Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 501 - 500: City of a Million People (City and Background Introduction, Order with Caution, May Skip)

Chapter 501: Chapter 500: City of a Million People (City and Background Introduction, Order with Caution, May Skip)

Florence.

Florence City, while by no means the largest in the world—a mere exaggeration by the villagers of Alubak Village—undeniably ranked as one of the most bustling and expansive cities on the entire East Coast, always among the top five.

The reason for this had everything to do with the situation of Florence and its surroundings.

Situated in the middle of Mo’er Plain, Florence was blessed with the largest river on the East Coast, the Mo’er River, flowing just past the city. The abundant water supply provided excellent transportation options, making Florence even more attractive to merchants from all directions than some coastal ports, thus establishing it as the most famous city within the Mo’er Alliance.

However, Florence was not the capital of the Mo’er Alliance.

This was because the political structure of the Mo’er Alliance differed from that of a typical nation; it was a loose confederation of city-states, similar to the Greek Federation in Earth’s history—each city nominally part of the same system, uniting to resist external attacks when necessary. Otherwise, cities were highly autonomous, non-interfering in each other’s affairs, independently responsible for their own development, for better or worse.

Such a political system could not be labeled bad, but against numerous feudal states nearby, it clearly had significant disadvantages, being without a strong, centralized governing core. Even though it could unite in times of invasion, victory remained elusive.

This political system persisted and survived attacks from neighboring countries due to the continuous conflicts among various wizard powers, temporarily reaching a peaceful settlement, effectively facilitated by these wizard forces.

Scattered along the Mo’er River, the Mo’er Alliance comprised hundreds of cities both large and small, encircled by four wizards’ powers equivalent to White Stone Tower: White Mist City to the northwest, Rose City to the northeast, Deep Blue Castle to the southeast, and Tree Mushroom Forest to the southwest.

Moreover, White Mist City had good relations with the wizard power in the even farther north, Rotten Swamp, and Rose City got along quite well with the northern wizard power, Black Evil Castle. Jungle Hut and another wizard power from its vicinity, Tree Mushroom Forest, originated from the same source; Deep Blue Castle, with substantial strength on its own, had recently increased its interactions with Death Valley situated further south.

It can be said that the Mo’er Alliance and Florence were the convergence point of eight wizard powers, serving as the central hub of wizardly influence on the East Coast.

Each wizard power had harbored intentions of subsuming Florence and the entire Mo’er Alliance under their rule, but invariably, they encountered strong opposition from other wizard powers, ultimately leading to an odd balance—each wizard power no longer set their sights on Florence, instead treating it as a place for interaction with the other powers.

People with various motives gathered here. Ordinary folks with no particular aspirations, merchants dreaming of riches, adventurers craving excitement, young individuals seeking great power, sinister rascals, hypocritical cautious nobles, along with Wizard Apprentices and Wizards lived together, creating the unique Florence.

Leaving Alubak Village, Richard had spent three days traveling to reach this place.

Florence, outside the city.

Richard stood, gazing at the sprawling city before him.

From its defenses alone, one could discern the grandiose spirit of Florence.

Florence’s city walls were constructed from large blocks of blue stone, bonded together with clay and lime without any gaps, appearing seamlessly natural. To ensure sturdiness, the base of the wall was thick and narrowed towards the top in a trapezoidal shape, with the narrowest part at the top nearly five meters thick, making it extremely challenging to destroy.

A full-powered First Circle Magic spell couldn’t penetrate the walls, and for ordinary armies wishing to breach it with catapults or similar, it was akin to reaching the heavens.

The entire city wall stood like a man-made chasm, about fifteen meters high, obstructing most people except for the Official Wizard who could leap over. The rest, including the Apprentice Wizards, had to either obediently pass through the city gates or find another way themselves.

Moreover, a large number of Soldiers patrolled atop the walls and at the gates, well-equipped with longbows and mechanical crossbows that had exceptionally long ranges. Some elite archers even had arrows imbued with Mana fluctuations, designed specifically to deal with more challenging targets—a kind of affordable Magic Tools. Perhaps they couldn’t oppose an Official Wizard, but if leaders of Thief Groups dared to act tough, they would be taught a lesson within minutes.

Richard had no intention of causing trouble and followed the crowd through the soldier-guarded city gates into the interior of Florence.

It was evident that, being built on a plain, Florence’s streets were not as winding as those in White Stone City—here, they went straight.

Six wide main roads crossed each other, dividing the city into sixteen standard areas, each categorized further into different zones, including densely packed trading streets as well as quiet residential streets, all meticulously organized.

Walking along the road, Richard noticed the most common establishments were various bakeries.

It was unsurprising, considering the population of Florence was estimated to be several hundred thousand, even close to a million. Such a massive number of people consumed huge quantities of food daily, like a voracious beast.

Apart from bakeries, there were numerous public baths, theaters, duel arenas, statues, squares, and pools—due to Florence’s vastness, there was an astounding quantity of everything to meet the needs of most people.

Benefiting from this, every individual in Florence seemed to have a decent standard of living, even the beggars who, unlike elsewhere, didn’t appear fragile but rather spirited and brisk.

Seeing well-dressed individuals, a beggar quickly blocked their path, skillfully begging, "Kind sir, show some pity, spare a few Copper Coins for a piece of bread.

Sir, you are a good man, thank for your Copper Coins. But... could you spare a bit more? I saw you have more coins in your Money Bag, just enough for some meat to add to my meal. Also, I am terribly thirsty and would love a bowl of soup.

Thank you very much, you are a great person. But after eating and drinking, night falls, and I have no home to return to; give me some more money to find a place to spend the night. With my clothes being so tattered, no inn would allow me inside; perhaps you could continue your kindness and let me buy some new clothes... Hey, sir, don’t go, please don’t go..."

Richard watched the loud begging of the beggar by the roadside, chuckled, shook his head, and continued walking. His attire was entirely black, unadorned, and not resembling a wealthy person, which spared him from being harassed. He thus passed smoothly through a significant part of Florence, already forming a general impression of the city.

In front of a fountain at a square, Richard slowed his pace and muttered, "Florence, huh... Florence!"