Chapter 261: The Journey to See Her

The city was already alive before the sun had fully climbed above the distant rooftops.

Wide stone roads stretched between rows of tall buildings, their walls decorated with banners bearing the crest of the Eldric Sunborn human kingdom. Wooden carts rolled through the streets, merchants shouted from both sides of the road, and the constant clatter of boots, hooves, and wagon wheels filled the air.

"Fresh apples! Three copper for a basket!"

"Three? You robbed a dragon recently or something? Two copper!"

"Two? Do you think these grow on trees?"

"They literally do!"

"...Get out of my stall."

Laughter erupted from a group of nearby customers.

The marketplace continued far beyond them.

A young human woman walked past while carrying a basket filled with bread, carefully avoiding a dwarf merchant who was pushing a cart overflowing with shining metal tools.

"Move aside! Move aside!"

"Hey! Watch where you’re going!"

"I am watching!"

"You’re watching the road behind you!"

"That’s why I’m telling you to move!"

The dwarf barely managed to turn his cart before crashing into a passing carriage.

"Oi!"

The carriage driver pulled on the reins.

"Easy, easy!"

The horses neighed and stopped, their hooves scraping against the stone road.

"Are you blind?" the driver shouted.

The dwarf raised both hands.

"I’m a blacksmith, not a fortune teller!"

"You almost crushed my carriage!"

"And you almost crushed my tools!"

"Your tools are worth less than my carriage!"

"Then your carriage must be made of gold!"

"Enough!"

A city guard standing nearby finally stepped between them.

"Both of you. Keep moving."

The two merchants glared at each other.

"He started it," they said at the exact same time.

The guard sighed.

"Of course."

He rubbed his forehead before pointing toward opposite ends of the street.

"Go."

The two reluctantly separated.

Yet neither stopped muttering.

"Stubborn dwarf..."

"Arrogant human..."

The scene repeated itself throughout the city.

Humans walked beside half-elves with long ears and elegant robes. Beastfolk with fox, wolf, cat, and rabbit ears moved through the crowd, some carrying goods while others browsed the merchant stalls. A pair of blue-scaled lizardmen stood beside a spice stall, arguing over the price of a strange red herb.

"Five silver."

"Four."

"Five."

"Four and I’ll take three bundles."

The merchant stared at him.

"...You’re terrible at bargaining."

The lizardman smiled.

"I have been told that before."

"Fine. Four silver."

"Excellent."

"Now leave before I change my mind."

A few steps away, a young half-elf girl stared at a stall filled with colorful gemstones.

"Mother! Look!"

Her mother immediately grabbed her hand.

"No."

"But I haven’t even asked!"

"I know that look."

"Just one!"

"No."

"Half of one?"

The mother stopped walking.

"Gemstones don’t come in halves."

"They could."

"They don’t."

The girl pouted.

Nearby, a group of adventurers sat around a wooden table outside a busy tavern.

"I told you that was a fire drake!"

"You called it a dragon."

"It was dark!"

"You also said it had six wings."

"I was under pressure!"

"You were hiding behind me."

"I was strategically positioned behind you."

Their companions burst into laughter.

A serving girl emerged from the tavern carrying several mugs.

"Here you go. Two ales, three ciders, and one glass of milk."

The largest man at the table stared at the milk.

"Who ordered that?"

A small rabbit beastfolk raised her hand.

"Me."

Everyone looked at her.

She calmly took the glass.

"I have to work tomorrow."

The large man nodded solemnly.

"Wise."

A moment later, the street erupted with another cry.

"Make way!"

People immediately stepped aside.

A merchant caravan entered the main road, several large wagons pulled by thick-skinned magical beasts. Their bodies were covered in dark scales, while faint blue light glowed beneath them.

"Whoa..."

Children gathered near the roadside.

"Look at those beasts!"

"They’re bigger than horses!"

"Can we touch them?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because they can eat you."

The children immediately took three steps back.

The merchant riding at the front laughed.

"Don’t worry! They’re well trained!"

One of the beasts suddenly opened its mouth and let out a deep growl.

The children screamed and ran away.

The merchant blinked.

"...Mostly trained."

The city continued to move around them.

Coins changed hands.

Goods changed owners.

Rumors traveled faster than merchants.

Aether crystals glittered beneath the sunlight in one stall, while enchanted weapons hung from another. Potion sellers called out their prices, food vendors filled the street with the smell of roasted meat and freshly baked bread, and somewhere in the distance, a mage was loudly arguing with a customer about the proper price of a fireball scroll.

"That’s an intermediate spell!"

"Your sign says twenty silver!"

"That sign is from yesterday!"

"Then change the sign!"

"I will!"

"When?"

"Tomorrow!"

"That doesn’t help me today!"

The surrounding crowd laughed.

Above it all, a massive island was floating, the great HORIZON ASTRALIS ACADEMY of the human kingdom, their enchanted crystals glowing faintly even beneath the afternoon sun.

This was no quiet capital.

It was a city where humans, half-elves, dwarves, beastfolk, merchants, adventurers, mages, and many other races crossed their paths every day.

A city where swords clattered against armor, merchants fought over copper coins, children chased one another through crowded streets, and magic was as common as the smell of fresh bread.

And in the middle of all that noise and chaos...

Another ordinary day in the Sunborn City, the Capital of Eldric Sunborn kingdom had begun.

"I am here." Luke muttered while inhaling the fresh air and enjoying the scenery.

He was in his normal human form, without any disguise.

Shoulder length black hair, blue eyes that were calm as a gentle lake.

"Selene, how have you been." Thinking about her, he moved toward Horizon Academy with steady steps.

After crossing the busy roads of the capital, he reached the location from where anyone could enter Horizon Academy.

Ofcourse, they had to pay the entrance fees.

There was an oversized circle platform, glowing with thousands of runes, which he couldn’t understand at all.

"Flying is prohibited." He read the warning calmly, since he didn’t have any plan to fly there.