Chapter 5: Welcome to Magna City, Part 2

Wider roads, tightly packed brick houses, numerous horse-drawn carriages, colorful stalls, beautiful decorations, cheerful people walking and running about: are all these real, or am I still asleep somewhere? Mariana thought.

 

 

Mariana bit her tongue to check. She instantly regretted it.

 

 

"This is real! I'm really in Magna City. Oh, yes!" Mariana threw her fist in the air merrily.

 

 

There's so much stuff Mariana wanted to explore here, but she was not sure where to start.

 

 

"Should I try the food from that stall or should I check out that magic shop? Ooh, I can't decide!" 

 

 

"Why don't you try everything, young lady? You'll see more amusing and wonderful items in the marketplace," Robert said, all smiles.

 

 

'Oops. I totally forgot about him. I thought he'd leave us once he got inside.'

 

 

"I thought you already went on your way. We aren't inconveniencing you while waiting for us, are we?" Mariana asked.

 

 

"Don't worry, I don't mind!" Robert said. "Where's that young lad Ignis, anyway?"

 

 

"Actually, I don't know…" 

 

 

Mariana wasn't sure how long she was standing there admiring the scenery, but they should've met Ignis by now. She was confident that Ignis saw what she just did, so if he wanted to, he could just do the same thing.

 

 

'Wait, does he even have a ring?'

 

 

Mariana had not seen his ring before since the sleeves of Ignis' robe were just long enough to cover his fingers.

 

'Maybe he got stopped by the gatekeepers because they realized he was a fire mage? Would he be fine if that happened? I sure hope so.'

 

 

Even the rude guard started showing Mariana respect when he witnessed her ring, so if they realized that the person in front of them was the one and only fire mage, she doubt they'd do anything bad to him. They might even treat him like a god, although that would be too much.

 

 

Just as Mariana was getting worried, Ignis finally emerged behind the door of a small outpost next to the gate. The two gatekeepers behind him bid him off too, but not the same as how they treated her. 

 

 

"What took you so long, young lad?" Robert asked the approaching Ignis.

 

 

"I obtained my own…" Ignis showed his wrist and there, a bracelet could now be found similar to what Robert was wearing.

 

 

"Makes sense. Anyway, aren't you going to remove your hood? Some people might find you suspicious if you keep it on," Robert informed Ignis.

 

 

"I'd remove them, but not now," Ignis said.

 

 

'I guess he never showed his ring to the gatekeeper, huh? How secretive must you be?'

 

 

"If that's what you want. Anyhow, since you, young Mariana, are the granddaughter of elder Marina, I propose I should give you a tour before we separate our paths. You should come too, young Ignis. What do you think?" Robert asked.

 

"But would it be hard to tour us? The sun is setting, you see…" Mariana said worriedly.

 

"That doesn't matter here. I'll even show you the way to a decent inn where you could both stay. Come, let's go. Haha!" 

Robert then led the way for the both of them.

 

What Robert meant when he said that it didn't matter regardless of whether the sun sets, Mariana didn't know. However, something in her mind was curious to find out, so she followed him.

 

 

When people from Mariana's village came back from Magna City and shared their experiences, she thought they were just exaggerating. How could a cave-dwelling person understand the stories of someone who witnessed the outside, anyway? That was why she's thrilled that she finally got out of her cave. 

 

 

The sidewalk was filled with rows of different shops and stalls. All seemed to invite Mariana to come closer and purchase something.

 

 

'I would if I could, you know…'

 

 

Mariana grabbed her coin sack hanging to her side. She peeked inside and saw its contents.

 

 

50 silver coins.

 

 

That's the entire pocket money that Mariana saved ever since she started working for Marcus. It would've been around 1 gold or more if she didn't spend some of it to buy food for them. 

 

 

Mariana sighed.

 

 

Robert cheerfully explained how the merchants have different varieties of goods with them. Magna City procured most of the artifacts from the Dwarves of Lithos while the blacksmiths obtained their materials also from them. 

 

 

The Hallowed Nation Of Cavea, on the east of Magna City, provided most of the aquatic goods such as fish, clams, and jewelry such as pearls. The northwest of Magna was near the ocean, but given the fact that the Siren's territory was situated there, they couldn't just barge in and fish in their waters. Doing so would violate the treaty created by the five great races.

 

 

"Wait, five races? Does that mean that there are other lesser ones?" Mariana asked.

 

 

"I'm not sure about that," answered Robert. "All I know is that they call themselves five great races and we humans are among those five." 

 

 

Robert continued his explanation as they entered — what he called — the marketplace. Basically, it was a wide circular area filled with stalls and markets selling different kinds of fresh meat and vegetables, different kinds of fabric, and many others. Mariana was amazed by how many people were currently there despite the time of the day.

 

'Did they all have some sort of light source because if they didn't, they'd soon be walking like headless chickens?'

 

 

"I did say a while ago that nighttime doesn't bother us, right? You'll know why in a moment..."

