Standing before the gates of Ellora Trade City were four guards, donning colourful armours with intricate details. They were unnecessarily grand, emphasising more on form over function.
Though, a closer glance would reveal another armour inside, plain and simple in design. That was the actual armour meant to protect their bodies. The extravagant exterior armour was simply for demonstration purposes. It existed solely as a means to boast the stature of Ellora City.
After all, the Gate Guards were pretty much its face, being the first among the city's populace that any outsider would lay their gaze upon.
The four of them were at the Body Stage, having built around half their Human Avatars. The material they had fused with was almost on par with an Expert Iron Grade Pranic Beast in terms of quality.
It boosted their lifespan by a few decades.
Becoming a Gate Guard was the height of a commoner's career attainable through merit alone. Hence, these four garnered a lot of respect from the populace living closer to the gates.
"Halt!" One of them shouted and tapped the blunt end of his spear on the road, careful to not damage it.
There existed a set of cobblestone roadways connecting the various cities of Ganrimb Kingdom. As it was morning, traffic was minimal at best. Therefore, the guards had enough time to pay attention to the outsiders approaching the city gates.
The Gate Guard observed the cart that had stopped. It was only made from wood, but the workmanship was impeccable, the carving intricate. The loading area spanned around forty square metres, making the cart pretty large.
It was filled to the brim with items. Unfortunately, they were all encased by wooden boxes; hence the Gate Guards could not see the inside.
There was a seat at the forefront of the cart. Seated on it was a luxuriously dressed woman, captivating to the eye. She adorned a flashy outfit weaved using five colours, symbolising her power and authority.
In her hold was a baby that was asleep, cute. But a glance at her and the Gate Guard felt the urge to submit for some reason.
Pulling the cart alone was a youth in his twenties, sporting ripped arms that his flashy dress failed to conceal. He had shoulder-length hair tied into a tiny bun at the back, accentuating his sharp jawline.
Even though the cart seemed heavy, the youth was casually pulling it forward, his mannerisms akin to a noble, a very high-classed one at that, judging by the air of arrogance casually oozing out of his eyes.
Had anyone else exhibited such a level of arrogance, the Gate Guard would have taught them a lesson. The one that had shouted intended to do so at first, but a glance from the youth and he felt a formless pressure halt his thoughts.
It took him a couple of seconds and a nudge by his fellow Gate Guards to recover as he asked, "Your entry permit?"
"Here," The youth casually tossed over a decorated tablet. He didn't seem aware but was disrespecting the Gate Guard, something nobles did subconsciously.
And even though he was only at the entry-level of the Body Stage, he seemed vastly stronger than the Gate Guards. Moreover, his suffocating presence portrayed clearly that if the four of them were to gang up on him, they would be killed in a matter of seconds.
'He must be higher up on the social ladder, even amongst nobles.' Thinking as such, the Gate Guard stared at the items in the cart, "May I ask what you're carrying in them?"
"Wares to sell," The youth replied curtly and tossed out another decorated tablet, "This is my permit to set up shop and conduct a business."
The Gate Guard inspected both the permits and observed that they were the real deal. He then bowed and made way for the cart to enter, "Have an enjoyable stay."
"Welcome to Ellora Trade City."
Nodding in response, the youth casually pulled the cart and set foot on Ellora City officially, having entered it through its front entrance this time.
Leading straight from the entrance was a large road, spanning at least a hundred metres in width. Situated on both sides were massive buildings, spanning dozens of storeys, ranging from restaurants to high-end apparel showrooms.
As its name signified, Ellora City was a trade city. Import and export of goods was its selling point, as the majority of its populace was great at craft-related professions. The city was situated foothill of a mountain rich with mineral resources that were perfect for crafts of all shapes and forms.
The main road spanned a few kilometres in length and made a beeline to the centre where the City Lord lived.
As he walked through the main road, pulling the heavy-looking cart without breaking a sweat, the youth garnered a lot of attention from the onlookers. He then noticed flirtatious glances from the women dining at the upper-storey balconies of the high-end teahouses, feeling uneasy.
Until now, he was perfect with his acting. But getting so much attention wasn't his thing. Followed by an awkward cough, Inala continued to pull the cart, inscribing his thoughts into the Bone Slip carried by Asaeya.
[Am I really that attractive?]
Asaeya rolled her eyes at the statement but appeared smug as she replied through her Bone Slip in Inala's possession.
[From a Mammoth Clansman's perspective, you're slightly above average in terms of appearance. In these Human Kingdoms where appearance is highly valued, you're average at best. The aspect of you that's attracting these women is your strength and confidence. For some reason, women from Human Kingdoms find Mammoth Clan men charming.]
'I see. Sumatra Chronicles indeed showed such scenes but I thought it was only because of Resha's appearance. Honestly, that bastard ticks all the boxes of a Main Character, from appearance to overpowering strength.' Inala thought and replied.
[What about our Clan's women?]
Asaeya's smile grew deeper at that as she said, her eyes turning cold for a moment.
[They fear our Clan's women, of course. Any woman from the surface who managed to successfully charm one of our men mysteriously finds herself in the jaws of a Pranic Beast the next day. Truly pitiful.]
[Mysteriously?]
[Yup, mysteriously.]
Inala didn't continue the discussion after that. Mammoth Clan women disliked sharing their men with others, casually going in for the kill when displeased. Even Resha got stabbed by his lover simply for flirting with a woman mildly on the surface.
For a moment, Inala became distracted by remembering that scene from Sumatra Chronicles. He, along with other readers spammed memes at paragraphs where Resha was stabbed multiple times, not by a Pranic Beast, but by the woman he pledged affection towards.
But soon after, Inala returned to reality, understanding that Asaeya had the hots for him. Whether or not he liked her was another matter altogether. If he dares get chummy with another woman, he would have to prepare to lose all his senses.
It would be the day he'll personally experience the Grim Knell's power.
A Mammoth Clan woman will fight for her love interest without holding back in the slightest, oftentimes treading onto obsessive levels. Whether it was one-sided or not wasn't a concern for them. Of course, considering their very high death rate and the rapid need to replenish their numbers, it wasn't a surprise the women were obsessed.
[Where are we going?]
Asaeya asked next.
[Wait and see. I made some preparations already.]
Saying so, Inala parked the cart in a narrow alley right next to the main street, at the entrance of a dingy courtyard.