Vann walked the streets with mouth agape. The city was both a confirmation and a marvel, distinctly incomparable to anything on Earth. Towers with spires piercing the clouds; buildings stacked impossibly upon one another with bridges above connecting the floating streets. The cobblestone paths were lined with market stalls, each one packed to the brim with unusual paraphernalia.
"This is incredible," Vann muttered.
"Isn't it?" Alex said. "Population of ten million, so they say. You'd think every street corner would be packed, but with magic, they just keep building how they want, where they want. It's like a… vertical metropolis, a jungle of patchwork buildings all woven together. Physics defying! Still, it makes me nervous to have half a building hanging over the street like some kind of awning."
"You'd think it'd be harder to navigate with everything so haphazardly placed. It's chaos." Vann watched above a couple leaning over their balcony, sipping at goblets in hand and laughing.
"All roads lead to Rome here. Radial design, I'm told. Wouldn't work back on Earth as well, considering cars and traffic and stuff, but works just fine here. They can keep the city compact by building up, and thanks to magic they can build structures as they please. No need to worry about land costs or space or shape. There's enough space in Adler for double the current population!" Alex stroked his chin, pursing his lips. "Well, maybe."
The pair walked side by side. Filling the space between buildings, strings adorned with bright flags ran from one side to another. Street lanterns held flames of greens and blues and reds, and washed the street with flickering splashes of colour, while stained glass windows were adorned with complex patterns and shapes.
The people around wore an array of outfits, ranging from patchwork dresses and rough tunics, to clean button-up shirts and thick coats. A collision of modern and medieval, it seemed.
"So, is all of Adler this… lively?" Vann asked.
"This, my friend, is the merchant's quarter. It's one of the livelier parts in town, second only to the arena. Boy, I can't wait to take you to that. Oh, actually, now that we're on the topic of merchants, I need to shatter your world."
"Even more?"
"Even more." Alex winked.
"Go on."
"Money! You know it, I know it, we all know it. Papery, coinery, or digital..ery. Whatever, anyway, you need to forget everything you know about it. Money isn't really used over here in the traditional sense."
"Then why a merchant's quarter?"
"Elementary, my dear Watson. Take a closer look around. See that they're not peddling any necessities. All that's legal to sell in Adler are knick-knacks. Also relics. Money here is really only for luxuries, everything else - food, shelter, water - it's free. No, no, no. The coins over here are more a badge of achievement. You trade a bronze for a meal cooked by a chef. Perhaps a silver for some new gear, or a tailored wardrobe."
"What is this, some kind of utopia?" Vann said.
"Woah now, hold yer horses partner, don't go getting too star-struck. It's great, yes, but you'll see it has its fair share of issues. And can't blame our old home for being so shabby because they didn't have magic or blessings. Food grows in abundance, like crazy abundance, around here. You'll understand why later. And shelter only requires a bit of resources and an imaginative wizard. No need for architects, contractors, or builders. After all, it doesn't matter if the structure is built sound. Magic will keep it upright for as long as it needs."
Vann glanced around, scratching his head. "So, I'll bite. Magic, what of it? Can anyone, like, use it?"
"All natives, yeah," Alex said. "Some of the summoned have shown the ability, too. But what makes us particularly special is our ability to use Aura and… hmm. Maybe… it's better to demonstrate this one. I want you to jump."
"Excuse me?" Vann stopped and stared at the young man. Alex's lips were pointed up in a wide grin.
"I said jump. As high as you can."
"I-I'm not going to do that in the middle of the street."
"Then do it on the side of the street. C'mon, just jump."
Vann sighed and shook his head. "Fine, I'll jump."
Vann dropped his weight to his knees. It was at that moment he noticed how light his body felt. Throwing his hands up, he jumped.
"Watch your head," Alex said and Vann realised in that second, why.
Without effort, he jumped his own height, nearly two metres into the air. The crowd around paused and watched, holding their hands to their mouth and gasping.
After some moments in the air, Vann landed in the middle of the street.
"Holy shit," Vann said. "What the hell was that?"
"That, my friend," Alex said, smiling. "Is the magic of gravity. Or, I should say, lack thereof. We had some scientist folk measure, and this planet seems to have the same gravity as mars. Thing is, the natives here grew up with this gravity. They're about as strong as your average earthling. We summoned, however, are about two and a half times stronger here. Fifty kilo benchpress? Try one-hundred and twenty-five over here."
"This feels… incredible."
"Wait until you learn to control your aura, or qi as some call it. Two metres? Try two hundred."
Vann clenched his fists, buckled over, and cried out. "Hell yes!" Within a moment, Vann shook his head and took a deep breath. Crowds of people gasped, hands over mouths, glancing to one another. Vann's cheeks went red. "S-sorry. It just feels a bit wild."
"You have no idea," Alex said.