Book 14, Fiend – Chapter 10, The Three Castles of Royalwing City
Hearing these two numbers, Linley ran some mental calculations. His heart couldn’t help but tremble.
A circumference of a billion kilometers meant that in size, it was over a trillion times the size of an area with a circumference of a thousand kilometers! Even the ten cities combined, in terms of size, were just a hundred billionth of the total size of the Nightblaze Prefecture! A hundred billionth! This contrast was simply too shocking.
“Only the elites of the Infernal Realm should be able to establish themselves in Royalwing City!” Linley said to himself.
The jade-haired youth, Daebra, sighed. “If in my lifetime, I am able to become a citizen of Royalwing City, I would feel contentment. Unfortunately, it is too hard.” Daebra didn’t have enough confidence in himself.
To become a citizen of a city in the Infernal Realm was something that was worthy of being proud over.
Linley had just entered the Infernal Realm. Although he could sense some things from the ‘one in a trillion’ number, he hadn’t lived here long enough, so his feelings weren’t as strong.
Upon departing the Black Dragon Tribe, the number of bandit attacks they had encountered actually wasn’t that high. This was because all of the bandit forces that had been established in this area for some time knew about the local tribes…and they knew what the metallic creature serving the Black Dragon Tribe usually transformed into.
Despite that, however, they still encountered some bandits who wanted to stop them.
The chief steward, Edmond, and those two Fiends couldn’t be bothered to lower themselves to deal with those bandits. All they did was show their faces to frighten them.
The sixteenth day after they departed from the Black Dragon Tribe, the people in the rear cabin of the metallic creature grew excited. Through the translucent metal, they were able to see an enormous city formed from giant slabs of violet stones.
The violet city was a city which emanated an ancient, noble aura.
Royalwing City! One of the ten great cities of the Nightblaze Prefecture!
“This is Royalwing City?” Bebe’s eyes were shining.
Linley and Delia both excitedly looked at the enormous city as well, a city with circumference of a thousand kilometers. This was something which did not exist in the Yulan continent. In particular, the stones which the cities of the Infernal Realm were made out of shared the same hardness as adamantine.
“We finally arrived!” Linley murmured to himself.
And then, the many people within the metallic creature flew out. The people of the Black Dragon Tribe gathered together in mid-air, and the chief steward, Edmond, swept everyone with his gaze while saying loudly, “Everyone, remember, our tribe’s metallic creature will return to the Black Dragon Tribe after the Blood Sun lowers and the Violet Moon rises. As for our gathering spot, it will be right here. If there is anyone who is missing by the time we leave, we won’t wait for you.
Everyone understood this principle.
“Alright. Everyone, prepare to pay the city entrance fee.” Edmond spoke, then led the group flying towards the gates of Royalwing City.
Linley, Delia, and Bebe were seeing a city of the Infernal Realm for the first time. They felt it was very new and interesting. While following the tribesmen in flying over, they also stared at the ancient, majestic, violet-stoned city.
“So many people!” Bebe exhaled in amazement as he stared around himself.
There were too many people who wanted to enter the city. They came from every direction, and had formed a long queue outside the city. Nobody dared to rashly charge in at this place. Even the chief steward, Edmond, lined up in an ordinarily fashion, waiting to pay the entrance fee.
“Huh?” Bebe suddenly stared in shock at the city gates. “Those two black-robed men entered without paying the fee.”
“Fiends!” Linley discovered this as well.
The two Fiends who had travelled alongside them didn’t line up to pay the entrance fee. They headed directly into Royalwing City, and the guards at the gates of Royalwing City didn’t stop them either.
“Redbud Army soldiers, the prefecture army soldiers, and Fiends. These three types of people don’t need to pay any fees when entering the city.” The jade-haired youth, Daebra, explained from behind Linley. “They all have some special privileges. Thus, there are many people who want to join the Redbud Army, become Fiends, or become prefecture army soldiers. Unfortunately, the Redbud Army, the Fiends, and the prefectural army all have extremely strict entrance requirements.”
