Traveling at high speeds, Gerald and Elly passed many people and animals, merchants, and warriors… They rushed along the dirt road with a rumbling sound of stones and dirt, making the people jump in fright when they went past them.
Both Gerald and Elly covered themselves with traveling cloaks to keep out the dust, but also to hide their identity. A rumor of a powerful Earth Mage started to spread among the travelers and they wildly speculated as to who it might be.
Not much of interest happened on the road. A gang of bandits tried to attack them once, but Gerald simply ignored them and plowed straight through the barricade, leaving the confused men in a cloud of dust.
Elly marveled at his calmness and ability to keep spells going while talking. She posed him many hard questions that he answered in a half-sleep-like state as he was terribly bored of the monotonous road. In just the two days they traveled together, she felt like she learned more than a full year of studying with her personal teachers.
They talked about many things, but her family or place of origin was not one of them. She didn't mention it herself and Gerald didn't care, so that's all there was to it.
They did speak a lot about magic, though. Gerald explained his theories, discoveries, and methods, which left her completely tongue-tied. As with every other profession, creating a stable foundation of knowledge was also the most important thing for a mage.
They started from the ground up. First were the core principles and the laws of the universe. Having a mindset to go from the atoms up would always be beneficial as you would get a complete grasp of what and how something was happening.
Of course, he had to simplify the explanation, otherwise, these people who never heard of physics, chemistry, quantum mechanics, and such, would never be able to grasp what he was trying to tell them without months or years of prior learning.
His idea was to just push people onto the correct path and then let them walk on it by themselves. He had no time to babysit them.
They arrived at the plains around the capital the next evening. The road took them through forests and over rivers, past small villages, towns, and cities, but they didn't have time to stop and play around.
The entirety of the twenty-something hours they rode on the Rockslide served as good training for Gerald. He almost came to the point of being able to keep it going while sleeping, almost.
"Wow! So this is the capital, it's beautiful!" Elly gasped as the giant city wall entered her sight from afar.
"Yes, it's quite nice… If you have money."
Gerald turned his gaze a few hundred meters from the entrance, where wooden shacks and broken-down houses hugged the white walls. He had been wondering where the poor people lived since there didn't seem to be any in the city. Now it seems they were hiding just out of sight, in the space between the city gates.
He could see many people in rags and dirty clothes, some of them were missing limbs or were disfigured, possibly old warriors that met with misfortune on the job.
"Oh, that's kind of sad… Should we give them some money or food?" Elly asked and compassion was clear in her eyes.
"No!" Gerald sternly answered and pulled her towards the city. "I already told you, don't stick your nose in things that don't concern you!"
"But why? I just wanted to give them a little help…"
Gerald didn't care for her sad looks and simply continued on his way.
Elly seemed unconvinced by his sparse words so he sighed and spoke, "Look, do you have enough money and food for everyone there? Can you guarantee that they will each only keep their own part after you leave? Do you plan on feeding them every day from now on? Do you?!"
"N- No… I don't think I can do that…" she answered, confused.
"Then don't do it even once! What you are going to do is one of the following: If you give stuff to only some of them, you will create jealousy and internal strife. People there are poor and starving, and the few of them that are stronger than the rest will grab this opportunity to fight for the goods."
"Second: If you give stuff to everyone equally, you will attract even more poor beggars and they will demand their share. Don't get me wrong, even if you give stuff to everyone, most won't be grateful, they will be mad at you and despise you because of your wealth and your good deeds. It would show them that you are better than them and it would make them angry."
"And lastly: Even if they don't become aggressive and fight for the food and money, they will expect you to give them stuff when they see you next time. They will swarm you to beg and demand, and will not stop until you beat them up or capitulate to their requests."
Elly looked at him with eyes wide open and a shocked expression. She never thought much about the consequences her big-hearted actions would create.
"Don't get me wrong, if there is something you can do and improve the situation with your help, then do it! But if you are just going to make things worse for everyone involved, including yourself, then just don't do anything. There is enough trouble in the world, don't go around making things worse with your ignorance."
After his speech, they arrived at the gates. Gerald paid the entrance fee for both of them and they entered without a problem.
Elly didn't say a word the entire time, holding her head low and thinking about what he said. He was right. If she gave food or money to those that couldn't defend themselves, they would just become targets for those stronger.
She would paint a target on their backs, making their life harder instead of improving it. She quietly sighed. The world was so complicated.
She quietly decided to adopt his style of thinking, being quite rational and far-sighted. During their travel here she gained a good understanding of how his mind worked, especially when it came to his train of thought.
Walking through the densely packed streets of the capital, with people shouting and conversing vigorously on every corner, and with colorful clothes and shiny products everywhere, her mood improved greatly. It was difficult to remain downcast when people around you were beaming with happiness.
They eventually arrived at Gerald's mansion.
"You live here?" Elly asked, surprised.
"Yes, but it's just temporarily, the residence belongs to an acquaintance."
As they entered, Gerald noticed a flag hanging above the front door. It was dark purple with a shining black crystal in the middle.
"Don't tell me…" Gerald got an idea of what happened almost immediately. The only thing that he wondered was, 'Whose idea was it? And how much did it cost?!'
The purple color was expensive!
"Sebas!" Gerald called when he came inside. The butler quickly arrived and welcomed his master.
Gerald pointed at the flag outside and asked with a stern voice, "Whose idea was that?"
"Reporting to the young master, the flag was requested by lady Sera. She insisted it was a requirement to display the location of the Black Onyx headquarters," the butler answered truthfully.
"What's Black Onyx?" Elly asked from the side.
"It's the name of my warrior group which you are now a part of."
"Oh!"
"Yeah, let's go!" Gerald led Elly through the mansion in search of Sera. She was the one in charge of the finances, but maybe he should rethink her position…