116 A Sea Full Of Stars (1/2)
Words alone could not properly describe what he had felt when he first laid eyes upon the splendor of Mardeimus, the Pearl of the South. The old, weathered city possessed a beauty not unlike Citlai in that it could rouse the spirits of those who beheld it.
More than a dozen lifetimes ago, it'd been called something else by those who had actually built the city — Ametzcalli. The Ancient Mulians thought that they'd created something that approached the unique, sublime beauty that only nature's creations seemed to be endowed with…
As far as Reed was concerned, they had been right about their judgment. He'd almost immediately come to the conclusion that the only thing that could surpass it in beauty was Citlai, which was saying a lot.
The Shining Nexus, the enchanting capital of the East, couldn't compare to the ancient city by the sea in the slightest. To Reed, it was clear as day that the Ancient Mulians had created something truly special, worthy of praise. They had created an astonishing work of art — a cultural and technical achievement of the highest degree.
An entire city had been built into the southern coast of Mulia. The Ancient Mulians, in the pursuit of creating a natural city — a city that blended into nature itself — had created Ametzcalli in a way that respected the environment and did not defile it.
The region was referred to as the Golden Coast, not because of the golden beaches it possessed, contrary to popular belief.
It'd received its iconic name because… the coast really was golden. The Ancient Mulians had placed a special enhancement upon the coast that Ametzcalli had been built into in order to preserve their work.
After all, they'd built the city into the cliff face of a coast. Erosion was a factor they had to account for when it came to a project as ambitious as building a literal city by the sea. A part of the city itself even existed underneath the water — beneath the sea — given they'd used the entire coast, not just the upper portion that was above sea level…
”Beautiful, isn't it? This was once where the noble class used to reside before the Great War. Back then, only sacred families who possessed pureblood had the right to live and own land in Citlai. Nowadays, though…”
”Do you… miss home? It has been a while since we've last visited… If you'd like we could, you know, take a trip to—”
A small smile formed on Lu'um's lips when she heard Reed's suggestion.
”No, it's okay,” whispered Lu'um, ”I'll be juuust fine as long as you… properly take care of me, dear.”
She was currently running low on Reedium, a supposedly critical energy source for her survival and desperately needed a resupply. If not for the fact that Reed had been focusing on driving, she would have smothered him until she completely had her fill.
”H-Hey, not right now, okay? At least let me find a place to park before you…! Stop! Nooooot in the car! I'm driv—”
A swerving, bobbing hovercraft flew toward Mardeimus and disappeared into the chaotic traffic above the city, inspiring dread in everyone that encountered it on their daily commute…
In the end, Reed and Lu'um had come out of their hovercraft looking a little more messed up than when they'd first entered it. More than anything, one of them looked far more fatigued than the other, almost suspiciously so…
Reed weakly stumbled out of the hovercraft — looking about a decade older than his usual self — with a tired, defeated expression on his face. He felt so exhausted that he couldn't even muster the energy to fix his disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes.
His unkempt appearance made him look like a homeless vagrant or some sleazy deadbeat that was up to no good, much to his dismay…
Lu'um, on the other hand, had fared much better, it seemed. She looked nothing like her defeated counterpart, who was probably on his last legs at the moment. If anything, she appeared happy as a clam and full of life as slowly combed her hair back into order.
Goddammit… that was so fucking close! I nearly totaled the hovercraft because of…! A-Ahh, my poor back!
I really, really hate it when she loses control of her strength…!
It was then and there that Reed decided he would have to start working out, again. He'd come to the conclusion that he would probably have to pick up weightlifting once they went back home. His physique had become a detriment to his daily life or rather his health, nowadays…
Thankfully, there was more than enough to do and see in Mardeimus to preoccupy his better half for a while, or at least until he recovered.
There was a good reason Ametzcalli was once called the abode of romance by the Ancient Mulians. It was a city that possessed a wide variety of beautiful, scenic places for people to spend time their loved ones.
What else could beat the sight of the sun setting over the horizon, especially in a city that'd been built on a coast? Every evening was as romantic as the last in the city that'd been specifically designed to appreciate the beauty of nature.