As Cere made her way through the busy street, market stalls gradually disappeared while shops grew progressively more abundant. She was now entering into the deeper parts of Runia where businesses had stronger convictions toward commitment and establishment.

This area was where public buildings had also started appearing, and the first one that caught Cere’s attention was the bathhouse. Although she did not feel any need for ablution at the moment, the disparity between such practices here compared to her spacecraft was enough to make her stop and behold.

There were two bathhouses separated by the wide street—one for males and one for females. Outside each bathhouse was a short line of people that were waiting for their turn.

In this part of Runia—that is, for commoners—people could only take baths in public buildings due to their low wealth. However, this did not mean that they were destitute in any way. It was simply considered the standard lifestyle. In fact, when compared to the outskirts where people resided in villages, having access to a bathhouse was something that could be bragged about.

As for Cere, who had an enormous spacecraft solely reserved for her, she had access to any type of shower she wanted. And when she asked for something that did not exist, it would promptly be constructed within a few hours by an unknown number of robotic machinery. Of course, she was taught to avoid infeasible requests.

And so, Cere decided that she could visit the bathhouse later when she felt dirtier.

After nearly twenty minutes of strolling, she couldn’t help but stare in awe at the sight before her—Runia’s main square.

Also known as Central Runia.

A massively open area that put the entrance square to shame—the two were utterly, purely incomparable.

This floor was designed in a pattern that encompassed the entire area using embellished bricks of vastly different colors, shapes, and sizes. Thirty thousand people could easily be here at any given time.

In the center were two conspicuous stone statues made by several master sculptors, all of whom could only revere this creation as their magnus opus. The two statues represented the Gods that the citizens of Runia worshipped—a boy and girl who, together, were believed to have started the universe, and were engaged in the process of creating its future.

Countless people were conversing with their groups, some making use of the intricately crafted benches. Several bellman who donned fanciful clothing were shouting the daily news in a grandiose manner at different focal points around the square.

“The war was a victory! The King becomes an Emperor!”

“His Majesty’s proclamation—tomorrow at noon, here!”

Meanwhile, Cere, who was only a little over four feet tall, was having trouble journeying through the enormous, bustling area. She had already stumbled several times when people accidently bumped against her.

And when she had finally gotten out, she saw a towering gate that was protected by six knights—the entrance to inner Runia, which was surrounded by a large stone wall.

—Inner Runia. The area for higher-class nobles that included earls, marquesses, dukes, and royalty. Viscounts and barons were considered lower-class nobles and thus were not permitted to reside within.

Beyond the gate was a large, extravagant brick building with three wide flags hung side-by-side at its center, easily viewable by everyone in the main square. This was where the King of Runia, and soon to be exalted Emperor—Rigel Runias—was planning to give his proclamation.

Besides the building, the area beyond the gate was a wide path surrounded by attractively lush greenery that included trees, bushes, and flowers. The path continued far into the distance, mystifying everything beyond.

Rumors have spread amongst the commoners as to what was beyond. Some described it as Eden, and some said it was Arcadia, while others believed it was Shangri-La. But no one really knew for sure—that is, no one besides those who lived inside.

Cere decided to turn back and explore through a different street. By now, she had visited numerous armament, clothing, and jewelry shops, but there was one other shop she had been looking for—perhaps it would be better to call it a service.

When she finally found such a shop, she entered. Probing inside, there were several chairs facing mirrors that hung against the wall. The employees there were men and woman who were skilled with scissors and tried their best to meet the expectations of their customers.

Yes—Cere had entered a barbershop, looking to get a haircut.

Her waist-length amber hair was starting to feel uncomfortable behind her robe, so she wanted to lessen its burden a little.

There were currently five people that were already getting their hair cut. A female barber on stand-by noticed Cere and greeted her with ardor.

“Welcome! Take a seat here!”

The barber had neck-length, hazel-colored hair and seemed to be in her mid-twenties.

Cere politely bowed and went toward the seat that the barber stood at. Before taking a seat, she took off her robe and placed it at the side table.

“Wow your hair is beautiful!” Her eyes sparkled at Cere’s gleaming hair.

“Thank you.” Cere smiled with closed eyes toward the mirror, to which the barber saw her clearly through its reflection.

The barber caressed her fingers through Cere’s silky hair as if it were a delicacy that she cherished. Then she spoke.

“How would you like it cut?” She asked mischievously as she lifted a portion of Cere’s hair and brushed it against her own face.

“Umm, I would like the final length to be at my midback.” Cere replied demurely, her cheeks reddish from having her hair fondled.

“Okayy!” The delighted barber then whispered with a captivating voice, “Would you be interested in selling your hair? If you do, this haircut will be free. I’ll even throw in a free hair wash!”

Cere was surprised by her question, but she thought it was a reasonable trade. After all, she could not think of anything useful to do with her parted hair.

“I will sell it.” Cere spoke with a gentle tone.

“Thank you!! Okay, this will take a little longer than usual because I have to cut more carefully. Let’s begin!”

When the barber started, her initial enthusiasm turned into deep concentration. She had a serious gaze as she meticulously attempted to preserve as much of Cere’s hair as possible.

“Done…”

The exhausted barber had retained Cere’s overall hairstyle while only having shortened its overall length. Cere was fully content with the result.

“Thank you very much.”

“No… thank you. Hey Laura, wash our customer’s hair for me.”

“Okay Boss.”

The barber who cut Cere’s hair turned out to be the owner of the shop. While grasping onto the portion of Cere’s hair that she had cut, she threw that hand into the air and laughed diabolically as if she were holding a holy grail. Cere did not see any of that since she was having her hair washed.

Afterwards, when Cere was about to leave, the owner asked her one last question.

“Hey little girly, what’s your name? I’m Eliza.” A firm tone.

“Ah, I’m Cere.” Cere held her hands together and smiled.

“Come back any time, Cere! You’re my guest of honor.” Eliza’s eyes glinted.

“O-okay. Thank you.” Cere was a little muddled by Eliza’s brazen attitude.

Having left the shop, Cere put on her robe and hood, feeling a lot lighter with her midback-length hair.

By now, the sun was starting to set, so she decided to look for an inn near the main square.