Chapter 511 — Into the City
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
The Month of Mist has fallen.
Winter is here.
Winter in Anseth always comes early; often before the Month of Frost has even ended, many regions have already slipped into a bleak and silent season. The crops in the fields have been harvested, grain and firewood for the winter stored away early in every household, and after that, from city to countryside, from fortress to cottage, it becomes hard to find crowds of people in the streets and alleys. Like animals wintering in the wilderness, people return to their wind-and-rain-sheltered homes before the cold fully descends, and quietly wait for spring.
But Xuan Yao City had not been like that for two years now. To the Cecilians, winter was still a season in which one could go out and work as usual.
A fine rain had passed the night before—very likely the last rain of the year. It had wet the concrete and flagstone streets, nourished the cold-hardy flowers, grasses and trees along the roadsides and street corners, and when the sun rose, the moisture began to rise gently; aided by the slightly higher ground temperature of the urban area, it formed a mist that shrouded every place where people gathered. This thin mist was different from the blinding winter fog of Typhoon's interior; it carried a comfortable, languid feeling—as though one were waking from a hazy and beautiful dream.
And the radiance of the Giant Sun shone upon such a Xuan Yao City.
On this cold early-winter morning, people ate a filling meal, put on warm clothes, and stepped out of their homes to go to work; and as the crowds in the streets and alleys grew, the whole city gradually awoke.
The thin morning mist was quickly driven off by the sun's warmth. The city lifted its gauzy veil, and every sight became clear and bright.
A carriage, its design and ornamentation uncommon in these parts, drove in through the great gate of the Cecil commercial district. Its brisk hoofbeats clattered along the street; sunlight fell upon the carriage canopy, making the bronze fittings—washed clean by the rain—glitter.
The side panel of the carriage was opened a crack, and a pair of bright eyes peered out from within. Only after several minutes did those eyes draw back.
"Father, the streets of Cecil are so wide!" Inside the carriage, a short-haired young man said to the middle-aged man seated at the rear, "And their houses... they're all so tall!"
"Last time I came, there weren't nearly this many buildings..." The middle-aged man at the rear—Kade, a great merchant from the Carol Territory—could hardly hide his astonishment either, but in front of his eldest son he still strove to maintain an outward calm. "Don't act like some country bumpkin who's never seen a city—Parr, we are here on behalf of the Carol Merchants' Association to meet the ruler of the Southern Frontier."
"Yes, Father."
The young man called Parr hastily lowered his head and listened earnestly to his father's teaching—his father Kade was the most successful great merchant in the Carol region, a man long famed for his precise judgment and his power to execute. It was precisely because he had been the first to answer the Administration Hall's call and sign the Merchants' League Agreement that the family had been able to advance another step, and now even had the chance to represent the Carol Chamber of Commerce before the ruler of the Southern Frontier. Facing such a success who had proven his ability through action, young Parr felt sincere respect.
Seeing his eldest son's attitude, the great merchant Kade nodded in satisfaction, then softened his tone: "But provided it doesn't hurt others' impression of us, you should also observe your surroundings cautiously and in detail. Whether opportunities or connections, they're usually hidden at first in the details of one's environment. Take Xuan Que City here—it's developing so fast, and its population growing so fast, which means its opportunities are simply endless..."