Chapter 816: The City of Promise
In the central region of the Crimson Empire, a caravan was making its way down the road, carrying Eastern specialties such as silk, porcelain, tea, and other goods.
To avoid trouble, Lolan Hill, disguised as a merchant lady, had recruited this group when passing through a large city.
The reason was simple; she had encountered several troublesome noble youths in the eastern cities. Upon seeing the beautiful young maiden, these youths initially tried to chat her up, then kept asking about her background, and once they learned she was traveling alone, their behavior became increasingly inappropriate.
Although Lolan Hill was not afraid of such people, they were still somewhat annoying like flies. In the end, she decided to stick to her story, saying that her merchant guild had been entrusted by the princess of the elf clan to trade in the East and had just returned.
With the wind chime pendant given by Aitexi as proof, a few major trading companies with elf backgrounds confirmed Lolan Hill’s identity and helped her gather a team. With guards and attendants, her travels through the empire became much easier.
“Up ahead is the Morning Glory Palace, Miss Lacy,” a mounted elf whispered to Lolan Hill through the carriage window.
“Hmm, I know,” Lolan Hill replied from inside the carriage, looking out at the white stone city in the distance, feeling a sense of elegance.
Recalling the geographical knowledge she had learned at Emanas, Lolan Hill repeated the book’s description of the city.
After marrying the young elven queen, Titania, Alin showed her great favor and affection, but Titania was not accustomed to life in human cities.
To give his beloved a comfortable and relaxing place, Alin gathered a team and built a small white city about 20 miles from the capital.
Snow-white rocks formed the uneven walls and towers, while the interior was planted with various trees and flowers from the elf clan, and a clear lake with flowing water was dug. Elven maids were assigned to accompany Titania.
This was a royal holiday palace, a Garden City, with seven large trees arranged in a circular pattern, each higher than the last, resembling blooming flowers in a spiral. The palace and pavilions were built like tree houses, attached to the trees. Every night, these small palaces would glow with an orange-yellow aura, lighting up this beautiful small city.
In the past, the empire’s queens often held banquets here, inviting noble ladies from across the empire to gather, connect, and address issues among the nobility. However, after this emperor ascended, this palace gradually fell into disuse.
The new empress, Lily Aisote, who did not come from a prominent family, lacked experience in hosting banquets. Moreover, she preferred staying close to her lover and did not wish to face the cunning and unfamiliar imperial noblewomen. Gradually, this place returned to its initial tranquility.
Now, as Lolan Hill and her companions approached the imperial capital, Titania, they finally saw this outpost palace on the road.
At the entrance to the white palace, guards stood watch, and the caravan could only pass by, gazing at the beautiful city.
The white doors were tightly closed, with carved flowers and vines casting faint shadows under the sunlight, exuding a serene natural beauty unique to the elves. This beauty combined with the grand white stone carvings, filtering out the delicate and weak aspects of the elf style, revealing a magnificent and imposing atmosphere.
This palace, built during the empire’s prosperous era, still retained the open and confident demeanor of that time.
“I want to go in and take a look,” Yeling said, leaning out the window to gaze at the pale palace through the glass.
“Perhaps we will have the chance if we meet Lily this time,” Lolan Hill said, stroking Yeling’s hair. The little one reluctantly sat back down.
“Lily is now the empress,” she murmured, lying on a small table.
“It feels so unreal, even though she’s about my age,” Yeling said, expressing her thoughts.
“This is time, real yet merciless,” Lolan Hill pulled the white gauze curtain, then rested beside the seat.
Recently, she had learned many pieces of information in the various cities she passed through, including internal matters of the empire, the grand expedition years ago, and conflicts between nobles and commoners.
Even Lolan Hill felt exhausted facing these complex pieces of information. Now, the empire was like a tangled mess, with various factions rising after the emperor’s death. The empire’s decline was good news for Clancia, but such chaos was not what the young maiden hoped for.
At least, she hoped that the empire could continue to be a force for human civilization in the future, rather than a hindrance.
Rubbing her temples, Lolan Hill gradually forgot her recent worries and began to rest. After all, hundreds or thousands of years had passed, so a few months or years didn’t matter. It was better to get some sleep first.
Thinking this, the young maiden held the warm, fluffy Dai Ju like a pillow, and her breathing gradually steadied.
October’s wind brought a slight chill, sweeping over the outskirts of the imperial capital, Titania. The grass trembled in the cold wind, and the main thoroughfares, once bustling with traffic, now seemed somewhat desolate. The martial law in the city had not ended.
“Which merchant guild are you from!”
As they prepared to enter the city, elite guards in red capes stopped the caravan and shouted.
“Greetings, we are members of the Lagatis Guild. We recently returned from the East and wish to trade in the imperial capital.”
An elf youth in a white fitted jacket stepped forward. His proper manner and speech earned him respect from the guards, as the city had once been half-owned by the elves. Although the empire had reformed, the old mindset persisted, and the rare and handsome elves were indeed treated better in the empire.
“The imperial capital is currently under martial law. You must know that, right? If you wish to enter or leave, you need a letter of guarantee from a noble.”
“I understand naturally,” he said, then had someone retrieve a document from the carriage. It bore signatures and seals from several elf nobles.
“Alright,” the guards carefully examined the magical seal and completeness of the document before nodding slowly.
Before leaving, one guard reminded them, “The city is not stable right now. You should be cautious.”
“Understood, thank you for your kind reminder,” the elf youth said, having his attendant hand over a few gold coins as a token of gratitude.
Seeing this, the guards immediately became more cheerful, sharing more information about the city, which made the elf youth nod continuously.
After a routine inspection of the cargo, the guards stepped aside to let the ten or so carriages enter the city one by one.
Only after the scenery outside the carriage window moved away from the city gate did Yeling curiously turn her gaze back and say to Lolan Hill.
“That Vio is quite impressive,” she said, referring to the elf youth who had negotiated with the guards.
“He is indeed talented, but he’s much older than you,” Lolan Hill teased, playfully pinching Yeling’s cheek.
“Mm, the youth of the elves is really enviable,” Yeling said, retracting her body and escaping from Lolan Hill’s palm.
“But you don’t have the right to talk about elves either. After you awakened your dragon blood, you’ll take much longer to develop into an adult than an elf,” Lolan Hill winked at Yeling, pointing out her true situation.
“Seems so. Ugh, I actually want to grow up quickly. I want to be a cool big sister too,” Yeling said unhappily, shaking her side ponytails, expressing her little dissatisfaction.
For a moment, a light laugh echoed in the carriage.
As the caravan slowly entered Titania, the magnificent scenery of this ancient city gradually came into view. The neatly aligned, wide cobblestone streets, flower-filled white ceramic pots, light-painted street-side houses, towering buildings, black-latticed iron art street lamps, and the tall, pale palace castle all demonstrated the harmonious beauty created by elves and humans together.
Once upon a time, this was a beautiful city that spoke of promises and trust.
(End of Chapter)
