind, their majesty enough to stir any heart.

Boom—a muffled vibration like mountains and rivers shaking rang out. Thousands of soldiers struck their breastplates with their right fists in unison, offering a military salute to the two ancient dragons who appeared at the end of the imperial road.

Immediately afterward, a neat rhythm of footsteps sounded from the city gate. Over a hundred Leyndell Knights clad in heavy golden armor and holding greatshields and long spears came forward to meet them. Yet on closer inspection, they were slightly different from the Leyndell Knights of Dectus. Hanging before the chests of all these knights was an emblem shaped like a dragon claw—this was the symbol of the ancient dragon faith.

Walking at the very front of the formation was a burly old man dressed in gold-and-red armor. His left hand rested on the hilt at his waist, while his right arm tucked an axe-shaped knight's helm beneath his ribs. His face, crisscrossed with deep lines and furrows, was full of the marks of hardship, yet his bearing was nothing like that of most people his age, who were downcast and declining. Instead, he was like a well-maintained treasured sword: the longer the years passed, the brighter its cold gleam became.

One step behind the old man, at his side, a young and inexperienced-looking boy who likewise carried his helm and rested a hand on his sword followed closely. Judging by his appearance, he was two or three years younger than Lucia. From over a hundred paces away, Lucia keenly noticed that the boy's gaze toward Lansseax was filled with reverence. Yet when that gaze shifted to him, it became much more complicated—there was awe, curiosity, and seemingly a few indistinct traces of scrutiny and hostility.

But he had no time to think about it further. The old man and the knights soon arrived before them. He first nodded in greeting to Lansseax, then faced Lucia directly and bowed solemnly. "Esteemed Prince Lucia-Sancus—Crucible Knight Ordovis, on behalf of Her Majesty Marika, His Majesty Radagon, and all the people beneath the radiance of the Erdtree, sincerely welcomes your arrival."