anovelconsole Chapter 391 - 390: Touring His Own City
Chapter 391 - 390: Touring His Own City
Yet Alix was using two of them as glorified guards.
Just standing here, watching a door.
Mero opened his mouth, then closed it. There was no point arguing.
After spending enough time around Alix, he had learned something.
Trying to understand where Alix got his resources was an excellent way to get a headache. So he wisely kept quiet.
The two walked through the corridor.
The hallway itself was wide enough for giants to walk through comfortably.
Formation lanterns illuminated the walls.
A few minutes later, they encountered someone.
A royal guard.
The guard was patrolling the corridor when he noticed Alix.
His eyes widened instantly.
Without hesitation, he dropped to one knee.
"Your Majesty!"
His voice echoed through the hallway.
"You have returned."
Alix nodded.
"Yes."
The guard lowered his head respectfully.
"It is good to see Your Majesty safely return."
Alix glanced around.
"Keep it a secret for now."
The guard immediately understood.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in his voice.
The guard remained kneeling until Alix passed.
Mero watched the interaction quietly.
The loyalty of the royal guards was honestly impressive.
After walking a little farther, Alix suddenly stopped.
A familiar transparent screen appeared before him.
Using the authority granted by the System within Noctaris City, he selected a destination.
The surrounding space distorted. The next moment, both of them disappeared.
When Mero regained his bearings, they were standing inside a quiet alleyway.
Tall buildings surrounded them. The sounds of a bustling city echoed nearby.
Mero blinked.
Then he stepped out of the alley, and froze. His head slowly tilted upward.
His eyes widened so much that they looked ready to pop out of their sockets.
Above the city floated dozens of massive islands.
Some were covered in forests. Several held military fortresses. One even had a lake visible from below.
Countless bridges of light connected the islands together.
Flying beasts traveled between them. Formation lights illuminated everything. The floating islands weren’t decorations. Each one was practically its own territory.
Mero stared upward with his mouth hanging open.
"..."
"..."
"..."
For once in his life, the ancient spirit couldn’t find words.
Alix simply watched his reaction.
Then he reached into his storage ring and pulled out a plain black robe.
The robe concealed his identity and royal clothing.
He calmly put it on. Mero finally found his voice.
"Master."
"Hm?"
"You actually weren’t exaggerating."
Alix smirked.
"I told you."
"How many floating islands are there?"
Alix looked up.
"I’ve never bothered counting."
Mero almost coughed blood.
Never bothered counting?
The spirit stared at him as if he had just heard the most unreasonable thing in his life.
Then Alix casually added,
"All of those floating islands belong to my Tier 7 and above subordinates."
Mero’s eyes twitched.
The spirit had lived through countless eras.
He had served a Tier 8 master.
He had traveled across continents.
He had seen ancient empires rise and collapse.
Yet even he found this absurd.
Most Tier 7 cultivators would be treated as ancestors by powerful factions.
A single Tier 8 could dominate entire regions.
Yet Alix was talking about them as if they were ordinary officials.
Mero glanced sideways at him.
"You really have Tier 7 and Tier 8 subordinates?"
"I do."
"And you’re saying that casually."
Alix shrugged.
"It’s complicated."
Mero nodded. He could tell Alix didn’t want to elaborate.
So he didn’t ask further.
Everyone had secrets.
Alix simply happened to have more secrets than most.
The truth was that even if Alix explained it, Mero probably wouldn’t believe him.
Reviving dead subordinates.
Using gold coins to do it.
Possessing a system capable of creating impossible structures and artifacts.
It sounded insane.
So Alix simply let the misunderstanding remain.
The two finally stepped out of the alleyway and entered one of the main streets.
The moment they emerged, Mero slowed down.
The city was even more impressive at ground level.
Towering buildings lined both sides of the street.
Many were dozens of stories tall.
Their walls were covered in formation arrays that glowed softly at night.
Crystal lamps illuminated every road.
Massive magical screens displayed announcements and news throughout the city.
Above them, bridges connected buildings hundreds of meters above the ground.
Mero had seen imperial capitals before.
This was different.
Every building looked expensive.
