Ephanhour

The father and daughter descended the carriage at the very next village.

They waited for a while, then Demitri boarded another one for the city of 'Sargantee', a significant trading cosmopolis in the kingdom of Valor, situated at the borders of the empire.

The city established major merchandising routes between Valor and other domains.

When the carriage arrived at its destination outside the city, it was already late in the afternoon.

Both father and daughter came down from the vehicle, with Mellisent stretching her sore calves as a consequence of her foremost carriage ride.

They veered toward the arched gate carved with the name 'Sargantee'; on either side stood the guards.

Demitri showed his traveller's token to the keeper, who examined it carefully and then returned it to him with an approving nod.

Both Demitri and Mellisent entered the city and began to move towards the city's square. They traversed through the streets, bustling with the crowd.

Mellisent was astonished at the grandiosity of the city. She owlishly blinked at the numerous tall stoned buildings and various stores and stalls laden with prime merchandise, which glowed under the dying rays of the sun.

Demitri held Melli's hand firmly and entered an inn at the heart of the square.

The whole place was vibrant due to countless commoners and merchants dressed peculiarly, indicating the diversity housed by the grand metropolis.

They went to the dining area situated on the ground floor and went to have a seat at the corner table.

After a while, they had an evening meal of light corn soup and soft garlic bread.

Demitri went to the inn's counter and booked a small room for both. Soon, a young worker came with a circle of keys and directed them towards their assigned chamber.

Once inside, Mellisent went straight for the bed and sat on it, hopping a little while Demitri lit the candles on the candelabra for the necessary illumination.

"Father, why did we come to this city? I am still not able to understand the reason for our visit to this particular place?" asked Mellisent, slightly irritated.

"My little girl, we have to buy several commodities from this place at a lower price, which we would sell in another kingdom at a higher cost so that we can make some profits. This city is a hub for merchandise, and my child, we need money for our journey to start anew in Ostos," explained Demitri to his daughter.

"I understand, father; then when are we going to buy the goods?" she asked again from Demitri.

"Tomorrow morning, child, we shall visit the old marketplace of this place, where exquisite varieties of spices and herbs are being merchandised, which are only found in the Southern region of Valor," explained Demitri to his daughter.

"Okay, father, now Melli understands everything," said Mellisent as she stifled a yawn.

"You must be tired after the entire trip, Melli; you must rest for a while but do not sleep early as we still need to have our dinner," said Demitri as he moved to sit on the bed beside his daughter.

They stayed in their room, exhausted from the previous day's event and the whole journey. After a few hours, they had their dinner and then proceeded to a night's sleep.

It was at the forenoon when Demitri decided to leave the inn after he perfectly disguised himself to avoid any awaited complications.

Though Demitri was known for his chivalry throughout many kingdoms, his original appearance was only known to a few belonging to higher ranks.

Therefore, it was easier for him to be not recognised by the disguise he pulled through by the low-rank soldiers and guards.

Soon, he deserted the inn with Mellisent, along with their luggage, after a sumptuous breakfast.

As they left the caravan, they went straight for the carriage stand and booked a personal one.

Demitri asked the four-wheeler to be stationed near the corner of the square and the coachman to wait for them as they went about purchasing their merchandise.

They passed through streets and narrow lanes and eventually arrived at a road designated for selling premium herbs and exclusive spices.

The lane was bombarded with stores and stalls containing herbs like - Horehound, Mullein, Wintergreen, Epazote, Feverfew and many more. Some exotic spices also graced the lane with their lush aroma, like - Sumac, Grains of Paradise, Urfa biber, Saffron, Ambergris and Black Mace.

The vendors were hollering about their qualities and prices to attract customers.

Demitri went ahead towards the stalls while tightly clasping Mellisent's and began to examine the quality of herbs and spices while engaging in frequent conversations with the owners.

He promptly explained about the commodities to Mellisent's too, who keenly observed each and every item with intrigue.

At the same time, the onlookers wondered why the man was even bothering to explain such things to a dainty child.

