Welcome to Agartha

The remainder of the trip consisted of a daily road routine mixed with lively discussions between Isaac and Zachary during the day and meal and training in the evening.

Nothing extraordinary really happened. No monsters had been encountered so far which was a pretty good sign and most of the wild beasts were killed by the guards before they could even get to the encampment.

Isaac recognized that they were outstanding soldiers. Their movements were precise, fast, and powerful. If he was to be taken by surprise and unprepared, he would probably have a hard time blocking an attack from one of them.

Artiel took the opportunity to mingle with the crowd and learned a lot about their techniques and their ways of fighting.

Rebecca on the other hand spent much of her time with the Master Mages while Isaac chatted with Zachary. Even though Isaac didn't really like their discussions.

On the one hand, the young woman was interested in the subjects that the two Master-Mages broached, Isaac felt a certain tension in their gaze. They saw Rebecca as a vulgar piece of meat, they had a predatory gaze.

But Isaac did nothing. They hadn't done anything yet and Rebecca didn't seem to care. Even better, she was learning interesting things and her daily training gave Isaac a glimpse of her progress day by day.

They had been traveling for almost ten days. The escort was currently in a large plain dotted with a few trees. In the distance, we could see Agartha, the capital of Kilguana.

- "They are huge!" Artiel yelled from his horse to Isaac, who had stuck his head through the window.

Isaac could only nod. The walls were really huge, they were almost fifty meters high! Their length span was not to be taken lightly either.

Visually, the walls formed a circle around an immense Palace, the high towers of which could be seen even from where the escort was standing. The perimeter walls were immense both in width and length, they probably covered an area of about 5 km in diameter.

This was something that deserved respect. And this was without counting on the fact that the walls seemed to be enchanted.

From where he stood, Isaac could see a faint golden glow emanating from the stones of the enclosure forming a dome covering the entire city within.

- "The walls were erected by our ancestors a very long time ago. The archives do not give an exact date, but they are at least a thousand years old…" Zachary said while looking at the city through the window in turn.

- "A millennium ?! Why build such a monstrosity ?!"

- "Don't get me wrong, the walls are so high because they are built on the edge of a rocky rise, much like your sanctuary. The cliffs were hewn out to create the bricks which were then laid on the cliffs. The Upper Town is raised above the plains, "Zachary replied.

It made more sense. But all the same, the time it must have taken them to build these walls must have been substantial.

- "The stones were enchanted by the Church of the Sun long after the interior wall's construction to form three domes of blessing over the city. In the center are the Royal Palace and the Cathedral, around is the Upper Town, the Rich Quarter. Just outside from the imposing inner wall is the Lower Town where most of the interesting things happen, then comes the middle wall, the Poor Quarters, the outer wall, and the city slums, "Zachary explained.

The layout of the capital seemed to match that of most medieval towns. The more we are inside, the richer the places.

It was a recurrent development policy, although rather limiting since the rich zones are difficult to expand.

But that's what made them rich in some ways. Less space equals a more expensive price per square meter which equates to more benefits. In any case, that could be one of the many factors explaining this kind of provision.

There was also the fact that they were closer to the Kingship and the Cathedral. The places are therefore much more secure.

Isaac stared at the walls for a long time before tucking his head into the carriage and sighed lightly. He was starting to get stressed.

- "What is the difference between the poor neighborhoods and the slums?" Isaac asked to clear his mind.

- "The residents of the Poor Quarters pay a tax and are protected by the perimeter walls. The slums do not pay taxes, nor are they protected by the garrison. However, they can work for the city to earn the right to enter at night, "Zachary replied.

Isaac found this approach quite logical. Those who offer their service are rewarded and those who do nothing are left behind. Such was the law of the strongest.

Although this method seems slightly archaic, for a medieval world, it remains normal for the time.

- "Can I visit ?" asked Isaac.

- "I warned them of our arrival. First of all, we have an audience with the King. Everything should be fine, don't worry" Zachary said with a small smile.

- "I'm not worried" answered Isaac, blowing his nose.

