Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 90 - 90 64 Dragon Throat City

90: Chapter 64 Dragon Throat City 90: Chapter 64 Dragon Throat City Following behind the caravans on the kingdom’s grand avenue, Leon gazed into the distance at the ancient stone arch bridge spanning the great river.

And beyond that, the majestic outline of a grand city, enclosed by towering walls.

In any case, upon sighting their journey’s first destination, all three were invigorated, their faces shedding the weariness of many days’ travel.

Compared to the ordinary towns along the way, the renowned city known as “Dragon’s Throat” within the Farayel Domain before them was nearly as large as Rolannar Holy City, the hometown of their original lord.

Especially upon seeing those towering spires reaching into the sky from afar, Lokhak and Azeryan were reminded of Rolannar’s Great Temple, stirring a strong sense of homesickness.

Crossing the long stone bridge, traversing the wide tributary of the “Rushina River,” they joined the merchants in a slow queue to enter the massive city gate.

However, their knighthood from the Gray Pine Valley Domain didn’t afford them many privileges in Farayel Domain.

The officers and tax collectors at the gate tallied the number of people, horses, and baggage, and not a single coin was discounted for Leon and his companions’ entrance fee.

According to the merchants they had journeyed with, unless it was the king himself, even if you were a duke from Weststral, you couldn’t spare a fraction of the fee due at the gate.

Farayel always recognized money over people.

Everyone could only obediently pay their way into the city.

Then what unfolded before them was a bustling and vibrant sight.

Merchants from different countries in various attire crowded the streets; even traders dressed as Kantadar people hawked their wares in the marketplace as if their countries weren’t at war.

On the wide market streets, stalls and shops offered everything imaginable, from exquisite fabrics, carpets, and jewelry to a diverse array of pottery, iron utensils, grains, and spices, the merchandise dazzling in its variety.

Between the stores, travelers and merchants from all regions bustled about, their haggling and sales pitches contributing to the lively atmosphere.

Passing by a jewelry shop, Leon suddenly felt the impulse to buy a keepsake for someone, but considering the need for money at every turn, he suppressed this small luxury.

Moving through street after street, the great city’s planning impressed him—far superior to the environment of his own lord’s city, at the very least, the filth he saw from the eastern gate to this point was much less than in Farolis.

Of course, it could also be that the Rushina River near Dragon’s Throat City had greater purifying effects than the rivers in Farolis City.

The mother river had reared generations of Orland people with waste and sewage.

And in turn, generations of Orland people have been feeding their waste and sewage back to the mother river…

After inquiring about the whereabouts of the nearby merchant guild from passersby, Lokhak stayed outside to watch the horses while Leon and Azeryan entered the lobby to consult with the robed staff about postal services.

“…

Three gold crowns?”

Leon’s voice rose slightly, the price was ten times higher than what he had previously learned from the merchants.

“Respected Sir Pendragon, you must consider that the messengers’ routes have been drastically altered due to the central war, and price increases are inevitable,” explained the bespectacled fat old man behind the wooden counter window, who, with a few slides of his abacus, showed the little knight the calculated costs without concern for his comprehension.

“Especially since your letter is destined for the farthest location in this dispatch.

Three gold crowns is a reasonable price, and you won’t find a cheaper rate than ours anywhere else in Dragon’s Throat City.”

Reluctant, he took his companions to a few more places that accepted mail deliveries.

Indeed, as soon as they mentioned the destination, the quoted postal fees were even more exorbitant.

Sighing, they returned unwillingly to the original merchant guild, where Leon paid up, his face contorting with the pain of parting with his money.

Stepping out of the guild, Leon thought to himself that once he had the ransom, he must first reimburse the postal and travel expenses before dividing the money among his subjects.

Resigned, Selva and his companions went to find an inn to stay at, grateful that the new and exotic sights along the way gradually made him forget the painful memory of being fleeced.

His gaze fell upon the horned figures walking in the distance, and he couldn’t help but marvel in his heart.

These “Cow Horned Men” were tall and strong, each standing over two meters, with thick necks and a skin color as deep brown as mountain rock, and all had pale hair.

Their facial features were sharp and well-defined, with high nose bridges and broad foreheads, giving them an appearance as if sculpted from stone.

Of course, the most distinctive feature was the pair of curved horns growing upwards from their heads.

Although he had already seen creatures like Wild Goblins, which were somewhat close to humans, those cackling beings were clearly more akin to monsters.

Now, he was witnessing firsthand another truly intelligent species distinct from humanity.

Especially since they were perfectly integrated into the bustling crowd around them, locals from Farolis City, both residents and merchants, paid them no attention.

Only travelers like himself, coming from distant lands, would stop to gaze at the peculiar and towering “Cow Horned Men.”

“Are those Demons?” Lokhak gaped at the tall figures walking away.

Selva glanced at his companion upon hearing this.

After all, Lokhak had been possessed by a real “Demon” once; the speculation about the Cow Horned Men’s race seemed somewhat humorous.

“Do you know what race they are?” Selva asked another companion, a noble’s son who was clearly more learned than Lokhak and himself.

“They must be Flores, also known as ‘Dragon Blood People,’ ‘Dragon Man,’ or ‘Half-Dragon People.’ It is said that their kingdom lies at the southern end of the continent, even further south than the grasslands of the Urians.

I’ve only read about them in books; this is my first time seeing them up close,” Azeryan explained to his companions, his eyes equally filled with surprise.

“The world is vast and full of wonders,” Selva mused, curiously wondering if those big horns made it uncomfortable for them to sleep.

How high a pillow would one need to accommodate such horns in bed?

Unfortunately, after seeing those Dragon Men, they didn’t see any other non-human intelligent species in the city.

Selva knew that there should be Dwarfs like those he remembered from his previous life.

“Helarn” in the Felu Language meant short people.

Azeryan had mentioned that the special steel for forging the Thorny Blade came from those so-called Dwarfs known as Helarn.

But in reality, according to Azeryan, the Dwarfs had vanished without a trace from the western part of the continent for hundreds of years.

Almost no one had seen those short master craftsmen anymore.

As for Elves, like those from his previous life’s memories of novels and movies, there were similar beings in the folk tales of Seryan.

But that was more like a myth.

Just like how people in taverns boasted about seeing Dragons, vague and elusive, unlike the concrete evidence of Dwarfs having truly existed.

And the Beastmen…

In Seryan, they tended to describe the Kantadar people and Urians as fanged, savage, and brutal man-eating monsters.

But it was not until the Kantadar army truly breached Rolannar Holy City that the young peasant original host realized they were, indeed, cruel and savage, but they were also perfectly normal humans with regular features and limbs.

In Orland, from the children at home, Selva occasionally heard similar descriptions of Barbarians living beyond the North of Orland.

It was unclear whether they were another human group abstracted through conflict or literally savage Beastmen.