 

Mariana patiently anticipated the events that were about to unfold. As soon as the sun hit the horizon, the black tall metal pillars which were scattered all across the road simultaneously illuminated a bright yellow light on its top. These posts flickered once in a while but it still bathed them with enough light to see everywhere around them.

 

 

Mariana gasped at the sight of these marvels. With these all around Magna City, the common problems the people have encountered during the night were now a thing of the past. The people would be able to continue their work even if the sun has long set on the horizon. She bet that some people would even choose to have fun in the nighttime instead since it's discomforting to sightsee around if you're practically sweating all over your body due to the heat.

 

 

"Pretty impressive, huh? What do you say?" Robert said.

 

 

"It's fine…" said Ignis.

 

 

"What do you mean, fine? This is amazing! Are these also artifacts, too?" Mariana asked Robert.

 

 

"Not entirely. The posts are just metal, however, the light on top is a common artifact. They said it's a lumi-… what's that word again? Basically, it's metal crafted by the rock-dwelling guys that absorb sunlight during the day and emit it during the nighttime. Pretty fancy, don't you think? I'm actually saving money to buy one for my house although that would probably take a long time," Robert said, scratching his cheeks.

 

 

'That was just a common artifact?! I would've rated it the same as Sir Ignis' pouch due to how extremely helpful it was for the people. That's it. From now on, I have decided to collect all kinds of artifacts all over Paradis!'

 

 

Maybe not all over Paradis. You don't even have the money for it yet. How about you work hard as a mage before declaring something unachievable? Said a cheeky little voice inside Mariana's mind.

 

 

[Then, Mariana finally remembered why she went to Magna in the first place. They'd been walking around for quite some time but she still had seen no trace of Arcanus. She decided to ask Robert about it.

 

 

"Arcanus, huh? Why do you ask?" asked Robert.

 

 

"Well, I would like to study there…" Mariana said.

 

 

Mariana explained to Robert a little bit about her dream and the events that happened this past week. His eyes widened in shock and he even started showering her with respect, which, of course, Mariana immediately tried to stop. She just wasn't comfortable being addressed like this. It felt overbearing and stressful. Mariana would prefer to be treated how the people usually treated her.

 

 

"Phew, you made me nervous back there, young Mariana." Robert wiped off his sweat.

 

 

"Why would you be nervous about that?" Mariana asked.

 

 

"Well, I thought you were doing some investigating or something and never really came from Pago. I mean your hair's black. Mages' hair color usually depended on their element." Robert sighed.

 

 

'That's a thing?! Then why is mine still black?'

 

 

This piece of information totally left Mariana flabbergasted. She eyed Ignis — who was quietly standing beside her that one would forget that he was there — in search of answers.

 

 

"You told me you haven't cast a proper spell before. That must be why," Ignis replied briefly.

 

 

'He's got a point. Wait, if mages had their hair color changed depending on their power, then that meant…'

 

 

"Yes, now don't say a word," said Ignis.

 

 

No wonder Ignis never removed his hood. One look at his head would certainly give his identity away, and he didn't want that. He told them a while ago that he'd remove it, though. What could he be waiting for?

 

 

Robert then replied that Arcanus is located in the Noble district and unless one is a noble or they were a mage, a regular person would be unable to even have a peek inside. 

 

 

"So this district would be?" asked Ignis.

 

 

"Ah, this would be the Common district. There are four districts in Magna: the Common, Noble, Mixed, and Crafting district," Robert once again explained. "The Mixed district is where the other races live together with their shops and items. Lastly, the Crafting district is the place where you'll meet the artisans and craftsmen and their wonderful creations. Hence, the district's name."

 

 

In the middle of these four districts lay the Royal Palace of Magna. However, only the nobles were allowed to venture there, and only the highest-ranking nobles were allowed to even see Magna's rulers. 

 

 

Mariana thought that was pretty lame to not show themselves to their people, but she couldn't really complain. After all, it was because of their successful leadership that Magna City was flourishing like this.

 

 

"Do you have any other questions? If not, then I'd be taking my leave. My wife might nag at me at this rate. I mean I love annoying her but still, hahaha!" Robert chuckled impishly.

 

 

Having realized that they did take a lot of Robert's time, Mariana decided to let him go and thanked him for how he greatly helped them along the way. Before leaving, he taught them how to reach this inn called Nightingale. 

 

 

"See you around, you two. Be careful along the way!" and Robert left.

 

 

With Robert now gone, it was all up to Mariana and Ignis to find this Nightingale Inn. Following his instructions, they both steadily paced themselves along the busy road. Many shops and stalls were still up and running, so it was really a refreshing experience for Mariana. Some merchants would even call Mariana's attention, telling her to buy their stuff. 

 

 

'I really wished that grandma could see this. I'm sure she'd love this. '

 

 

Full of anticipation, Mariana hopped on Star's back and spoke to her ever-silent companion. "Hey, let's go! Don't just stay there, we might not find a room to rest."

 

 

Ignis only stared at her figure, seemingly waiting for something, and, "I still have matters to attend to. I have to go."

 

 

"What…?"