His heart was pounding, his hands were sweaty, and his forehead was starting to cover with sweat. He wasn't sure what to do in front of the King. Should he bow, bow, or kneel?

It was better to just bow. After all, he was not a subject of the King nor a foreign diplomat. He was simply the guest of the Magus and he remained an Archmage.

- "Who will be present?" asked Isaac.

- "The King, of course. The Queen and the Princess, the High Officials including the Grand Generals, the High Nobility and I think that's it," he said.

- "How many people altogether?"

- "About a hundred people max…"

- "One hundred ?!"

Zachary smiled and came over to pat Isaac on the back who put his head in his hands as he lowered himself forward.

- "Everything will be fine, you just have to introduce yourself and I'll take care of the rest," said Zachary to calm Isaac.

- "Thank you" answered Isaac with a sigh of relief.

He was not used to speaking in front of so many people. Whether they were nobles or commoners, he was afraid to speak in public.

- "Ah… then, you have a meeting with the Papacy. I can't go there, so you will have to fend for yourself" Zachary added.

- "What ?!"

- "The Pope, the Grand Pontiffs, and the Cardinals want an audience with you. You can refuse but I advise against it, if the meeting goes well you could gain access to the Divine Lands or even obtain a special title" explained Zachary.

Isaac was silent for a moment to think.

- "What kind of special title?"

- "In normal times, the ecclesiastical hierarchy is determined by the capacity of divine energy of the believers. The Priest of Erivia has sent a report describing that you have a quantity well above the average and the Papacy wants to confirm this. If you pass their test, since you are not a believer of the Church or a citizen of Kilguana and that you do not seem to want to become one, they can still give you other titles like that of Saint, Prophet, or Oracle. "

- "But why can't you come with me?"

- "The Kingship and the Papacy are two distinct regimes. One cannot intervene in the affairs of the other. I am a subordinate of the Kingship and therefore cannot participate in the audience just as the Pope or his subordinates cannot attend to your audience with the King, "Zachary replied.

Isaac understood. It was a status quo that the Church and the Royalty had had to obtain over the years. After all, theoretically speaking, the two factions were symbolically closely related.

The King has the Chosen Ones to lead Kilguana while the Church is the representative of Solus to mortals.

Since the vast majority of the population is religious including the Nobility, the fact that these two factions come into conflict could create enormous tensions or even a Civil War.

The two factions were therefore forced to find common ground and agree to avoid this kind of conflict at all costs.

That being said, that kind of separation could very likely create other problems. But obviously, so far things seemed to have been handled well.

- "And when you have finished your audience with the Pope, you can come and stay with me! I asked that the best cooks in the Palace be gathered to prepare the best meal you have ever eaten" Zachary announced with a smile.

- "Perfect !" Isaac said, looking again at the slowly approaching walls.

Several long minutes passed during which the two Archmages remained silent before the coach came to slow down to reach a walking speed.

Isaac looked around with interest.

The escort coaches were in line on a long paved road about twenty meters wide. On either side were merchants, farmers, beggars, and slaves all bowed to the ground. Next to them were all kinds of animals pulling carriages and wagons.

The path had been evacuated and all passers-by were positioned so as not to stay in the path of the escort surrounded by the royal guards.

The surroundings were extremely quiet and still. Farther on, about fifty yards from the paved path were houses that barely stood up. They appeared to be made of cloth and long branches. Isaac felt like they could be destroyed at the slightest gust of wind.

There were also children, women, and men of all ages, all bowed down and their foreheads on the ground.

- "It's much worse than I thought," said Isaac seeing the state of the premises and the people.

Most could barely stand. It was a vision Isaac never thought he would see. After all, where he was, he had very rarely been able to witness poverty.

The few moments he had seen a homeless man in the street, things weren't as dramatic as what he was seeing. There were so many of them and in a much worse condition than he could have imagined.

Isaac was about to open the door when Zachary's hand came to rest on his. Zachary immediately closed the curtains before turning to Isaac, smiling.

- "I understand that you want to help them, but believe me, things are not so simple. Keep your priorities, we have to go see the King first," he said.

