Chương 51: Velkaris

The caravan stopped at the end of the line extending from the city gate. Kyle watched with amazement as commoners, farmers, adventurers, merchants, humans, dwarves, beastkin, and even elves were waiting in line at the gate. The line extended over hundreds of meters. The number and diversity of people were much higher than at Mirevale as well.

Kyle also noticed many large wooden boats, as well as a few massive iron ships, docked in the port, and the many people moving like ants, loading and unloading cargo from them.

'This world is much more advanced than I expected.' Kyle looked thoughtfully at the few nearly 100-meter-tall buildings, then at the massive iron ships. However, upon remembering his predecessor and the change he might have caused, plus the existence of magic, Kyle felt that it wasn't that surprising.

"Get out of the way!" A harsh cry sounded not far behind, followed by the sound of horse hooves. The sudden noise interrupted his thoughts. Looking back, several luxuriously dressed young men and women passed by the line, directly entering the city amidst the panic of the commoners and salutes from the guards.

"Nobles…" Aaron raised his eyebrows and muttered. Apart from powerhouses, only nobles had the privilege to skip the line at the gate. They even had their own personal gate, but it was mostly used by processions.

"Can they just skip the line like that?" Kyle asked with a look of surprise. Luke shrugged and said, "Yeah, this is the normal state of things."

"I see." Kyle nodded. After waiting in line for over an hour in the scorching sun, it was finally their turn to enter after a quick inspection.

"Finally! The heat was starting to get overwhelming." Kyle wiped the sweat off his face and took a sip from his water jug. Fortunately, with [Create Water], he didn't have to worry about dehydration, but the excessively hot weather was still stifling him.

"Well, Velkaris is a coastal city; it's almost always this hot and humid, you just have to get used to it," Luke shrugged and said. As their caravan passed through the gate, a bustling scene of people coming and going appeared before Kyle. The main street was over twenty meters wide and paved entirely with limestone. Horses, carriages, and pedestrians moved constantly in both directions. Thin, long poles alternating with trees were placed along the edges of the road. Each pole had a small crystal sphere at the top.

'Are those street lights?' Kyle was surprised. Although they weren't turned on, because it was still daytime, Kyle was pretty sure that those were street lights. Moving his gaze, he quickly noticed the long white lines separating the streets into areas for vehicles and people.

'Interesting, there are traffic laws here as well? Who's enforcing them?' Kyle raised his eyebrows. He looked around, but apart from the guards near the city walls, he didn't notice any noteworthy entity.

'Maybe there's something I missed. I'll ask about it later.' Kyle shook his head and continued observing the city. The neat buildings on the side immediately caught his attention. They were not only organized but also made of stone and…

'Cement? Why didn't I notice this back in Mirevale? Most of the buildings in commoner areas were made of wood, but still…' Kyle thoughtfully looked at the buildings.

'Is this also one of my predecessor's legacies?' Most of the buildings were several stories tall; he even noticed some in the city center that were over a dozen stories tall. This was such a huge change compared to Mirevale, whose tallest building was 5 stories. Another thing Kyle noticed was the smell. Mirevale didn't have a mature sewage system; most of the waste flowed through drains by the side of the road into the Ber River. Therefore, Mirevale always had a faint foul smell.

It had gotten even worse as the weather started heating up. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Velkaris didn't have that smell. Kyle wasn't sure whether it was because this was the main road, but the faint musty smell that was always present in the streets didn't exist here.

'They even have a good drainage system...' Kyle's gaze landed on a stone cover by the side of the road.

'I suddenly don't want to go back to Mirevale.' He was tempted like never before to just move in here.

"Hehe, what do you think?" Aaron asked with a smug expression on his face. He had deliberately refrained from interrupting Kyle's exploration of the city, wanting to see his reaction. And although Kyle tried to hide it, he still caught the surprise hidden beneath his calm expression. Aaron was thrilled to see the usually calm and composed Kyle show such an expression of surprise. Aaron couldn't help feeling pleased. Looking at the smug blond brat, Kyle shook his head with a faint smile on his face.

"Yeah, I was quite shocked," Kyle chuckled and said. He was shocked by how advanced Velkaris was compared to Mirevale, not by its degree of advancement. In the end, Velkaris still couldn't compare to the metropolises from his past life.

"Hmm, you came from a small place after all; you have to explore Velkaris well this time. It has a lot to offer," Aaron proudly said.

