Chapter 261 Eclipse Haven Island
Alex left the hotel and swiftly made his way to the grand gates of the royal palace, where the guards recognized him and guided him through the opulent corridors to a lavishly adorned room.
There, Alex was met with the sight of King Aricor and Prince Aphariaen seated on lavish sofas, their presence exuding authority and dignity while they discussed matters related to the demons.
After offering a respectful greeting, Alex took his seat, and King Caevus was the first to speak by acknowledging his pivotal role in informing the army about the city invasion, saving thousands of lives.
King Caevus then presented to Alex a collection of four unranked scrolls, each carrying a different elemental Ruler-grade spell.
The first scroll contained a defensive spell of the earth element, and two of the three remaining scrolls were of an offensive nature, one containing an Ice element spell with the other death element magic.
The last scroll was an exceedingly rare space element scroll carrying the spell to teleport across vast distances, but unlike other one-time-use scrolls, this one could be utilized three times before Alex was surprised, to say the least, because even though the requests were not without restrictions, Prince Aphariaen quickly it turned to dust.
Alex humbly accepted the rewards, happy with his gains, knowing the scrolls most likely came from all three kingdoms and even the empire, and his thinking was quickly confirmed by Prince Aphariaen.
Prince Aphariaen further revealed that in addition to the scrolls, Alex is rewarded with three unconditional requests, one from each kingdom, or use all three to make a single request directly to the Empire.
Alex was surprised, to say the least, because even though the requests were not without restrictions, Prince Aphariaen quickly cleared that Alex couldn't just ask the empire to build his own kingdom and then acknowledge it.
But he could use them to build a single official city in the empire or three, one being each kingdom, so the value of the reward was still great, much more than Alex expected to receive.
After a small conversation with the king and the prince, Alex was asked about his opinion about the demon invasion, and like a gentleman, he gave them two simple and logical scenarios.
The first scenario being that what we have experienced was just the start, and more and more demon portals will start to appear, starting a full-scale continental war and plunging the continent into chaos.
The second scenario being that there will be no more demon portals, and the remaining demons will try to create chaos by attacking small cities because that is the worst they can do to make true of the promise made by the demon commander.
Alex also pointed out the smaller number of demons in the second clash before taking his leave and going through the bustling city streets.
Alex left the city and, with the help of Elder Darion, started traveling through the folds of space toward Eclipse Haven Island.
After staying in pitch darkness for nearly twenty minutes, Alex regained his sight, and what greeted him was the darkness of night and the moonlight of two moons suspended in the starry sky.
Eclipse Haven Island was located at the edge of the Black Ocean, a place that stayed in darkness for weeks before experiencing sunlight for mere hours, and even those hours were always spent in a solar eclipse.
The larger of the two moons always aligned perfectly with the sun during its brief appearance, casting the island into the captivating embrace of this celestial phenomenon.
'I will meet with Thogrim tomorrow, so in the meantime, let's explore the night market and see what it has to offer,' Alex thought as he made his way toward the vast, stretching city in the distance.
The city was one of the two major cities on the island named the 'Rogue's Haven,' it housed a large market similar to the black market in the Gold Kingdom, with the only difference being that one could find the illegal stuff more easily.
Alex reached the city entrance, and there stood two imposing guards in full armor, their strength being at the peak of fifth Rank, and a small booth where the individuals in line paid the city entry fee.
Despite being home to criminals and lawless individuals, the city operated under governance, and while the ruling powers provided no protection or law enforcement, it was not a chaotic free-for-all.
Instead, the city was under the unofficial rule of powerful individuals who maintained a delicate balance of peace and order and ensured that other than small robberies and fights, no big mess started that could ruin the city.
After a few minutes of waiting in line, Alex got his turn, made his way to the boot, and was greeted with the cold stare of a collection officer, who had a burly figure with a scar across his cheek.
"Entry fee is 1000 Gold coins for one week of stay or 100K for permanent residence," He grumbled in a gruff voice.
'I thought hiring beautiful females for reception jobs was a universal rule.' Alex thought as he placed ten white flame coins on the counter.
"If you are found without this token, then you will need to pay a penalty of 10K gold coins or spend a few weeks in the cold room of the dungeon," The officer said as he handed Alex a dark badge.
Alex entered the city and walked through the bustling streets adorned with a mix of magic lanterns and light stones that cast a warm, bright glow on the cobblestone pathways.
Alex strolled through the streets toward the center, knowing there was hardly anything of worth in the city's outer section, and after a few minutes of walking, he entered the intersection where the influential and strong individuals resided.
The outer and inner sections of the city were like day and nite, with the outer section reselling any normal city bustling with common folks. In contrast, the inner city resembled a core area of capital cities.
Tall, imposing structures loomed on either side of the streets, casting elongated shadows in the moonlight, displaying giant signs of various businesses from restaurants and casinos to brothel houses and pubs.
Alex could spot tens of individuals possessing strength ranging from the fourth to the fifth Rank, strolling through the streets, a rare sight to see anywhere on the human continent.
Alex was enjoying the view when two individuals walked toward him, one being a human wearing dark mage robes with a wide smile on his face with a towering Orc, a hulking giant of green skin with bulging muscles covering his body.
The human in the lead in the lead stooped a hand away from Alex, his peak Fifth Rank aura on full display as he spoke with a rough tone that conveyed a clear threat.
"Hello, My name is Mardel, and he is my friend Garekk,"
"Newcomer, you seem lost, but don't worry, as a fellow human, I will help you. You'll need protection if you want to keep your life in this city, and as I said, I will help with that, and it will only cost some small change," The human said with a smug grin on his face.
The Orc stood silent but with his menacing bloodlust let loose, exuding a sense of readiness to pounce into action at any moment.
"The protection will only cost you 1 million gold for every day, and I will even help in any of your other matters," Mardel said as he stretched his hand toward Alex.
"What if I refused?" Alex asked, already knowing the answer.
"As I said, if you don't want to keep your life, then you are welcome to decline," Mardel said.
"I will decline your generous offer," Alex said, and like waiting for the moment, the Orc swung his hammer-like fist toward Alex, but it was stopped before it could even get in front of him.
Alex smiled at the two men, panicking for their lives, and he walked off into the distance without saying anything.
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