Chapter 722 To Caelora City
(A.N: Forgive me for letting my Italian side come out in this chapter.)
Erik soared high above the shimmering dunes of the White Desert atop June. His loyal clone morphed into a Galewing's form.
The blistering sands stretched to the horizon in all directions beneath them. But ahead, Erik could see the desert beginning to yield to a vast forest blanketing the land.
Erik perched to survey the forest below as it basked in the full bloom of spring. From this high vantage point, the forest was a tapestry of vibrant greens, the leaves of the towering trees swayed in the breeze.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy, creating a dynamic mosaic of light and shadow that danced across the treetops.
Erik could sense the forest awakening from its winter slumber thanks to his plant master brain crystal power. It was a weird feeling. He always had a connection with the flora, but ever since he got the plant master's power, this became stronger.
But he knew that the forest, which appeared empty, harbored dangers unseen from his aerial view.
"So… this is what the Flying Thaids experience every day, uh? I get why being in a forest is the safest place to be to avoid being seen by them. I can't see anything under the trees."
Erik didn't travel so far with June until now, so he had never seen the forest from this height in the past months. He got close to it on some occasions, but never enough for him to say it was impossible to see everything below.
Past the endless sea of green, Erik could just make out the snow-capped peaks of the Wyvern Mountains piercing the clouds. The snow was still heavy, the effects of winter on them still present, yet it was clear the surface snow, to what it was possible at such altitudes, was starting to melt.
However, seeing the mountains in the distance was weird for many reasons. On one hand, it was underwhelming. The distance made it appear tiny, and it was weird to think wyverns lived there.
Erik was very far from them, and if he could see them from his position meant the mountains were walloping, conflicting with his earlier thought.
That would be their eventual destination if everything remained as it was. But going there was still something he planned on doing at some point down the road.
The mountains marked the territorial border of the Wyverns' flocks, and only a fool would attempt to fly straight through it.
Erik called down to June, informing him of their path ahead. The clone nodded, having already been informed of Erik's decision.
June was bound to obey Erik's commands without question. No, better, he wasn't bound. He wanted to obey his orders.
It was a sort of primal instinct for him, a result of Erik's brain crystal power, the same that birthed him.
The winds picked up, rousing Erik from the introspection he was having at that moment. He patted June's neck in signal.
"Take us down. I want to avoid getting unnecessary attention." June banked his mighty wings and began their descent toward the trees. Erik took one last long look at the mountains in the distance. That hallowed ground called to him, but it had to wait a while longer.
As Erik and June descended towards the forest, a glint in the distance caught Erik's eye. The young man peered closer, and he made out a city nestled at the base of the mountains, still some time ahead of them.
[Wait, June!] Erik telepathically said.
[What Master?]
[I can see the city from here.]
To see the city took some effort due to the distance. But the city was placed in a peculiar location that made it possible to notice something, even from this distance.
The very base of the Caelora mountain range, in a spot devoid of trees likely used by the citizens to build houses or fortifications.
This location was nestled in a treeless area at the mountain's foot. The absence of foliage was not a natural occurrence, but rather the result of deliberate human intervention.
Maybe the citizens had cleared this tract of land to construct buildings and fortifications.
This distinctive choice of location, devoid of the typical forest cover, rendered the city noticeable against the backdrop of the wooded mountain range.
That was Caelora City, or better, not that there were many choices among the cities nestled at the base of a deadly mountain range.
Erik could see the shimmering dome of energy encasing the city, glinting in the sunlight, but wasn't able to see much else.
Erik knew something about the place. The architecture was like those of other places in Etrium, but had some peculiarities because of the climate and its close location to the Caelora mountain range.
Caelora City was one of the toughest settlements in Etrium. Its proximity to the Caelora Mountains meant a constant threat from the Thaid packs that roamed there. Only a heavily fortified city could survive in such a location.
As Erik looked at the city from the distance, he wondered why the citizens persisted in staying in such a dangerous location.
