Millennium Witch

Book 3: Chapter 238: City of Adventurers

The airship journey to Adelock, the City of Adventurers, lasted two days and a night, much slower than expected.Fortunately, this time Yvette Loxivia had finally booked first class. Now that Lucia was a student, she could accept her teacher buying her ticket with an easy mind, so the trip was not bad at all, even a touch leisurely.

On the afternoon of the second day, with a deep blast of the whistle, the airship slowly descended. Through the porthole, Adelock, famed as the City of Adventurers, came into view.

Its feel was entirely different from the faintly steampunk City of Truth, a world of stone and wood. Towering walls were piled from giant rocks, their weathered faces mottled with scars. Stepped streets were crammed with gabled buildings, exposed timbers jutting out, most windows narrow and small.

The airship field lay on the city’s edge. When the hatch opened, a strong smell rushed in. Perhaps beasts had left droppings nearby that no one had cleaned, or it was the reek of spoiled food. The distant streets were not wide, paved with uneven stone. Adventurers of every stripe wove through: Dwarves with greatswords on their backs, cloaked rangers, Half-orc laborers hauling rickshaws.

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“So this is the City of Adventurers? It is so different from the City of Truth.” Dressed in a plain ranger outfit, Lucia stepped out with Yvette, looking around.

The scene was not unfamiliar to Lucia. She had been to Autumnwind City near her village a few times.

But after a term in the City of Truth— the most advanced city on the Eastern Continent, perhaps in the entire Mortal Realm— she had grown used to that environment. Coming back to a place that felt like the Middle Ages was a jolt, like leaving a metropolis for a fringe township.

Just then a middle-aged rickshaw man came over. He was powerfully built, muscles knotted, with two bovine horns on his crown, clearly Bull-kin among the Half-orcs.

Beating several colleagues to it, he rolled a fairly clean open rickshaw up to them, gave a just-right warm smile, and said, “First time in Adelock, ladies? Where to? Not to brag, but you won’t find a driver in this city who knows the roads better than Old Martin.”

He had plainly noticed that although the two had changed into standard ranger garb, their bearing was different from ordinary adventurers. The chestnut short-haired girl was plain of face yet faintly noble, a young lady of good family, while the red-haired girl’s eyes were clear as spring water. If she was an adventurer at all, she was a green newcomer.

“To a quiet, comfortable inn,” Yvette said, concise as ever.

“Right away. I know one, the Lucky Coin. First-rate environment, and close to the Adventurers’ Guild square. The price though… a little on the high side.” Old Martin rubbed his fingers, hint understood.

“Fine.” Yvette nodded and got in with Lucia.

Under Old Martin’s strong pull, the rickshaw clattered along the rolling stone streets. Taking in the streetscape, Yvette felt a pang of nostalgia. She could still spot many things from two centuries ago— the three True Gods’ churches were in their old spots— but much else had changed a great deal.

She could not help asking, “Was there an inn here called the Old Oak Inn? Does it still exist?”

“The Old Oak Inn? Not many know that name now.” Old Martin looked surprised. “That inn’s a century-old brand, but it only takes certain distinguished guests. Without a referral, you cannot stay.”

Yvette was a little surprised. She had only asked in passing, but the inn where she had once stayed with Moga was still here, and now quite upscale.

That piqued her interest. Money was not tight for her and she wanted the better experience. “Then how does one get a referral?”

Old Martin shook his head. “No idea. I only know the Old Oak Inn belongs to the Silverwind Trading Company, and Silverwind is Adelock’s biggest merchant group. Likely only Silverwind’s preferred clients can stay.”

“So much trouble.” Yvette sighed. Forget it, it was not a must.

“What is that?” Lucia, still intent on the passing view, spoke up.

Yvette looked over and found a wooden building of unusual style, like a timber tower wrapped in deep-brown wood and bright green plants, more natural in some ways even than Evergreen Revelation’s chapels.

Next to the wooden tower stood a strikingly large hall built from pale yellow stone, its roof tiled in gleaming golden-brown. A stone pillar burned with golden fire before it. The whole complex gave off a bright, searing presence.

“Oh, those are the churches of the Cloudpeak Sect and the Sunflare Sect,” Old Martin said.

At that, related knowledge rose in Yvette’s mind.

From her days in the academy library, she knew that besides the three True Gods, the Eastern Continent had five other deities, so-called second-tier gods, theoretically peers of the Silver Witch. When she had first met Rosalyn, in Rosalyn’s eyes Yvette was akin to these five. They were the “Snow Emperor” of the northern Snow Country, the “Lord of the Firmament” of the Free Alliance’s Cloudpeak Sect, the “Sun God” of the Free Alliance’s Sunflare Sect, the “God of Death” of the Southern Alliance’s Requiem Tower Sect, and the coastal faith of the Southern Alliance’s “Sea God.”

Adelock had been a small Free Alliance town and, after growing into the City of Adventurers, did not leave the Alliance but became an independent city-state, naturally influenced by the two local sects. Here, the Lord of the Firmament and the Sun God likely held more sway than the three True Gods.

Soon Old Martin drew up at the inn called the Lucky Coin. Heavy timber and stone made up its facade, and on the front was carved the emblem of the standard Free Alliance gold coin. Yvette remembered that two centuries ago the currency here had not been this, but chiefly the Herman Empire’s gold coins. Clearly the Free Alliance had changed its currency system in the meantime.

On leaving, Old Martin saw Yvette pay the fare in silver from the City of Truth and blinked, his smile turning even brighter. As the city with the world’s finest magitech, its currency held higher value and far better credit than local mints.

Inside, the air was full of warm bread, stewed meat, and a hint of ale. Though it was afternoon, the first-floor tavern was already lively.

The innkeeper was a rosy-cheeked Dwarf. Since Yvette was generous, he took the initiative to assign them the best top suite.

After setting down their luggage and taking a short rest, the two planned to head for the Adventurers’ Guild. Since they were here, they would of course explore the legendary Ultra-ancient Ruins beneath the Adelock Great Labyrinth, and picking up a few guild jobs fit nicely, satisfying Lucia’s image of the adventurer’s life while also completing the Battle Arts College’s summer research report.

Halfway to the Adventurers’ Guild, as they passed through a relatively quiet narrow alley, a muffled mix of sobbing and curses drifted out, catching their attention.