The journey from Lionheart City to the Azure City-State was mostly characterized by endless plains and neat rows of farmland. The view was open with almost no obstructions. This fertile and flat land provided excellent logistics for the Royal Capital and its surrounding cities.
The season was nearing the end of autumn, the time for the harvest in the fields below. Large swathes of wheat and seas of grass looked like a golden ocean rippling in the wind, with people from all walks of life busy with the autumn harvest within them.
The novelty and excitement of soaring through the sky for the first time were quickly diluted by the almost unchanging scenery of the plains. Even Rosal, sitting at the very front, began to fiddle with the goggles on her face out of boredom.
As she rubbed the frame of the goggles, she was pleasantly surprised to find tiny markings on the lenses. By gently flicking a dial with her hand, the lenses could zoom in on distant scenery like a telescope.
As if she had discovered a new toy, Rosal excitedly shared her discovery with the other two.
After some tinkering, they found that while the goggles were a bit bulky, Ronald Ironheart had managed to cram over a dozen different functions into them. Not only could they zoom in and out, but they could also switch to a peculiar filter that allowed them to see and mark the trails of objects reflected under different light conditions.
On the side of the headband, a small mana crystal inscribed with synchronization magic was embedded. This allowed the users to maintain simple, synchronized communication within a limited distance, sharing the information they saw through the crystals' connection.
Although this simple form of communication was not as stable as a communication stone, it was a brand-new solution for staying in touch.
“I told you, they occasionally invent something practical. This thing actually looks quite good!” Aila said as she adjusted the dial on her lenses. She was quite satisfied with these goggles and their integrated telescope function.
Her elven blood gave her senses and reflexes far beyond those of a human, and these goggles were the icing on the cake for her vision. Looking down, she could even see the individual clusters of grain on the vast wheat fields below.
Midir, however, was drawn to the strange filter. Although he hadn't discovered the true purpose of this function yet, the scenery viewed through the filter appeared in bizarre colors, completely different from normal perception, making the entire world seem somewhat surreal.
At noon, the three landed near a small river. Even a griffin as sturdy as Kiteclaw was inevitably exhausted after carrying several people in high-speed flight for hours on end.
After landing, Aila took Kiteclaw to the riverside to hydrate. Midir took a large bag of fresh meat from his storage space and had Rosal bring it to Kiteclaw, while he pulled out a compact stove to prepare lunch for the three of them.
Thanks to Midir’s oversized storage space, which contained all sorts of food and supplies, they didn't have to eat poorly even in the wild.
As they ate lunch, the three talked amongst themselves.
“How far have we gone? Why haven't we seen Blake and the others yet?”
Midir held a skewer of roasted meat, its aroma filling the air. He tasted the delicious food while turning to Aila, who was focused on studying an open map.
“Blake and his group set out at dawn. If they traveled at full speed without stopping, they should be able to enter the territory of the Azure City-State before nightfall. If they’re heading to the central district, it will take at least until tomorrow or the day after. After all, the mountain roads over there aren't easy to travel.”
“It’s been about four hours since we set out. Based on the location of this river, we’ve already left the Royal Capital behind by about a thousand kilometers. If nothing goes wrong, we should be able to meet up with them before they enter the Azure City-State territory.”
Aila answered his questions seriously while carefully cross-referencing the markers on the map.
“The distance between city-states is really far. According to Sister Aila, we’ve only covered about half the distance?” Rosal chimed in, leaning over from the side to study the map with them.
“It can't be helped. The continent wasn't as peaceful a hundred years ago as it is now. I heard from my father and the others that back then, magic creatures roamed everywhere. Although humans were the masters of the continent, they couldn't protect all the people and territory. That’s how the prototypes of the current major city-states and metropolises came to be.”
Aila took a sip of hot soup from her bowl and began to educate the two.
“True. Concentrating the population heavily in certain areas makes defense and support much simpler. But the corresponding price is that the distances between different cities increase, and the no-man's-lands become more numerous.” Midir nodded, recalling information he had learned from Blake and agreeing with her.
“Isn't there any other way to reach places quickly?” Young Rosal asked, her inner confusion showing as she didn't have a clear concept of these things yet.
“Actually, those high-level mages—the Saint Archmages—can use spatial magic to move quickly. As long as they have enough mana, they should be able to go anywhere on the continent in a short time, right? But of the few people I know, I’ve rarely seen them do it. Why do you think that is?”
Aila answered after a moment of thought, looking at Midir with an inquiring gaze to see his opinion.
“Teleportation? I think it's feasible, but there are several problems. First, it's impossible to take people on such a long-distance teleportation. Taking one person a short distance should be fine, but as the distance increases, the mana required grows exponentially. Second, spatial magic is different from ordinary elemental magic; it requires a massive amount of one's own mana, and there’s basically no possibility of borrowing elemental energy floating in the air.”
“If the distance is too great, it might leave the caster exhausted, leaving them with no combat strength even if they arrive. Furthermore, similar to the situation with storage space, everyone's affinity for space is completely different. While I don't know the situation for others, I don't believe every mage can just move such long distances at will...”
Midir calculated on his fingers as he explained to the two women, but he suddenly realized that he hadn't tried such a thing himself yet. He wasn't sure what the actual operation would be like.
The two, who knew nothing of magic, didn't realize what Midir was thinking and listened quietly to his description.
Just then, the three heard an uneasy screech from Kiteclaw, who was resting by the river not far away.
The moment they reached the riverside, they saw Kiteclaw shaking its head incessantly, a long black object dangling from its beak.
On the riverbank nearby, another segment of a black creature was writhing uncontrollably.
It was only when the three got closer that they realized the black object in Kiteclaw's mouth was the long tail of a lizard-like creature. The writhing thing on the ground was the body of the strange creature; its belly had been pierced by Kiteclaw's attack, and it was twisting on the ground.
The black creature was perhaps over three meters long, including its tail. Although it looked very much like a common lizard, it was pitch black all over. On top of its head was a constantly pulsating red fleshy lump. That streak of bright red made one's scalp tingle with dread just looking at it.
“What kind of creature is this? It looks disgusting!”
Even with Aila's broad experience, she had never seen such a strange lizard. She quickly pulled tight on the griffin's reins and shouted, “Kiteclaw, spit its tail out quickly! It might be poisonous!”
“This... doesn't it look a bit like the giant lizards encountered in low-level adventurer commissions? But the size is wrong, and the color isn't right either.” Rosal observed while cautiously moving toward the writhing creature, simultaneously detaching a part of Thunderwing from her waist and gripping it tightly in her hand.
Although the unknown creature's body had been pierced by Kiteclaw's sharp beak, Midir was surprised to find that not a single drop of blood flowed from it. Only a faint black aura drifted from its wound, exuding a sense of eeriness.
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