At the sight of the first city the group encountered, they all stopped momentarily to observe the place from the top of a hill next to it.
Less than eight kilometers from Lastwood, they could see a city that, at first glance, was about twelve times the size of their village.
There were several side streets, alleys, and lanes, but also wide avenues, so ample that they didn't really understand what they were for.
The place looked especially magical under the setting sun, with the street lamps already lit, while there was still enough natural light for them to notice the different types of local buildings.
Many of the houses were like the ones they had already seen in the village of Ihk. But there were other buildings, places they already understood, where products and services were sold.
There was also a beautiful square in the city's center, with the most important places in Lastwood on the sides, such as the city hall, the local guard, and the mercenary guild.
Seeing this place, where many people were moving through the streets on foot, on animals, or in strange vehicles, Seth broke the silence of his group and suggested that they move on.
The group followed their leader, but even though they had been hearing about this place and what they would find in the cities for days, they couldn't help but look at the area with curiosity.
And how could they not react like that?
For them, the idea of such a social agglomeration was something that had only recently appeared in their worlds. Entering this city was like getting to know a place they had fantasized about for countless hours.
As they entered Lastwood's first avenue, where carriages went from one place to another along the dirt paths, they slowly made their way to the city's center.
They didn't attract too much attention for their 'redneck' ways. Their situation would have been worse if they hadn't passed through Ihk's village first. Not only would they probably have acted as strangely as before, but they would have been dressed in their tribal garb.
This society was very different from where they grew up on the Giant Island. If they entered Lastwood in their loincloths, which didn't cover much of their bodies, they would attract a lot of attention.
But the clothes the people of Ihk's village had given them were common in the area, and they went relatively unnoticed by some of the people coming and going.
Dax couldn't help but stare at the carriages and mutter what he had recently learned. "So these are the carriages? These people really travel in wooden boxes!"
"If you think about it, it's not so different from us using boats on the water. But here, they use these things pulled by animals." Anne Farr, one of the young women in the group, commented quietly in her native language.
They walked slowly down the main street of Lastwood, but it wasn't a big city. Soon, they passed the main parts of the city and reached the center, where most of the shops were.
They noticed places that sold raw food and cooked food, where people met, and where one could buy clothes, artifacts, and everything one could use in their daily lives.
The people there seemed to be very well-behaved; there was no rioting of any kind, let alone people using powers for free, as one would see on the old Giant Island.
In Seth's village, it was very common for tribe members to use their powers almost every hour of the day.
Some did it to practice their skills, and since there wasn't much privacy there, of course, everyone could see others using their powers.
Some had musical or artistic abilities, and they would occasionally perform in the center of the tribe to brighten up the atmosphere.
That didn't exist in this city, and anyone who tried to do so would be advised to stop before the local forces took action, from what the people of Ihk had told them.
Moses glanced at a group of similarly dressed armed men and immediately identified several members of the local repressive force.
'Are these the city guards? Are they strong?' Moses felt no power from most of these people, similar to what his group had perceived in the village of Ihk.
As they walked through the central area of the city, there were finally people watching them, noticing a large group moving around while wearing strange looks, like savages in civilization for the first time.
A wealthy young man looked at the women in the group and commented to his friend in a local tavern. "They're pretty, but they act like animals, haha. I wonder if they're wild."
"I love savages! They know what they do!" The other commented with a laugh.
On the other hand, in front of a local medical clinic, a well-dressed young woman with a refined appearance and manners clearly different from the young people in that tavern looked at the tall, strong young man in front of the group and stopped.
'Who are these people? Is it a group of mercenaries who recently arrived in the city? That man... He looks different.' She looked at Seth.
Meanwhile, a local guard found the group's behavior a bit strange and approached them to find out what they wanted.
Bands of bandits sometimes cause a lot of trouble in small places like this.
The dynasty was not a safe place, even in the most remote areas, and one always had to be wary of the unknown.
This man had fought bandits several times and knew how to spot trouble.
He asked. "Hey, who are you? Where are you from?"
Everyone in the group already had a basic understanding of the language and easily understood the stranger's question.
The stranger was dressed in bronze armor and already had one hand clenched around the handle of his weapon that rested at his waist.
Seth showed one of his hands to his group, telling them to take it easy. He looked the guard in the eye and said. "We're looking for the local mercenary guild. Can you show us the way to it?"
"Mercenaries? A group of that size?" The guard found it strange.
There was no limit to the number of mercenaries a group could have. But it was unusual to see groups of more than 10 people.
"Hmm, is there a problem with that?" Seth looked intensely into the man's eyes, giving him a strange feeling.
Feeling his instincts screaming at him to avoid these people, he swallowed his saliva before speaking.
Gulp!
"I'm only asking the senior to control your group. The city has rules, and it would be better for everyone if you could follow them. It is for the good of the common people."
Seth laughed, already knowing that people in this society did not treat each other as equally as they did in his tribe.
Power was respected here, and doors would open if the right incentives were given.
Seth had only increased the strength of his aura a little when talking to this man, and the guard had promptly shown a friendlier demeanor toward the group!
"I'll show you the way to the guild if you want. Actually, I also work as a mercenary in my spare time." He said as he wiped the sweat from his brows.
"Really? Tell me what a mercenary does in this city." Seth commented as the group walked behind him and the guard.