After analysing the items for more than an hour, Demitri bought pounds of herbs and spices of varying varieties after paying a hefty amount with the money he had saved over the last five years.

"Father, you have purchased so much of goods; how are we going to carry them all?" asked Mellisent as she gawked at the number of sacks loaded with numerous herbs and spices.

"My child, we would have these sacks to be accommodated inside the vehicle that we have booked for the rest of our journey and as for who will carry all these sacks, the owner of the store will provide us with one of his workers to help us transport these sacks to the carriage," explained Demitri to his daughter while patting her head.

After a while, they left the street with the worker following them, carrying all their goods.

On their way, Demitri purchased an abundant amount of eatables for them to sustain till they reached their next resting spot.

Soon, they reached the square where their carriage was parked. The worker then settled their commodities inside the four-wheeler, followed by Demitri and Mellisent boarding the vehicle.

It was at noon when the sun was at its peak, and their carriage began to leave the premises of the city of 'Sargantee'.

They arrived at the city gate, which also marked the official exit gateway for the kingdom of Valor.

The gateway was an enormous structure made up of thick layers of iron embedded in a fortified wall, surrounding the entire periphery of the empire, along with numerous forts in between.

There were groups of soldiers forfending the boundary at every interval, with many guarding the Iron Gate.

A queue of innumerable wagons and carriages lined the entrance to depart from the city, with guards surveying their commodities and the verity of their tokens.

Mellisent observed the entire ordeal through the carriage's window with curiousness evident in her amber eyes.

Now and then, she asked questions to her father about things which would captivate her interest, with Demitri answering her questions patiently.

After waiting in the long file of numerous vehicles for about an hour, they eventually arrived at the exit.

The guards scrutinised each sack carefully, and after validating the items deliberately, they asked Demitri for his merchant's token.

While residing inside the village 'Fuchsia Temps', he had obtained his traveller's and merchant's token along with the official documents stating his occupation as a merchant through the aid provided by the Old Helios.

Demitri internally expressed his gratitude for the older man again and pulled his token from inside his robe.

The guard scrutinised Demitri and Mellisent vigilantly, then took the token from Demitri's palm.

He inspected it cautiously, verifying its authenticity. Convinced, the guard returned the pass to Demitri and signalled for the gates to open.

He then beckoned the coachman to move the carriage, and soon they exited the official boundary of the Kingdom of Valor into the grasslands ahead, leading to another empire.

Demitri released the long breath he did not realise he had been holding throughout the entire time. He looked at his daughter, and his eyes brimmed with emotions as he patted her head fondly.

He eventually left the place which sustained his entire youth and gave him his most cherished as well as gruesome memories.

Demitri only desired his daughter's life to become far more peaceful after leaving the roots of her misfortune, but he knew the truth was far from being said.

He knew one day or another, their presence would be discovered by the king, but till then, he willed to give her a life enriched with happiness and secureness.

It took them a duration of three months to reach their point of disembarkation. They waded through the kingdoms of Questa and Pelidioul, laying over at their various cities and villages with Demitri merchandising the herbs and spices.

They changed the carriages multiple times throughout the entire journey.

The whole expedition left a lasting impression on Mellisent. She observed, learnt and comprehended the ways of lifestyle led by the varied sections of society in respective empires.

Mellisent aced the art of trading by witnessing her father, sometimes impressing the merchants and commoners with her eloquent speech.

Though she complained about the long hours they spent inside the carriage, she was still grateful to her father for the experiences she had along the way.

Throughout their travel, the routes and passages to other kingdoms were exclusively guarded by soldiers to ensure the security of commodities and passengers travelling through the path.

They passed through numerous plains, steppes, pampas, plateaus, meadows, and many more, along with different cities, villages, and the extravagance of distinctive empires, till they reached their eventual destination.

After an arduous trip of more than three months, at long last, they reached the empire of 'Ephanhour', the south-eastern kingdom of the realm of Travanos, bounded by the sea on its two sides.

[ Quick Note:

Realm of Travanos = Human Realm ]