Tall fields of corn and wheat were divided by an unwelcoming road.

Groups of hardened men and women alike worked the fields as part of a repayment system. Debt was paid off with manual labor and special service for those that lacked coins, or as a form of punishment since despite the city possessing ‘Solitude’ in its name, this place was no longer a prison.

But was half of the truth. Aquagale Solitude was a special prison when compared to most in Elysia. It was a city large enough to house over 150,000, or 175,000 if one were brave enough to cram this massive number of people behind its granite walls.

Today only roughly 90,000 people live in Aquagale from an estimated 135,000 at its peak. Purges of heretics and vice versa were all too common during that decade of despair, and 45,000 from Aquagale were claimed by the maelstrom that swept Grandis following the fall of Paradise.

Whether they left Aquagale altogether in a mass exodus or were slaughtered was a blip in Grandis’ history. The fields were vast enough to sustain the heavily isolated population.

Beyond the farms were the ruins of what used to be slums, homes and other unneeded structures where rats and giant insects such as that of the Triranuchla Bird Eater; an eight-legged spider that was half the size of human adult.

The ‘Tri’ in its name came from how the ends of its legs split into three finger-like appendages which were used to grab prey. They were harmless to humans since their jaws were rather soft and full of bristles. In fact, they were used as tools to groom hair like living hairbrushes.

That being said, they were a very affectionate and clingy arachnid that had the tendency to leap at people unexpectedly. As a result, visitors to Aquagale were usually greeted by these things before its inhabitants.

However, none dared to even cast their eyes in Frost’s direction as she strode past their dark abodes. Animals were keenly aware of her dominating existence and obeyed their instinct to pretend they were dead.

“Weird. I was kind of hoping to see what kind of face Miss Benefactor would make when a spider clung onto you. Would you have gone “Aaaah~!” Or maybe, “Naaaaagh~!?”

“We just came from an Anid Nest. Those things are cute in comparison.” Frost reminded.

What were regular spiders to the Anids?

“Cute? You really have strange tastes. I can’t get a good read on you all. But that’s a good thing! That means you’ll blend right in. This city’s Patron of the Highway office isn’t that big either, so if you’re worried about attracting attention then you’ll be fine.”

Autumn was quite perceptive. She was aware that Frost didn’t want to stand out unnecessarily. Her goal was to receive the information and leave. Any trouble thereafter can be dealt with a simple squint.

“I’m more worried about you. This city doesn’t bode well. I’m guessing those same inmates are the ones running the city, right?”

“Oh yeah. It was a correctional prison if that makes any sense. More than that, the city was an experiment to see what would happen if criminals were to run a city on their own. It did surprisingly well until there weren’t enough Demi-humans to go around.”

Frost’s stomach sank.

The reason did not need to be stated. Her gut wrenched at the thought that she adamantly suppressed, the air becoming hot around her as chills ran down the spines of every single living thing in her vicinity.

“How sickening.” Frost spoke coldly.

“It is, but it’s history. It’s hard to get upset on the things that happened in the past. I just don’t want to be burdened with the guilt of something I never did.” Autumn spoke like Frost was also blaming her in a way, but this was far from the truth.

Autumn was aware that many people in Grandis were blamed for the atrocities committed to Demi-humans and Healers alike. The issue was that innocent people like here often took the full brunt of the guilt and blame, and at some point, they stopped caring altogether.

Not that it’s a bad thing either. No one can change the past. Everyone wants to escape their stigma. But the only way to do that is to change things moving forward.

“A very low chance in Grandis.” Nav didn’t have high hopes for this Region at all.

Neither did Frost, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any hope.

Frost was deeply reminded by how alien her morals were compared to most. Sympathizing with the Demi-humans was seen as strange and at worst heretical to those that were still fiercely loyal to Puritas.

At the end of the day, normal people wanted to live their lives normally. To do that, they had to obey the rules of the strong less they wish to be persecuted.

It’s a recipe for creating all kinds of awful emotions. It’s no wonder Grandis is plagued with the Corrupted.

“You’re right. History should be seen through an objective lens. But it’s different when it wasn’t that long ago. Plus your perspective changes when you know people that personally experienced it.” Frost said as they approached the fortified, grated gates of the city. “So it’s hard for me to overlook.”

“I guess I can relate to it when you put that way. Getting close to a Demi-human is heartbreaking. It’s so much easier to just stay away from them. There’s not many here anyway.” Autumn chose the easy path.

Frost looked up at the skies rather than the city itself, and with a long, drawn-out sigh, she spoke with a heavenly voice.

“I think it’s even more heartbreaking to just leave them alone. The smile they’ll one day show you will more than make up for it. I feel like I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t at least try to offer my hand.”

The notion was easy to understand for most, but to rationalize was the difficult part. This was especially true for the weak.

For Frost there was no need to rationalize something like this, because for her, it was only the natural thing to do. Even when she was no more than a Level 10 human, she still went to help the young Jury unconditionally.

Autumn kept Frost’s words close to her heart.

She didn’t necessarily need or wanted to. Frost was a stranger to her, after all. But somehow, those words stuck to her more than anything her Teacher had ever said to her.

 

* * *

 

Garbage. Everything smelt of rotting garbage. The immediate assault on Frost’s nostrils was a reminder of how important civil essentials such as waste management was in such large cities.

Sewerage systems were indeed present but were highly lacking compared to even the smaller settlements outside of the Nex Megalopolis. Incinerators did most of the waste disposal and were found directly beneath bins, squat toilets and where drains eventually led to.

The city itself was heavily reminiscent of the gothic style of architecture, much like that of Little Tais.

