[Eon's POV: ]
[{ "You know, we are in the eastern continent now." }]
[{ "I can tell from the trees. This is quite some travel." }]
We were in the desert of the eastern part of the western continent when we first crossed the warp portal, and then a few and reached another portal location in a similar deserted area in a ruin present deep inside of a cave.
The warp portal there was actually working somehow so, after passing through the portal that was connected with some fixed location, we fell into the icy lands of the northeastern part of the western continent.
'After reaching there, we walked for around ten more minutes to another warp portal.'
Enduring the chilly winds of that place wasn't easy. The weather there was just too cold compared to the winter of the empire.
But that wasn't the worst thing.
'We passed through another portal and fell on some small island.'
This island was hot AF– the humid weather of the place especially was not something I liked too much.
There was also a strange and strong energy present somewhere on that island, so my senses were screaming at me from the moment we got there until the moment we flew away from that island and reached another island after ten more minutes of flying.
'After that, we were here– in some plain grasslands in the eastern continent.'
These grasslands had some distinct scattered trees that we can tell were native to the east.
If we looked closely at the small ants on the ground, the type of grass, and identify the small insects present around the plains, we could also tell this place was situated somewhere in the western edge of the eastern continent.
'So...'
We moved from the central part of the western continent and travelled all the way to the east. And we were walking once again now.
The kind of weather that we experienced until now was nothing simple and not exactly something a normal noble would like.
'All the guests of the conference were led through various set paths that only the guides with them know about. Passing through various places was a precaution and, doing it like this weeded out a lot of unwanted guests.'
It wasn't just about the people that might be a threat to the conference but also a technique that had helped them deal with the people who were attending the conference for the first time.
'Even the headmaster doesn't know everything about the people that are being invited.'
He isn't the only one that could invite people, so he needed to keep the ones he wasn't inviting in check.
And for that, he had created the process of guiding the guests through this complex journey.
Various temporary pathways were created throughout the world just for the sake of this one meeting. And depending on a predetermined order, the guests were led through these paths.
The destination for everyone was always the same. But none of the participants would practically ever meet one another due to the diversity of these pathways.
[{ "Woh, look! A panda!" }]
That was my mom.
And no. Panda lived in the forest, not in the grasslands.
[{ "That's a (White-black fur hound) mom." }]
It wasn't a panda. It was just a beast creature that resembled a panda and had a similar fur like them.
Mr. Crow stopped before a wrap portal that was set up in the middle of nowhere.
There was no barrier here, there was nothing to protect the portal and the high Mana density of the portal alone should have attracted the nearby creatures here.
But, strangely, there was nothing here.
"How is it that-... oh, are those talismans?"
I did not see it before, but there were talismans placed on the ground at certain intervals from one another.
They were pretty far from one another so noticing them was pretty difficult and since they did not have any specific presence like Mana, they weren't that easy to notice.
{ "It's fascinating you even noticed them, mister Axion." }
The rest of them with me were still wondering why there was nothing around the portal or why it was even set in a place like this.
There was perhaps no deep meaning behind keeping a portal in this place and using talismans to keep the creatures from approaching.
'The talismans that could keep all kinds of creatures away were pretty rare and costly to make. I can tell these were made with special ingredients as well.'
They weren't something similar to a magic item, or even an artifact. A talisman was more like a potion or an alchemical product that needed a lot of things to produce.
The paper was made from special wood that was grown in a special manner, then it was processed into the Talisman paper with various unique methods, and later the main inscriptions that were similar to runes were inscribed on them.
The better the quality of the inscriptions and their complexity, the better the effects of the talisman.
{ "We shall go now." }
These talismans were pretty interesting so I wanted to take a closer look at them, but under the circumstances, it did not seem possible.
We had to move quickly now. We weren't on some trip or vacation but we were moving to an important place.
-Oooooooooooong!
Passing through these portals had become familiar to us at this point, so... after crossing the edge of the eastern continent, when we moved through another bunch of portals that first took us back to some island like place, then to some gorge, then to some valley, then to some kind of mountain top... finally, after moving through more than ten warp portals, we seemed to have arrived at our destination.
{ "After passing through that gate, we will reach the place where the Conference will be held." }
The final destination.
I can tell this was an artificial space just by the overly realistic things around us.
"Thank you for everything, Mr.Crow."
His duty as the guide had ended now that we had reached the Site so, after we cross this pretty garden filled with attractive flowers, fountains, a fake blue sky, and an unrealistic rejuvenating freshness in the air, and cross the gate that looked like... a very pretty gateway to the underworld, his work with us will conclude.
There might be other things that he had to look after, so he should go back to work.
Thanking him for everything was only natural.
And besides, I have a feeling that we will be seeing each other again soon anyway. So, there is no need for a goodbye just yet.
'And he will still be with us until we cross those gates anyway.'
So...
It should be fine to talk a little with this guide, right?