Chapter 731 730: Meeting of Demons (1)
Like we had expected, the journey over to the land that the Demon Clans ruled was a quick and boring affair, nothing happening as we rode from the center of the Empire over to the western expanse, where the majority of the Empire's breadbasket was located; smooth, rolling hills with an abundance of fertile land sprawled out on both sides of Sanctus Ignacia, but a lot of the more crop oriented Nobles and merchants occupied the west.
In the east, the land was just a bit harsher and less forgiving, so while food was still grown in abundance to feed the various territories built atop its rocky expanse, there was a slim amount of excess that was shipped out and sold to other parts of the Empire.
The Demon Clans themselves relied on not only their skillset to remain wealthy, but also on the fertile lands around themselves to be independent whilst also offering a large quantity of crops to sustain the Empire, earning themselves an even deeper indispensable spot then they were already in.
No one would want to anger them or get rid of them thanks to the services they provide - for the right price, of course, which is above most people's spending range - as well as the fact that they are firmly entrenched in the agricultural sector as well.
We discussed what we knew about these Demon Clans on the way to them, with Jahi having the most understanding on her fellow Demons thanks to the rundown that the Marquess gave her as well as her prior studying on their history when she had the free time.
So, besides chatting about what we expected to find when we reached the Demon Clans territory, we just took in the beauty of the Empire around us as we traveled miles upon miles towards the west, traversing the luscious green grasslands and serene hills that comprised this side of the Empire.
Cities and villages dotted the land randomly, each one connected to the others by a complicated series of roads that were well maintained and populated, with dozens of other carriages and convoys traveling beside us as we embarked on our journey.
Hours passed by in a flash, and by the time the sun had begun to descend from its zenith we reached the giant city that the Demon Clans of Beliali and Cimeriesa called home, the red skinned leader of the Beliali's turning and grinning at our carriage as he stopped, waiting for us to pull up alongside him.
Pushing the window open, Jahi looked towards the man and raised a brow, prompting his grin to grow further as he said "Are you ready, Scion of Asmodia, to see the largest bastion of Demon blood in the entire world?"
Sadly for the older Demon, the theatrics that the Beliali's might love to put on display were lost and unappreciated by those with Asmodia blood, which made Jahi frown as she said "Belian, just get us into the city please. If I wasn't ready I wouldn't be here."
Seeing the wind get taken out of the man's sails was amusing, and we all smirked and hid our chuckles as best we could as we watched his shoulders slump and heard the sigh escape his lips, before he defeatedly turned towards the gate and raised his hand, letting his mana flow through his arm and pour out of his palm.
We watched in awe as a brilliant, extremely complex and enormous collection of dozens of Ritual Circles appeared on the giant metal gates, the runes beginning to move like the cogs in a machine and opening the gate like a door, the three to four feet thick metal slabs silently gliding open.
Each stone had miniature enchantments inlaid into their center around the gateway, while the various glass portholes that dotted the enormous walls were also shimmering with the familiar glow of raw mana, and we could spot a few eyes peeking out to observe us, wondering just who was entering the city.
Remaining beside the carriage, Belian coughed and resumed grinning, getting some pleasure back in observing our awe at the grandeur on display in front of us; there was absolutely no need for dozens of complicated Ritual Circles to operate a single gate, even if they were defensive spells in nature as well.
Absolutely no reason when a single dozen would do just fine.
"Ahem... Welcome to Arx Impius, home of the Beliali and Cimeriesa Clans and seat of our power for the last several millennia."
Nodding to the Banshee, the leader of the Beliali Clan began to trot beside us, remaining nearby as the carriage began to roll into the city, which wasn't exactly what we were expecting.
The architecture was split, with some of the buildings being built with one or two stories in mind but being absolutely long in length, taking on a squat, flat appearance that relied on the material to provide depth and intriguing the observer, though the dark materials used and sharp, gothic pillars and accents only continued to blend various styles into one.
Meanwhile, to completely contrast the squat, dark buildings, there were numerous towers that were tall and thin, reaching into the sky and made from brilliant white stone that shone with latent mana, while the golden accents only made them appear even grander.
Interestingly enough, between each of these contrasting buildings were more... normal pieces of architecture, like someone had come in and individually upgraded certain buildings to be these unique places whilst leaving some of those buildings normal.
As if sensing our confusion, Belian gave us a smile and amusedly said "You'll never guess why some buildings look like that-"
He pointed at a squat building first, before gesturing to a tower as he finished "Or like that~!"
"The Beliali's are the more... sinister looking buildings, while the Cimeriesa's have the towers? Which means any of the citizens who aren't Demons live in the normal buildings?"
"Correct~! It... takes a while to get used to, but that's what happens when you bring together two different, proud groups of people with their own culture. If you were to go to Arx Maestus or Arx Doctrina, you'd find only Beliali architecture or Cimeriesa architecture respectively. Here in Arx Impius though, we've... attempted to mix. Key word attempted."
Slowing down, the Head of the Beliali Clan gestured to the side of the paved road and dismounted, wanting to continue on foot towards the last building that caught our attention.
In the middle of the city, a gigantic, grand and imposing temple loomed over everyone, its structure made from grey stone brick that was accented with various pieces of white and black stone, the entire thing an absolute work of art.
"That's the Aedis, and it's where the convoy should have gathered. Along the way we can look around the city briefly... and I can prepare you to meet the Demons you'll be traveling with."
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