Chapter 3127 Paid by Others (Part 1)
"That's exactly what I was afraid of." Faluel sighed. "The bodies you have chosen follow Awakened beauty standards. If you go around looking like that, you are going to draw a lot of attention. Tone it down, like me."
Faluel's human form was very cute but she was no head-turner. At least until one interacted with her. There was so much grace and elegance in her poise that a human would find it hard to take their eyes off her.
After everyone became average-looking, Leegaain snapped his fingers and Warped them away.
"Grampa, wait-" Before the Hydra could finish the phrase, everyone was already in Ne'sra. Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com
At first, she cursed the Guardian's name but then realized that he had chosen a place where the group would go unnoticed as their destination.
It was the city plaza and on top of a raised dais, a bard was singing one of the most famous songs of his repertoire while dancers and performers acted according to the scene described in the lyrics.
All eyes were on stage so no one witnessed the small groups appearing in the empty alleys. On top of that, Thrud's former followers were all Awakened and there was a mind link already established between them.
'Thank the gods Grampa is as smart as he looks.' Faluel sighed in relief. 'Doppelgangers, spread out and do whatever you want. If you encounter trouble, ask a guard, call me, or run to the closest Divine Beast.
'Everyone else, with me.' Her words fell on deaf minds.
Everyone was mesmerized by the play, especially the Doppelgangers. They had no notion of arts or entertainment. They were akin to a child who had never seen a toy and suddenly found himself in a toy shop.
The music, the dancing, the colorful costumes, everything was new and beautiful to them. The Divine Beasts, instead, were outraged. According to the pamphlets on the walls, the play was called "A Magus' Tale".
The actors had already gone past the part where the Supreme Magus had slain the evil minions of the Mad Queen and had moved to more recent events. A white-clad actor wielding a prop-Ragnarök was fighting against a group of acrobats.
Multiple people dressed in stone grey stood on each other's shoulders to reproduce the height gap between Lith's Tiamat form and Thaymos.
"Any news about our position in the rankings? The construction of Ne'sra's station is already in progress but I've heard that loyal cities will get priority and we are traitors."
Many mumbled and sighed, cursing Velan Deirus' name in fear they would end up at the bottom of the line because of him.
'Traitors? What are they talking about?' Ufyl asked. 'This city fought us tooth and nail. They are valiant soldiers. Is this how the Royals reward their loyal citizens?'
'Loyal my scaly ass.' Faluel quelled the outrage of the Divine Beasts by sharing with them the details of the former regional Lord's betrayal and how the local authorities of Ne'sra had mistreated the Golden Knight.
'What an insufferable bunch of assholes!' Leari said in even greater outrage. 'These people are worse than traitors, they are ungrateful!'
The Thunderbird had died at Solus' hands and respected her as a warrior. Leari's multiple deaths had made her appreciate life and admire those who despite their mortality dared to face Thrud's immortal army.
'Yeah, and as you guys have learned the hard way, Lith isn't big on forgiveness. These people have every reason to be worried.' The Hydra replied.
The group spent the following days in Ne'sra. Some just toured the city and listened to the gossip. Aside from the rebuilding of the city, the colonies in Jiera, and the reorganization of the Deirus region were the hottest topics.
"To think that just a few years ago we hosted two of the great academies, something only the Distar Marquisate ever achieved." A female mage sighed.
After Velan's death, the Black Griffon had become an independent small region of its own. Controlling the finances of an academy gave the local lord great power and influence.
The Crown couldn't afford someone they didn't trust as much as Mirim to rule over two of the six great academies.
Marquis Distar was also the Headmaster of the Black Griffon, which in theory brough three academies under the control of the Distar Household, but they had proven their loyalty in blood.
"Yeah, that's sad, but we still have the Fire Griffon." A male mage said. "As soon as Void Magic becomes an official course, we can apply to take it as a specialization!"
The Divine Beasts had faced Void Magic and knew how powerful it was. They couldn't believe that Lith had shared it with the Royals and that they in turn had shared Void Magic with the whole Kingdom.