Ran City

Uriel kept his eyes glued to the bus window. He saw a large number of small moving rectangles. Noticing his gaze Alin chimes in "They're called cars. They're like a bus but people own them privately."

"Gramp's have we got long before we reach wherever we are going?"

"Shouldn't be that long, why?"

"Then can you quickly tell me a bit about this place?"

"I don't see why not"

"Ran City is the main hub of the Eternal Empire, while not the capital city it has the highest population and overall is the biggest city within the continent and has the highest tourism rate out there too."

"The main reason for this is the fact that the city officials themselves and influential figures installed portal formations that connect to other cities within most kingdoms on the continent."

"Eternal Empire?" Asked Uriel

"Brat! I thought I told you to read the book on the Eternal Empire. Don't tell me you didn't listen? I should slap some sense into you!" Roared Alin.

This made Uriel jump in his seat before putting his arms up as if he was surrendering and saying "O-of course I read it. I just like to hear you talk about things as you make them so much more interesting and fascinating and in general easier to understand"

Uriel smiled innocently, he knew his grandfather was weak to flattery, at the very least he was when it came from Uriel. He has never really seen his grandfather speak with anyone other than himself.

"Hoh, well. I can't argue with you about that… Fine brat. I'll tell you once again but this is the last time."

"The Eternal Empire was founded by descendants of the Legendary Dragon, it's ruled by the Eternal Emperor. Below him are 10 families that work closely together and against each other."

"Each family only cares about having their offspring become the next emperor. It's a constant soap opera and honestly quite amusing"

"Soap opera?" asked Uriel after hearing a curious phrase he has never heard of before.

"Eh, not important. The Empire is one of two Empires within this continent. The Eternal Empire is here in the west while the other one is directly on the opposite side. While the two Empires aren't necessarily on good terms, war isn't something either side has to worry about."

"Due to the large buffer of Kingdoms between the two powerhouses, it is not worth going to war, as unless you allied with a large majority of the Kingdoms you would be begging for defeat."

"In the past, the Tonitruum Empire tried going to war with a weakened Eternal Empire. They allied themselves with nations in a straight line and any others they could. Some refused to ally themselves or to open the borders to the Tonitruum Empire would annex them."

"While they moved at lightning speed they couldn't move forward fast enough. Nations that surrounded the now famously known 'Crimson Path' that was named for the nations that either submitted or fell to Tonitruum Empire in their path to total war, had decided that they cannot allow Tonitruum Empire to keep moving forward."

"They realized that if either the Eternal Empire or the Tonitruum Empire were to have a downfall, the power balance within the continent would crumble to smithereens and cause chaos all over the world."

"Most importantly nothing would be able to stand in the way of taking over the rest of the continent. As it stood the neutral kingdoms had power comparable to both of the empires and whichever decides to go on a warpath will have to contend with the neutral kingdoms. Of course, both the Empires realized that going to war with the neutral kingdoms was equivalent to handing the other party the entire continent on a silver platter."

'Cough' Alin coughed slightly and cleared his throat before changing the subject.

"Anyway that's the gist of it, now going back to Ran City"

"It is a wonderful city, at least it is on the surface. If you stick to the upper levels you should be fine. Don't go into the lower levels no matter what happens as that will spell your doom."

"Upper levels?" Confused once again Uriel couldn't help but ask.

"This city consists of multiple levels, we are currently on the second-highest level. There are three total levels. We are currently on a level known as 'Wanderers Plane' on this level you will find everyone mixing together, this is the primary reason a lot of people come to Ran city."

"Above that, we have 'Harmony Edge' this is where the elite of the city live. It is a special artificial sky island that only people with special vehicles or a certain level of magical ability can reach. Security on it is always on high alert. Other than the Emperor's palace, this might be the most secure location within the Empire."

"Now…" Alin paused to ponder if he should continue, he knew he had to expose Uriel to how terrible the world was in order to prepare him for it so he doesn't get hurt in the future, but he wanted to put it off for as long as possible.

"...officially there are only two levels that are commonly called Heaven and Earth by the residents of Ran City. However, there is a third level to the city. It used to be the only level but due to mining, the dumping of toxic materials and a bunch of other factors, the level sank into the ground."

"Everyone thought it disappeared forever until a few hundreds of years ago when the black market started up. Now it's become known as the Undercity of Ran City. It is filled with people who are deemed unsightly by the noble elite of the city. They forced whoever crossed them underground the second they realized the undercity was open for business."

"They wanted to control the cities population and get rid of unsightly peasants, poor people, those with mental illnesses and many others"

"It's been nicknamed 'Hell' by those living outside of the Undercity. If you need to get your hands on anything illegal or questionable then odds are you will find it in this place."

"Anything happens here from the illegal drug trade to slave trade and more"

"Gang fights happen often and murder isn't uncommon. The law enforcement makes raids from time to time in order to show who is boss so those living within the confines of the Undercity don't get any ideas"

"However this is just a show for the common folks. In reality, the force and the elite get paid by those in charge within the Undercity. The Undercity is known as the hub for corruption and scum but the truth is Ran City as a whole is corrupted to the foundation"

"That's why Ran City also has a nickname, it is simply called 'Rancid' It's a city that is rotten to the core and it is far too late to save it from its eventual ruin"