Chapter 1165: Draayer Castle |
Once they had gotten into the carriage, their journey through the city sped up.
Not because it was particularly fast or anything though, just because their group was no longer leisurely walking and all other traffic got out of the way of the vehicle.
Marcus noticed a few more checkpoints along the way as they headed deeper into the city.
However, they did not even slow down, and it seemed that all of the guards understood that the carriage was meant for those of a high status.
Of course, Marcus honestly had very little information on the power structure of the city.
All he knew was that it was ruled by a powerful vampire that had taken the title of empress and that Relia was a fairly high-ranking agent working for the city’s leader.
’The security seems a bit extreme and there’s a subtle tension in the air from the citizens. Everything seems peaceful from what I can tell. At least, the city isn’t blowing up, and I don’t sense any obvious threats.’ Marcus thought as he took in not only the sights of the buildings but also the general demeanor of the citizens.
There was an ever-present hint of unease in people’s expression and the way that they were moving around.
Marcus attempted to ask Relia about it, but she still seemed uninterested in discussing the matter.
This made Marcus believe that whatever was causing the unrest in the city was part of the reason that the favors that he and Lyra owed to Relia were being cashed in now. Most likely something that they would be forced to deal with to pay off their debts.
A quick telepathic conversation with Lyra and Quillon confirmed that they were thinking the same thing.
Still, there was really no point in dwelling on something that he could not figure out, so Marcus instead decided to turn his attention to taking in the sights.
He was in a new city in a type of environment that he had never really experienced.
While growing stronger was one of his long-term goals, exploring the wonders of Mirrion was another. And this city certainly counted as one.
It was not long before their carriage reached the heart of the city where the massive castle made mostly of black stone was located.
The structure was truly massive and gave off a sense of power not just from its towering spires, but from the intense mana it gave off.
Even without closely inspecting the place, Marcus could tell that there were thousands of defensive and offensive magic formations within.
’I think that I’d have a hard time breaching this place. There are several barriers meant to detect and block out incorporeal beings. And obviously I don’t think I would have an easier time coming at it physically.’
Marcus could not help but consider how he would take on the castle that was almost certainly the greatest defensive structure in the sprawling city.
Clearly, he had no intention of actually testing its limits, but one never knew what might happen.
Though they had been invited here with what he believed to be friendly intentions, they were still dealing with unknown forces here that had vastly different worldviews from the surface.
It had been years ago now, but Marcus still vividly remembered his first encounter with a vampire.
That individual had come from this place, and if not for Marcus intervening, the entire town the vampire had taken over might have been destroyed in the end. With only lifeless husks of shambling undead being left behind.
This past experience gave him some trepidation of what might occur here.
So far, the city seemed to be relatively peaceful despite something clearly having unnerved the citizens.
As for any thralls being controlled by a vampire’s mental manipulation race ability or people drained of their essence and turned into soulless undead, he had not come across any.
From what he could tell, the different races of people living here were all fairly harmoniously. Although, those that were vampires undoubtably had a higher status on the social hierarchy from what he had observed.
’I suppose I’ll find out more during our stay here. This place isn’t exactly what I was expecting.’
What he had imagined was more in line with fiction back on earth and his less than positive first interaction with a vampire.
Needles to say, Relia had been mostly normal from what he had seen.
She had done some morally questionable things with his staff while waiting for him, but no one had actually been harmed and plenty of powerful people did a lot worse on a daily basis just because they could.
For now, Marcus withheld any final judgment on the place. Though he was looking at it in a positive light.
Soon their carriage had crossed over an enormous bridge that connected the castle with the rest of the city.
The entire structure was surrounded by a monstrous moat filled with some dark liquid that was clearly not water.
At first Marcus thought that it might be all blood, but when he passed through the first barrier around the area, he was able to feel the energy within.
’It’s some sort of liquid darkness. Along with something else. I think that there are concepts of space and gravity as well.’ Marcus thought as he extended his senses to focus on the strange liquid.
It was intriguing to say the least.
While an amalgamation of many different things, the base was clearly rooted in darkness. Something that Marcus considered himself a bit of an expert in.
Seeing this new form of the magic had piqued his interest.
He already had a good understating of what the substance’s purpose was thanks to his insights into how darkness energy worked.
A moat might seem foolish in a world where most people could fly.
However, Marcus could tell that the liquid surrounding the castle was not something passive. Anyone that attempted to sneak in would likely be caught and dragged into the depths of the substance. Never to come up again.
As Marcus was wondering if he could maybe get a sample of the liquid, the carriage crossed over the bridge and Relia spoke up again after having been silent for several minutes.
"Welcome to the heart of our nation, Castle Drayer."
