Chapter 59

Chapter 59

----------

Regardless of her trying to push her flight speed, it took Neleh an hour and a half to reach the closest stable piece of land. Once she did, she created a doorway to Nexus right away. After that, it only took her scant seconds to reach the doorway closest to the city of JaoeTinukai while still being outside of it. It might have become a problem if the city was already in enemy hands, and she had appeared right in the middle of them. While she could defend herself, she didnt want to lose one of her only advantages, the element of surprise.

Luckily the doorway was close to the city and it took only couple of minutes to come close enough to the city to see it. It didnt actually require more than a glimpse of the city to realize what was going on. Big parts of the city were in flames. There was no siege, or an army surrounding the city, so it became obvious that the bandits had entered the city already, and the fires were most likely the result of the actions of the looters. As she drew closer, Neleh could see more precisely and could tell that almost 70-percent of the city was either in flames or already burnt down.

It seemed that the bandits were focused on the richer parts of the city, and more specifically the ducal palace. Of course, those would be the most lucrative places to loot, so it was no wonder that the bandits would focus there. Most of the other parts of the city were quickly looted and torched. The bandits were clearly here to do more than loot and pillage. They were here to destroy. It seemed that there was more behind this like they had suspected. Luckily it looked like the evacuation was a success.

Neleh idly wondered how they managed to get the people to leave so easily. There were almost always some people too attached to their homes and pasts, which lead them to stick to their place even if it cost them their lives. Yet, the only bodies she could see belonged the bandits killed by the defending guards, and a few guardsman corpses that died during the defense. There could have been some dead people in the burnt houses, but Neleh felt that unlikely. There wasnt even a hint of the negative energy produced by dead, and used by necromancers.

Im in position. Neleh said, contacting Estelar.

Same here. I brought some of my best men, and were standing by the doorway leading to the palace. Estelar had also used the doorways, unfortunately he still didnt have the ability the create the small doorways, and even though he was able to use those that Neleh had created, he had been lured to a part of the duchy where she had no visited since the creation of the Nexus. The bandits had no way to know about the doorways, they had simply gotten lucky.

Whats the plan? He asked.

Neleh had to think for a moment. She had spent quite a bit of mana flying around, and she had also fought a decent sized battle with the humans. She didnt have the strength to fight a prolonged battle. She could go for something big, but that would most likely destroy what was left of the city.

How did the evacuation go? Are you sure you got all the people out? Neleh asked, just to make sure her guess was correct.

They finished before the bandits entered the city. Youre planning something big arent you? Estelar asked, not sounding surprised in the slightest.

I dont see any other way. It will take too long for the army to get here, and Im already tired from one battle. I just dont have the strength for a prolonged fight. The bandit magicians are too busy with looting, so if I hide my preparations by making it look natural, I can wipe most of them out. That will take out whats left of the city, though. Neleh said with a sigh.

Estelars chuckle seemed a little out of place. What? Neleh asked.

Its just funny it would come to this. The people that were leading the evacuation happened to be the guys that were with us as escorts when you made that mountain for the dragons. As it happens, one of the reasons they were able to get everyone to leave, was because they told everyone that you would make them a new city and new homes better than the current ones, should the city be destroyed. They told everyone you were capable of creating a new city with a wave of your hand. Estelar finished with another chuckle.

Neleh cursed a little. Well, we do need a new capital city after this. Even if we do nothing to damage the city, its already in a state where staring over is easier than repairs. Just dont expect me to do it with a wave of my hand. Well have to build it little bit at a time over several weeks. They kind of forgot to mention the help of thirty dragons, and making a mountain is easier than making a city. She could only hear Estelar laughing on the other end of the spell.

She gave her orders after finishing her plan. The destruction seems to be more purposeful than simple banditry. I suspect someone is behind the bandits. Ill start preparing my spell now, but I want you to apprehend some high ranking members of the bandits for questioning, and pull back into the Nexus. They seem to be gathered near the palace, so you should have no trouble getting to them. Ill give you thirty minutes, so be gone by then.

After getting a confirmation from Estelar, Neleh started to gather her power. Because of the mana she had already spent, she had to utilize the remaining power in the wells she was carrying. She would have to save the power she got from the dragons for making the new city. There was a natural storm front closing in from the north, so she decided to utilize that. Those mages among the bandits that had any skill with weather related magic wouldnt find it strange to see the storm approaching, even though the clouds were gathering in the area much faster than normal.

Surprisingly good, actually. Weve always highlighted the importance of food and supplies in the Order. They are going through hellish training, so the least we can do is keep them well fed and equipped. The stores at the Order sanctuaries will be enough for a while, and were already gathering more from various sources. Thanks to the short distance they had to travel, the evacuees also managed to take along surprisingly large amounts of necessities and wealth. They wouldnt be left with nothing even if we didnt supply them. It also helps that the city was focused on craftsmen and a big portion of them were already within the Order sanctuaries receiving the teachings from your father. They took most of their tools with them. The loss of the tools of the craftsmen wouldve been tragic. Estelar explained.

