Enter the arcane world of Alterra, and regale yourself with three tales in one epic story.
☆☆★ AFFAIR OF ROYALS ★☆☆
Tag along with LUCIUS as he investigates the brutal murder of the Arcerean monarch and sheds light on a conspiracy that may alter the...
CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains some scenes that may not be suitable for very young readers. Reader discretion is advised.
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LUCIUS
THE ROYAL CAPITAL of Polarcus. From afar, this city would look like a paradise. Some might see it as the land of their dreams. Some would be willing to risk their lives just to take refuge within the fortified walls of this city. There was a palace here. There was a cathedral over there. There were statues of the supreme deity Arcanus everywhere.
Who would not want to be in the place where the magic and majesty of the Kingdom of Arcerea was in full display? Surely, this would be everyone's envy.
But if Lucius were to be asked, he would say that it was not worth it. If he was born outside Polarcus, he would not have dreamt of living here. He would rather live a quiet life in the provinces than in the busy and dangerous streets of the capital. It was a cesspool! Growing up, he had a challenging childhood in this city.
Lucius looked out of the carriage's window to enjoy what the nighttime view had to offer. They had already left the inn ten minutes ago, but they were still in what was known as the lower city. Several women and street children were sleeping in cardboard boxes. Some men were rummaging through the trash, looking for food this late at night.
"What the hell is the Senate doing for these people?" he asked. They drove past more of men, women, and children lying on the dark streets. "Aren't they supposed to implement a welfare program or something? That's the least they can do for the citizens."
"They don't want to spend a single merc on people who, in their own words, contribute nothing to society." Isabella gazed out of the window too. "They'd rather debate on renaming streets than providing food for the poor. Apparently, it's a strategy to force these people to leave the capital and look for food and job somewhere else."
"They're willing to spend huge amounts of mercs to fund that stupid tournament, but they're not willing to fund a feeding program? Those damn politicians and their priorities!"
In his twenty five years of stay here, Lucius had explored almost the entire capital. He had been in the slums, he had been in the posh districts. He had met hundreds of people. He could not help but notice that the hill where the city stood represented the social hierarchy.
Almost everyone living in what was known as the lower city or the district on the base of the hill were the less fortunate and the abandoned. Some of them came from the provinces and dreamt of improving their lives by living and working in the capital. They tried to make the climb, but miserably failed. They fell to the gutter, head-first, unable to rise again.
The carriage felt slightly inclined, a sign that they were moving uphill the king's avenue. Lucius roamed his eyes on every business establishment—restaurants, pubs, parlors, groceries, smith's shops, gambling dens—that their carriage drove past by. He frequented those places and he knew every owner of those shops.
