The journey progressed smoothly. Outside of the races' domains, the land was ownerless and deserted, pretty much the same view the whole way. Rarely could any living thing be spotted, and almost certainly of small size. The vegetation was also sparse and not very varied. Bandits? Only barely in the legends and they would act more in other busier frontiers.
The Ravina clan displayed generosity and provided many mounts, ensuring that all the luggage, with some extras, was properly allocated, leaving lizards for two cabins. One of them was taken by Javi, and the other by the Haller couple.
Etri was extremely nervous for the first few days.
Previously she had carried Ian on her lap and didn't care, but now the conjuncture differed from before. To make matters worse, he had the strange habit of sleeping lying down, unlike the Helis who rested sitting cross-legged in a meditation position.
More worse, he rested his head on her legs (:0). The first time this happened, Loli almost instinctively threw him away but managed to regain control by remembering their marriage, things between men and women, this and that...
Her heart raced, and if it were a cartoon, a red line would rise from the feet to head, and when it reached the top, smoke would escape through Etri small pointed ears.
Of course, she eventually got used to it and even developed the habit of observing and giving him head petting.
The itinerary consisted of 15 long days, with the caravan advancing for 12 consecutive hours and stopping for 4, during which everyone would train.
Ian made great progress in body strengthening, although he would train less, every minute would be much more efficient as had used and abused the poor Marshal. Since Javi was in the final stages of the Golden Body, it was enough to contemplate the techniques of the Divine Pattern and condense his soul world with the laws of the real, to create a spatial domain. Thus, he could exert aura on others concurrently with the training without much effort.
What ensued was equivalent to an increase the gravity by a few times, which together with the ability to learn and control his body, resulted in great fruits for Ian. By the end, the second stage could be felt.
Each species had its own customs and social organization. The Helis lived in a practically feudal society without a central power. Each clan, from the smallest to the largest, had autonomy for almost everything, as evidenced by their fortresses and walled territories. On the other hand, the Gnomes had a population at least twice the size of the Helis, but they all lived in a large global city governed by the Monarchy of Gnel, which also gave its name to the region.
"What a big city!" Exclaimed Loli. Since never left her native Domain, the vision surprised Etri. Ian on the contrary remained calm, on Earth he lived in cities with millions of inhabitants and even taller buildings.
Gnel appeared before their eyes after leaving a valley. It was located on a large plain, almost perfectly straight. Ian, in his curiosity, even used a tool to confirm this. A lone Queen, majestic and, surprisingly, noisy.
"Gnel is the largest commercial and industrial center in the whole Sombreal. Gnomes alone, we can count 25 000 000, apart from that many of the residents are of all other races and several temporary ones who are passing through for business." Explained Javi, who has been there several times representing the Helis, his clan or personal purposes.
When he heard about trade and industry, a nostalgia came over Ian. On Earth, humans lived in a market system and he, coincidentally, had been a quasi-former student of economics for many years. The Helis did trade, but in a very restrained character, so that never really caught his attention. 'Perhaps my knowledge from years of slacking off in university can finally be applied...'
"Senior, how should we proceed with establishing the Haller clan?" Ian asked after a moment.
"At first, we will stay in a hotel until I can complete the legal procedures, but there's no need to spend your energy thinking about it. With my status, two days should be enough," Javi proudly smiled.
"Now, there's something you both need to understand. Here, families, except for the royalty, don't matter much. Civil society is driven by Factions and Craft Guilds. You can choose one or both, but it will be difficult to sustain your clan without either of them. Another point, equally important, is that each Faction or Guild has its competitors and potential adversaries. They will do everything to suppress the other side. When the time comes to make your choice, you must ponder carefully."
Ian nodded. As expected, the economic relations here seemed to closely resemble those on Earth. The theories and hypotheses he had learned could likely be applied.
Even without significant capital or support, perhaps he could flourish with his innovations.
"The Haller clan should establish a workshop and a store, right?" Etri asked, somewhat confused about the matter. Life in the Helis seemed much simpler to her—all she needed to do was cultivate to become strong, and respect and resources would automatically follow.
"Yes, but with Ian's abilities, that shouldn't be a problem. The Ravina clan will arrange the purchase of an acceptable residence, a workshop in the industrial zone, and a store in the city center, in the Bazaar District. I will also leave a reasonable amount of purple crystals for initial needs." The First Elder informed them with a calm and confident expression. However, a keen observer would notice that his eyes trembled slightly, which showed that even though Ravina was one of the 10 largest clans, these expenses were extremely considerable. After all, the Helis paid little attention to financial matters and could be considered poor race.
Then, in that moment, Ian's sentence was interrupted because his jaw almost reached his nonexistent belly button due to the scene described next. Like any city, on the outskirts, there were some simpler, small-sized residences. In the garden, very well kept, by the way, there stood, without moving, an elderly man, not moving, smoking a pipe while observing the street's movement. His features were somewhat comical—slightly chubby, a large, clean beard that seemed as soft as cotton, big head, large ears, prominent nose, perfectly round eyes, standing at a height of 1 meter, wearing colorful clothes and a pointed blue hat. A GARDEN GNOME!