Not only was the Thaid population abundant, but the monsters' strength exceeded the norm.
The sole city comparable to Caelora was Testrovsc's Rest. Situated as a border city near the mountain range dividing Frant from Etrium, which also witnessed a significant Thaid presence near its walls.
However, Testrovsc's Rest was not nestled at the base of the mountain range, meaning the number of attacks was lower than in Caelora City.
Thaids that would overwhelm any other settlement were common there. It seemed risky to erect a city in such a dangerous place.
Yet the more Erik considered it, the more he realized the profits and advantages the city had by hunting there.
By building near the mountains, the city's mercenaries and hunters had easy access to Thaid corpses.
The creatures' armored hides, bones, and crystals could all be harvested for crafting powerful weapons, armor, and artifacts - valuable commodities across the world.
The constant threat kept the city's guards, mercenaries, and adventurers on high alert.
Since they regularly faced Thaid attacks meant they grew stronger and more battle-hardened than any city deep in Etrium's safe interior.
This made Caelora City home to some of the nation's mightiest warriors, their skills honed by constant conflict.
The city's scholars and researchers could study live the Thaids living nearby, learning about their abilities and weaknesses, hunting strategies, and coming up with ways to kill them in safety.
Such knowledge allowed them to develop more effective tactics, training regimes, and weapons to counter the Thaid menace.
Erik realized that while risky, Caelora City's location provided unique advantages that made it a pillar of Etrium's strength.
The monsters were a threat, but also a valuable resource. With cleverness and resolve, the city had transformed danger into opportunity.
Erik admired their stoic philosophy, not unlike his own. Perhaps he could benefit from their wisdom as well.
However, the situation also meant that Caelora City was rather isolated from the other cities. But Erik considered it could still offer resources and information found nowhere else.
Despite this situation, he knew the frontier town of Testrovsc's Rest, where Erik had based his activities, was provincial in comparison.
[June, that's the city I was talking about. We are going to proceed on foot to head there.]
[I need to go there and contact Noah. We also need to buy supplies. I'm sick of eating bug meat.]
[Why? I found it very good.] June replied.
[That's because you only remember the taste of other dishes but had never tried one before. Believe me, there is nothing like a well-cooked lasagna or a pizza in the world.]
[I'm still unconvinced, Master. I get it, you might not be on board, but in my opinion, bug meat's kinda fancy. The texture's a real trip. It's this weird combo of soft and crunchy, like a playful game for your taste buds. And when you cook it just perfect, the outer part goes all crispy and golden, and inside, it's surprisingly juicy.]
June's voice resonated through Erik's mind with an unexpected enthusiasm as he described the taste of giant bugs' meat such as Terrapedes to Erik. However, the young man had a disgusted look.
It wasn't like, if cooked, the meat was unacceptable. After all, most of the times the bugs, or better, the Thaids from which the meat came, were enormous, so it wasn't like they were eating the viscera and anything that might be disgusting for the masses.
The problem was that without proper seasoning; it had a very mushy and earthy taste. If he would have at least got more types of spices, he could have covered that taste with it.
[Are you out of your mind?] Erik was shocked. [How can you compare it to a Carbonara?]
[It's just my taste, Master.]
[Then I will have to change your ways and make you a true believer!]
[If you say so, Master… I will do my best to please you.]
[You don't have to please me. I know what I'm saying.] said Erik. [I will bring you to eat a pizza. You won't be disappointed,] Erik paused.
[Well, that is, if they are able to make a decent one… You know what? The first thing we will do once there is go to eat some pizza, but we will have to go hunting for the right place. Damn, we won't even go search for a place to sleep before you eat a pizza!]
[I can't wait, Master.] If June could smile in his Galewing form, he would have. Erik was usually cold and composed.
He knew that was because of the life he lived until now, but sometimes there were some twinkles of fervor in him that hinted at how young he still was and elicited feelings of warmth in the clone.
Erik nodded. With a thought, June adjusted their course toward Caelora City, glimmering in the distance.
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