As promised by Andus, it took them a bit over two hours to reach the nearest city, even when moving at top speed. The fields of Mandrakes disappeared as time went on, replaced by scenery that seemed more at home in Tartarus. Vast landscapes of twisted volcano rock, with ridges and canyons crisscrossing its surface.
Roads covered the realm, with many of them in active use. Many of the same wagons Andus and his companion had been using traveled up and down the avenues, piled high with goods. Most of them were going the same direction, which Jonathan assumed was towards the center of the world. If the Merchant Queen was able to access the Universal Trading Hub, as Jonathan suspected, then there would need to be a central location with which to coordinate deliveries of items to trade.
Nobody stopped to question them, and the group had proceeded peacefully enough towards their destination. The city itself was massive, a walled citadel surrounded by bulwarks of stone that stretched for hundreds of feet into the air. Gates allowed for entry at the four corners of the city, and streams of wagons hurtled in and out at supersonic speed, their Tier 4 operators lending their supernatural strength and speed to the endeavor.
There was a far smaller road next to each of the main ones for the purpose of foot traffic. Only a few dozen pedestrians could be seen entering the city, with far more utilizing the wagons. It was a realm filled with fast paced industry, and one in which there was no time to waste.
A few minutes later, the group were standing at the front of the line, with two Uthraki guards standing before them, bored looks on their faces. Those expressions quickly disappeared once they realized only a fraction of the newcomers were Uthraki. One of them whispered something to the other, before dashing off into the city, likely to contact a higher up.
“I’m going to need you lot to stay off to the side,” the other guard declared professionally. “The city lord will want to meet you.”
With no reason to not agree, Jonathan nodded. “Alright.”
He and the others gathered by the side of the gate, out of the way of traffic. The wagons whizzed by at immense speeds, the winds of their passing ruffling the hair of the party members without helmets.
A few minutes later, the other guard returned, with another man ruining next to him. He was dressed in ornate robes, but did not seem any less powerful for it. Muscles bulged beneath the crimson fabric, and the massive ax strapped to his back showed that he was a warrior as well as an administrator. Although, Jonathan thought, it could have simply been for the purpose of intimidation. After all, the man was mid Tier 4. Even without any martial experience, he could at least feign it.
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“Ah, outsiders,” the man said as soon as he laid eyes upon the group. He pulled out what looked like a monocle from a pocket, peering through it. “Not undead either. Though, I already suspected that given your peacefulness. What is your business in Lartan?”
“Lartan? Is that the name of this city?” Jonathan asked. “In any case, we have heard about this Merchant Queen of yours, and wanted to learn more. I have to say, this realm is not what I expected.”
A laugh exploded forth from the city lord’s lips. “Not what you expected, eh? What, did you assume that we Uthraki are all brutes? That mercantile exploits are below us?”
“Well, going by my other acquaintances, yes. Not that I mean to be offensive. That is simply my experience.”
“Your other acquaintances-” the man began. “Are you not of Cessation? How did you arrive here? I assumed that you somehow avoided the undead curse that plagues that realm.”
“Perhaps we should take this conversation to a more private location?” Jonathan suggested. “It is a bit sensitive.”
“Alright. Come, walk with me. I can show you around Lartan as we head towards my chambers.” The man bowed slightly and swept his hand to the side, inviting them into the city. Jonathan followed, looking around, intrigued. Whereas the buildings of the previous two layers of Tartarus were squat, utilitarian constructions of black rock, this city was built out of a concern of elegance. Buildings that would not have looked out of place in Medieval Europe jostled for attention, spires and domes stretching towards the skies above.
Many of the people wandering the streets were dressed in clothes that Jonathan would associate with peacetime endeavors, with some of the women even wearing dresses. It was clear that many here had never seen war, or at least, not for a while.
“How?” Arkanon mumbled behind Jonathan. “What happened here?”
“I take it that even you are not from this realm?” The city lord asked blandly. “Though, I suspect that explanation for that is part of the secrecy that your leader desired.”
Arkanon fell silent, and simply nodded, casting his gaze around at the city around him. Compared to his own layer of Tartarus, this must have seemed like a wonderland.
By the time they reached the center of the city, their passing through the town had become an object of curiosity for the passersby, and there was a small trail following them as they passed along the streets of Lartan. The city lord ignored the attention, and Jonathan did so as well. The others kept their heads up stoically, and walked behind their leader, ignoring the glances that came their way from every side. In this realm, as in most of the layer of Tartarus, there were no ways for anyone other than a circle lord to enter, and naturally, in the minds of those present, that meant that one of the people in the group was a circle lord. Of course, Jonathan actually was, twice over, but he didn’t bother explaining.
