Paraj (2)

Less than an hour later, they reached the front of the line and faced the guard authorized to allow people through the gate. He ran his eyes over them and said, "State your reason for coming to Paraj."

He didn't bother to hide the disdain in his eyes, but neither Adrian nor Emily got upset. After all, not only was he at the late Earth Realm, as a guard of Paraj, his status was much higher than theirs.

Taking this into consideration, Adrian responded, "I'm here to accompany my junior sister on her way to take the official tier 3 array master certification exam."

Once Adrian mentioned that Emily was on her way to becoming a tier 3 array master, the guard looked at her once more. He couldn't see her face, but from her aura, he could tell that she was young. He could push them around as the city employed him, but if this girl became a tier 3 array master at such a young age, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to sell her a favour, he thought. However, while he was examining her for a second time, a carriage behind them forced their way to the gate and someone in the carriage shouted at the guard.

"Hurry up! Don't make us wait."

The voice came from a handsome youth with sharp eyes. Rather than reprimand him for cutting the line, the guard's first action was to check who the carriage belonged to, a sign that he was a true veteran. Once he spotted the crest on the carriage, the guard quickly pushed Adrian and Emily aside and welcomed them.

"My apologies, please go ahead, respected guests."

While the carriage was being allowed through, the young man who had called the guard glanced at them, and his eyes stopped on Emily. Shui didn't plan on causing any trouble, but his response depended on what the arrogant youth did next.

During the few seconds that the youth looked at her, Shui quietly prepared to take action, but luckily nothing happened. However, as the youth turned away, an endearing young lady poked her head out. Her fair skin seemed unaccustomed to hardship while her eyes shined with an innocent guile.

"What is it, Dear Brother?"

"It's nothing."

"Liar. Then why were you staring outside for so long?"

Curious as to what had grabbed the attention of her sibling, the girl swept her eyes over the group before also stopping on someone, this time on Shui. To most, he appeared to be an ordinary young man with delicate facial features, however; the girl felt something when she spotted him. It wasn't that she could see Shui's true power or read his mind, but her instinct told her he was special, and that was enough.

Shui was surprised when she stared at him, but he tried not to notice. Unfortunately, this young lady wasn't the type to act bashful and refuse to take action. She waved her hand at one of the guards and gave him something. The guard then went to Shui and handed him a shiny silver bracelet cuff with a blue crystal.

"The young lady says to contact her with this when you're free."

As the guard said those words, it was not just him or Shui that looked awkward. Even the girl's brother facepalmed, especially when she joyfully waved at Shui. Shui reluctantly accepted the bracelet cuff, but he had no idea of how to respond to her, and the stifled snickering he could hear from the spirit in his pocket didn't make it easier. He ended up letting her leave without saying anything and thanks to that, even after the carriage entered the city, there was a strange atmosphere present in front of the gate.

In an attempt to change this mood, the guard who initially faced them cleared his throat and said to Shui, "Well, good luck?"

"Haha, ha..."

After Shui forced a laugh in response, the guards continued with their jobs. They soon made it past the guards and into the city itself, and the sight made them speechless once more. The group gasped at the lavish scenery that made the view outside the walls seem like a mere preview. Inside of Paraj, they found not only a diverse showcase of statues and innovative architecture, but there was also a bustling atmosphere that wouldn't lose to any other city. Just a short distance away from the gate was a group of stalls selling items like guidebooks, quirky artifacts, starter kits and other goods the tourists might be interested in.

Their creativity and business-focused thinking impressed Shui, but his eyes couldn't help but be attracted by the glowing posters, known as 'billboards' that were placed on top of buildings. Especially the one that advertised the concert for a very popular idol group.

'I wonder if I'll have the time to go see that.'

Temporarily forgetting his true reasons for coming to the city, Shui earnestly admired Paraj. However, now that they were in the city, Adrian was ready to part ways.

"Shui, thank you for accompanying us, but it seems it's time we go our separate ways. My junior sister and I will-"

He tried to secure his escape route, but Shui wouldn't permit that.

"Oh, by the way, what inn would you say is the best here?"

Adrian couldn't wait to separate from Shui, but all he could do was hide his grimace as Emily answered in his place.

"There are many great inns in Paraj, but the most famous would have to be the Myriad Flower Lodge."

"Oh? What's so special about it?"

"Besides being the most luxurious inn in the city, only those who pass a test pertaining to an auxiliary art of their choosing may enter. It's essentially a place where only the elite of crafters can stay."

Shui had no doubt about his skills, so he was very interested in this Myriad Flower Lodge.

"Sounds interesting. Let's go then."

"Huh?"

"I have a bit of knowledge in arrays, and that's obvious for you, so let's go. Won't it be a good warm-up before your certification exam?"

As the conversation went in the direction of all three of them visiting the Myriad Flower Lodge, Adrian tried to interfere, but Shui had already persuaded Emily.

"Wait-"

"You make a good point," said Emily with a convinced tone.

Since the two of them had made up their minds, Adrian had no choice but to follow the three as they headed to Myriad Flower Lodge. It was near the center of the city, so they boarded a tram, which was like a long carriage but moved using nature energy and was attached to elevated roads that moved throughout the city. Given that the city was big enough to fit a mountain range and had enough citizens to match, it was generally faster to move through the city using the tram system, which could be considered a giant artifact.

To board a tram, they went to the nearest tram station, which was very crowded, but everyone split into various streams of foot traffic to get their desired tram lines. Adrian had been to Paraj before, so he led the way to the ticket booth where they bought their tickets and then to the boarding platform where they waited for a tram to arrive. Shui and Emily were especially excited as they examined the structure of the tram system, which beautifully combined forging with inscriptions and arrays. Even Adrian was intrigued, but this wasn't his first time in the city, so he could restrain himself better. 

Once the tram arrived, the group quickly went on and got adjoining seats facing the door. Time in the tram seemed to go by in a flash so if it wasn't for Adrian, they would surely have missed their stop. They were even reluctant to leave, so he had to wonder if they weren't the ones who said they wanted to go to the Myriad Flower Lodge.