A busy morning greeted the city of Deorya and the bustling seaport quieted down when the ship finally departed for its destination.

  Karel spent the mornings and afternoons outside the cabin or on the deck and slept like a log inside during the night. He promised himself not to miss the breathtaking views Grantierra’s tourism boasted about.

  “We are entering Astadvran’s territory!” yelled the ship’s captain standing before the helm with a scope in his hand.

  In the Ramayan Continent where the immortals and other earthly beings lived, each territory only had marked boundaries. The Ize Region housed the other immortals making it the rgest in nd area, followed by the Euthalia Pins in the east, the Herensuge Canyons in the northwest then the Great Empire of Ramaya itself.

  While Grantierra, the southeastern continent of Trojka1Trojka is a world created by the Heavenly Emperor which is divided into three realms: The Heavenly Realm, the Mortal Realm and the Underworld Realm., consisted of rge archipego isnds. The four major isnds: The State of Stavros in the northeast and south of it was the State of Valerya only separated by an isthmus that also became the heart of trading commerce in the archipego; the famous Shimhazril Desert governed by the United Kingdoms of Shimhazril located in the south; and the Kingdom of Astadvran in the west known for its sea cliffs and tourist spots.

  “I didn’t expect this pce to be breathtaking,” Karel muttered to himself while the ship passed by the scenic sea cliffs of Astadvran.

  “It seems like it’s your first time here,” came a voice from the side.

  Karel gnced at the man and somehow became intrigued by the ornaments covering the shell of his ears. He turned to look at the scenic view again. “You could say that.”

  “Astadvran is quite welcoming to foreigners. I often see werebeasts and other immortals along the streets. The Eastern States too are quite open.” He leaned his back on the nearby crate and looked towards the south. “But, Shimhazril was still quite unwelcoming.”

  “I have no intentions of going to Shimhazril for now. I need to get used to the warm weather first.”

  The stranger chuckled softly. “Then, that means you’re a Ramayan2Ramayan is a race of magical beings who lived in the former frozen and barren nds in the northernmost region of the western continent. They are beings not made by the Heavenly Emperor but a race resulted from a unique entity’s creation magic. Other races often referred to them as evil entities due to their destructive nature..”

  Karel mysteriously smiled at him. “Perhaps.”

  The silence ensued for a while before the man spoke again as he slightly bowed, “Ah, how rude of me! I am Kani, a merchant from Astadvran.”

  “Karel Marles from the Great Empire of Ramaya.”

  Kani gaped then toned down the volume of his voice. “Marles? You’re a noble!”

  Karel raised an amused eyebrow. “You’re informed.”

  Kani nervously smiled at the slip of his tongue. “Well, I learned from our partners in Kuju Prefecture.”

  A merchant partnered with Kuju? Interesting.

  Karel gnced at him with a hint of a smile on his lips. “It seems like the gateways we made were truly of great use.”

  Kani nodded. “That’s possibly the best the empire had given us.”

  The Gateways began its development two decades after Emperor Chen3Chen is the name of the reigning regime. Both the Emperor and Empress use the title Chen since they represent the regime. sat on the throne. The imperial schors studied the properties of teleportation magic, the medium crafted by the best artificers of the empire and the imperials made it avaible to the public knowing the incapability of the other immortals to wield such a magic. In the sixth year since the research started, they managed to finish the first Gateway. Reproduction began in the seventh year and all prefectures of the empire had one. Later on, the Emperor bestowed each vassal state one gateway. It also greatly helped in transporting bulk goods around the continent.

  Centuries ter, the proposal of establishing trades with other continents reached the imperial court. Supported by the empire itself, they began Deorya City’s construction after the Gateway was erected in the heart of it. Thanks to it, the whole city was built in less than a decade despite the materials coming from Dwarven City of Pals and Kuju Prefecture in the empire.

  It was her st will, Karel finally thought to himself as he reminisced the memories of the pre-civil war.

  Kani also noticed his mencholic expression and said nothing, leaving the man alone.

  Late afternoon the next day, the ship docked in Weissdel, a city situated in the south of the Kingdom of Astadvran. Karel alighted the ship and wandered off in a while, familiarizing himself with the pce while looking for a pce to stay. He ended up in the best bar in town after dinner and ordered some liquor. As soon as he sat down by the counter, rumors immediately filled his ears.

  “Did you hear about the rare beasts at the northern shore?”

  “Oh, that? They said the beasts evolved and the knights had a hard time killing them.”

  “They said, those must have been beasts from Ramaya. After all, the earthly and immortal beings are living there.”

  “There are people who bme us immortals just because we are different,” the bartender said as he wiped the gss in his hands.

  Karel eyed him. “Aren’t you human?”

  The bartender gnced at him before chuckling. “It’s common knowledge here that I’m a Louvika4Louvika is the term used to address humans with an immortal’s blood in them. and they aren’t as prejudiced because I lived here since Astadvran and Deorya’s trading treaty.”