Soon, it was Linley’s group’s turn.
Each of them paid an inkstone, and then Linley’s group entered Royalwing City.
During that battle half a year ago, Linley had killed three Gods, who each had nearly a thousand inkstones within their interspatial ring, as well as some other items. However, there was something which Linley didn’t recognize; it was an azurish stone.
It was roughly the same in form as inkstone. However, the special aura it contained within it was far stronger than an inkstone’s.
Linley was guessing…that this azure stone which was the size as inkstone should also be some sort of currency. Only, this was just a guess. Linley wasn’t in a hurry to ask anyone else. After all, those three interspatial rings of those three Gods, all combined, only had a few dozen of those azurish stones.
Royalwing City.
Daebra and Linley’s group of three walked into Royalwing City together. While walking on the wide streets, they stared at the surrounding, large structures. Those buildings all emanated a luxurious, ancient aura. Every single structure was built in a way that they could almost be described as sculptures.
“Although they aren’t at the grandmaster level, they aren’t too far off either.” Linley naturally was qualified to make this judgment.
Given his increasingly deeper insights into the Elemental Laws, the Straight Chisel School’s Linley could be considered to have reached true mastery in sculpting.
“These sculptures are so strange. They are so pleasing to the eye.” Bebe’s eyes lit up.
“Of course.” Linley sighed. “I didn’t expect that the sculpting of these giant structures would have been done in such a careful, detailed manner. These buildings must be extremely valuable.”
Daebra snickered, “Hmph, valuable? Extremely, extremely expensive! A single inch of land in Royalwing City is extremely expensive. The price of these structures is naturally even more astonishing. When building them, they invited a number of specialized Deity-level experts to construct them. The price of every single structure…I can’t imagine how many years it would take for me to have enough inkstones to buy one.”
Linley glanced at the look in the nearby Daebra’s eyes.
Linley understood that the terrifying price of these structures had already exceeded the limits of Daebra’s imagination. He didn’t even dare to think about that price; all he could do was say a few grumbling words.
As they continued forward, Linley began to get an understanding of how bustling Royalwing City was.
“Royalwing City has existed for countless billions of years.” Daebra explained towards Linley. “Although these buildings aren’t damaged, I think you have probably sensed that ancient aura coming from them, as well as a few of the small cracks and signs of the passage of many years.”
Linley nodded slightly.
Indeed, he could sense it. The number of years which Royalwing City had existed for was definitely an astonishing figure.
“Perhaps only the mineral ores of the Infernal Realm can allow a city to last for so long.” Linley said to himself. The ores that were used to build this city were originally meant to be used to forge weapons! Naturally, they could last nearly forever.
However, divine artifacts, especially newly made ones, were very cheap in the Infernal Realm.
“There are clothing stores here as well?” Delia’s eyes lit up. She saw a beautiful, extravagant storefront that was completely made from cream-white stones. Linley turned to look as well. He saw that this store was completely carved out from a single giant milk-white stone.
Given the toughness of the stones of the Infernal Realm, one could imagine how costly a building such as this must be.
“What beautiful clothes!” Delia looked through the translucent glass and saw some clothes. She couldn’t help but grow interested. Women always had a special fondness for clothes.
Daebra chuckled, “The costs and expenditures here in Royalwing City are quite terrifyingly high. Ordinary Deities like us who live in tribes are completely unable to afford them. For example, those clothes over there..” Daebra pointed at a violet set of clothes that was on display.
“It is very possible that the materials used to make this set of clothes came from other continents, such as the Bloodridge Continent! It might even have come from the Life Realm, or the Netherworld, or perhaps the Celestial Realm.” Daebra sighed.
Linley, hearing this, stared, slack-jawed.
A single set of clothes might have materials coming from other planes?
