~You think the same as I do, right?- Seth asked after they escaped the Stargazing Terrace that had suffered a sudden, catastrophic malfunction. The blacksmith had already thought the fluctuations were suspicious, but now he was sure.
~The timing was incredibly suspicious. They arrived and acted quicker than us, who were already in the thick of it. They weren't even tired,- Mina agreed with a sour tone. Another magical memory of their honeymoon had just been ruined, and for what...?
~Yeah, their actions were also way too choreographed. They totally practiced for this.- the fairy brute also agreed. The three lovers came to the same conclusion. They had manufactured a threat just to play the heroes.
~Those assholes actually sabotaged the Star Gazing Terrace for a public stunt...- Mina's fist balled tightly. ~They fucking messed with our honeymoon...- Fin cursed, feeling the same as the beast woman.
Seth's jaw tightened. The girls had put a lot of effort into planning their trip from start to end. Yet, ever since their arrival in Konan, events kept wasting their effort. The incidents in Konan were minor, but things kept going wrong ever since their departure.
Doushi should have been different. It was a big trade hub, a serious metropolis of the XiGuang Province, yet... The illusion of a peaceful vacation city was completely shattered. Doushi wasn't just a little unstable or moderately corrupt; it was a theater of carefully orchestrated chaos.
They already knew that, with the Southern Blade Sect gone, various factions were seeking to fill the power vacuum. However, they didn't expect anyone to sabotage vital infrastructure or tourist attractions... Some kind of gang taking over a place was one thing, but this was on a whole different level. The Sword Crane Temple was no small sect, and they weren't the only ones in town.
~ If they get away with this, every fucker in this place is going to start breaking things just to fix them,- Fin said bitterly, her eyes burning with fury. Doushi City was basically a carcass, and the vultures were getting creative.
Today it was the Stargazing Terrace. Tomorrow it might be the floating markets, the water aqueducts, or the city transport arrays. Their entire vacation was going to be a gauntlet of manufactured crises, political theater, and exploding scenery.
They were on their honeymoon! They just wanted to enjoy their damn trip in peace. But if they wanted a quiet vacation, they were going to have to make it themselves.
Fin cracked his knuckles, looking over at the smug leader of the Crane cultivators who was currently accepting a pouch of spirit stones from a weeping merchant.
"I'm in favor of pausing the honeymoon for a moment." The fairy brute was ready to throw a hand here and now. Seth let out a long, slow breath, placing his hand firmly on her shoulder. She looked up to see the blacksmith slowly shake his head.
~Now isn't the time. Public opinion is on their side right now anyway, and we have no evidence. If we make a scene, we will only get into a fight with the guards.- the blacksmith tried to calm her down.
~Right, I am not letting these corporate-cunts ruin our evening. We are finishing this date. Let's crush them tonight,- Mina argued, fully intending to enjoy the rest of the day and deal with the problem afterward. It was only early evening, and there was still one more place they wanted to visit today.
Fin intentionally relaxed his white-knuckled grip. "Screw it. Fine," she muttered, tossing her hands in the air. Everyone took a couple of deep breaths, not letting go of the resentment, but storing it for later, intent on enjoying the rest of the day.
"Since it's like this, should we finish the day with the..." Mina took a moment to look at her notes and the map. " The Myriad-Flavor Cloud Steam Pavilion? They have actual divine chefs who cook
using the thermal energy of the earth. The Celestial Beast Broth and Spirit-Grain Dumplings sounded really good, " Mina suggested to end their day with a big meal. Her words ran in open doors with Seth and Fin, the two foodies.
Fortunately, the high-class commercial district had its own station to enter the Beast-Cart Promenade. Design-wise, it was more similar to the one they found at the west gate, but this one was not manned by a bunch of ruffians.
The beast highway within the city was a little different from the one going along the walls. Probably because this was the commercial district, the elevated streets were like a multi-tiered, heavily fortified super-highway.
Looking at it, it seemed like it was peak hour. On the lower tiers was a sea of armored rhinos, giant centipedes, pigs, and multi-legged spirit oxen creating a roaring river of commerce. The upper tiers were meant for use by citizens and tourists, but even those were tightly packed with carriages and carts.
However, they decided against using a flying barge to get to their destination. The reason was that they finally got their chance to ride the express Cloud-Stag carriage, although the price was almost as horrendous as the one the ruffians asked for. Paying 30 Low-grade spirit stones each, they got on the luxurious carriage prepared by the new owner of the business.
The silk curtains of the cloud-stag carriage swayed gently as it glided along the elevated lanes of the Beast-Cart Promenade. Inside, the atmosphere was finally beginning to resemble a proper honeymoon.
After the spectacular at the Stargazing Terrace earlier, which ended in that terribly publicity stunt, the prospect of a quiet, luxurious dinner at the Myriad-Flavor Cloud Steam Pavilion was something they all looked forward to.
The air drifting through the carriage windows was thick with the rich, comforting aromas of the lower markets—roasted spiritual beast-skewers, heavy exotic spices, and the sharp, earthy scent of the massive caravan monsters trudging below.
As intended, their anger and resentment had calmed down a little, and they started enjoying the ride, although it was a little slow. The view over the city, slowly being swallowed by the twilight of evening, was nice to watch. It was also nice when the carriage came to a halt because of a congestion up ahead.
I kind of stopped being nice after they spent 20 minutes in the same place. It started becoming slightly annoying. Leaning back against the plush velvet cushions, Fin's finger started tapping on the wooden frame of the carriage window.
"No matter what world, the moment there is a street, there are traffic jams..." she complained, having visited many worlds and experienced at least one in every one of those. Seth sighed.
"We can't help it now," the blacksmith said with a shrug of his shoulders just when a loud, metallic crack echoed across the promenade, followed by a deafening, panicked roar. The three exchanged a look. Another stunt? They stuck they head outside the carriage to see what was going on,
Not far from their carriage, a merchant had been trying to navigate a massive, Iron-Hide Rhino hauling a cheap passenger cart. In this place, people either subdued spiritual beasts and monsters with martial power, or they used the latter.
The guy on the coachbox was barely lv. 20, which meant the rhino-like monster would have been equipped with a taming collar. Said collar was lying on the ground, completely crumbled. Apparently, it snapped under the immense stress of the gridlock, no longer able to control the rhino's mind and resistance.
Stressed and free from the external suppression, the beast had no interest to keep carrying man's burden. It reared back in a blind frenzy. Its head, covered in metallic armor plates, smashed into its own cart. The coachman and passengers jumped away in a panic, as the vehicle was reduced to splinters.
It gave the coachman a last look before running off.
Chaos erupted. Pedestrians on the left and right promenades screamed and scattered as the monster plowed blindly down the avenue. Fortunately, it charged in the opposite direction from them, toward the closest edge of the floating street.
Some beasts like the cloud-stags were able to evade the mad charge, but an unmarked, heavily reinforced iron-wood carriage trying to sneak through the evening traffic was not as lucky.
Being rammed in the broadside by the Iron-Hide Rhino, it was completely decimated. The beast's massive horn splintered the side panels, flipping the vehicle onto its side and tearing the roof completely off with a screech of twisting metal.
The rampant beast was moderately entertaining to watch, but what it revealed put a collective frown on the faces within the carriage.