  “And what’s your other blood?”

  He smiled warmly as ears and tail appeared from his body. Karel’s hands slightly twitched, holding himself back from petting those fur.

  After a satisfied hum came from the bartender, furs disappearing in the process, he remarked, “I can also tell that you’re not human. If not for my other blood, I really couldn’t tell.”

  Karel smiled and downed the cup. “Is there a way to reach the northern shore they were talking about?”

  The bartender perked up. “You’re interested?”

  “You can say that.”

  “You would need to travel to Norn. From there, ride a horse to the northwest.”

  “Thank you,” he replied and left a gold coin on the bar.

  “Sir, wait a minute—” He almost gasped loudly seeing the Ramayan Gold5Ramayan Gold is the currency of the Ramayan Continent. left by the man. He bit onto it, surprised by its authenticity.

  A Ramayan? Now, that’s rare.

  Karel pnned his upcoming trip to the said specific area in northern Astadvran after he rented a transportation but a certain incident hindered him from doing so.

  Supposedly, he’d be strolling around the city to get the task done but fate definitely lent a hand for him to be in the current predicament.

  A lot of people surrounded him after incapacitating the man to the ground. The commotion attracted the knights’ attention stationed nearby and found out about what’s happening. Karel clicked his tongue in annoyance when the knights gred at him.

  A knight tapped his spear into the cobblestone. “Sir, you’re being suspected of harming the citizens—”

  Karel tightly gripped onto the assaint’s hand and interjected, “What nonsense—”

  The victim interrupted, standing nearby him, “You’re wrong! That man helped me!”

  “But, sir, he clearly impaled the man—”

  Karel furrowed his eyebrows. “Would you rather have more people harmed by this assaint?”

  Everyone turned quiet.

  “I’m only trying to help and this is what I get?”

  The knight slightly bowed his head, admitting his mistake. “We are ashamed, sir.”

  “You should be!” he angrily spat. “Next time, do your job right and don’t bme innocent people!”

  Karel walked off in anger as the crowd parted for him.

  “Well, the young man clearly didn’t do anything but save the poor guy.”

  “Tsk, tsk.”

  “Man, if that happened to me, it would really leave a bitter taste in my mouth.”

  “Now that you’ve said it, he really looks unordinary. Blond hair isn’t common here. Is he a tourist?”

  “I think so. I saw him exiting the bar yesternight.”

  Seeing a Ramayan helping someone puzzled the bartender. As far as he’d known, those immortal beings rarely cared for another if not their kin, family or loved ones. Witnessing a compassionate Ramayan for the first time truly shook his world views as he never witnessed such in his centuries of living.

  “Surely an odd one,” the bartender muttered to himself and also walked away.

  The blond man came again and ordered the same drink from yesternight.

  “Tell me, are you a Ramayan?” the bartender asked as he gave the iced drink to Karel thereafter.

  “Does it matter?”

  He csped his hands behind him nervously. “Ramayans are feared by everyone because of their ruthlessness.”

  Karel took a sip and chuckled, sending the bartender to the edge. “They say that a lot, don’t they? Others aren’t aware that we too have emotions just like everyone else.”

  He slightly furrowed his eyebrows and now csped his hands in front of his chest. “I am sorry if I offended you, sir.”

  He shook his hand in dismissal. “Always been like that. Not surprised anymore.”

  The bartender frowned. “Still, I…”

  “Nah, don’t be. There’s somehow truth in it but just know we’re capable of feelings too. We can be hurt, angered, cry and love.”

  “Why have you been…” the bartender hesitated a bit as he carefully chose his words, “known as such then?”

  “Ramayans are territorial, greedy to some extent and have unhealthy obsessions if one catches their attention. There are also those kind ones among us who would often pick up strays and nurture them as their own. We value familial ties but could also be ruthless when one betrays us.”

  “It sounds complicated.”

  He smiled. “Just like everyone else.”

  “May I ask your name, sir?”

  “Karel.”

  The bartender nodded with a smile on his lips. “It’s nice to meet you, Sir Karel. My name is Ryndell.”

  “Nice meeting you—”

  As the door swung wide open with a bang, a booming voice called, “Ryndell!”

  Karel slightly winced at the volume and subtly used magic to suppress the noise.

  “Ah, here we go again,” Karel heard Ryndell mutter as he arranged the gsses he cleaned onto the cabinet. The bartender also discarded the rug on one side and patiently waited for the group of men to reach the countertop.

  “Serve us wine!” the burly man announced as he forcefully tapped onto the countertop. A little bit of dent and splinters appeared on it and Ryndell mournfully gnced at it.

  Karel observed for a while until he fidgeted on his seat. His instincts tingled but chose to quietly observe how things would unfold and heard the other patrons murmuring about the said group harassing the bartender again.

  “They’re at it again. Ryndell must have had it hard.”

  Someone hushed. “They do that a lot, not just here.”

