บท 24: The City of Sol
As Adrian poked his head out of the window, he gazed upon the white marble walls in the distance. The marble walls were as white as freshly fallen snow and tall as redwood trees. They reached into the sky as if reaching for the clouds above and hid the buildings behind them like curtains. Upon the top of the wall were dozens of watchtowers, each decorated with a brazier of golden flames. Adrian was too far away to count how many guards were on the marble walls, but he saw the golden glint of the sun reflected from the legion of armor like the sea at sunset.
"What magnificence," Adrian whispered, his breath taken in awe. Daniel chuckled proudly, then pulled Adrian away from the window.
"Welcome to the capital city, Adrian," Daniel smiled. Adrian and Amber turned to Daniel, though Adrian tried to steal a few glimpses out the window before Daniel began to speak, "Sol has the most durable walls in Solarum. The city itself is a fortress. No army has been able to breach the outer walls for a thousand years."
"Why do you even need walls that tall? Surely walls half the size would do just fine," Amber asked.
"Well, to demonstrate our power, of course. The entire city of Sol acts as the jewel of the southern nations. Our architecture and art impress our allies while our walls and military scare our enemies," Daniel answered with a shrug. Then, he knocked on the wall facing the coachman. The carriage picked up its pace as the horses pulling it began to jog to the gates, "The Librarian is waiting for us. Let us not keep her waiting."
Getting inside the city of Sol was rather easy, which surprised Adrian. The further they traveled to the walls, the more the might of the city guard became apparent. The gate was made of marble and was shaped in the likeness of a set of double doors. Each door was as thick as three carriages placed side by side and as tall as the walls themselves.
When the caravan finally arrived at the gates, Daniel simply poked his head out the window and showed his face to the guards stationed atop the walls. With that, his identity was confirmed. The gates opened as soon as Daniel sat back down.
"Most of the guardsmen are on our payroll, one way or another," Daniel explained, "Because of that, we're considered VIPs."
"They don't have to check our papers or anything?" Amber asked for clarification. Daniel chuckled as if he thought her question was amusing.
"You don't have any papers in the first place. You might own a Record, but even that won't be good enough for official identification," Daniel told her, "We'll get your papers later when we've settled in the city. For now, just enjoy the city's sights."
Adrian nodded, then turned his attention to the window facing the side of the carriage. As he passed underneath the wall, a great blanket of shadow blocked him from the sun overhead, momentarily blinding him. In the next moment, though, the sun returned and carried the magnificence of Sol's city streets with it.
Adrian felt like he was transported to another world when he first gazed upon the marble streets before him. Unlike the city of Boreshire, in its primitive and medieval ways, the city of Sol looked like something carved from the realm of the gods.
He first noticed the cleanliness of the city streets. They were not covered in dirt or mud, unlike the streets of Boreshire. Instead, they were smooth and devoid of filth. Two raised platforms, similar to sidewalks, were built on the sides of the roads. Upon these sidewalks, Adrian saw dozens of citizens walking about. Some wore commoner clothing, similar to the clothing found in other cities in Solarum. Other citizens wore expensive robes and suits- a strange combination of modern and ancient fashion. Adrian understood at a glance that this disparity was caused by familial standards rather than a difference in wealth or status.
Most of the people he saw wearing suits must've been influenced by Daniel's family- the Breaton family. Some of them might've been his relatives or simple employees of the family. The rest wore robes and gowns, like the kind Adrian would find in an old medieval classic movie.
"That's the dress code of the other family- our rival family," Daniel explained as he saw Adrian's eyes wander through the crowds, "other than the Breaton family, there is also the Mortis family. They take great care in following tradition- which is why the fashion you see before you exists."
"You haven't wiped them out?" Amber muttered, confused. As far as she could see, a family strong enough to resist the Breaton family was a nuisance. Whether such a family conflicted their profits, influence, or simple military power- they should be taken out.
Daniel laughed. He slapped his knee, greatly amused, before he turned back to Amber.
"If we tried, the city would burn. There wouldn't be anything to rule afterward. We've tried to rid the city of opposition dozens of times. With each attempt, our hold over the city itself would wane," Daniel explained, "Only a complete victory over the Mortis family would allow us to retain power, but we don't have the manpower for that."
As the carriage moved further into the capital, Adrian brought his attention away from the crowds and toward the buildings near the center of the city. Although most of the buildings in the city were built from the same marble as the outer walls, they were also rather unimpressive in both size and stature. Some were supported with wooden beams while others were decorated with plaster and inferior stone.
Only towards the center of the city did the buildings become more grand and more impressive. They began to rise above four stories tall, each of them strong and wide. Some of the buildings had intricate carvings on the pillars and roofs- similar to the designs of Greek and Roman infrastructure- just more impressive. The streets became bigger to accommodate these buildings- allowing for some more room for carriages and wagons. The sidewalks were raised high enough from the road to appear as separate pathways, some stretching high enough to hide the crowds from Adrian's sight.
Once they reached the very center of the city, Adrian's eyes settled upon a monstrously large building. It wasn't very tall- only about five stories- but it was several hundred feet wide. The front and sides of the building were decorated with marble pillars sitting upon a large ramp of marble stairs. Behind the pillars, Adrian saw a large set of golden doors, each as tall as two stories.
"We're here," the rough voice belonging to the coachman announced. The carriage suddenly stopped, prompting Adrian to turn his attention away from the massive building before him. He looked to Daniel, who had a wicked grin on his face.
"Let's go," Daniel said as he quickly stood up. He adjusted the buttons on his jacket, then turned to the door, "Time to meet the Librarian."
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