"I can't believe it," Vivi said. "We're actually here."

Lucius laughed in her head. "I knew I chose the right human. Only you would be crazy enough to move through the blight and actually make it to Shivenar."

Please don't speak about the blight anymore, Vivi thought.

She stood by the mountaintop for over a minute, just watching. Something made her afraid to approach. Her beliefs about Shivenar had always been grand, whimsically so. Grandpa worshiped the city and its ancient runesmiths, treating it like the pinnacle of anything created by humanoid creatures. He hadn't even met anyone who had visited the city.

But now that Vivi was here, watching over the vast mountain city… If the truth was that Shivenar was just another ordinary city that hated her, Vivi probably would have lost what remained of her dreams.

She wanted to believe, to hope and dream of a good life. But time and time again, those dreams were kicked to the ground.

Can we enter without a disguise? Vivi thought. Will they enslave us for being humans?

"No," Lucius said. "That law only exists on Ingfried's land, and it's enforced only on the fourth level. The conflict between Ingfried and Ythar is a bit complicated and misunderstood on the surface. They can't just arrest every human for existing. Tribes of ancient humans still live deeper underground."

So Senith didn't lie, then? Vivi asked. I thought every human was pushed to the surface, until we managed to retake land underground down to the third level.

"That's one of the misunderstandings," Lucius said. "The divide between the third and fourth level exists because of the demigods' rules and agreements. Most demons on the lower levels don't think much of humans. The human race is just another humanoid in their eyes. A particularly weak one, since humans can't shape ether on their own. In Shivenar, people might be surprised to see you, since humans are rare, but that's about it. Most demons will assume you're from the seventh level."

Interesting… Vivi thought. And do we need a secret identity? Ingfried's knights or whatever are probably searching for me.

"Eh, that sounds like too much effort," Lucius said. "As I said, Shivenar is not included in Ingfried's empire. Not to mention, we're over a thousand miles away from Zand by normal routes. Even if we do meet Ingfried's soldiers here, they most likely haven't even heard of your name. I think we'll only get caught if we grow famous. And if we do grow famous, as a runesmith, for example, we'll have enough money and influence to dispute the crimes we've committed. Maybe..."

Alright, if you say so… Vivi watched the city walls from above. A part of her wanted to ask Lucius further about the demigods' weird rules, and about the history of these lands, but the larger part of her was too tired for Lucius's lessons right now.

"What are we waiting for?" Lucius asked. "Let's go. We're bound to succeed here. We can gather allies, work to clear your name, and we can start hunting once more. We'll grow far richer than any ether hunter. Once we do, we'll easily overrule our crimes as Zand-escapees."

Right, Vivi thought.

She headed down. The road down to the city was steep enough that carriages required brakes to descend without crushing everything underneath. A man was stationed at the top to perform a safety checkup on every carriage. Vivi was allowed through without a checkup. She walked down toward the city walls.

There was a small line at the front gates. Mostly carriages or camel riders. Vivi was the only one arriving by foot. She still had to wait before entering, while carriages were searched for anything illegal.

Vivi's turn finally came. She faced the two tall men at the doors. The guards were serious fighters. Both were maxed out, and one of them wore a full plate of runic asmite armor. Outside veins lined the armor from the outside with a swiftness rune in the armor's core. For armor so heavy, a swiftness rune was almost necessary. The veins were vaguely lit up, a subtle sense of ether clouding the air around the man.

"Your business?" the more ordinary guard in leather armor asked.

"Runesmithing," Vivi said.

The guard studied her outfit and face. He noted that she lacked horns and frowned, but he didn't say anything. "Ten ether entry fee for those who come without a pass."

"It was five last time I was here," Lucius said. "He's trying to scam us."

Vivi didn't care. She gave the man ten ether and entered the city. To her surprise, she was let in without any further questions or checkups.

"I should mention that coating yourself in ether in the city is discouraged. A light amount of ether won't get us punished, but activating a full aura is illegal. The same as carrying an open weapon."

Yes, makes sense, Vivi thought.

The inner side of the city gates Shivenar wasn't as busy as Vivi expected the city to be. The wide and straight main street ascended with a clear view for at least a mile. A few dozen carriages were visible, three guards near her, and perhaps two hundred demons on foot. Two demons were brushing the streets free of sand. One was shouting at a kid from the window of a streetside tenement.

Most demons were clad in either casual tunics or robes that covered all of their skin, protecting them from the faceted sky. Everyone wore nicer outfits than nimrods in Zand, but average citizens were far from rich. Vivi only spotted one man in a vest and a long-sleeved shirt—a similar outfit to the ones Fellwater's men wore for collection day.

