Chapter 30: A country Bumpkin's visit to a city

As they entered the city, four or five macho looking men came out  from the city walls to collect tolls from the caravan, wearing a yellow green uniform, which looked rather odd. Seeing their figures, Kiel recalled the body enhancement type magic. Although Kiel didn't know much about magic, he learnt a few things about magic from Niyaas in these few days. Enhancing one's body with the help of one's elements was one of the uses of magic that he learnt recently. And it really intrigued him to see it in person. The taut muscles seem to be as explosive as cannons, and seemed to work as both defensive and offensive. The soldiers also held swords or other secondary weapons at their back. 

After a few minutes of waiting, their caravan was also allowed entry into the city. The caravan slowly crossed the giant metal gates of the city, as Kiel watched the crowd behind him and then at the metal works beauty.

'I wonder what would happen if I add missiles in these fortresses. Hehe…' Kiel mouth instinctively curved into a low grin, as his thoughts took a twisted turn. If anybody could hear Kiel's thoughts now, they would only call him a lunatic. And Kiel would even take pride in being called a lunatic. Sigh! what a kid...

It was Kiel's first time seeing something of such magnitude in this world. So he was a little excited. But then something came into his mind, which seemed particularly out of place- the city's freshness. 

In Spite of the city streets being full of people, the freshness in the city was more than that of the villages. It was even more so, as they were entering the city. Although Kiel couldn't see anything, he was extra sensitive to such changes after his daily session of chakra cultivation. So, it picked up his interest a bit.

'How can such a populated place be so fresh?'

Their caravan slowly entered through the front gate, as the capital city came into view. Kiel started staring at everything with curiosity, the hubbub around and even the noises which seemed to prevail over everything else. As Kiel looked around, he could see all types of people roaming about. The Beauty and the Beast, the city contained both. The rich people wearing expensive dresses walked ahead as the poor followed behind. Kiel was even mesmerized by the atmosphere lurking around, which seemed totally different from the casual atmosphere in his village. Even a slight tension seemed to be  lingering around.

"So this is Raai, the trading capital of the kingdom"

After entering the city, the caravan was escorted to a nearby stable by a few armed guards, where everyone deboarded the caravan. Kiel too came down, followed by Niyaas. As they came down he did some stretching exercises, to feel his body. Too much travelling had numbed his body. 

"Kiel, I have to go now. See you at the Mana Ceremony in the next month. Oh and I will be staying in the west side of the city. If you ever  need me, be sure to look for me"

"Ok. See ya"

Kiel and Niyaas bade each other farewell, and they both went their own ways. Seeing his new companion leaving, Kiel got back on his track. He walked out slowly, with a small backpack on hs bag, and a thin sword at his waist, looking like a little adventure. But what gave him out from others him were his half closed turquoise eyes which seemed to be as dead as possible, without any glow at all.  Kiel had already thought about exploring the city library for a few days before the Basic Mana Education began. So he just needed a place to keep his stuff and rest for the day.

Breathing in the fresh air,Kiel had to  admire the city even more. 'There must be something at work here to keep the air fresh. Maybe the city has its own defense mechanisms. This trip maybe even more interesting than I thought' Kiel lips instinctively curved to form a slight grin as he mused about the various things. 

Walking out to the busy street, Kiel asked about for the 'Blue Ray Inn', the inn where his aunt Ena was currently staying. As he roamed around the various places, he remembered the first thing, Agatha had asked him to do- find his aunt. Agatha had sent  Awenasa a letter to notify her about Kiel's arrival. And Awenasa replied with her current address, as they didn't know the actual time when he would arrive, and she was too busy with everything around.

As he travelled here and there to see what was fun things around, Kiel heard many gossips too.

"Hey! Did you hear about the recent events in the prison" was one of the more prominent gossips around in the city. But he didn't pay much attention to useless rumours. He was more busy finding his way, as he remembered that he was never good with directions. And so the more he asked around, the more confused he became.

After asking for directions, and spending who knows how much time searching, Kiel finally noticed the inn he was looking for. 

"Hehe… gotcha."

 It was a big building, blue in colour with some floral paintings on the front wall, making it look more attractive. 

"Pretty Inn"

Entering inside he saw it was a little luxurious. The various decorations filling up, the new furnishing and paints, the various people coming in and out, and even the delicious smell of dishes lingering around. Everything pointed out to the busy making of a day.

A bell rang as he opened the door, followed by a greeting from the counter. A pretty lady sat there, welcoming everyone who entered inside. Wearing a blue floral dress matching her big racks, Kiel found out one of the main reasons for the attractiveness of the inn. Even Kiel had to slowly go to the counter, admiring the beauty in front of him.

"Hello! How do I help you?"

"Uhmm I'm looking for someone named Awenasa Ambertail. She is staying in your inn. She is my aunt and had informed me to meet here"

"Oh one moment please…. Found it."

"Are you Kiel Dmitriev?"

"Yes I am."

"Alright wait a bit here. We will inform her of your arrival."

"Yes. Thank you"

Kiel bowed to the pretty lady and stood there, waiting for his aunt. And after waiting for a just few minutes, Awenasa came out to see him.

"My my… look who do we have here?"

"Hello Aunt Ena!"

"Oh little Kiel. Long time no see! So how have you been doing?"

As she said that, she rushed forward to hug him. Kiel was not surprised, as he expected something like that. So he just returned the hug.

