Morning 8 AM. The Capital City Edin. The kingdom of Edinburgh.
Freya had just finished getting docked at a quay bay, which was relatively close to Edinnica. A bunch of rankers got off the ship and stepped foot on Edin for the first time.
Eren and the three Master-ranked ladies had arrived in Edin.
Eren could see loads of people rushing off to do something or go somewhere. It was as if the whole city was one giant, well-oiled machine and the crowds of people were levers inside it. They moved about in complete sync with each other like clockwork.
Some rankers used their movement spells without disturbing anyone. Some used artifacts to move the items they had. Others traveled directly to the city entrances in flying bubble vehicles.
The City of Edin had countless entrances and exits. But to enter the city, one needed to have proper documents. They also had to pass through certain identity-confirming matrixes, assuring the administration they were who they claimed to be.
Edin had an unstoppable tenacity to it. Even with all its security protocols installed, the place itself had a liberating vibe. Mortals, rankers, monsters, demon beasts, and mana beasts. Even halflings were an integral part of the city. At least they were not as discriminated against as in the duchies outside of central Edinburgh.
There was a reason for the city's all-inclusive attitude and it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. Edin made use of every community to get what it wanted from them. It employed every stratum of people, demanding their skills in exchange for the illusion of freedom.
Still, Eren didn't find anything wrong with extracting someone's worth and offering them compensation in return. He felt that those who were made to feel they were needed by society were particularly better off than those who weren't. This was how the world worked anyway.
With various thoughts like these running inside his head, Eren watched the city's hustle and bustle with a stoic gaze. He stood above the head of a White Raven figurehead and thought of his next set of plans all over again.
Due to Ken's ship's special access to the city, Roody and he separated from Eren as soon as they arrived. The latter regretted that they couldn't do this sooner. He didn't know when he would get the chance to speak with Levine. So he cursed Ken some more before jumping off the ship's ledge.
Step.
When Freya docked, Eren stepped lightly onto the dock. The three ladies followed him immediately. The butcher took a deep breath and took the air of a brand-new city into his lungs before commenting sarcastically.
"Look at these people moving about. They are not even paying attention to the three Master-ranked beauties that have come to visit the city. I have to say this is my first time experiencing something like this."
Eren was being honest. If it was any other city outside Central Edinburgh the arrival of three Master-ranked entities would have created waves in the hearts and minds of the citizens. And it would have sent the city administration running to receive them if they had come together.
However, everyone treated Nina, Levine, and Jiana normally. The lower-ranked entities would bow to them without stopping their work. The Expert and Master-ranked entities would nod at them or flash a light smile before proceeding about their ways. It was as if they had no time for anyone at all.
Jiana chuckled at Eren's comment as she observed his expressions of curiosity and wonder. She looked at him like she was looking at a country bumpkin before responding.
"Of course, guild master. Edin has thousands of Master rankers and about a few hundred Grandmaster rankers inside its territory at any given time. They are the best of the best in their regions financially and otherwise.
Most come here if and when the kingdom summons them. Some come here when they hit a bottleneck in their journeys. The city also keeps on organizing a lot of ranking events on any given day. So some are here as participants… just like you."
In Edin, Jiana could always use her title holder identity to expedite the entry process for herself. She would also be treated very differently from the rest once her identity was established. But she decided that she should stick with the group she had come with.
Eren nodded his head as he listened to Jiana's words. It seemed that she had also visited the city before like Levine. So he let her lead the way after bowing gracefully.
Levine looked around suspiciously as if someone was watching her. She knew that Demonmir was here and his forces could be all over the place. So she remained vigilant about her surroundings while adding up.
"Eren, we didn't have a chance to talk about a lot of topics when we were traveling. First, it was due to your breakthrough. Then it was due to those friends of yours. Now that we are here, I want you to pay attention to something.
I'm sure you must have been told to be wary of Ottoman by other rankers countless times, including me. But I'll have to reiterate that at the cost of sounding like a broken record– don't provoke that bastard. You don't know what he is capable of."
Eren raised his eyebrows as he listened to Levine's warning. He was walking in the middle of Nina and Levine whereas Jiana was leading the way from the front. It looked like an Expert ranker was being protected by three Master ranked entities to the onlookers.
Eren's group was walking towards a giant gate that was the nearest entrance to Edin from where they were. Countless other rankers were walking with them.
Eren was about to say something. But then Jiana turned around before commenting.
"Master Levine is right, guild master. Nobody knows what Demonmir is capable of. There is something special about his existence in the land of Anfang after all. I'll go ahead and say that there's a part of him that's a lot like your demon beast Argo."
Jiana was sure that she wasn't mistaken in her conjecture because she had seen Argo up close. She then looked ahead and narrowed her eyes before using the group communication channel to speak.
