12 Ch. 11

Finally, with dinner out of the way it would be time to move back to that room that didn't involve a deep dark dungeon. Honestly, I was starting to find the dungeon area a bit homely. So maybe a move would be appropriate, wouldn't want to get used to that feeling.

Thankfully though the move was easy enough to do as I just walked my way upstairs while servants carried my clothes. Wasn't much else down there that the new room didn't have, like a bed, dresser... It had windows! A lovely view too, the garden below was filled with blue flowers which apparently had been my mother's favorite, which was why they were planted where my room would be. Such a nice sentiment.

Anyways, after the move I went into Active cultivation, draining down my timer to my next stat increase. The next day, I came out of it and took the initiative to find Grandfather who finally brought me out of the mansion. Waiting for us was an ornate wooden carriage complete with a servant who'd drive the horses for us.

Stepping in, I'd sit on the stuffed cushions and marveled at the comfort provided... Riiiight up until it started moving. Then I realized that if it didn't have cushions, my ass would have been so sore that I wouldn't be able to sit down for a week. Whoever in this world had a spanking fetish, I applaud you for finding the one kink that transportation provides constantly.

It took me nearly an hour to even get used to the bumpiness and when I complained. All Helmsford did was tell me that this was the smoothest carriage in the entire province. After hearing that though, my complaints increased as I talked about finding a way to make springs or creating a smoother road. Hell, I think that old fool rolled his eyes at me, I'll do it I tell you! Like hell I'll ride this uncomfortable contraption again!

Grumbling and complaining aside though, the view on the way to the city was quite lovely. The grass was natural yet seemed to be verdant and flowing. The trees that were farther out into the distance in the lower lands added a natural sway to everything thanks to the wind, everything seemed alive and vibrant. I think I'll enjoy it even more when I walk back to the mansion.

When we entered through the city, there was already a small lineup of people who wanted to pass through the short walls and into the marketplace. Thanks to the insignia on the carriage and the servant who knew the guards, we went through easily enough. Though finally entering I'd immediately slide open a slot on the front of the carriage, telling the driver to find a place to stop. Grandfather complained of course, but ignoring him, the moment the carriage came to a complete stop I jumped out to feel the ground at my feet with relief.

Looking at the city from within, it was quite different than seeing from a distance. For one, it had a strange smell... Nothing like the modern cities that I'm used to. If I had to describe it, and I kind of do, it would be the smell of people mixed with the smell of things people release from their bodies finally thrown in with the smell of animals... And their releases.

It wasn't a pleasant smell, but it wasn't a smell where any one stench overpowered the other. Thanks to the mingling it even made it slightly neutral. It's as they say, if you want to remove something's taste, just blend it all together. Apparently that works with smells too, and hell... It was a lot better than feeling like Mistress Paddle was having too much fun with her paddles.

When Helmsford came out as well, I'd finally ask, "So where is the Library and when can I start storing every scrap of knowledge possible?" He'd glare though, apparently annoyed with me wanting out of the carriage. Ignoring the glare I'd simply shrug and pretended to find some woman standing outside a building fascinating. Though considering her dress and the way she looked at the men around her... Well, when Helmsford saw what I was looking at, he finally stopped glaring.

"It's not in this district, come, follow me!" Not even giving me a choice, he'd grab me by the wrist, dragging me off toward the heart of the city. Apparently the Library was further in, and I was jogging to keep up with the old man. Thankfully I wouldn't tire no matter how far, so I didn't bother complaining about being dragged, rather I looked at the city itself.

To begin with, the city was divided into two sections, an outer city and an inner city. While my father had a mansion outside the city with which to look down on things, I kind of think that was made because of my mother and I's poison states. It was to give us fresh air and a way to better care for us.

My reasoning? Besides the city's stink, the way it dealt with waste in the outer city was bad, like Medieval London bad. People threw their waste out from windows, relying on street cleaners to scoop it up and remove it. It even made the marketplace we were walking through a barely survivable wasteland of dirt and waste.

I asked my grandfather about this situation and how they deal with all this waste and refuse, apparently it's carried off by street cleaners to canals that run along the city's four cardinal directions. Starting from the center of the City, which is also the top most portion of the hill, four canals run through the city that has water magic cores with arrays that cause a constant release of water. This man made "river" takes the refuse and drains it out of the city and down to collection pits. Oddly progressive if you think about it, but also incredibly unsanitary as it relies on street cleaners to clean city of filth.

Still, learning about how a magic core can be used to create water did get me thinking. Though I didn't see any pipework in the mansion, the servants brought water from somewhere though, and it didn't seem to be a well. A quick question and I got the answer, nearly every noble has their own personal water magic core output, allowing them to have clean water.

Moving further along, it wouldn't take too much of a travel before we reached a guarded gate that lead to the inner city. Apparently though the guards there new my grandfather as they allowed us passage immediately though they were curious why we didn't just use the carriage. And I just whistled, poorly, as my grandfather gave me this really nasty stink eye look. Nothing to see here guards, just a casual walk~.

The inner city was a lot nicer, on top of there being far less shit on the streets, the road itself was inlaid with stone which allowed for a smoother walking experience. The buildings were an improvement as well, most being multi-leveled homes that looked as if they were designed to look as beautiful as possible for a human's hand to create. It was also, somehow cooler, the wind that blew carrying with it a refreshing and cooling scent. I wasn't sure why, but I also wasn't worried about why either enough to ask.

After entering this section of the city, Helmsford told me that the library would be slightly off from the center of the city as it was a public building for the nobility, thus it was kept close by the Administrative building which was the center of the city. Even my father's mansion was off in another district of the inner city, residential to be exact. Ah, isn't he just a man of the people, slumming it with the other nobles. Well, sarcastic comments aside, it did make our travel easy when we just had to follow the main road to reach the library.

By the way, the library in question, was really a daycare for nobles to drop their kids off in a central location. Keeping them away from the commoners of the outer city, allowing them to socialize, and pretend that while they do so they'd learn something from tutors. It's such an amazingly great theory, I was actually somewhat curious to see how it works in practice. Of course that was AFTER I managed to store every book they had in the library in my own personal library. That way if things get boring I have something to fall back on.