After a few moments of affection, they both separated. Awenasa then welcomed him to their room. It was on the second floor. Following her inside, Kiel saw a big room, with a single bed in the middle, along with various other gadgets laying around. Seeing a comfy bed after so long, Kiel just jumped on the bed. He was too numb from the travelling. So he just relaxed a bit and stretched himself a little.

"Kiel, I have confirmed that the Mana class will be held next week for a day to let you all know the basics of mana. Then the following week would be when the Mana Ceremony would be held. So, you have a week's time to do as you please. Do you have anywhere in mind, that you want to go?"

Kiel had already planned what to do next. So he just answered frankly "City Library"

"Thought you would say something like that. So I already went there. The city library is in the middle of the city. It is filled with all sorts of books and has 3 floors. But commoners like us are only allowed on the first floor. I have some work tomorrow. So I can't accompany you there. Will just take you to the library, and leave from there"

Kiel just nodded his head. But then he remembered something important.

"Understood Aunt. Oh… how is Dad doing…"

But hearing the question, took away the colour from her face. For a moment, Kiel thought that her eyes enlarged and a tinge of grief passed her eyes. But it only appeared to be his thoughts as she regained her composure almost immediately. 

"Uhmm… Derek… he… he… oh ya… he is still in the prison. But he is fine. So, you don't have to worry about him. Just focus on your ceremony for now. I'll take care of everything. "

"Understood aunt Ena"

"Stay here. I'll bring you dinner. Then you can rest. You must be tired from the ling hours of journey, my little boy."

"Ok"

Kiel sensed that Ena was probably hiding something. And seeing the hurriedness with which she left, Kiel felt a little uneasy. But he couldn't guess what. And Kiel thought that, whatever it was it should not have been too serious. After all, his father was just accused, and maybe aunt Ena was stressed out with all the work load. Moreover it was not like he could do anything to solve it. So he just stayed as a good boy. Although, the atmosphere was a little tense, Ena knew how to lighten it. So Kiel didn't feel anything much.

As Awenasa went downstairs, Kiel began to meditate to free his mind of disturbing thoughts. Kiel already had a guess, seeing the disturbing behavior of Aunt Ena, and his uneasiness. But it was too much to even consider a possibility. He could not even bear the responsibility of such thoughts. And although, he was feeling his old cold personality returning, he still had his attachments for his family. So meditating to keep away negative thoughts was the best thing to do now.

After a few moments, Ena came back with a hot bowl of porridge and a chicken stew, with some pastries as deserts. When Kiel tasted it, it felt like his mouth was melting with all kinds of flavour. He had never tasted anything so good before. So he took even more bites, relishing the food even more. Finishing his dinner quickly, Kiel soon felt sleepy. The tiredness came over him, as he went down his sleep.

" Wake up sleepyhead. Time to rise and shine"

Kiel was woken up from the loud shout. Rubbing his sleepy eyes as he woke up, Kiel saw a familiar face near him.

"Morning Aunt Ena"

"Kiel I've work to do. So wake up first. I'll take you to the library."

Hearing the term library, Kiel woke up immediately and freshened up to  have his breakfast. Then Kiel went out with his Aunt. 

Coming out of the inn, Kiel once again saw the hubbub and the busyness surrounding the streets and stalls. The weather was nice as usual. There were all types of people lurking around. The various sounds of melodies as well as arguments mixed together to create the perfect symphony of a midsummer day. Markets, residents, offices, hospitals and various other buildings filled up the city. Kiel learnt previously from Niyaas, that there were even buildings like Merchant guilds, Smithing guilds and Alchemists along with Churches and other religious structures here. Even the aroma of delicious food roamed about the streets from the various restaurants and stalls, stirring up his nostrils. 

Hand in hand with his aunt, they looked like a mother and son duo walking around. Although Awenasa had too much to take in, she still enjoyed the company of the little boy, as they walked around to their destination. She often pointed out at any eye catching thing and Kiel would respond to her seemingly.

As Kiel was viewing everything with curiosity, a big building came into view. There were two words on its top  "Xiri Library"

(A/N: Xiri is not a typo!)

"We are here. Listen I have work to do  So stay here until evening and I'll come pick you up, or you can come to the inn early. Your wish. And here's some change for you. 1 silver  coppers for library entry fee for a week. And the rest if you feel hungry or need anything. "

"1silver! Ain't that expensive."

Kiel remembered, he had to wrestle with a level 1 green eyed snake to just earn the same amount of money"

"Nah! Here in the city, it is pretty common. Alright off you go!"

"Ok. See you later then."

After bidding farewell to his aunt, Kiel went to the Library. It had a big metal gate at the front. After submitting the library usage fee, Kiel was allowed entry to the library. The insides were huge. Many stands of bookshelf were present in the huge space around, holding numerous books in them. The fresh smell of wood furnish lingered in the atmosphere, while silence reigned supreme in such a huge place. Kiel stared at the huge rows of bookshelf like an idiot, totally mesmerized by the atmosphere. The book shelves were so tall that they even seemed to extend themselves to the second floor and even the floor above. Watching all this, Kiel felt like spending the rest of his days here just for these knowledge would be enough.

But as he was looking around, a few shouts woke him up from his reverie.

"Hehe country bumpkins. Who even allows them here."

"Shh.. be quiet. Don't talk to a country bumpkin. You will also get degraded to their level."

"Haha"