Traveling in a carriage powered by magic, far faster than an ordinary carriage, Cui Ciyou and his companions finally reached their destination:
-the magnificent capital of the Asla Kingdom-Ars.
Compared with Ars, even the fairly prosperous Roa truly was, as the nobles of the Royal Capital called it, "a backwater full of adventurers."
As the political, economic, and cultural center of the Asla Kingdom, Ars possessed a scale and grandeur that Roa City could not begin to match.
Its towering walls reached into the clouds, built from enormous white stones engraved with ancient defensive runes that shimmered with a faint magical glow.
The gates were wide enough for dozens of carriages to pass abreast. Royal Capital guards in gleaming armor stood holding halberds, their expressions solemn as their sharp eyes scrutinized everyone entering or leaving.
Within the city, voices clamored and traffic streamed through the streets.
Broad avenues paved with smooth stone slabs were lined with magnificent buildings, packed closely together in a variety of styles.
Nobles in splendid clothing traveled back and forth in exquisitely decorated carriages. Hurried merchants, skilled craftsmen, adventurers from around the world, and countless ordinary citizens together gave this immense metropolis its vitality.
The air brimmed with prosperity, power, and opportunity.
Philip had made arrangements in advance through the Boreas Greyrat Family's network in the Royal Capital, and Sauros, lord of the Fitoia Territory, had come in person.
Thanks to this, Cui Ciyou and his companions entered the city without undergoing the usual inspections at the gate.
An honor guard sent by the Royal Palace was already waiting inside the gates, ready to offer the highest honors befitting a territorial lord.
They escorted the party directly to a luxurious, imposing residence near the Royal Palace district—a miniature palace that had belonged to the Boreas Greyrat