142 The Selection Part 1 (1/2)
The minute the city finally became clear to Greyson, he was shocked by the difference. Due to the barrier, the capital was not very clear from the outside. Once inside, he saw that the buildings were mostly made from dark gray stone blocks. Somehow, even with the splashes of color from people's clothes and building decorations, there was a rather ominous and dreary feeling to the city. Frowning, he could not help but compare to other cities that he has seen before like Iris City, which was the capital of Rainbow Country. Although Iris City was the capital, it was not where the Rainbow Country's Laetus Empire resided. The reason it was named the capital was due to its beauty that allowed the country to live up to its namesake. In comparison, Lunar City did not really impress with its structures and design as the capital of the Snow Country. Actually, he was not the only one who felt this way. Save for the Old King and the royal heirs, the rest of the group had never been to Lunar City before. To say their expectations were disappointed would be an understatement.
”Hm? What's with the aesthetic sense of the Moon Emperor? He should take some lesson from the elves. Even minor villages are more pleasing to the eyes than this so-called capital. What an embarrassment.” Not one to filter his words, Sweetbow was quick to send out his opinion. Not lowering his voice, the residents of the city looked over at Sweetbow with a little hostility. Surprisingly, no one stood out to say anything, though.
”Hahaha, Elder Sweetbow, you shouldn't insult prematurely. There is more to the city than meets the eye. Look closely at the stone, don't you recognize its origins?” The Old King broke out into a good-natured chuckle before clearly implying at something. Taking the hint, Sweetbow took the time to walk up to one of the stores lined up on the road. Stroking the stone, he carefully appraised it before his eyes lit up with understanding.
”Could this be... Moonstone?” Surprise lining his eyes, Sweetbow questioned the Old King. Greyson also found himself growing in curiosity since this was the first time he saw his teacher so shocked by something.
”Hohoho, you realized rather quickly. I am impressed by such skills in appraisal.” The Old King generously praised.
”Hmph! Don't patronize me. Do not mistake me for some country bumpkin just because I reside in the Idris Kingdom right now. I am someone who has probably experienced more than you have.” Clearly not flattered by the praise, Sweetbow just sneered.
”You misunderstand. I am sincerely impressed.” The Old King still kept that pleasant smile plastered on his face. ”Yes, you are correct. The entire city is made from Moonstone and the array that creates the barrier also takes advantage of the Moonstone to absorb more water element spirits into this city. During the full moon, the stones inherently absorb more water element spirits, however, this function is intensified through the array. The number of children that end up as water magicians in this city is almost 90% because of this increase. You are also probably aware of the secondary feature of Moonstone. It turns white and shiny when it is touched by moonlight. Once night comes, Lunar City completely transforms and becomes a beautiful sight to behold.” Looking towards Greyson and the rest of the children, the Old King explained these features.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
His interest piqued, Greyson tried sensing the water element. Just as the Old King explained, there was an overabundance of the water element in this city. Without even trying, his meditation time could be halved. In general, the city had a higher density of mana, but the water element stood out. Observing this state, he completely believed that most children were born water element magicians in this city. A well-known fact was that children absorb surrounding element spirits in the womb and their natural inclination towards certain elements develops in this phase. Places where each element is present equally, the resulting children ended up developing randomly or similar to whatever elements their parents used. However, areas specifically dense with a certain element would have most children awaken the ability to use that same element. There was a downside, though: those children would usually have a lower chance of becoming multi-element magicians. Dominating the rest, that one element would lower the chances of the baby developing an affinity for others.
Normally, other countries would realize this consequence and would focus on just making their city have denser mana presence without emphasizing an element. Greyson thought this emphasis probably came from the fact that the original Yce imperial family bloodline was one rich with water and ice element magicians and that the Snow Country itself leaned towards the water and ice elements. Inside this imperial capital, the Yce family would gain the advantage against other element magicians and could also train faster.
”Are you the Idris Kingdom party?” A new voice brought Greyson out of his thoughts. Turning towards the source, the group spotted a uniformed soldier standing in front of them. A similar grey as the Moonstone, his uniform fit nicely and exuded a sort of dignity. Stitched onto his breast was a half moon which signified belonging to the Moon Empire's military and his rank. Grunt soldiers were marked by a crescent moon. The highest-ranking General has three full moons. Each moon went through five phases, thus there were 15 possible military ranks one could hold in the empire. As someone marked with the half moon, this soldier was not very high up which was probably why he was assigned such a mission being a guide for the different kingdom teams. Contrary to his low status, this soldier put on airs before them. He managed to keep a mostly cold, apathetic expression that befitted a soldier, but one could still see the slight disdain he felt towards them from his eyes and body language.
”Yes, that is us. Are you going to be the one showing us to our accommodations?” Seemingly unaffected, the Old King retained his amicable attitude.
”Follow me.” He spat out before abruptly turning on his heel. Without even bothering to look if they were following, he already began walking away.
”How dare he?!” No longer able to contain himself, Sebastien grumbled as his face darkened. Even the ever-polite Palmira showed an expression of being unable to endure the slight.
”Quiet! Where has your upbringing gone? Collect yourselves. No matter what, we are smaller fish in this bigger pond. All the citizens here, whether they are truly powerful or not, are rather snobby towards us from the other lower kingdoms. It's just a fact that you have to live with. Acting entitled and spoiled just because you are royalty of some low-level kingdom only proves your ignorance to the world.” Surprisingly, the Old King was quick to chide and cut-down Sebastien and Palmira's arrogance. Greyson was fairly impressed with his ability to stay humble.