  “Wine!” the man demanded again after drinking and gulping his mug and his companions snickered as the poor bartender attended to them in fear.

  Karel tapped his finger onto the wooden countertop and looked ahead towards the wine cabinet. He saw Ryndell nervously gncing at him, attempting to communicate not to do anything rash against the said goons and made himself scarce once again. However, their leader turned his attention on him upon noticing his blond hair.

  He hummed approvingly. “Oh? Blondes are rare here.”

  “Sir—”

  “Shut up, Ryndell! Or I will destroy your bar!”

  Ryndell shrieked in fear and backed away. The burly man approached Karel but he seemed not to care which irked the man.

  “Quite the looker but feisty. He will definitely fetch a good price elsewhere.”

  The crimson red eyes shot him a gre and even the ughing men behind the burly man stopped.

  In an instant, a fist flew towards Karel’s face. The fist halted a pace away, clearly stopped by something unseen.

  “You…”

  “Sir! You mustn’t—”

  “Huh?” The burly man tried to punch him one more time but failed to do so. It irked him more and kicked the nearby chair instead. “Who do you think you are? You’re just a tourist here!”

  Karel stood up from his seat while holding onto the gss wine, unspilled and still half-full. He drank from it and let it sit on the countertop after he finished it. “Is this a way for people of Astadvran to treat their guests?”

  “Guests?” the burly man echoed then ughter filled the bar. “You think highly of yourself, young man! If you step foot on these parts, you should know not to offend me!”

  “Or else?” Karel challenged with an edge to his tone and slightly tilted his head to the side which covered one of his eyes.

  “Oh? Aren’t you a bold one?” the man ughed and stood up to his stature. Knuckles cracked and the goons prepared themselves. “Let’s see if you can still taunt me with that mouth of yours!”

  Frenzied shouts erupted and fists flew towards one another. Witnessing the abrupt fight, the other patrons withdrew from the scene and the fearful ones left the bar hastily.

  The remaining ones, however, observed the escating fight. He parried expertly; and the burly man seemed like a child fighting against an adult out of his league. In not more than three minutes, Karel incapacitated most of them.

  “How…” the man grumbled as he held onto his punched guts.

  It baffled him how he struggled against the lithe figure of the blond. Compared to Karel, he possessed a burly figure enough to lift heavy cargo and whenever he threw punches, the opponent would sustain grave injuries.

  Wait, would that mean…

  “Please, don’t fight here!” Ryndell pleaded while peeking from behind the countertop.

  His pleas fell into deaf ears and the able goons attacked Karel. Like a few moments ago, he incapacitated them one by one, kicking and punching them ruefully at vital points.

  As the whole group ached in pain on the floor, Karel seethed in anger, “Leave!”

  Everyone nearby quivered as they heard his authoritative voice.

  The burly man slowly stood and gred at Karel. “Watch your back, arrogant one.”

  Karel tilted his head, challenging him with a smirk on his lips.

  The group eventually left after his warning and the tense atmosphere slowly dissipated. The patrons returned to their own affairs and Ryndell finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  Remembering the encounter, he turned to Karel with worry written all over his face. “Sir Karel…”

  He sat back down as if nothing happened beforehand. “Don’t mind it. Not like they can y a finger on me.”

  Ryndell offered his drinks to him for free as a payment for driving away the goons. Karel, knowing the ins and outs of business, insisted that he should pay.

  Karel then quietly drank by himself on the same spot as Ryndell attended to other patrons. Deep into the night, when more people frequent the bar, he filtered the gossip and listened intently.

  “Apparently, not only the northern shore was affected. Some of the rumored beasts went innd a few days back.”

  “Really?”

  “Is the kingdom suppressing news about it?”

  “I think so. People will panic if they know.”

  The others agreed as the conversation continued.

  “They said it was an evolved species?”

  “That’s what I heard.”

  A question popped in Karel’s mind: Why would there be an evolved species of beasts?

  Not even the beasts in Ramaya undergo changes overnight and come out untamed and monstrous like what he heard from the gossip. Even with magic, the effectiveness also depended on the beasts’ adaptability and if unable to keep up with the magic, the beasts had a high chance to perish.

  Unless, someone deliberately did it.

  The behavioral pattern never matched a magical rose6A Magical Rose is a physical manifestation of memories formerly held by the Crown Princess of Ramaya; aside from memories, it holds power and can influence the surroundings and mostly inhabit an inanimate object. since it mostly behaved according to the memories it held. Karel pondered more, arriving at a decision to check it out.

  For once, Karel was gd he chose Grantierra as his destination. He chugged the drink down, wiped his lips with his handkerchief and stood up.

  “Are you leaving already, Sir Karel?”

  He nodded. “I need to go to Norn as soon as I can.”

  “Sir, please be careful on your way out.”

  Karel only smiled, leaving a Ramayan Gold coin once again. “News will reach you tomorrow.”