When I say behemoth-sized, I meant it quite seriously.
'What a deceptive appearance...' Athelei discovered why the city looked lifeless to him at first glance.
The small dots in the distance he had once written off as specks of dust were actually avian-like beasts of sand and stone. The pebbles were beasts of similar nature as well, from metallic armadillos to rhinoceros-like creatures. They were crawling around in such a uniform fashion that Athelei suspected the place to be owned by the Greater Goblins.
'But from the map I got from Hilvar and Sir One-eyed Harbinger's information, this isn't goblin territory... What is this place..?' Athelei thought as he turned his attention towards the city's architecture and infrastructures.
The towers that rose above the ground in artistic randomness and looked normal from afar were actually ginormous. Their doors and windows would make Ogres look like ants as they rose into the sky. The streets that snaked around them were as wide as rivers, capable of fitting six lanes of traffic.
'The central tower is still intact!' Athelei's nonexistent pupils sparkled as he noticed a surprising fact. He placed all of his attention on what he thought was a natural stone pillar at first.
It was a ten-kilometre tall cylindrical structure with vine-like wires coiling around it. It did not look like it was built up from scratch, and instead, carved from the bedrock pillars that held up the entire [First Kingdom].
'To which part of the labyrinth does this tower connect to?' Athelei wondered as he watched Gusche continue forward before thinking, 'He really is heading straight for that kingdom city...'
With a flicker in his nonexistent irises, he cast Inspect.
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Kingdom-City of Towers
[ "Joua'quire's Rendition of Beleyal" ]
- Carved by the Grand Sculptor Joua'quire as a tribute to the organisation of Artists that raised him despite his meagre talents.
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'Again with these works of art?' Athelei mused as he recalled the eldritch monsters he had once seen. 'These demons seem fond of their artistry. I do wonder if their sentiments are the same for the mystical Artistry as well?'
With all that Athelei had seen so far, his guesses were of such nature. From the mechanical prototypes to the tattoo on his wrist, and perhaps even the Ogres with their ability to practice the mystic—which was quite a stretch, he would admit—all of those had been created with Mystic Patterns at their core.
'Their society might have been based around Artists long ago, very much unlike humanity with the threat of another monster calamity breathing down their necks. They had the time and energy to indulge themselves in beauty... I wonder if that might be it...'
Athelei stood up from where he had been sitting as he felt that his mind was once again clear. His [Mana] had fully recovered. He double-checked the wisps that lingered around Gusche before spreading his wings.
'Since I know where you're likely going, I'll go on ahead~' Athelei waved at the zombie-like man despite the darkness that shrouded him and took off.
.
.
.
Beleyal.
At the top of one of its many towers.
A four-winged eagle the size of a Greater Goblin landed. It perched itself on the giant railings that could pass as full-on human walkways.
"I'm surprised," A human voice, young and crisp, rang out as the eagle's incorporeal form grew flesh and morphed into the appearance of a human child.
Athelei summoned his box of belongings through Shop and placed it at his feet. He dug out his robes and draped a rather luxurious cloak over his small shoulders. The clinking sounds born from a heavy pouch of coins swiftly followed the rustling of cloth.
"The power that is acting upon this kingdom-city is quite the find." He muttered to himself as his eyes narrowed in devious curiosity.
The moment he flew into Beleyal's torchlight, Athelei had perceived an unfamiliar aura interfering with the minuscule particles of his wisps. Even with his naked eyes, he had noticed a subtle white glow blooming from out of thin air.
Athelei had instantly recalled the Mysterious Zone where the robed Ogre Magus might have lived, as well as his earlier conjectures of Oxhorian Spawn society.
He had executed Inspect on a random speck of white light, curious of what kind of effect this zone had.
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Mystic Zone
[ "Beleyal's Circles of Order" ]
- A zone created by an array of Concentric Mystic Pattern Circles. It is used to limit any being that enters it, and dissuade them from disrupting Beleyal's laws and tainting the kingdom-city's image.
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Although Athelei had yet to ask of what kind of laws Beleyal had, through simple observation, as well as the subtle shackles placed on his existence, he knew what he could and could not do— at least if he wanted to be a law-abiding citizen and respect the rules.
—Which didn't sound too bad, considering the array that constantly exerted psychological pressure on him. The Mystic Zone was always there, omnipresent and omniscient. Ready to banish or annihilate any rascals who dared go against it.
Now, Beleyal's laws were quite simple, which was also a reason why it was easy for Athelei to figure it out.
In fact, it was basically a single law, but because of its uniqueness, a lot of things weren't seen in a good light. Athelei realised it was practically stated in his analysis of the Mystic Zone.
=o=o=o=o=
- Thou shalt not taint Beleyal's image in any way, shape, or form.
=o=o=o=o=
"We have to treat the city as we do a work of art..." Athelei muttered as he scanned the city before his eyes, taking note of as many intricacies as he could.
He watched as some beasts were turned to dust or flung outside Beleyal's walls due to some error on their part. A few beasts capable of flight suffered the same fates after accidentally losing a metallic feather in just the wrong area.
"It seems like the streets have the most obvious tolerance for dirt," He muttered to himself.
As he continued to observe despite the hours that passed, he gained greater amounts of clarity when it came to the Mystic Zone's law. Athelei pinpointed what tainting Beleyal's image most likely meant— and it was a concept and lesson he had once enjoyed back when his family still lived.
Prudence.
An example of such was the treatment of dirt and dust that came from one's feet: It was tolerable on designated streets and walkways, but it would be an unforgivable violation if it somehow ended up on a rooftop, or on one of the statues erected at the bases of many towers.
Killing another being was forgivable, as long as the body was dealt with perfectly: Not a single drop of blood must stain the city's stones nor could there be a strand of hair left behind.
Only certain, very specific areas, allowed for a little splatter here and there. One of those places was a kitchen. But even then, it could not exceed a certain amount, else the zone would judge it as a stain.
Such a fact was also a reason why none of the beasts, Orcs, Ogres, and Greater Goblins, avoided any kind of fighting, whether it was through their voices or their bodies.
If their saliva flew out onto the walls due to their incessant roars or if their attacks made even the slightest nick on a statue, then they would be reduced to dust without a second thought.
Their ashes will be lifted up by the breeze and sent out of the city.
"It's shockingly peaceful here," Athelei chuckled as he watched an Orc and a Greater Goblin enter some random tower side-by-side.
There was no sign of conflict between them... unless Athelei paid attention to what seemed to be the kingdom-city's designated arenas.