To hear about something and witness it with one's own eyes were two completely different experiences. Pearl had realised this on the twelfth dawn of their voyage, when Avi's Fortune reached the man-made gulf which the port of Kanark occupied. A hundred vessels sailed to and from that area, and about twice that number lay anchored in the docks.
The port of Kanark itself was almost as large as the entire city of Ilnanar, and what lay beyond that was even more overwhelming for Pearl. Houses entirely made of bricks and earth, thousands upon thousands of such houses stretched out into the land. Some of these buildings were massive, so tall that they could be seen from the sea even though they were deep enough in the city. Only one such building was located in the port region, built on a small islet near the shore which was probably not natural. The building was taller than the tallest trees in Nanaral. It was approximately one and a half times as tall as a mountainous conifer. Such buildings were called towers, Pearl remembered his father telling him about them.
As Avi's Fortune passed by the tower's islet, Pearl ran to the deck's edge to get a better look.
"It's the highest lighthouse in Renaar." Eranae said, walking to Pearl, "It's also the oldest structure in the city. Actually, if I remember correctly, the lighthouse was here first. The city was built around it."
"It's so large." Pearl muttered in awe.
"I think the correct adjective here would be 'tall.'" Eranae suggested.
"I mean the city." Pearl said, "My father hasn't travelled to Kanarrim, so he didn't have any stories about it. Are all major cities in the world this big?"
"Not really, Kanark is a bit larger than a standard city." Eranae informed, "It's the centre of trade and commerce in the East, even more so with its new policies. Naturally there are more people here than you find in an average town and that number is always growing."
Pearl nodded and continued to gawk in awe. The vessel was nearing the anchoring area. Eranae had already made sure that their travelling packs were ready a day before, in order to not waste any time after the ship had docked. Now she talked with the captain, thanking him for the journey and then paying him with the decided amount of silver.
Jarine approached Pearl, moving beside him on the deck's edge, "So, this is farewell I suppose."
"I guess so," Pearl replied, "Thank you for teaching me about the Skysong."
"It was nothing," Jarine blushed, "A songmaster of your cadence would have figured it out on his own sooner or later."
Pearl remained silent for a moment, thinking what to say next.
"I will miss talking to you." Pearl finally decided, "But I have a feeling we will meet again."
"You do?" Jarine cheered up a bit.
"Yes," Pearl replied, "You are a spice merchant, which means that you will most likely trade at every major port from Yavireth to Serdaea."
"That is correct," Jarine agreed, "However, we spend the late spring and early winter in Temer. So if you ever happen to visit Temer, or Itanir more specifically, please do stop by. Our house is in the fourth street of the East Quarters in the Wind district."
"I...will remember that," Pearl said with a smile, "If I ever happen to visit the Temeri capital. Thank you and farewell, Jarine Avi."
The ship had anchored at a wharf which was currently empty. Eranae and Pearl again thanked the crew for the comfortable voyage, and set out in the colossal city that was Kanark.
"Where are we going?" Pearl asked, following Eranae who seemed to be in a hurry.
"We are buying new clothes," Eranae told him, "Something more concealing, for me at least. The Elaians know how I look."
"They made that pretty clear I think," Pearl commented, "But they probably don't know your name, or anything else about you. Just that you carry Rel's vessel."
"I hope so," Eranae replied, "I really do. A lot of people would get into trouble if the Elaians know who I am."
Now that Pearl thought about it, even he didn't know who she was exactly. He had read about her family but the document focused more on their work rather than information about individual family members.
"Era," Pearl asked, "Who exactly are you?"
"What do you mean?" Eranae stopped in the middle of the crowded street, somewhat disrupting the flow of traffic, "I am Eranae Varinus Celenor. I think we exchanged introductions on the very day we met."
"That's not what I am asking," Pearl said, "Why are the Elaians after you?"
"Because I, now we, are the binders of Wind's Wrath, which is a powerful relic that the Elaians want." Eranae continued walking again, so as to not cause inconvenience to other pedestrians.
"Yes, you have told me that before." Pearl said with a sigh, "But why do you have it? Are you, or your family, part of a rebellion or a conspiracy against the Elaian crown, or something?"
"I wish it were that simple." Eranae said softly, "But no, I promise I will explain everything to you once we are close enough to Haleranth."
"Alright," Pearl said, "I'll not prod any further then."
They made their way through the streets in silence henceforth. Every inch of the city was crowded, from the main walkways to the sequestered alleyways. There were more people in a single crossroad than Pearl had seen in the village gatherings. Even in Ilnanar, the crowd was concentrated on the market streets and wasn't nearly as large as the ones here. The shops and warehouses there were vacated when the working hours were over but here it seemed that no space was left unused at any time of the day.
Eranae led the way to an open street that was a little better organised than the ones they had passed before. There was a strange scent in the air here that Pearl wasn't fully familiar with. The stalls and shops in this street sold fabric and garments, which also meant the crowd here was quite prominent and it was reasonably so. A thousand types of materials and attires were put on display, each one bright and colorful. One could easily find themselves lost in the sheer variety this place offered.
Pearl had been wearing the Temeri garb that Jarine had given him, and it wasn't very different from what many in Kanark wore. But on seeing such spectacular outfits on the display, he couldn't help but buy one for himself. It was a Renaari travelling robe of a draping design that dropped down to the calves. The fabrics comprising it were of mainly two hues, cream and maroon, with a deep brown belt to tie at the waist. The outfit was a tad bit expensive, but what else could Pearl spend money on. Eranae on the other hand had bought a simple blue Cerhin tunic with slits at the shoulders and was about the same length as Pearl's robe, which means reaching below the calves. She had also bought a grey short cloak that was designed to form into a hood when donned.
"Pearl," Eranae said, strapping the cloak to her tunic, "I need to get some affairs in order before we move on from the city."
"Fine by me," He replied, "Where are we headed then?"
"Not we, just I," Eranae told him, "In the meanwhile, I want you to run an errand for me."