Not that Vivi was one to judge. She wore her roughed-up grey raincoat. She must have looked like one of the poorest people in the city.

Groups of people stood on standby on both sides of the city gates. A lot of them had palanquins or pull carts. All of them eyed Vivi before deciding she wasn't their prey.

Who are those? Vivi asked.

"City porters," Lucius said. "You can pay them a fee, and they'll take you wherever you need to be."

So if I'm too lazy to walk, I can hire someone to walk for me?

"Pretty much," Lucius said.

"Welcome to Shivenar, Miss!" someone suddenly said. He was one of the porters, though without a palanquin. He had a wide smile that lacked one tooth on the upper row. He wore an a decent but old leather jacket with a beige tunic. "Your first time here? Would a city tour perhaps interest…" He trailed off as he saw Vivi's forehead. "Ehh, you're a human?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Yes," Vivi said. "How much for a city tour?"

The man stared at her for a few seconds before saying. "Three ether. I'll offer a tour for three full wisps. My name is Haglan. Shivenar has been my home for fifteen years. Anything you need, the best restaurants, shops, any tricks of success, you will learn best from me."

Vivi smiled awkwardly. Something told her that she wouldn't be learning any secrets for three ether. Still, Vivi wasn't pressed for money. She transferred three ether to Haglan and said, "I'll take the tour."

Lucius was frowning at the trade, but Haglan bowed with a friendly grin. He already began walking deeper into the city. Vivi followed. "Thank you, Miss. I will show you anything you wish to see. Are you perhaps hungry? Would you like to see the temple?"

"Take me to your runesmiths," Vivi said.

"Runesmiths, huh?" Haglan said. He was surprised for a second, but his smile quickly reappeared. "Are you looking to buy a sword? What sort of budget are we looking at?"

"I'm just studying my competition," Vivi said. "Who's the best runesmith in the city?"

Haglan laughed, as if Vivi had said something funny. "Shivenar's best runesmith is undoubtedly Piaro Vanhammer. You won't be able to meet him; he works for the Luminary. Smithies and sword shops are common. I can show you around."

The Luminary? Vivi asked in her head. It was probably best to ask Lucius to not show her cluelessness.

"That's what they call the leader of Shivenar," Lucius said. "The Luminary is kind of like a King. But Shivenar avoids that title to stay away from conflict with Ingfried. The palace thing at the very back is the Luminary's place."

I see, so we should avoid that place?

"Depends," Lucius said.

"The nearest runesmithing store is right here," Haglan was saying. He walked a few paces forward and showcased a building on the side of the street.

Long awnings protected the building's windows from the sky. Behind the windows was a gallery of weapons, showcasing the most basic single-runed steel swords Vivi had ever seen. The runeswords didn't really have veins. Instead, the fuller of the sword—the indent that ran across the middle of the blade—had been coated with conductive paste. The hilts of each sword had a single rune. Each "runesword" sold for a hundred ether.

Wow… Vivi thought. She was impressed by the lack of effort. If base swords were delivered to the runesmith, all they had to do was carve a single rune and apply some paste to the fuller of the sword. Swords like these were probably only around twenty-five percent stronger than a regular steel sword.

This can barely be called runesmithing, Vivi thought, but she kept the complaint inside, considering she was on a busy street. "Is there… anything better?" she asked instead. "A higher budget shop?"

"Yes, of course," Haglan said.

The next shop Haglan showed Vivi was located in a smaller street a few blocks away from the main path. "This one is called Runes of Agartha," Haglan explained, sounding much like a merchant. "It's the most popular runesmithing store amongst adventurers and hunters. Their swords are known to be reliable and strong."

They stepped in through the narrow double doors, barely wider than a single door. The store was healthily cramped with a pretty wooden floor and sturdy stone walls. The walls were decorated with posters of colorful runes. The store was filled with weapon display racks and galleries showcasing all sorts of crazy weapons. Maces, katars, shields. It was the type of interior that made Vivi want to explore and admire.

The weapons themselves, however, were nothing special. Most of the weapons weren't runic at all. The few runeswords at the back were single-runed, though this time with proper veins and more colorful metals. One of the red hardsteel longswords with a swiftness rune was on sale for two thousand ether. It was roughly on par with the equipment of Zand's lesser guardsmen.

"Good runeswords are costly," Haglan said, looking up at the sword wishfully. "But if you one day earn enough, they are worth it. We can all dream of one day swinging something like that."

