Chapter 205 - - Sun really doesn’t want to go home (1/2)

Naturally, as the griffin flew beneath the humble light of the moon and distant stars, there would be very little for the passengers to view of the landscape as they soared overhead and that is when the clouds were not creating a distinct separation between earth and heavens.  So it was that the greater majority of its passengers would sleep throughout the flight and if not, they might cultivate.

This far into the year and being not far away from Winter's midpoint, the nights in the north stretched on greatly and the sun chose to begin its climb after lazily peering above the horizon late into the morning.  And it was a little more than an hour after dawn had cast its hazy colours over the previously dark sky than when the city of Cenapar appeared in the distance.  At this point in time, Jin Li and Leon were awake and bickering softly;

”So where is this Lord's morning kiss?”

”J-Jin Li, we're in p-public!”

”So?  Tch.  Then this Lord expects you to make it up to me later.”

Leon refused to ask just how.

”What is for breakfast?”

”You ate it, last n-night.”

There was a slight pause in the conversation.  ”You expect this Lord to go without sustenance?”

”I only h-have one steamed b-bun left!  Hey!”  Leon fought with Jin Li over his interspacial bag, but due to his lack of strength, naturally he lost the fight and had to watch as the breakfast he had painstakingly hidden for himself was snatched away.  He pouted as the springy bread entered the mouth of the bottomless pit lying beneath him.  Half, a small half, was torn off and offered back to him, which he could only accept with reluctant gratitude.

Sun had long since tired of wearing out his eyes seeing the two youths play and had wandered out onto the deck that wrapped around the bottom carriage and was protected by magic from the rushing winds, insects and dust.  He watched as a myriad of green shades flowed into the distance beneath them.  These low hills and plans were occasionally intersected by skinny, rambling yellow roads and split in two by a wide winding river.  And ahead of them, in between the huge forelegs of the gliding griffin, was Cenapar.

The heart of Cenapar was built upon an island surrounded by the meeting of the rivers that served it.  The eastern kings palaces could mostly be found here, as well as the palaces of many important clans stationed here.  The city then stretched via a series of bridges to other lands around it, the rivers themselves creating distinct borders between merchants, lords and commoners, between places of commerce, places of stunning beauty and the hidden slums, between several branches of local Sects and the mortals who could only dream of immortality.  Bridges connected the segments, arching over the wide rivers and covering newly built canals that intersected those rivers in various locations, bridges even hopping over natural streams that did the same.  Any land between water had been tamed, for use as property or garden, park or road, none escaped the city's sights.  And even then, the city continued to sprawl outwards as new palaces were built, new market shops and commoner housing and new walls to indicate its current boundaries.