The engineers and Earth Mages were quickly embroiled in a heated discussion about what the transport landing pad should look like. The problem stemmed from the fact that they came from a half dozen different species, with very different design preferences.
Cain wished he had a design book from the ancients to go by and settle the argument, but hunting for the elusive librarian would have to wait until he finished the more important tasks. Like drinking peach juice and watching a seven-tailed fox youkai threaten to suffocate a bat-type beastkin to death with tail fluff.
The bat was much smaller than the fox, only 1.45 meters or so tall, but he had an overbearing sort of presence caused by his level of confidence that made him seem bigger than he was. It wasn't enough to match up to the Fox Youkai, but from a distance the matchup seemed more like an adult scolding a child, where it was more like a pair of rival coworkers bickering about a shared project when you were close enough to hear it.
They obviously knew each other fairly well, as they insulted each other's families by their first names, but neither was willing to back down on their point. The bat wanted a taller central gazebo over the portal for flying species to roost in once they had arrived, while the youkai insisted he was an idiot and that large species arriving would just crash into it.
"How about rests in the surrounding structure that the druids want to build a lattice on to display their flowers? That way the fliers can land and the tall species won't hit their head?" Cain finally called over, interrupting everyone's morning entertainment.
That they could agree on, since it solved both problems, but it only changed the argument into what such a structure should look like.
This construction project clearly wasn't going to be done in a day, but the walkway to the main fairgrounds, also known as the west pasture, was already under construction, with markers indicating where they intended to line it with various colors and scents of flowers, as well as a variety of trees, placed and pruned to provide both shade and sunlight, depending on the time of day and where you were standing on the path.
It was genius really. Some parts of the road would be lit and some would be shaded every hour between sunrise and sunset, with magical plants that released scents at different times of day constantly changing the appearance and fragrance as time progressed.
"Plant people really are better at getting along than dirt people." One of the druids joked, drawing the ire of the Earth Mages, who were still arguing over the design of the platform.
The basis was the same black and white parquet floor that the other two guild-run intercontinental circles had, but for the pride of the awakened area, they wanted something much grander, even if right next to it was a small and rustic farmhouse with faded paint.
Of course, upgrading the farmhouse itself was part of many of the plans, but the architect was doing a fairly good job of keeping them on track and focused on the task at hand.
"What theme does the Eastern Continent platform have? The Long Fang Valley one was open into a garden of edible plants, right?" The fox youkai asked.
"That's right. The Eastern Continent platform opens to the training grounds for the dinosaur cavalry, so it is military and dinosaur themed." Cain explained, sending the youkai a mental image of the platform at Port Nefheim.
"Dinosaur Cavalry? I need to see that. Finish up the work you idiots, we have places to be." Someone from the crowd shouted, making the druids laugh.
Neffie wasn't the only one that thought they were an amazing idea, and dozens of people from the farm were excited to see what a cavalry unit riding summoned dinosaurs might look like. Few of them had ever seen the giant lizards in person, so this was a unique experience for them.
The final design was one of friendship, as they called it. The pillars were filled with carvings of magical beasts as well as the Demons, Youkai, and beastkin that made up the local population. Not in combat as they were in life, but coexisting in peace, as everyone wished was actually possible.
The top ring made a three-quarter circle around the platform, with a flat top and carvings on the bottom that bat-like species could hang from. It was elegant in its simplicity, but the carvings were amazing, using Mythic Skills to make them ultra-realistic.
It didn't take long to build, and Cain placed the circle, linking it to the other Guild locations in Port Nefheim and Long Fang Valley. He could have flown there and back in the time this argument took, but the show was too fun to watch for Cain to want to leave before the platform was built.
"Alright, I will be back in a week or two. Everyone behave and give me a call if you need assistance getting ready for a Guardian selection. Good luck to you all, and remember I will reward everyone who upholds our good name in the trials, so don't think that playing dirty to win will get you anywhere." Cain announced once the circle was active.
"Wait, first tell us where the dinosaurs are!" One of the nearby fighters called, not knowing the name of the location on the Eastern Continent to transfer to it.
"Oh, the Eastern Continent location is Port Nefheim, under the jurisdiction of our favorite young Guild Member Nefertiti, better known as Neffie. Her parents should be there as well to keep her out of trouble, just tell them I sent you to visit and they will take care of you."
A small group gives Cain a thumbs up and he leads the Companions through the portal, stepping out into the middle of the garden in Long Fang Valley.
The Manor House is much more lively than Cain remembers it being, full of people in black and white tabards, as well as a market square that now reaches all the way to the gates from the small square in the city center that is almost half a mile away.
There aren't enough people living here to sustain a market like this or weren't the last time Cain was here, so the size is pretty startling, but the reverent bows and kneeling from the people in black and white tabards are much more disconcerting.
Some of them are Guild Members, but most of them just seem to be followers or hang around sorts, without the identification badges that the Guild Members Carry. Looking them over, Cain decides that Cyrene must have given the same tabards as uniforms to Guild employees. He saw the notifications that they had bought out a lot of businesses all over the continent, which meant that there would be a lot of employees under their care now.
Maybe this was some sort of employee gathering. There were hundreds of people in the tabards here, and well over five thousand more people scattered throughout the city.