"Hahaha… Yeah, I will," Kyle laughed dryly. Clap! The sudden sound of clapping attracted everyone's attention.

"Everyone, thanks for escorting the caravan back." The captain of the guards clapped his hands and said. He waved for several attendants to hand each team a piece of paper before continuing.

"Here's your proof of quest completion. The Lorraine Chamber of Commerce will welcome you if you ever visit our stores." Harren said before clapping one last time.

"Dismissed!" The caravan continued deeper into the city, leaving the adventurers standing near the gate with their proof of completion in hand.

"Tch! No rewards, no proper thank you, not even some coupons. The employer didn't even show his face. We fought so hard for them, and this is how they treat us!" Aaron said with a hint of anger on his face. Looking around, quite a few adventurers had unhappy expressions. They even ignored the dwarf who saved them. Bram didn't seem to mind, though. He chuckled and walked forward, disappearing among the crowd in the street.

"Drop it, Aaron. They don't owe us anything. We accepted the quest and completed it. It's that simple. We'll receive our reward in the Adventurers Guild," Luke calmly said.

"But…" Aaron was still unhappy. As the son of an executive of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce, he felt that such negligence was inexcusable. Speaking of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce"Young master Aaron!" an old, steady voice sounded not far away. Turning their head, an old gentleman, wearing a butler uniform, came into their sight. He was standing in front of a clothing store, anxiously looking at Aaron. The moment their gaze collided, Aaron's heart skipped a beat.

He quickly drove his horse towards him and dismounted upon reaching him. Aaron's uneasiness grew as he looked at the old butler's face. He was usually quite composed and elegant, but now… Despite trying to hide it, his sweat-filled face, bloodshot eyes, and slightly disheveled clothes betrayed his anxiety.

"Jeeves? What happened?" Aaron asked with a confused expression, a trace of anxiety quietly building in his heart.

"The master! He… He!" Jeeves's gaze fell on Kyle and Luke standing behind Aaron.

"Please come with me; it's an urgent situation!" Jeeves said before hurrying towards a carriage parked on the side of the road.

"This…" Aaron hesitated, his gaze falling on Luke and Kyle before drifting to the carriage in which Doyle and Tina were.

"Go, we'll lead the captain to his house and submit the quest. Go deal with your issues. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask us." Luke patted Aaron's shoulder and said with a faint smile on his face.

"Thanks!" Aaron nodded gratefully before running to the parked carriage. Looking at the carriage quickly moving through traffic, disappearing behind a corner, Luke and Kyle walked back to their carriage.

"Did something happen with Aaron?" Doyle stuck his head out of the carriage and asked.

"I don't know for sure, but it seemed something had happened to his family," Luke said, his gaze drifting to the corner at which Aaron's carriage disappeared. He was worried.

"I see, we'll see if we can help in our next gathering." Doyle nodded and said, his expression serious.

"Dad!" Doyle's pupils shrank as he heard this cry. Turning his head, he spotted a black-haired youth quickly running towards them.

"Dane!" Doyle shouted back, his voice trembling invisibly.

"Dad, you're back early this time," the black-haired youth, Dane, said with a surprised expression. He was wearing leather armor, and a sword was hanging at his waist. Kyle immediately noticed the iron tag hanging on his neck.

'So he's an adventurer too.' Kyle was a bit surprised. This guy seemed even younger than him.

"You went and registered as an adventurer?" Doyle asked with a trembling voice, his eyes stuck to the adventurer tag hanging on Dane's neck.

"Hehe! I want to be a great adventurer like you. Please don't tell Mom about this." Dane scratched the back of his head and proudly said. He didn't notice his father's strange tone at all. Doyle fell silent. He solemnly looked at Dane's cheerful expression and sparkling eyes before turning to look at Tina beside him.

"Tina, can you please help me down the carriage?" Doyle took a deep breath and said. Looking at Doyle's grave expression, Tina silently nodded and held his arms. Luke also rushed to the carriage to help him down.

"Dad? What are you doing? Why is your face so…" Dane's expression froze. He watched in horror as Luke and Tina helped Doyle down. His body was wrapped in bandages, and his lower body dragged on the ground. Kyle moved to the side, leaving them space to walk by, his expression uncomfortable as he watched the young man's expression shift from excitement to horror. Kyle shifted his sight. He couldn't bear watching this.