Aleph City!

With a hum, the priestess called out to the faeries to activate the formation, causing the floor to start shining with a bright glow, shocking both Tinka and Rinka.

"What's happe-!" Tinka shouted, the bright lights blinding her.

Before she could even finish her sentence, she opened her eyes again, the bright light gone, instead replaced by the gloomy darkness of the cave once more.

At first, Tinka thought she was still back at the cave and nothing had happened, but when she looked around and saw no faeries around, she knew that something must have happened.

"You said it was teleportation formation, didn't you?" Tinka suddenly asked, finally realizing what had just happened.

"Dad, where are we now?" Rinka asked, scratching her head as she looked around.

Smiling, Minos didn't say anything, just leading his two girls out of the cave until they finally came to a large cliff that oversaw a massive sprawling city that covered the entire plains.

"Welcome to the Aleph Empire." Minos laughed, the two looking at each other in shock before looking back down at the incredible city, a sight beyond anything they had ever seen before.

…

After heading down the large cliff, the family finally reached the entrance of the royal city, the walls spreading far beyond their eyes limits.

As they joined the long queue to enter the city, Tinka suddenly realized something, asking Minos the thought on her mind.

"Honey, weren't you meant to create that communication system while we were traveling? How are we supposed to talk to my parents now?" She said worriedly.

"Don't worry about that, I naturally won't forget. However what's more important is that we get you two geniuses set up so you don't waste your talents."

"Set up?" Rinka asked.

"I'm going to be busy building the communication system, so I won't be able to train you two, but with your talents, you should be able to join any academy or sect you want." Minos said.

"Dad, I want you to train me though!" Rinka said, having already forgotten that first cruel training session.

"Dad wants to train you too, but I've got money to earn. How else am I meant to keep my two girls all dressed up and pretty?" Minos laughed.

"Honey, we've just arrived and you're already thinking of abandoning us? You're so cruel." Tinka giggled, returning the joke.

"That's still a future thought, for now we've still got to set ourselves up." Minos smiled, continuing to joke with his two girls as he waited for the line to shorten.

Occasionally as they were chatting, extravagant chariots drove past them, ignoring the line and heading directly into the city.

When the guards saw these chariots, they would immediately drop what they were doing to greet them, saying a few pleasantries before immediately letting them in, naturally ignoring the intensive search they do on regular civilians.

Out of the corner of his eye, Minos couldn't help but notice a few people looking at the chariots with envy, wanting nothing more than to be one of those elites at the top of the Aleph Empire.

Of course what these people didn't realize was just how blessed they already were compared to the vast majority of the people on the Alephora Continent who would never even see the walls of this grand city, much less live within them.

Shaking his head slightly, Minos went back to talking with his girls as he waited patiently, and finally after another half hour, it was their turn.

"Identification?" The guard asked immediately, not even bothering to maintain a smile like he did with some people.

"This is our first time here, we don't have any." Minos said honestly.

"First time? A temporary ID card will cost you 50 Nux Stones and will only be valid for a month's time. If you want to obtain permanent citizenship, you'll have to head to the Office of Immigration." The guard said succinctly.

Searching around his robe for a bit, Minos pulled out a small bag, unloading it into the guards hands to reveal 150 Nux Stones, enough for the three of them.

After a short count, the guard handed the Nux Stones to the person beside him while also telling him to prepare the ID's.

After a short wait, the man returned with three card-sized slips of paper, handing them to Minos.

"Remember, don't try and stay more than one month, we will find you eventually, and for everyday you escape, the punishment will be harsher." The guard warned sternly.

"I'll naturally keep your words in mind." Minos said with a smile, the guard slightly nodding before gesturing for him to go in.

Of course before the three of them could fully enter the city, another guard was already waiting to give them a pat down.

Fortunately Minos had hidden his spatial ring, so after a quick inspection, the guard let the three of them through.

As the three entered the vast city, Tinka and Rinka couldn't help but look around with amazement, the walls no longer blocking their sights into this vast city.

The streets were massive, enough to carry a dozen carriages side by side, and next to them were all sorts of store fronts and buildings, each one in pristine condition, clearly well taken care of.

Even the streets were shining with a soft glimmer, hundreds of workers in charge of just maintaining the cleanliness of the area.

It seemed this city had no such things as slums, and even the outer parts that weren't as glamorous were still very well taken care of.

Of course this was only the entrance and it was natural that this place would be the focus of maintenance, but it still was a sign of the way in which Aleph City operated.

"Wow, this place is beautiful! Are we really going to live here!" Rinka said with shining eyes, completely mesmerized by this city that was the complete opposite of the small village she had grown up in.

For Rinka, who naturally had a lively personality, this place was definitely much more down her alley, and she couldn't wait to run around through the streets and explore the place for herself.

Tinka also couldn't help but look at all the stores and boutiques, the windows lined with the newest fashion trends and jewelry, nothing like she had ever seen before.

Compared to this, even Underwood City felt like a small village, not worth comparison, and she couldn't wait to go shopping.

Seeing that both his girls seemed to like this place, Minos couldn't help but smile, relieved that they acclimated so quickly.

Of course now wasn't the time to sightsee, so after giving them a moment longer to look, he grabbed both of them and led them down the street.

"So, where are we going now?" Tinka asked, after forcefully peeling her eyes away from a dress she really wanted.

"We've got to rent a home first, after that we'll head to the Office of Immigration like the guard said and try and get permanent citizenship." Minos answered.

"That sounds like it'll be difficult…" Tinka said, looking around at the crowded streets and realizing just how many people must be fighting for it.

"Just leave that to me." Minos smiled, gently rubbing his wife's head as if to remind her that she had no worries while he was around.

Smiling, Tinka laid her head gently into Minos's chest, knowing that as long as her husband was around, both her and Rinka would always be safe.

After walking for a bit longer and asking around, the family finally found a rental firm and headed inside.

"How may I help you?" A beautiful young lady asked as the family entered.

"We're looking to rent a home with at least two bedrooms." Minos said.

"Are you looking in the inner ring or outer ring?" The lady asked.

"Outer ring." Minos replied, knowing instinctively that the inner ring was beyond his price range at the current moment.

"And what's your price range?"

"The cheaper the better." Minos said, not bothering to put on any airs.

"Give me a moment." The young lady smiled, not changing her attitude at all despite Minos's words, a display of her professionalism.

"Here's one, three stories, two bedrooms, two baths, and the price is only 380 Nux Stones a month, though the location is a bit far off…" The young lady said, introducing the property.

Minos naturally wanted to see a few more properties first, so with the young lady's help, the family of three went through a dozen different homes, Tinka and Rinka also occasionally throwing in a few suggestions.

Finally, after the young lady introduced all the houses that fell within Minos's criteria, she gave the family a moment to decide.

"What do you guys think?" Minos asked.

"Dad, I want the one with the big backyard so I can play!" Rinka said with a jump.

The one that Rinka was talking about happened to be the most expensive house they had seen, costing a whopping 500 Nux Stones a month.

Minos only had a couple thousand Nux Stones on him, and he would only be able to afford the rent for about half a year.

But seeing his daughter's happy face as she talked about the house, Minos wasn't bothered about the price, of course he still had to confirm with his wife before anything else.