“Based on the value of the materials…ordinary clothes are at least a hundred inkstones, while those made from slightly more valuable materials might cost a thousand inkstones. If those materials came from other planes which are extremely rare and precious, a set of clothes could cost millions of inkstones!”
Delia was shocked as well!
Linley’s heart shuddered.
How could this be described as ‘clothes’? A set of clothes was comparable in value to a Highgod spark! This indeed wasn’t something which ordinary people were able to afford.
“But of course, these clothes will have some special effects as well. For example, in terms of defensiveness, they are definitely comparable to most divine artifacts.” Daebra then added with a laugh, “But of course, I’ve only heard others speak of clothes that cost millions of inkstones. I’ve never personally seen any.”
Everyone who entered the city had roughly the same goals; buying and selling items. After all, could it be that the members of the poor tribes had come for the purpose of spending money on services here in Royalwing City? They didn’t have the capital.
Continuing to move forward, Linley’s group was introduced by Daebra to all sorts of entertainment venues in the Infernal Realm.
For example, wine; to make fine wine, one might invite some wine masters who had analyzed wine for hundreds of millions of years, who would use some special methods to create wine using some extremely valuable materials, some of which might only be acquired in dangerous locations.
Actually, the saliva of the Black Dragon Tribe’s Gerrard Black Dragons, after being refined, could produce some valuable materials which could be used to create delicacies.
These delicacies and wines far exceeded their counterparts in the material planes in taste and flavor.
Eating the finest cuisines of the Infernal Realm was a form of utter luxury. However…the price was similarly extravagant. Even ordinary food would cost up to a hundred inkstones. It must be understood that a Demigod spark would only be sold for a hundred inkstones or so. So, there were plenty of entertainment venues, but the price in those venues scared off the vast majority of people.
Linley’s group followed the other tribe members, arriving in the most bustling, crowded area of Royalwing city.
“Those three castles!” Linley’s eyes were filled with shock. From the left, in the distance, he could see an enormous castle that was completely formed from black sand. Deities possessed extremely good vision; it was clear that this castle was made from countless grains of black sand. The strangest thing was…the black sand was continually flowing about.
But the castle itself didn’t budge.
On Linley’s right, in the distance, there was an ancient castle made from violet rocks. At the top of the castle, there was a beautifully carved flower. This flower was a very familiar one; it was the insignia of the Redbud Army. A redbud flower!
And right in front of Linley….
There was an ancient violet castle, more than a hundred meters high. Only, the violet color of this castle was so deep, it was nearly black! This castle had an enormous carving, a carving of a face! The face seemed very blurry, but the single devilish red eye on the face was extremely eye-catching.
“That is Blacksand Castle!” Daebra pointed at the ancient castle formed from black sand. “Any sort of trade can be carried out there, most of which is large-scale. However, that place is a very secretive place with many competing interests. Little people like us had best not go there.”
Daebra then pointed towards the castle with the redbud. “That place is a Redbud Castle. It is the most noble of trading places. They will accept our items at a price of 70% their selling price. When we sell things there, although we still lose a bit, it won’t be very troublesome.”
“And that castle?” Linley pointed at the very devilish-looking castle that was straight in front of them.
For some reason, that sole, devilish red eye in that blurry carved face made Linley’s heartrate speed up, even though it was just a carving.
“That is the Fiend Castle!” Daebra said. “If you want to be a Fiend, you can go there, pay the fee, then participate in the exam. Fiends generally will go to Fiend Castle. Alright, Linley, let’s go to Redbud Castle. It’s best to sell our things there. Blacksand Castle is a very complicated place. Look. The chief steward, Edmond, is entering Redbud Castle.”
This was Linley’s first trip to Royalwing City. Naturally, he didn’t want to go to Blacksand Castle.
After all, even a Highgod like Edmond was going to the safer Redbud Castle.
“Let’s go.” Linley led Bebe and Delia to follow the others, heading towards Redbud Castle as well.