Vivi wasn't sure how she should have gone about saying that the sword was below mediocre. She headed outside, where she said, "This place is lovely, but it can't be the best. What's the absolute best and most expensive smithy in the city? The place that you would show to noble warriors?"

Haglan laughed, though he was starting to look uncomfortable. "Out of the non-private smithies, it's definitely Vanhalla. It's the Vanhammers' family business, run by Piaro Vanhammer's son and apprentices."

"Take me there, please," Vivi said.

"Uhm, if I'm allowed to object, Vanhalla is at the very top of the city, near the Luminaries' palace. The swords there cost more than some noble houses. If you wish to as much as visit, we will need to visit a fashion outlet first."

"Smithies have dress codes here?" Vivi asked.

"Vanhalla does, if only to keep thieves and poor folk out," Haglan said. "It's unfortunate, but I cannot take you there."

Vivi bit her lip. I guess it's time to upgrade my appearance anyway… "Then, please take me to a proficient fashion outlet."

Haglan lowered his head, though not out of agreement. "Miss, I strongly suggest you to drop this idea. The clothes required to visit Vanhalla will cost you hundreds of ether."

"A few hundred is not a problem," Vivi said. "These are my travel clothes. I have a lot of ether."

"Ahh, I see, I see," Haglan said with a laugh. "What, um, is your budget?"

What's the minimum we'll need to spend? Vivi asked Lucius. She wasn't about to spend any more than necessary on clothes.

"We can probably buy a great outfit with five hundred ether or so," Lucius said. "Not much, considering you spent a thousand on water."

"Is five hundred ether enough?" Vivi asked Haglan.

His eyes opened in surprise. "So you are of a wealthier kind, I see." Haglan pondered for a moment. "In that case, do follow."

He bowed again and took Vivi deeper into the city through side-streets. Haglan was strangely quiet after Vivi mentioned the budget. If she were to guess, he was thinking of ways to gain more for himself.

Streets flowed by, busy and calm with all sorts of interesting city decorations. They passed one of the reverse spires protruding from the sky. The area was fenced off, but the bridge Vivi passed on had a clear view. Lava droplets were dripping into a well-like contraption underground. Lucius said that the lava dripped down and through the levelstone, where it would eventually flow to the sixth level.

Haglan's silent trip continued for over ten minutes. Vivi was starting to think that maybe she was being led to some sort of trap, but she shut that thought when the streets and outfits around them started to get richer and richer. Dresses and jewelry were common. Even Haglan's decent leather jacket was being outclassed. Vivi felt like the lone hooligan around.

Eventually, Haglan stopped outside a marble establishment. The small porch was decorated with flowers. A butler-like demon man with a fully scorched face was stationed outside. Above the door was a silk banner that Lucius translated as, "Threads and Reveries."

"Here we are; one of the more famous fashion outlets in Shivenar," Haglan said. He bowed to the butler. "Would you please guide this lady to some clothes?"

The butler glanced at Vivi. "Does she have ether?"

"Oh, very much so," Haglan said. "She's a traveler from outside looking to make it to the richer parts of the city."

The butler studied Vivi for a moment longer. Then he pulled out an etherprint scanner.

Vivi flinched. A sudden checkup? She still had her skills in her core. She had to hide them quick, and—

Wait. Vivi wasn't in Zand anymore. She had no reason to hide her ether. Her face went red, and she placed her hand on the scanner.

The butler's eyebrows rose in surprise. He nodded. "Yes, you have come to the right place. Miss, your boots, please."

Vivi paused, wondering what the man meant. He wanted her boots? But she nervously took them off. The butler left them by the door, then handed her a pair of sandals.

As the door opened, Vivi knew why she wasn't allowed to bring in her boots. She did not belong here. The store had a stainless white marble interior. The floors were pristine, and every table, every display rack, everything was immaculate. The dresses and suits on display must have cost more than Fellwater combined. This was easily the richest building Vivi had ever visited. The store even smelled fresh, like perfumes and clean fabric.

She had the urge to turn around and run. What are we doing Lucius; I wanted to see a runesmith, and now we're dressing up for balls!

Lucius looked amused. "Let's try not to spend too much. Five hundred ether should be enough."

While Vivi was standing there in awe like a total idiot, a shopkeeper of sorts came up to her. She was a demon with a strikingly shiny face and a white dress that matched the store's interior. "Welcome to Threads and Reveries, Miss. Searching for a new wardrobe, I presume? What kind of appearance are you looking to portray?"

Vivi looked around herself, blinked a few times, then asked, "What's the best raincoat you have?"

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