The first rays of the morning sun gently illuminated the verdant paradise that was the capital of Korrovan. A small group walked the streets in good cheer. Silk and jewels decorated the humans, while even the Chimeroi were wearing proper clothing for once.
Zeke and the others from the Lion's Den were on their way to the Veergati. While they walked, Ravi explained what would be expected of them.
"The Veergati is undoubtedly an important event, but you don't have to worry too much. It is not as formal as one would expect. After we set up our booth, you are free to wander around and mingle. This is the time when you will be able to make essential connections. Alternatively, you can visit the other booths and get familiar with powerful Rana Samrat."
Zeke listened as he walked along. His mind was whirring, trying to organize his priorities. He had more than one goal. Thankfully, the event would last from dawn to dusk, giving him enough time to achieve everything he wanted. It would probably be a good idea to take it slow at first and study the lay of the land before acting.
As they approached the city's center, other groups came into view. They were each comprised of around a dozen Mages and five strong Chimeroi, similar to their own group. They had to be the representatives of the other schools. Zeke noticed that an Arch Mage led each of them. He hadn't been aware of this, but it now seemed that this was a requirement for the leaders of a school.
Soon, the palace came into view. With its sprawling towers, domed roofs, and many halls, the word 'palace' didn't do this place justice. It was the most overwhelmingly luxurious sight Zeke had ever seen. Even the king of Tradespire didn't live in such a place. However, that was most likely not a matter of finances but of taste.
Even if Zeke had all the money in the world, he would never want to live like this. It was a display of wealth that wasn't even practical anymore and served only to highlight the status of the ruling family. The amount of gold on display would be enough to feed the entire city for the next century.
To be fair, Zeke had not seen anybody starving.
From what he had observed so far, this was a city of riches without an ounce of poverty. Even the slaves that walked the streets were dressed elegantly and didn't seem malnourished. Ignoring the inequality in status, this city was a paradise incomparable to any he had seen before. How had the Raja family achieved this?
Zeke and his group were ushered in through the main gate and directed to one of the many halls. They, alongside a continuous stream of people, finally entered the venue. It was a brightly lit hall with an open courtyard in the middle. Alongside its walls were luxuriously decorated alcoves. Each of them had an elegantly carved engraving next to it.
Snake Pit, Sandstorm, Gryphon's Nest, …
It was then that he realized those were the different schools' names. Zeke swept his gaze over all the alcoves — there were dozens. If an Arch Mage led each school, this wasn't just any gathering here, but an army. Even the empire, recognized as the strongest military power on the continent, only had a couple hundred Arch Mages at most.
This country was a lot stronger than he had anticipated.
If all those Arch Mages were as strong as Ravi, that would be even more frightening. They would make a scary force, considering that each of them had brought five Chimeroi equal to the peak Grand Mage level.
Once again, Zeke wondered how the empire had been allowed to run rampant for as long as it had. However, this discovery only gave more credence to his theory that the empire had hidden a lot of its strength. How else would they dare to act so domineering with only a single Exarch?
After all, even from here, Zeke could feel the vast power emanating from the central palace. It was a turbulent force, wild and destructive. It was where the ruler of Korrovan, the lightning Exarch, lived.
"Are you the members of the Lion's Den?"
Zeke was brought out of his thoughts by this question. The voice had been warm and gentle, and Zeke studied the woman who had spoken. His eyes widened. She was an incredible beauty, with a perfectly symmetrical face and long, blonde hair. However, what surprised him was that she, alongside all the other attendants, were elves.
In Tradespire, Zeke had seen the Korrovan ambassador walking around with an elven slave. Back then, he had not realized how common this practice was among the royal family. Weren't they afraid of angering the elves? After all, they were a powerful race. Despite not being as strong as the humans, they were incredibly united. There wasn't a single nation able to challenge them on their own.
Was Korrovan really this arrogant?
To be fair, their confidence wasn't entirely baseless. After all, this city was in the middle of the desert. If there was any place the elves would be powerless to reach, it was probably here. At the end of the day, most of the elves had either a Life or Nature Affinity, making them a lot weaker in the desert.
"Yes, we are the representatives of the Lion's Den," Ravi answered, his voice full of pride.
Zeke studied his group. Aside from him and Leo, nobody seemed surprised at the presence of the elven slaves. It was likely that this was not a new development. It appeared this was a risk the people of Korrovan were willing to take. Zeke could only shake his head at this. Morality aside, was it really worth offending a mighty race for a few exotic servants?
"Understood. Please follow me," the elven beauty said as she guided their group toward a particular alcove. Zeke saw that each entering group was received in the same way.
Upon arriving at their booth, the attendant bowed and left. Ravi led them inside and immediately took a seat. He smiled at each of them and made a shooing motion. "Off you go! Now that you know where our place is located, you can go."
"What about you?" Zeke asked.
"I'll stay here," Ravi said, still grinning. "If people have business with the Lion's Den, they will come on their own. I do not need to run around like you youngsters."
Zeke nodded, heading into the bustling hall with Leo and the other humans. He glanced at his brother. "What are you going to do?"
Leo glanced around, his eyes shining. "I think I am going to visit the other booths. There is somebody I want to find."
"Who?" Zeke asked.
"Vulcanos!" Leo exclaimed, his eyes brightening even further.
Zeke searched his memory for that name.
[Notice]
Vulcanos is a Rana Samrat competing in the fourth circle. His skin is made of liquid stone, and he seems to have an innate control over both earth and fire. Species unknown.
Zeke nodded. It was no wonder Leo was so excited. After all, he had also been trying to combine Fire and Earth Magic. If time permitted, Zeke wanted to meet him, too.
"Very well," he said. "You can do what you want. I'll be busy with my own goals as well."