Isaac was hesitant. He didn't know what to do, but for now, he decided to trust Zachary and withdrew his hand from the door.

Seeing that Isaac understood, Zachary opened the window overlooking the coachman and stepped forward to speak.

- "Accelerate the pace," he said quite simply.

The coachman understood and nodded in response before relaying the order to the neighboring riders. Very quickly, the escort picked up speed.

Zachary sat down before sighing then looked at Isaac who had his gaze fixed outside between two curtains. His eyes were frozen and his expression was pale.

But everything changed quickly when they reached the doors on the outer wall and arrived in the Poor Quarters.

Although the premises were cleaner and better kept, they were also not extremely well maintained.

The buildings were, however, more solid. Some were built with wooden planks, others with stone. In general, they appeared to be much better built than the slums and were no more than two stories tall.

The paths were dirt with intermittent mud. From time to time, one could see women throwing basins of water which Isaac refrained from looking for the contents in view of their unattractive color.

It was the middle ages, after all, there was probably no hygiene education, recycling center, or sewage.

We could see at times cripples or beggars in the streets as well as soldiers patrolling the roads. There too, all those present on the path had given way to the escort and were bowed to the ground.

Minutes passed again before they reached the gates of the intermediate wall and entered Lower Town.

Here things were much cleaner. Around were numerous stables, stalls, and inns lining the central path.

The streets seemed full and were probably busy given the number of goods being transported. Barrels, crates, straws, and cages were placed on either side of the path next to their owner tilted to the ground.

The road through the Lower Town was the longest of all. The escort took almost double the time to travel from the middle wall to the imposing interior wall than it did between the exterior wall and the middle wall.

From there, things changed dramatically. Isaac was surprised when Zachary stood up and invited him to follow him before they left the coach.

- "What's going on ?" Isaac asked in surprise, looking around.

They were in a sort of stronghold built at the foot of the interior wall. No ray of sunlight reached them, but the surroundings were bright enough for Isaac to observe.

The square appeared to be a huge stable containing about fifty other coaches of the same style as the one Isaac had previously been in.

There were also horses placed in stables as well as many soldiers patrolling the walls surrounding the stable. The area was extremely clean and well-lit.

- "A passage zone, the fastest way to enter Upper Town is via the teleportation runes," Zachary said pointing to a huge platform built on the edge of the wall. "We can go through the main gate to the north, but we are slightly late so we will have to go through the entry formalities. Other coaches are waiting for us higher up," he said at last before setting off.

Isaac nodded and waited for his apprentices who quickly joined him before following Zachary.

A group of royal guards joined them and all stood on the rock platform when Zachary placed his hand on the ground, palm open before inhaling.

- "Teleport"

As soon as the word was spoken, mana came out of Zachary's hand and headed for the ground to power the rune. Luminous inscriptions quickly appeared on the ground.

The next moment, the world changed and disappeared before leaving nothing but white. A powerful, intense white light that vanished as quickly as it did when it first appeared.

Then Isaac felt his skin get hit by the sun. The change in light took him a bit by surprise and it took Isaac a little while to catch a glimpse of what was in front of him.

After a while, Isaac began to widen his eyes as he saw what was looming in front of him.

- "Wow"

The escort was currently on a copy of the rock platform lower down at the foot of the inner wall, the height of which had drastically decreased.

From fifty meters in height, the wall seemed to be barely fifteen meters now. Below were wide gardens, meadows, and flowing rivers. Near the wall were high white buildings housing shops, restaurants, and a variety of other stores. Mansions were built all over the place and cobblestone paths linked everything together, forming aligned and symmetrical geometric designs.

In the center was a huge lake overhung by four bridges at each cardinal point connecting the edge to a large island in the center.

There, on a great mountain, stood a huge Palace. The walls and towers that made it up were completely enchanted as were all the city walls and radiated energy.

On the other side of the lake was a large cathedral, as large as the Palace in the center, made of marble giving it a holy and pure presence.

Isaac was speechless as were his apprentices.

- "Welcome to the Upper Town" Zachary announced with a small laugh. "Welcome to Agartha!"