The First Air Ride

Grime Sphere calendar notes three eras:

1.The Dark Era or Era of Origin - This was before the birth of the Dark Empire. It was a time where all races fought for domination. Almost the entire Grimesphere was in chaos, noble or commoner or slave or animal.

2.The Era of Light - Occurring after the founding of the Dark Empire, the name was chosen by common people and slaves who longed for a good ruler like the first Dark Emperor, hoping for light to dispel the darkness in their lives. However, after the death of the first Lord of Darkness, the entire Grimesphere fell under the greedy hands of nobles and royalties who ruled with dictatorship methods. Commoners' lives were at the mercy of the nobles, with their heads at risk for even slightly displeasing them.

3.The Second Dawn or Era of Golden Illumination - This is the current era, under the rule of the present Dark Emperor. It has been the most peaceful period in the last 200 years, thanks to the Dark Emperor's control over all the countries in the Grimesphere.

The White Order is a department established during the Era of Golden Illumination, dedicated to handling matters related to slaves. It operates under the Dark Empire, with its current president being Lady Drusilla, the 41st Pillar of the Dark Empire. Lady Drusilla herself was born a slave and has witnessed the bitter mistreatment of slaves during the Era of Light. Therefore, she strictly manages all proceedings and rules pertaining to the well-being of slaves.

In every city, there is at least a small branch of the White Order for easy accessibility. Yuria, being a neglected continent, has a small population of people owning slaves. Till now apart from Ruby, Bowen, hasn't seen any person wearing slave collars. Thus, rural towns like Aswalt likely do not have an office of the White Order. Bowen had to travel to the nearby city to find one, and the closest city with a White Order office is Del City, which is 208 km away from Aswalt.

Bowen and Mason are currently on their way to find a means of transport to reach Del City. Bowen, having never ridden anything other than a bull horse carriage in Aswalt, is unfamiliar with the transport system. Most carriages are parked outside the harbor, as it is a hub for merchants and tourists. While there are some carriages near the Aswalt gate borders, the majority can be found near the harbor. This is Bowen's first time going anywhere near a harbor, and he decides to inquire about the available means of transport, whether by boat or carriage.

Bowen randomly approached one carriage with a stallion and started asking questions.

"Uncle, can you tell me which carriage to choose to go to Del City?"

The carriage boss, a man in his 50s, looked at Bowen in confusion, wondering, [What is a little boy doing here?]

"Kid, where are your parents? Don't roam here alone. If you want to go to Del City, bring your parents," he said in a normal tone.

Once again, Bowen was treated like a small kid, causing him problems as it always did. He thought for a moment and got an idea.

"Oh, the one standing behind me is my father. But he is a bit drunk to talk," Bowen said, pointing to Mason.

Mason was in his own world, not caring about anything. He had an alcohol bag tied to his hip and kept drinking as soon as he finished the last one.

The man sighed heavily, looking at Mason, thinking, "What an irresponsible father." He even doubted Mason to be Bowen's father, judging from their appearance. However, he didn't have the liberty to pry into his customer's life, so he relented.

"Fine, I will tell you because your father doesn't seem to be in his right mind."

"There are three types of carriages available to go to Del City by road. The Bull Horse Carriage costs 80 bronze coins and can take up to 12 hours. Including an overnight stay, making it an 18-hour journey. Next is the Stallion Carriage, like mine, which will cost you 1.20 small silver coins and takes an 8-hour journey, reaching there before midnight. The third option is the carriage driven by a spirit beast, which will take you there in 1.5 hours but is also costly."

"You can also go by boat, which takes a maximum of 4 hours. The boat costs around 2 small silvers."

The old man expected Bowen to be shocked by the prices, but for Bowen, money was not a matter. He would be happy if he could cut short his travel time significantly. He couldn't afford to waste a whole day traveling.

"Uncle, what's the cost of the spirit beast carriage?" Bowen asked.

"As I said, because it allows you to reach the destination quickly, you will have to pay more. At least 2-3 times the boat cost, 6 silvers minimum. You can try bargaining if you want," said the carriage owner, looking at the only Willowind bird resting tied up in a corner.

"That is the only spirit beast carriage that functions till date," he added, pointing to the bird.

For Bowen, money was not a concern. He was pleased that he could save a considerable amount of time. "Thank you, uncle. I will talk to the owner of that carriage," said Bowen, startling the stallion carriage owner. But the owner didn't ponder much. If Bowen didn't have the required money, he would eventually be thrown out, after all.

"Hello, are you the owner of this Willowind?" asked Bowen, seeing someone sleeping on the giant sparrow-like bird. From below, he could only make out that there was a person, but he couldn't see them properly as the bird was at least 3 meters tall.

