Chapter 101: Veyra

The journey continued for several hours after they left the forest.

The vast plains stretched out in every direction, covered with green grass that swayed gently in the wind.

Every now and then, small clusters of trees appeared, along with a few side roads and old stones that looked as if they had been placed there long ago. Unlike in the forest, they could see much farther here, and Noir could make out anything that moved several kilometers away.

For the first time in a long while, no giant trees blocked his view.

Noir was sitting on top of the carriage, his wings folded and his tail swaying slowly from side to side. He had spent much of the journey observing the landscape, though after several hours even the plains began to feel monotonous to him.

Then he saw something. In the distance, almost on the horizon, a line of structures appeared.

Noir narrowed his eyes.

"Is that a city?"

Arlene looked up from the front seat.

"Where?"

Noir pointed ahead with a claw.

"Over there."

Arlene followed the directions and, after a few seconds, could make out the first buildings.

"Yes."

The woman smiled slightly.

"Finally."

Noir pricked up his ears.

"Finally?"

"We’ve been traveling for several days since we left the forest. It was about time we found a city."

Noir nodded. They’d spent so long surrounded by nature that the sight of buildings immediately piqued his curiosity.

"Do you know what city this is?"

"Yes. It’s called Veyra."

Noir repeated the name in his mind.

"Veyra?"

It didn’t ring a bell. The carriage continued toward the town. As they drew closer, the structures began to come into view.

First, a few isolated houses appeared along the road, then small cultivated fields, and finally a low stone wall surrounding part of the settlement.

However, something was strange.

Noir tilted his head. Some of the houses seemed... upside down.

One building had its roof driven straight into the ground, while the bottom of the house stretched up toward the sky. The windows were placed in odd spots, and a door seemed to be several meters above the ground.

Noir stood there staring.

"What the hell?"

Arlene let out a little laugh.

"What’s going on?"

"The houses."

"What about them?"

Noir pointed to one of them.

"It’s upside down."

Arlene looked at the building.

"Oh."

Noir waited for an explanation.

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Is that normal?"

Arlene shrugged.

"In Veyra, yes."

Noir looked at the house again.

"Why?"

"I don’t know."

The answer made Noir frown slightly.

"What do you mean, you don’t know?"

"I just know that this city is known for its strange buildings."

Noir kept watching. As they walked on, more upside-down houses appeared. Some seemed to be completely suspended above enormous stone pillars, while others had gardens growing on their rooftops.

One building even seemed like a normal house, but someone had rotated it 180 degrees before setting it in place.

Noir felt his curiosity growing.

"I want to go inside one."

Arlene looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because I want to know how people live in there."

"Probably just like in any other house."

Noir shook his head.

"That would be disappointing."

The demon princess appeared at a carriage window.

"Noir!"

"What?"

"Look!"

The girl pointed excitedly at a house that seemed to be floating completely above the ground.

"It’s floating!"

Noir looked in that direction.

"Yeah."

"Can we go there?"

"I don’t know."

The little girl turned her gaze toward Arlene.

"Can we?"

Arlene sighed.

"First, we have to get to the city."

The little princess nodded and hid back inside the carriage.

Noir kept looking at the buildings.

The city was much larger than he had imagined. The outer wall wasn’t particularly high, but it had several watchtowers scattered along its length. Some were tilted at impossible angles, as if they had been built according to the same rules as the houses.

When they finally reached the entrance, Noir expected to find guards checking every traveler. But that wasn’t the case. Two soldiers stood by the gate. Both wore dark armor and stood completely still.

Noir watched them for a few seconds. One of them slowly turned his head toward the carriage.

His eyes met Noir’s.

The soldier showed no reaction.

Noir blinked.

"That’s strange."

Arlene turned her head slightly.

"What?"

"The guard."

"What about him?"

"He didn’t say anything."

Arlene looked back.

"Maybe he didn’t have anything to say."

Noir shrugged.

"I guess so."

The carriage drove through the entrance.

