Chapter 162

"Well then, take care and enjoy your stay in our city of wonder!" Tipping his hat, the conductor walked inside the train–leaving Raven and his party behind at the station.

It didn't take long before the train moved forward on the track, and eventually took to the winds and turned invisible. Standing amidst the countless passengers making their way out of the stations, the entire party could feel the steam from the long row of steam engines getting ready for flight.

However, it wasn't just the train that muffled the air with steam, but pumps and pistons scattered throughout the stations.

Mechanical doorways made of pipes and glass, open with steam shooting out of their tops. Being checked by a group of man-sized mice, their weapons were confiscated, although with a promise that they would get them back once outside the station.

Then came a lift with only a bronze frame and a copper rope attached to the top, getting up on it, the group could hear steam whistling through the square hole right above the elevator.

Being lifted to the ground level, the hustle and bustle of the station only grew further. People walking around in all directions, yelling out to each other, and even loud whistling from the security as a warning to disorderly people.

"T-this is too much…" Mel whispered, and the rest of the party felt the same.

The blinding lights inside the cave-like structure, the voices echoing inside it, and the sheer number of people running amok, weren't things the Athenians were accustomed to. Their land was lush, plenty, and smelled of rosemary instead of the gutters.

"We should get out of this…what did he call it? Station?" Erika suggested, although unsure what the place was even called.

Doing as Erika suggested, the party struggled through the horde of people and managed to slip out of the building. Finally standing on a cobble path, they had time to familiarize themselves with the surroundings without being pushed from every corner.

"Now what?" Aria asked Raven right before sitting on the ground since she'd grown really tired.

Ignoring her for a moment, Raven simply looked around to soak in as much information as possible. Tall lamps with glass-cased bulbs lined the edges of the path, the roads circled around corners instead of following an angular symmetry like Athenia. The city itself was carved in a circle, making it so that the longer you followed a path the deeper within the city you'll be.

Leaving enough room for alleys that followed a straight line as well, the map from above looked segmented into semi-circular blocks separated by streets and alleys between them.

"Do you need a map, sir?" Stepping closer to the group, a hunched-over demi-frog, offered them a map of the city. "It's just one silver piece!"

Glancing the man over a few times, Raven reached into his pocket and gave him a gold coin instead of silver. Taking the map from him while the demi-human looked for a chance, he took a quick look through the parchment to point out a nearby Inn.

"Here's your change sir," said the frog, his voice squeaking like a toy.

"Keep it, your timing could not have been better," starting to walk away, Raven left the man in a light state of daze. Tipping wasn't exactly a concept Elenarians engaged in often, and when an outsider gave them one, it often came as a surprise.

"THANK YOU!" Exclaimed the man from behind as Raven and his party kept walking forward.

Walking through the streets of a city quite literally steaming around every corner, had the entire party sweating from the humidity. The curiosities all around helped keep their minds off of things, but even chained abominations, sparks of electricity through repair shops around every corner, and even barebone automatons roaming the streets–none of it could pale the intense heat.

A city held by spring, bolts, and a boatload of wizardic creativity, it was unlike anything they'd imagined, especially the utter lack of magic and an excess of scientific progress and machinery.

'I wonder if these creations are the wizard's doing instead of their goddess.' Knowing Darius, a learning practitioner in similar veins, Raven didn't exactly buy the excuse about the abominations being the goddess' shunned people. Wizards, they were known to push boundaries, so much so that Athenia had outright banned anyone from pursuing it. 'A mix of good and bad, but mostly bad I'm gonna assume.'

It hadn't been even a day since their arrival, and they'd already begun hating the city. It was loud and crowded with the steam making them sweat like pigs. To make matters worse, everywhere they looked, some kind of abomination was chained and barking like a dog protecting someone's property.

This was no city they'd been told Elenaris was, there was no beauty, and even if it was hiding, they had little hope of finding it.

Eventually, however as they finally reached the inn Raven had pointed out, they noticed the first pair of humans inside the city. It was a brunette receptionist and an almost identical-looking younger girl working as the server.

The inside of the place itself had a lingering stench of rot thanks to the raw meat being consumed by the locals all over the tables.

"Can we get a room here that doesn't smell like piss?" Raven asked, walking up to the receptionist.

Glancing up at him up and down with her emerald gaze, the woman gave him a smile before looking through her journal.

"Of course, and if you want cooling that'd be an extra two silver for a night," the woman tried to inform them of more but Raven dropped a heavy pouch of gold on the desk to shut her completely. "Oh…"

Beaming at the sight of the gold, she quickly took it off the table and hid it under the table.

"That should be more than enough for a month with every luxury we provide here at the Bricks and Cobbles!" and with that, it was settled, the place where the party would be staying.