Chapter 89: Source of Abilities (1/2)

The capital city of the Yalen kingdom was located to the east of Kera, Arthur's hometown. In-between lied many cities, strongholds, and camps of varying sizes covering the ever-stretched wilderness of the kingdom. Farming was taken care of by strongholds that defended the fertile lands from attacks. Villages, like the one Arthur found in the middle of the mountain range Rovero, were rare and didn't exist unless they had special means of defending themselves against monsters, like the ring of illusions.

Nonetheless, the Yalen kingdom stretched wide and far as Arthur could see from his seat in the plane. Although mounts were also used for long-distance travel, it was of a lesser-luxury than planes that used mana as fuel. Ever since the industrial revolution of mana, fuels like diesel and gasoline were buried in what is called The Era Before Magic. Mana was a renewable source of energy that could be used at the same time as being 'resupplied' the world. The mana used would be converted back to mana after a certain time has passed and the runes lost their function.

From his seat in the plane, sitting beside Emma, her butler, and two guards, Arthur could see the land that has stretched to meet the sky.

”It's so…”

”First time on a plane?” Emma asked smiling. Arthur wasn't embarrassed about these things next to her anymore and simply nodded. ”Well, you'll get to enjoy it since the flight would take five hours until we reach the capital.”

Emma opened a book leaving Arthur to gaze through the window. The clouds soon blocked his view and there was nothing more than an endless blue sky and white fluffy clouds. As Arthur remembered it, the Yalen kingdom was located on the west side of the Anera continent. It was bordered by the smaller kingdom, Anerk, from the west making it have no borders with the Great Blood Ocean. Kera was one of the closest cities to the Anerk Kingdom making it essential for trade since most of the imported goods would arrive from the ports of Anerk.

Arthur opened a screen in front of him that showed real-time location. Their plane was cutting across the Yalen kingdom from the west to the central part of the kingdom where the capital, Yalenia, existed.

At three hours mark, a broadcast mentioning the existence of a herd of flying monsters was issued. The broadcaster, probably the pilot, mentioned that there would be no harm as the defensive arrays have been activated. Arthur could feel the shift of mana as the whole plane was covered with a soft hue from the outside. A few minutes later, there were some vibrations in the plane as the monsters collided with the defensive arrays. It only lasted a short moment before the herd either scattered or was killed.

The trip ended with Arthur feeling irritated by the crowded plane, but it was inevitable giving the sheer resources needed to manufacture a plane that could survive the threats of the sky. They needed to make up for every penny they invested. It was still fun nonetheless.

Emma and her butler led the way across the airport's security with its staff tending to them in a VIP manner. From what Arthur heard from Emma, surnamed Agard, her family was famous for producing a runes' grandmaster, her grandfather. The rest of her family were either Runes' Masters or academics in that field.

They found a limousine waiting for them outside. The group had no luggage whatsoever since Arthur had everything he needs in his subspace and Emma had her artifact. They boarded the car and the engine soon came to life, taking them across the city.

The land surrounding the airport was mainly laid with farmlands, away from the skyscrapers of the capital. It was made to reduce the population affected by the noise of the machinery used in the airplanes and the airport. The car cut through a few miles before they could finally spot the capital in the distance.

Bounded by hills and the Heji river, the capital of the Yalen kingdom was as beautiful as capitals tended to be. The hills served to layout the capital in such a way that its skyscrapers were on an almost equal level with the buildings on the hills. This integration of both modernization and magic towers made the capital seem like a city out of a fairy tale told to kids before bed.

The capital had another name, Tower City. The reason was simple. A magic tower was looked upon the capital, taller than any skyscraper with a solid 500 meters. It was the destination of many awakeners for its infinite opportunities and dangers. The number of floors the tower had is estimated to be 51, making it a challenge that has yet to be cleared even by the strongest people out there. This was one of the structures left behind by the Era of Yore when magic was at its peak.

The hills around the center of the capital served to host its important places, like the coliseum, The Academy of Magic, the Union's Headquarters, and the Palace of Royals. These were but a few other than the famous markets, auction houses, smithery, and runes workshops.

The car made its way on the highway leading to the center of the city, where the general population lived. They stopped at a hotel where their stay was arranged until the Runes Apprentice Cup would take place. It wouldn't be happening in the capital, but the teleportation circle that transported them there would be in the palace.

”We have time until next week, we'll get to go around and have fun, visit the workshop and learn, and rest until then,” Emma said as her heels clanked the marble floor of the hotel.

Arthur followed as he glanced around the foyer and its giant chandelier. They arrived at the reception and Emma showed him her ID. The receptionist quickly produced the magnetic rooms' keys for Arthur, Emma, and their entourage.