XIX.
Elias du Chevalier was prowling the streets of Khadez, taking the time to enjoy the beautiful sights.
Most of all, he was enamored with the townsfolk, watching as they milled about. He liked the way they dressed, in fashionable gowns, surcoats and hats, quite unlike the standard fare of cloth robes in the region. They were stylish people, shopping at stylish boutiques and perfumeries. Sipping tea for breakfast, at fresco diners. Going for leisurely rides, along the canal. It was to him, the very picture of a civilized society -- something rare and precious to behold in what he viewed as the barbaric east.
Elias could tell that only the cream of the crop -- the region's elite -- could afford to live here.