Leo nodded energetically and immediately ran off. Zeke watched his brother disappear into the crowd with a slight smile. It was good that Leo was looking for ways to improve. He had been worried that his brother would stick to practice without much thought, but Leo had once again surprised him with his ingenuity.
Turning around, Zeke also began to wander. He had no particular goal in mind. His first priority was to find the representatives of the Gemkar family. However, they didn't have a booth and were most likely invited as guests instead. Therefore, he had no choice but to look around until he found them.
Luckily, with Akasha actively monitoring every conversation in an area around him, there was no need for him to fret. If they were here, then he would find them sooner or later. For now, he would enjoy the event like everybody else.
Zeke walked along the outer wall, peering into every alcove. This way, he saw the strongest Rana Samrat of each school. They would usually be displayed at the front, like merchandise. In some places, Zeke lingered a bit longer, studying the bodies of the Chimeroi in detail.
The variety was staggering—tails, horns, fur, scales, or a combination of each. Zeke was wholly swept away. There was no end to the different combinations. The other thing that shocked him was the prices. The average cost of the Rana Samrat was about a thousand gold. That was a staggering amount.
He now understood why Ravi had said that this was different from a slave market. After all, with that kind of money, one could employ a Grand Mage for decades. There was no need to pay such a sum unless one had an important function in mind. Maybe the Chimeroi would become the personal bodyguard of an important merchant. That was an enviable position, even for a free man.
Zeke halted his steps as he came across a larger-than-usual alcove. This booth also had more guests than any other place he had encountered. Zeke looked to the side where the nameplate was located. It read Purebloods.
Intrigued, Zeke pushed his way through the crowd and entered the alcove. This space spanned several times that of the Lion's Den's allotted space. There were many more Chimeroi than the five allowed. Furthermore, the booth was staffed by the elven slaves he had seen earlier. It was likely that this place belonged to the royal family.
The moment he entered, a smiling elven woman approached him. "Greetings, sir. How can I help you?"
"What is this place?" Zeke asked.
Her smile slightly dimmed at his ignorance. However, the woman remained just as courteous. "This is where Purebloods are sold, sir."
"What are Purebloods?"
"Do you know anything about how Chimeroi are classified, sir?"
"I don't," Zeke admitted. He was sure Akasha knew more about it, but Zeke had never been interested. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He was interested. However, he didn't like how the people here talked about the Chimeroi as if they were goods. From his conversations with Ripper and Ash, he didn't find them less than humans, wholly undeserving of such callous treatment.
"Is that so…" the elf said, her smile dimming further. "Then, I will explain the basics. Contrary to popular belief, the Chimeroi are not a cross between humans and monsters. Instead, they are all descendants of Progenitors, in one way or another."
Before Zeke could ask, the elf explained, "The Progenitors are monsters who have reached such a high level that they can take human form. It is rumored that each of them has the strength of an Exarch-level Mage."
"What!?" Zeke exclaimed, unable to hold it in.
The woman smirked in satisfaction at his shock. "That's not all. Some are even rumored to have lived for thousands of years."
"Why do they not attack us then? With such strength, couldn't they wipe us out?"
The attendant shook her head. "They are not united. Also, the Deadlands separate us from the lands of the Chimeroi."
Zeke nodded slowly, slightly embarrassed about his loss of composure. He had spoken without thinking. Still, If all the Chimeroi originated from a Progenitor, didn't that mean there had to be hundreds of them?
As if seeing through his thoughts, the elf shook her head. "There are not as many Progenitors as you might think. Each of them has thousands of children, at least. Those are what we call Purebloods."
Zeke looked around the booth. Now that he was paying closer attention. He noticed a couple of things. For one, each of the Chimeroi looked almost fully human. They only had the smallest of quirks, if any. Was this because they were close to the source? The other thing that he noticed was the absurd prices here. The cheapest of the Purebloods sold for around ten thousand gold.
Zeke frowned upon noticing this detail. "Why are they so expensive?"
"Purebloods are highly sought after," the saleswoman explained. "There are several reasons for this, one of which is that the abilities they manifest are usually much stronger. Also, even though other Chimeroi can improve their strength through meditation, they will not be able to reach the same heights."
Zeke turned thoughtful. This sounded somehow very familiar to him. "Is it something like the different level of affinities for Mages?"
The elven woman paused, truly focusing on him for the first time. "I've not thought about it like that," she admitted, "but the comparison is quite appropriate, I feel. Purebloods will be stronger at the same stage, advance faster, and reach higher. Just like Mages with a higher affinity."
Zeke nodded. It felt like he had broken through another layer of mystery, and many things became clear. However, he had a sneaking suspicion that none of the Purebloods were here of their own volition. Also, there was no way they could have been born in Korrovan, was there? At least one of their parents had to be an absolute powerhouse, after all.
This meant that they were likely taken from their homes and brought here as spoils of war. Zeke didn't ask. It was likely that such a question wouldn't gain him any favors. Furthermore, would the knowledge really change anything?
The King of Korrovan was unlikely to give up on this practice, as it clearly earned him a lot of money. And even though Zeke didn't agree with the method, he understood the logic. From a purely calculative standpoint, it was a lucrative prospect.
"Thank you for your insights, Miss," Zeke said with a polite nod as he turned to leave. Her explanation had altogether deterred him from making any purchases. Even though he had a lot of money, he wasn't keen to spend it on an untrained individual who might have been forced into their current state.
No matter their potential, it wasn't worth it if they resented him. He would much rather keep his eyes open for accomplished fighters who had freely chosen their lot. However, the moment he exited, Akasha's voice gripped his attention.
[Notice]
I have found something that might be of interest to the host.