Surprisingly, or rather – unsurprisingly; water was available through a network of iron pipes. A water reservoir existed deep underneath the city like a heart. Crystals that could infinitely produce water so long as it had existing mana supplied the city with both hot and cold water.

They were improperly maintained however, as water commonly spilled onto the streets, mixing with dirt, garbage and whatever stuck to the boots of the masses. It was crowded and chaotic compared to the cities of the Nex Megalopolis.

People holding cages with hens proudly claimed how low their prices were as did merchants with foreign goods and necessities that were difficult to procure within the city, such as magic crystal and books.

The pathways within the city didn’t make any sense to Frost. She was used to the clear-cut roads of the Nex Megalopolis, but here it was impossible to tell if a road was going to lead to a dead end or send her straight into the slums. If it weren’t for Autumn, then she’d have to climb the highest spire to understand this city’s chaotic layout.

There was also a clear division of status amongst the populace. Adventurers and those with significant strength were allowed to sit and eat at tables, whereas the common folk ate on straw carpets.

The cuisine here was also simplistic. It was either wet, unseasoned wheat-based gruel or skewers.

This place operated on the law of the jungle but also respected the need for intelligent people such as that from the Patrons of the Highway. Autumn was therefore held highly in their eyes, but there was also a tinge of superiority in their eyes whenever they spoke to her.

Frost blended in by tailing Autumn a short distance away. Her apparel didn’t stand out as much as she thought, since mages also wore similar oversized robes or grandeur coats. Hers was far too simple in design.

Simply put, it lacked the decorations that matched the wearer’s arrogance and social standing. Mages were seen as important facets of the city, so like Autumn they were held highly by those that ran this place.

They eventually reached the stone doors of a large estate. It was a double-story building with far too many windows. Autumn pressed her hand against the door where a green light enveloped her hand.

Like a hand-print scanner, huh? How does that work?

“By checking the mana of a person.”

I thought all mana was the same.

“Everyone has their own unique mana. It’s no different from one’s unique scent.”

Aaaah. That makes more sense.

Nav made it understandable for Frost, but magic was still too foreign of a concept to her to concern herself with the technicalities. Once inside she was greeted with the refreshing scent of wood.

The interior had beautiful polished-wood flooring and other wooden ornaments that reflected the status of the estate. This place was in one of the more fortunate sections of the city, so it was likely that the other buildings were decorated similarly.

Wall-mounted lanterns powered by magic illuminated the front foray.

Frost keenly entered behind Autumn, who had to hold her wrist to show the receptionist within that she had been granted access.

“You arrived… alone?” The grey-haired receptionist adjusted her glasses from behind a wooden desk.

She was not old by any means, but her hair had already grown so grey. A stern, frigid aura surrounded the receptionist who didn’t give them a second glance and went on to continue sorting out various paperwork.

“Teacher will be arriving later. I was told to go on ahead to let you know that the designated eight caravan was destroyed by the Anids. Also! I need access to my personal vault.”

“I see, for payment, correct?”

“Something like that.” Autumn nodded.

After scribbling down something, the woman placed her pen down and nodded.

“Go ahead. And dear guest. Please don’t cause a scene.”

“Of course.” Frost was surprised by how easily they let her in with Autumn.

Wouldn’t it have been better to wait? Or is that she can’t bring personal items out from this place?

Autumn climbed a staircase beside the receptionist. As Frost was about to take her first step, the receptionist glanced up at her with suspicion.

“… And you’re a mage, correct?” She sounded uncertain, as if to test Frost.

“I specialize in fire magic.” Frost, after moving her lips incomprehensibly to simulate a chant, snapped her fingers and summoned a small fire at the tip of her finger. “Convinced?”

“Hm. I assumed you were a fake with that apparel, but you’re indeed a real mage. Go on then. I apologize for interrupting.” The receptionist was satisfied with the answer.

Though the suspicion oddly didn’t leave her eyes, like she couldn’t trust Frost at all. Similarly, Frost couldn’t trust this person and simply left without uttering another word.

 

* * *

 

After moving through several hallways, they finally reached a door that required Autumn’s presence to be opened. Inside was a messy assortment of papers and steel lockers containing her personal belongings.

All sense of organization was lost, and the air of this windowless room was heavily stagnant as if it hadn’t been disturbed for quite some time.

“Why is a map being kept inside of a vault?” Frost asked.

“Because we’re the only ones that have mapped most of Grandis’ highways. Without these maps anyone can be a Patron of the Highway. I’m not really one myself. My cousin is, but life is all about connections. You got yourself a good connection right here.” She patted herself on the shoulder before rummaging through the paperwork.

There wasn’t anything to note from what Frost saw. That until her eyes linger on a paper detailing the existence of a Corrupted called ‘Scented Thoughts’.

 

Scented Thoughts – Corrupted – Highly Dangerous – Death Toll Estimate: 56,780

Found near the western highway leading to Bellum. Last known sighting was near one of the cities following the highway near the Forbidden Lake. Highways to Bellum through the Southwest will remain closed until further notice.

 

Sounds like something we’ll be coming across since we’ll be taking that highway anyway.

A number of monster sightings were also detailed amongst the documents. None were as concerning as the Scented Thoughts. On top of that were the Mad Slippers in Paradise. After a few minutes a dust-smothered Autumn raised a paper map to the sky in triumph.

“Found it! Miss Diamond Ranked! Take a good look at the cartography of the Patrons of the Highways! It was last drawn a month ago. Are you lucky or what? Also, please don’t copy it. I don’t want to call anyone up here to punish you.”

Finally, Frost now had her hands on a reliable map of Grandis.

“It’s fine. I just need to look at it once.”

---