Not because they were covered in gold.
But because everything had been built without compromise.
The roads were flawless.
The infrastructure was flawless.
Even the public transportation formations looked expensive enough to bankrupt medium-sized kingdoms.
The streets were crowded.
Alix stopped walking for a moment and looked around.
Even he was surprised.
When he had left Noctaris City, many districts had still felt empty. The city had been enormous, far larger than its population at the time.
Now it was different.
The city was alive.
Monster races from countless territories filled the streets.
Wolfkin merchants sold goods from roadside stalls.
Lizardmen carried crates between warehouses.
Minotaurs pulled massive cargo wagons through the main roads.
Serpentines moved through the crowds while discussing business deals.
Arachne merchants displayed silk products inside luxurious shops.
Even giant races could occasionally be seen walking through specially built avenues.
The once-empty streets now bustled with activity.
Voices echoed everywhere.
Laughter, bargaining, and conversations. The sounds of life.
A few years ago, many of these roads had been nearly empty.
Now people occupied every corner. Shops lined both sides of the streets.
Restaurants.
Blacksmiths.
Alchemy stores.
Equipment shops.
Beast materials.
Formation supplies.
Cultivation resources.
Almost anything could be found.
Many storefronts were decorated with glowing signs and magical displays.
Some merchants even used illusion formations to advertise their products.
A giant projection of a flaming sword floated above one weapon shop.
A nearby restaurant displayed a massive illusion of roasted meat that looked almost real.
Mero glanced at it.
"They’re spending formation crystals on advertisements now?"
"They are."
Mero shook his head.
"Wealthy city."
Alix simply smiled.
The city had become the center of his empire.
Every conquered territory eventually sent merchants here.
Every major trade route led here.
Every large organization wanted a presence here.
Naturally, money flowed endlessly into Noctaris.
As they continued walking, more details became apparent.
Flying beasts moved overhead carrying passengers between districts.
Public transportation formations activated every few minutes.
Yet despite the enormous population, everything remained orderly.
There were no visible slums.
No gangs causing trouble.
No drunken bullying weaker citizens.
The laws were enforced harshly.
Everyone knew it.
And because everyone knew it, most people behaved themselves.
Mero looked toward a group of guards passing by.
Several of them were Tier 5.
One was even Tier 6.
The two continued moving through the city.
Eventually they arrived at a large plaza. Mero stopped again, this time because of the people.
Thousands upon thousands filled the enormous square.
And all of them were monsters, no humans in the city at all.
Alix stopped walking and looked across the plaza.
Thousands of people moved through the enormous square.
The smell of food drifted through the air from every direction.
Roasted meat.
Fresh bread.
Spices from distant continents.
Sweet pastries.
The scents mixed together, making even tier 6 being feel hungry.
Alix glanced around casually.
Then his gaze landed on a large restaurant near the edge of the plaza.
The building stood five stories tall.
Warm golden lights shone through its windows.
Dozens of customers entered and exited every minute.
Even from outside, they could hear the lively chatter coming from within.
More importantly...
The place was packed.
A line of customers stretched outside the entrance.
Alix looked toward the restaurant and nodded slightly.
"Let’s eat something."
Mero followed his gaze.
The restaurant was packed.
Customers were entering and leaving constantly. Even at this hour, every floor seemed full of people.
Alix smiled faintly.
"If a restaurant stays this busy, the food is usually good."
Mero nodded in agreement.
"I wouldn’t mind eating."
Alix glanced at him.
"Aren’t you a spirit?"
"I am."
"And you can eat?"
Mero looked offended.
"Of course I can eat."
Alix raised an eyebrow.
"I thought spirits only absorbed qi."
"We do."
Alix laughed.
For some reason, hearing an ancient spirit say something so simple felt amusing.
Mero crossed his arms.
"Just because I’m thousands of years old doesn’t mean I stopped enjoying food."
"Fair enough."
The two entered the restaurant.
The moment they stepped inside, warmth and noise greeted them.
The interior was even larger than it appeared from outside.
Hundreds of tables filled the first floor.
Servants moved quickly between customers carrying trays stacked with food.