And so they arrived in Veyra.

Noir’s first impression was that the city was much stranger than he had expected.

The streets were filled with people, merchants, and creatures of various races. Humans, elves, beastmen, and other species Noir didn’t recognize walked among them. Some wore armor, others wore elegant clothes, and still others carried boxes or bags.

But the houses... The houses were a different story.

Normal buildings were mixed with completely upside-down ones. Some houses had windows on the floor and doors on the ceiling. Others seemed built around enormous roots that pierced the walls without damaging them.

Even an inn had an entrance several meters above the street.

Noir looked at her for a few seconds.

"How do people get in there?"

Arlene followed his gaze.

"There’s a staircase."

Noir looked down. Sure enough, there was a staircase. But the staircase was also upside down... wait, what do you mean, an upside-down staircase? It wasn’t the same.

’That was pretty stupid of me.’

Arlene smiled.

"Welcome to Veyra."

The carriage moved slowly down the main street. Noir looked around, trying to decide what to investigate first.

Meanwhile, the residents went about their business.

A man was selling fruit.

A woman was walking along carrying several boxes.

A group of children was running down the street.

Two merchants were arguing over the price of some merchandise.

Everything seemed completely normal.

Except for one thing. None of them seemed to be paying much attention to the carriage. That included the young black dragon sitting on top of it.

Noir interpreted it differently.

"I like this city."

Arlene looked at him in surprise.

"Why?"

"They’re not looking at me."

The woman fell silent.

Noir was right.

Despite being a black dragon—a creature that anywhere else would have aroused curiosity—that was the least of it, since he had concealed his presence; the inhabitants of Veyra barely reacted.

Some looked up for a few seconds.

Then they kept walking.

Others didn’t even look at him.

Noir smiled with satisfaction.

"I’ve finally found a place where people know how to behave."

Arlene looked at the residents again; something didn’t sit right with her, and she didn’t know what. Maybe it was the way some of them walked. Or the way they avoided looking directly at certain houses. Or maybe it was just a feeling. She couldn’t explain it. But she decided not to say anything.

Noir, meanwhile, was too busy staring at a store whose facade was built completely upside down.

"I want to go in there."

Arlene sighed.

"Why?"

"Because it’s upside down."

"That’s your only reason."

"It’s an excellent reason."

The demon princess reappeared.

"I want to go in there, too!"

Noir nodded.

"See? She understands."

Arlene shook her head.

"You’re both crazy."

The carriage continued until it reached a small square.

In the center was a fountain.

Or so it seemed.

The water was flowing upward.

Noir stood completely still. His eyes widened.

"What?"

The water in the fountain rose from the lower basin until it vanished into the air, where it formed tiny glowing droplets before falling back down.

Noir got out of the carriage immediately.

"Now that’s interesting."

Arlene got out, too.

"It’s magic."

Noir walked over to the fountain.

"What kind?"

"I don’t know."

"Why doesn’t anyone here explain anything?"

Arlene let out a laugh.

"Maybe because you’ve been in the city for less than ten minutes."

Noir ignored the comment. He extended his Draconic Senses, and mana was present everywhere. Much more so than on the plains. It wasn’t as dense as in the Magic Valley, but something felt different about the city. The mana seemed to circulate strangely around the buildings.

Noir stared at the fountain for several seconds.

"That’s interesting."

The demon princess dipped her hand into the water.

"It’s cold!"

"Be careful."

"Look!"

The girl held out her hand. Several drops of water were floating on her palm.

Noir approached immediately.

"That shouldn’t happen."

Arlene looked at the drops.

"In this city, it seems like a lot of things shouldn’t happen."

Noir smiled.

"Then I like it."

The woman sighed.

"I knew it."

As they watched the fountain, an old man walked through the square. He walked slowly. He wore a gray robe and carried a wooden staff.

When he passed by Noir, he stopped. For a few seconds, he said nothing. He looked at the young black dragon.

Noir returned his gaze.

The older man smiled.

"You’re back."