A rustling sound was heard, indicating someone waking up from sleep, and then a head popped out from the top of the bird.

"What?" shouted the dark elf from above.

"I need your carriage service to Del City!" shouted Bowen from the ground, not minding her tone.

"5 small silvers or just f**k off. I am not reducing it more," she said straightforwardly.

Bowen made an okay sign, and the elf's eyes went wide. It was really rare to find customers who did not haggle prices.

She immediately jumped without hesitation and landed perfectly on her feet. Bowen could now see the whole appearance of the elf. She wore a short cropped blouse top with no sleeves and had three-fourth pants made of thick fabric. A thick belt laid across her waist with a water bottle and a knife attached to it. Another unique feature was the numerous piercings on her ears, lips, nose, and forehead. Along with her boy-cut hair, she looked more or less like a tomboy.

"Only you?" she asked, looking Bowen up and down.

"No, he is with me," Bowen pointed to Mason, and the dark elf frowned upon seeing him.

"Ask that person to hold on to the bird properly. I am not responsible if he falls," she said and then undid the tied-up ladder that one could use to climb onto the bird.

Bowen helped Mason climb first, and even though he was unsteady at the moment, with some effort and Bowen's assistance, he managed to get on top of the bird.

Once they both landed on the bird and took their positions, Bowen saw the dark elf climb without even using the ladder. She simply caught hold of the bird's wing and anchored her legs on its body, climbing quickly. She took the front seat, sitting on the bird's neck.

"Let me remind you, if you have any idea to cheat me without paying, you will end up like my last customer—in jail. Mind it," she said sharply, tapping her legs on the bird. Immediately, the bird stood up and started flying.

"Interesting person," Bowen thought. After that, he didn't think much about the dark elf and focused on the fast-changing scenery around him.

"Flying... hehe... I am flying... marvelous!" Mason kept blabbering throughout the journey. At one point, the dark elf became frustrated but kept quiet for the 5 small silver coins. For her, getting customers was like a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence. Due to the high cost, most of them tended to take boats or other carriages. Even if wealthy people came by, they usually had their own spirit beast for traveling, leaving her carriage mostly unsorted. She couldn't reduce the carriage cost as any spirit beast required a lot of maintenance. Her spirit beast was rather unfamous because it was only a large version of a sparrow with no defensive capabilities in the air. Since it was her first pet, she didn't want to abandon it and would try her best to feed and care for it. Only when she felt like she had no other way to earn would she consider selling it.

Other than Mason, the rest of the journey was smooth, and Bowen forgot himself, enjoying the ride. The bird flew at a height of 15 Meters above the ground and at a speed of 180 km/h. In no time, one hour was already over, and the dark elf landed the willow bird before the gates of Del City. Bowen helped Mason get down and then paid 5 small silver coins without a second thought. This surprised the elf a lot, as most customers tended to try to reduce the price, blaming the ride for being uncomfortable or the seating arrangement for being rough. But Bowen's face was full of smiles. He had enjoyed going on airplanes many times in his previous lives, but with no roof overhead in the spirit beast carriage, it was a new and exciting experience for him.

"Thank you for the ride," Bowen said and held Mason's hand, dragging him towards the city gates. The gates were made of metal and were larger and wider than those of Aswalt town. As usual, there were separate lines for commoners and VIPs. Bowen lined up in the commoners' line, and the dark elf also lined up behind him. At first, she thought he would go through the VIP gate because of how easily Bowen had paid that much money for a short-distance travel, but after seeing him in the commoners' line, she thought otherwise. Anyway, she couldn't care more as their dealings were already finished, and she wouldn't see him in the future.

Soon, the line moved, and Bowen paid 30 bronze coins to enter the city. The city before him was very different from the small town of Aswalt. The buildings of Del City were at least 3-4 stories tall, built with proper bricks and sand. They were even beautifully painted. He could see well-laid pavements, contrasting the leveled mud roads of Aswalt. Carriages of various colors were seen, some with wheels and others pulled by spirit beasts. The roads were at least 10 feet wide, allowing people to walk simultaneously when two carriages went side by side. The narrow roads of Aswalt could never compare to this. There was also a difference in the way many people dressed and wore better clothing and jewelry compared to the people in the town. Now and then, Bowen could spot people of other races, individuals with animal ears, horns, and more. Though they weren't in large numbers, you could see one or two if you looked around. In Aswalt, Bowen had never seen many people of other races.

"Mason, be careful. We are in the city. Like in Aswalt, you must not….????

Mason? Mason?... Oi... Mason, where are you? Sh*t!" Bowen slapped himself on the head unable to find Mason anywhere.