Zach assumed that the knock was a signal to the carriage drivers to move.
He felt extremely relaxed as if he was some tourist visiting medieval Europe as he looked outside the carriage. The entire infrastructure of the city looked extremely sturdy as it had been built using stones that were heavier than steel.
Zach felt as if he had traveled to the past in his previous world and was witnessing the defining moments of the history he had read about before.
He had read somewhere that paved roads were the first indication of a well developed infrastructure. A city without a network of roads that could connect it with other cities or towns was basically a ghost city. No one would want to stay in such a place.
In Elizabeth city, the roads were not only paved and solid, but were also wide enough to allow the passage of two carriages side by side with ease.
The people looked busy in their jobs and hardly did Zach find someone idle and wasting time. Unlike his world, the homeless and the beggars were almost non-existent which pointed towards a stable economic system.
Zach was busy admiring the intricate things about the city as the carriage came to a halt with a jerk that almost threw him from his seat. The others were basically unaffected like they had been used to it for a long time.
Zach hid his embarrassment that caused his face to flush. Thankfully, no one noticed it and Zach could keep a bit of self-respect.
"We are here." Diana stated with excitement in her voice. She had almost died on her first adventure so she was obviously excited to be back home after receiving such a scare. But since she had brought guests with her, she didn't want to seem discourteous by leaving them on their own.
Zach and Luna followed after Diana and got off the carriage one by one.
Right in front of the carriage was a lavish courtyard that could only be owned by the highly privileged and notable members of the society in his previous world. The intricate design carved into the stone used to make the walls and the ambiance created by the superimposition of the various carefully selected decorations onto it was aesthetically pleasing even to Zach who was from a different world.
Luna wasn't as interested as Zach in the décor and construction but even she was somewhat wowed by the artistic picture that the whole courtyard painted for a first impression.
What surprised Zach even more was that he had already heard from the group about the status of the Luther family in the Elizabeth city. At best they could be called a small to middle grade family among the true giants calling forth wind and rain in the city. The Luther family was not even close to the top and the conditions of their living were already so superb.
A group of servants came out into the courtyard and lined up on both sides to receive their young lady.
Diana beamed at them as she asked them to hurry.
"Don't make our guests wait out here in the courtyard."
Obviously the servants hadn't been informed beforehand of the arrival of Zach and Luna. They only greeted them once Diana revealed their status as her guests.
The servants rushed to carry in their stuff but Zach denied their advances by raising his hand with his palm facing towards the servants.
Luna did the same since they weren't comfortable handing over their only belongings to someone who was not yet a fully trusted ally. Just like Diana's group wasn't fully comfortable with Luna being a succubus, he wasn't comfortable with trusting them completely either.
Before the hunting party could take their leave, Zach asked Diana to make sure that none of the party members revealed the secret of Luna being a succubus until they left the city so they could avoid unnecessary trouble.
Diana reassured him that such a thing wouldn't happen since she had already conveyed those instructions to her party members beforehand.
After disbanding her party before the courtyard, Diana rushed towards the living space obviously excited to see her family. Zach didn't try to stop her as it would have been too cruel to do so to a girl so young and who had been through so much on her first journey away from home.
Satisfied with her reassurance, Zach trotted after the servants who led them inside with a pace that wasn't too fast which would cause discomfort to the guests or too slow which would make their patience run out. They had obviously been trained very well.
Crossing over the main porch, they were led into the main living space by the servants. Posh furniture, that would have put even the most famous furniture designers of his previous world to shame, adorned the center of the living room. Two adjacent staircases, that were wide enough to run a carriage through each, led to the first floor of the mansion where they turned at right angles and became diametrically opposite to each other.
A giant rug was placed between the set of couches in the center of the living room which made the room look extremely spacious; even more than it already was.
Finest patchwork littered the ground at different intervals forming a giant patchwork in collaboration with the marble floor of the highest quality.
The servants led them to the center of the room before all of them but one retreated to the edges of the room where they stood as if waiting for something.
The servant who was still in front of them bowed courteously and pointed towards the seating area as she said, "Honorable guests, please make yourself comfortable. Our master will be with you soon."
Zach and Luna complied and sat down as their eyes traveled across the room trying to take in the complete sight at once.
Even though the servants should have found their actions hilarious, none of them dared to show even a hint of a smile; even the corner of their mouths stayed static as if they weren't capable of such an action.
They didn't have to wait very long before the sound of something rolling across the marble floor was heard. Zach looked towards the two giant doors towards his left in anticipation.
The doors were opened by two doormen and Diana came in while pushing a man in a wheelchair. The person had the same dark hair and almost the same facial features as that of Diana. It was evident in the first glance that the man was related to Diana somehow. He looked too young to be her father so he was likely to be her older brother.
The next thing Zach noticed was that the previously cheerful expression of Diana had been replaced with a sullen look that made her fair complexion look pale and bitter.
The young man in the wheelchair came uncomfortably close to Zach as he held his hand in between his both hands as a gesture of gratitude that came from the bottom of his heart. His expressions clearly revealed the extent of his gratitude.
"Hello, I am Bruce, Diana's older brother and your host for as long as you want to stay with our family. My little sister told me how you saved her life by risking your own. I don't know how I can thank you but let me tell you that for as long as you are here, feel free to ask me for anything. Everything I have will be at your disposal should you wish for it."
Zach flinched at such an over the top way of being thanked but didn't reject it outright.
Bruce calmed down after a minute and retreated a few steps back.
"Sorry for that. I got overwhelmed by my emotions."
Bruce bent his upper body towards both Luna and Zach in turn; as much as his crippled body allowed him to at the very least.
"Please don't trouble yourself over it. It wasn't any trouble and since we happened to be passing by, we would have felt bad had something happened to your sister or her group." Zach replied with a gracious smile on his face while Luna nodded to show that she felt the same way.
Bruce looked extremely satisfied with their answer but the smile on his face was only directed at Zach.