"It will take us two days to reach the Capital City of Shambala," the Saintess, whose name was Cleo, told Lux and Gaap, who were currently seated inside her carriage. "Don't try anything funny, or I'll make the two of you regret it."
Lux and Gaap only nodded their heads and behaved themselves as the carriage, which hovered four meters above the ground, journeyed toward the capital city of the Kingdom of Agartha.
The carriage was being pulled by an Air Bison, which was the Agarthians' favored Beast when it came to long-distance travel.
Although each City had its own Teleportation Gates that allowed them to travel to other cities, no Teleportation Gate could instantly teleport them to Shambala.
Aside from that, the Teleportation Gates in the Capital City were strictly controlled by the Royal Family, and only those who had their approval would be able to use it.
Because of this, Cleo decided to take Lux and Gaap to the nearest city to their Capital and travel the rest of the way using a carriage.
"Lady Cleo, can you tell me more about the King of Agartha?" Lux asked. "What is he like?"
"Our king?" Cleo smiled. "The only thing I can say about our king is that he's a bit stubborn when it comes to things. Simply put, there has been a notion being passed within the High Council that we should send more agents to the Surface World.
"We do this to remain updated with the events that are happening above ground. If there were to be a worldwide calamity, the Agarthians would make a move to stop it from spreading."
Gaap, who found this news interesting, arched an eyebrow and joined the conversation.
"Originally, I thought that Agarthians did not care about what happens on the Surface," Gaap commented. "But, it seems like you have already sent people to infiltrate our society and know more about us."
"But of course," Cleo stated with pride. "As one of Elysium's first children, Agarthians have a role to play to ensure that the world will not be destroyed. But, do not misunderstand. We do not care even if all the nations in the world were to declare war and wipe each other from the face of the land.
"The only time that Agartha will move is when something terrible befalls this world like the invasion from the Void hundreds of years ago. Only something of that magnitude will force us to leave our Underground Kingdom and rise to the surface."
Cleo found Lux and Gaap to be good conversational partners, so she decided to tell them stories about the things that had happened in Agartha many years ago.
Since the journey was long, and there was nothing else to do, the three shared stories of their own exploits, making the journey bearable.
"The Divine Army of Light?" Cleo frowned. "Those guys have tried to send people here a decade ago with the excuse of cultural exchange. However, our King put his foot down and rejected their request."
"Eh? The Divine Army of Light knew about Agartha as well?" Lux was quite surprised by this information.
He was simply sharing his story with Cleo on how the Divine Army of Light had tried to capture him because they believed him to be a Heretic.
"Silly boy, don't you know?" Cleo smirked. "Many people from Agartha have gone to the Surface World and established their own Kingdoms and Empires with our blessings.
"Because of this, knowledge about our kingdom had spread far and wide. However, while they might know of our existence, they do not know the location of the hidden passages that we use to travel to the Surface World and back.
"The only way for other strong factions or powerful organizations to communicate with us directly is through the Kings and Emperors of the nations that had been founded by Agarthians."
Lux nodded his head in understanding. "So, the Agarthians and the Divine Army of Light don't get along?"
"Those guys are religious fanatics," Cleo replied. "Agarthians worship the Earth Goddess, Cybele. We do not care about other Gods—especially the God that the Divine Army of Light follows.
"As for our relationship, they are neither friends nor foes. To this day, they still try to worm their way into the hearts of the Agarthian Rulers in the Surface World, but they will not succeed. Why? Because these Kings and Emperors will only follow the will of the Agarthian King.
"That is the rule established since their kingdoms were built, and it is the law that they will follow until the end of time.
"Ah, just to be clear. We don't only have Human Kings and Emperors in the Surface World. We have Beastkins and Dwarves as well. The other races like the Gnomes and Halflings aren't interested in ruling any kingdoms, so they just go with the flow and live their lives to the fullest."
Gaap smiled after hearing Cleo's words which were filled with pride.
"It seems that our knowledge of Agartha was wrong from the beginning," Gaap stated. "We thought that it was only a kingdom that existed underground. To think that you have also built kingdoms above ground. This is certainly a fascinating discovery. Might you tell us the names of those Kingdoms, so that we may visit them in the future?"
Cleo giggled. "Sorry, but no can do. Agartha exists in the Surface World based on myths and legends. This is also true for you, Highlanders. Although the majority of Agarthians knew that Highlanders exist, you will still be viewed as Mythical Creatures, beings that only exist in story books.
"In short, the chances of meeting one of you during our lifetime are very small. Unless something unexpected happens… just like how the two of you appeared in Rishi City."
"So, we're like rare animals in your eyes?" Lux asked in a joking manner.
"Yes," Cleo replied. "So, be careful, Lux. A rare animal is precious because it is rare. You're quite good-looking. Any bold or daring Agarthian Lady would not hesitate to take the risk in order to give birth to the child of a Highlander."
"Um, sorry, but I already have two fiances," Lux stated.
"And yet, you come here to Agartha because of a damsel in distress," Cleo smirked. "Men are foolish creatures. Once they behold a beauty, they do their best to catch her fancy. Even if they already have wives and fiances."
Lux was unable to mount a counterargument, which made Gaap laugh.
It was definitely true that he came to Agartha without a plan, and it was also true that Aurora was an exceptional beauty that could bring the downfall of a nation.
Although his intention of helping her was not anything romantic, he already knew that Cleo and his Master, Gaap, wouldn't believe him no matter how many times he tried to explain himself.
Because of this, he decided to change the topic and ask about the popular attractions and delicacies that the Kingdom of Agartha had to offer.
Cleo, on the other hand, was more than happy to inform Lux and Gaap about many details about her Kingdom.
The reason why she was sharing this information with her two captives was due to the fact that she didn't believe that their King would show mercy to the two people that illegally trespassed inside their hidden kingdom.
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