The driver guided the carriage through the busy streets and spoke through the opening.
"I’ll stop near the eastern carriage yard. From there, you’re on your own."
Nobody objected.
Simon continued looking outside the window.
Velmora City was truly different from Vashar.
The roads were wider, and the buildings were taller. Some buildings had three floors. Some had four. A few were even higher, and those ones had guards standing outside them.
There were also more demons with powerful auras.
In Vashar, an Archfiend could walk through the streets and look impressive.
But in Velmora, Simon had already sensed several Archfiends just by looking outside the window for a few minutes.
He even sensed one or two auras that were above Archfiend level, but those auras disappeared quickly into the crowd.
Greater Demons.
Simon narrowed his eyes slightly.
He was not surprised.
Velmora was a larger city in the Darkness Kingdom. If it did not have Greater Demons, then that would have been strange.
He also expected Velmora to have at least one Demon Lord, maybe the City Lord... Though he might be wrong at the end of the day.
Still, it was a good reminder.
He was no longer in Vashar City.
And with his current condition, he had to be careful.
The carriage turned into another street, and the noise became even louder.
A group of beast handlers were arguing with a merchant whose cage had broken. A small, four-legged demon beast with red fur and sharp teeth was biting anything close to it.
Two guards stood by the side and watched for a few seconds before one of them finally moved.
He raised his spear and struck the beast on the head.
Bang!
The beast collapsed instantly.
The merchant’s face changed.
"My beast!"
The guard looked at him coldly.
"Control your property or pay for disturbing the road."
The merchant immediately shut his mouth.
Sonya saw this and smiled.
"I like this place."
Akaza glanced at her with a strange expression.
"Because the guard hit a beast?"
Sonya clenched her right fist with a smile.
"Because the guards seem strong."
Akaza’s expression became even more strange.
What was Sonya planning on doing in Velmora?
No.
The question was how much chaos was she planning on causing in Velmora.
The carriage moved for a few more minutes before it entered a large open yard filled with carriages, wagons, beasts, drivers, and travelers.
The eastern carriage yard was several times larger than the yard they had used in Vashar.
Rows of wooden shelters stood in different parts of the yard. Some were for carriages. Some were for beasts. Some were for goods.
There were guards here too.
Not too many, but enough to prevent chaos.
The carriage finally stopped.
The driver released a long breath, then turned around and opened the carriage door himself.
"We’re here."
Sonya stood up first and stretched her arms.
"Finally."
Akaza stood after her.
Simon stood up slowly. His body was still far from perfect, but compared to a few days ago, his movements were smoother.
Mira noticed this.
She remembered the first time she saw him in Vashar City. He had been carried by Akaza like somebody who was close to death.
Now, he could walk on his own.
’The injuries he had back then should have been extremely severe. The medicine or elixir he took must have been a powerful one for him to be walking so quickly.’
’He has changed in so many ways.’
Mira shook her head inwardly and stood.
Devia, Brukk, and Orven followed her out of the carriage.
The moment Simon stepped out, several gazes landed on them.
Some looked at the carriage, while some looked at the bloodstains that still remained in certain places.
The driver quickly lowered his head slightly toward Akaza.
"Thank you for earlier."
Akaza looked at him.
"I didn’t do it for you."
The driver’s expression stiffened.
"I know. Still... thank you."
Akaza said nothing.
Mira looked at Simon.
"Do you have a place to stay?"
"No."
Mira was not surprised.
She thought for a moment, then spoke.
"There are inns near the eastern district, but most of them will be expensive because of the number of demons entering the city recently. Some will also try to cheat newcomers."
Sonya raised a brow.
"They can try."
Mira looked at her and did not know what to say.
After what she had seen Akaza do, and after seeing Sonya bury corpses with a snap of her fingers, she doubted any innkeeper would be able to cheat them and remain happy afterward.
Still, she continued.
"There is one place I heard about. It is called the Stone Drum Inn. It’s not luxurious, but merchants use it because the rooms have simple protection arrays. It’s also not too far from the eastern market."
Simon looked at her.
"You’ve been there?"
Mira shook her head.
"No. This is my first time in Velmora too. But I asked around before coming here. I needed to know a few places before entering the city."
Simon nodded slightly.
That was expected of a merchant.
A foolish merchant would enter a city blindly and lose half of his money before sunset.
Mira was not foolish.
Simon looked around the carriage yard.
"Where do you plan on going?"
Mira pointed toward one of the streets connected to the yard.
"The eastern market first. I need to find a place to store my goods and also meet someone who might help us with our plans."
Simon nodded.
"Then we’ll separate here."
Mira blinked.
For some reason, those words made her feel strange.
They had only traveled together for a few days, and most of the journey had been uncomfortable, but hearing Simon say they would separate still made her pause.
Devia, Brukk, and Orven looked relieved.
They did not hate Simon and his companions, but staying close to them was too much pressure.
Mira nodded after a moment.
"Alright."
Simon turned to leave, but Mira suddenly spoke.
"Blackmoon."
Simon stopped and looked at her.
Mira hesitated for a second, then she said,
"Be careful in Velmora. This city is not like Vashar."
Simon looked at her for a few seconds, then his lips curled slightly.
"I know."
Mira wanted to say something else, but she stopped herself.
Simon turned and began walking away with Sonya and Akaza.
Sonya glanced back at Mira and waved lazily.
"Try not to die."
Mira’s lips twitched.
"I’ll try."
Akaza did not say anything, and the three of them left.