Good. I already have a general idea about what to do with the new city, but start asking for input, and ideas from the people. Oh right, we had planned on holding on the banking reforms until later, but nows a good time to get those started. The people will need cheap loans to get their lives back on track, and we can provide them. The people most likely lost anything they could use as collateral, so our plans are perfect to cover them. We will most likely get a lot of new recruits for the Order as well, since the people are most likely bitter and want to protect their lives in the future. Neleh started listing a long to-do list, while they went back to the nexus. They had a lot of work ahead of them.

Before anything though, Neleh planned on sleeping the next few days. Let Estelar get things started and earn his non-existent pay. She would do the heavy lifting after some rest.

----------

Azrael and the others reached Bluepearl three weeks later. The trip had been uneventful, aside from the reports they got from Neleh. Neleh had been fairly close mouthed about what had happened, and had only given them a short explanation. They were anxious to get back, and met Estelar at the docks at almost full run. He only grinned at their questions and took them to the inn they had used to store the doorway. They did notice that the door Estelar took them to within the Nexus was different from the standard door to JaoeTinukai.

Once they exited the doorway, they found themselves on a cliff on the side of a small mountain. The cliff was overlooking a large and beautiful city. The area surrounded by the impossibly thick and high walls covered an area bigger than Rhianon, although it was obvious that most of the area wasnt in use yet. The city was nestled next to a lake that had a large river running through it. Azrael assumed that the river was the main river running through the JaoeTinukai duchy, the Lucent. She had no idea what the city was though. She had never heard of a city like this in the elven continent.

The city itself was divided into sections by smaller walls and gateways. The roads were wide, and parks and greenery plentiful. The building was done in a way that removed back alleys and dark places. Every wide street was paved, and had elevated sidewalks with plenty of magical lights. The districts were divided in a way strange to Azrael, but clearly followed some pattern. The docks along the river were separated from the city proper by a security wall, but the docks were formed in a similar fashion to the one found in Bluepearl, except instead of the docks being separated by a chain, the whole river could be cut off from both directions with chains.

There was a sizeable island in the middle of the lake. There was a large bridge made of some odd material built from the city towards the island, and the island itself had the same type of walls as those surrounding the city. There was clearly a plan to build something on the island, but the construction had not yet started. Instead, the city itself was still under construction. Only about a quarter of the city had been constructed so far, and there were several buildings being made as they watched. It was clear from the way they were built that most of the buildings had been formed by magic. The architecture of the buildings was similar to Rhianon, except not compulsory white. The buildings in this city were made more with practicality in mind. The most obvious thing within the city was a tall and thin pure white tower rising in the center. Each of the gates also had a tower built near them, though they gave the impression of landing platforms instead.

Estelar lead them down the cliff towards some horses, and they rode into the city. Azrael could see that the space between the outer wall, and the first separating wall was reserved for military use. The facilities within were still only in the first stages of construction, but the purpose of the buildings was obvious. There were also arches built near all the gates, ready to be connected to Nexus. The arch closest to them was already active, with a mining caravan exiting the arch towards a section of the city that looked to have several foundries and blacksmiths. Seen closer, the towers near the gates really were landing platforms for something that flies, though Azrael wasnt sure what was supposed to land there. If they were just for celestials, then the towers were too exaggerated.

Ah, now I get it. Shiori suddenly said.

What? Azrael asked, turning to look at the girl.

I wasnt sure what the idea with the planning of the city was, but now its becoming obvious. Very clever. Everything is designed with efficiency in mind, with the idea of cutting down on needless travel. The city takes the flow of people and goods into consideration very well, and the empty space allows for expansion to all directions as the population of the city increases. Shiori explained.

Now that the girl mentioned it, Azrael could see it too. Normal cities were built mostly to separate the social classes and expanded organically. Everyone built where there was space available and where it was cheap, instead of where things would be most efficient. In this city, things had a plan and an assigned place from the start. Thats what made it look odd to her. Where were they? She hadnt heard of any new cities being built

Estelar lead them towards the place where the construction was ongoing. Once they got close, they could see Neleh surrounded by several exhausted people, while Neleh herself was channeling power to a building clearly meant to become some kind of a huge forge. Neleh saw them approach, told the exhausted people to take a break and came to greet them with a smile.

Good to see you again. It took you guys a while to get here. She said giving a hug to Shiori, who ran towards her.

Where is here exactly? Azrael asked with confusion.

Oh, you didnt tell them Estelar? You are now within the new capital of the JaoeTinukai duchy. The old one had a little accident. Never mind that, Ill explain better later. Welcome to Nan Yanoi! She greeted them with a wide flourish.