Chapter 85: Water City

  The journey along the pristine shoreline of the Emerald Lake was entirely peaceful following their highly effective, completely bloodless negotiation at the toll bridge. The dirt road smoothly widened into a heavily traveled, flawlessly paved merchant highway, filled entirely with colorful, massive wagons hauling the rich agricultural bounty of the Azure Valley directly toward the central hub.

  As the morning mist finally burned off, entirely clearing their line of sight, the city of Riverbend revealed itself in all its breathtaking, highly engineered glory.

  It wasn't simply built near the water; it was constructed entirely over it.

  Massive, incredibly thick pillars of heavily enchanted, completely water-resistant white stone had been driven deep into the bed of the colossal lake, supporting a sprawling, multi-tiered metropolis of interlocking, varnished wooden platforms, elegant arched white bridges, and towering glass-domed structures. The city seemed to float effortlessly above the deep blue-green water, reflecting the bright morning sun in a dazzling, chaotic array of brilliant light.

  "It's exactly like a giant lily pad made entirely of houses," Zeno observed, his amber eyes wide with genuine, unadulterated wonder as they approached the primary stone causeway. "How do they stop the heavy stone from sinking into the soft mud?"

  "First Era architectural foundations reinforced with incredibly complex, high-tier water Tena," Lyra explained, equally impressed by the sheer, imposing scale of the floating city, though she kept her voice low to conserve her energy. "The entire city is an absolute alchemical marvel. It has to be; it's the absolute center of medical, biological, and botanical research for the Nine Kingdoms."

  They crossed the massive, crowded stone causeway, officially entering Riverbend.

  The atmosphere here was drastically, wonderfully different from the rugged, survivalist grit of Verdant Reach or the oppressive, martial gloom of the mountain passes. The air smelled incredibly clean, constantly washed by the cool lake breezes and heavily perfumed with the sharp, clean scent of crushed medicinal herbs and brewing botanical potions. The citizens walking the polished planks wore elegant, brightly colored silks and incredibly fine linens, moving with a fast-paced, highly educated purpose.

  "We stand out exactly like sore thumbs," Lyra noted softly, completely aware of the pristine, unblemished nature of the city and its scholars around them.

  She looked down at her battered, scuffed green leather armor, heavily stained with ancient jungle mud and the acidic blood of various monsters. She looked at Zeno, his dark red Crimson Spider-Silk tunic still showing the faint, indelible scorch marks of the violet alchemical fire, his massive Rock Serpent gauntlets looking entirely too brutal and jagged for the refined, scholarly streets. Even Gravel the mule looked distinctly rougher and grumpier than the well-groomed, highly decorated draft horses pulling the local merchant carts.

  "We look incredibly tough," Zeno corrected cheerfully, completely unbothered by the slightly alarmed stares of the passing academics. "We look exactly like people who punch giant trees and throw heavy sharks. They should be very impressed."

  Lyra chuckled weakly, completely charmed by his unwavering, innocent self-confidence. "Let's hope the local doctors are impressed enough to actually help us. The Alchemists' Guild headquarters is located in the central district. Let's find a secure stable for Gravel and then head straight there."

  After paying a slightly exorbitant fee to board the tired mule in a highly secure, heavily guarded stable facility located on one of the lower stone tiers, they made their way directly toward the center of the floating city.

  The architecture grew increasingly complex and delicate the deeper they ventured. The heavy wooden platforms were replaced entirely by smooth, flawlessly polished white marble walkways suspended elegantly over the crystal-clear water. Massive, beautifully cultivated gardens filled entirely with incredibly rare, glowing medicinal flora were built directly onto floating pontoons, tended by entirely silent, highly focused botanists wearing simple white robes.

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  They finally reached the Grand Apothecary—the absolute epicenter of the Alchemists' Guild.

  It was a breathtaking structure. It wasn't a standard, defensive stone keep; it was a massive, sweeping dome constructed almost entirely from highly reinforced, flawlessly clear crystal glass, beautifully framed by elegant white stone arches. It looked exactly like a massive, glittering gemstone resting gently on the surface of the lake, specifically designed to allow absolute maximum natural sunlight to feed the thousands of rare plants growing within its incredibly massive interior.

  They walked up the wide, pristine white marble steps and entered through the towering glass doors.

  The interior was a massive, open-air, highly regulated tropical greenhouse. The air was incredibly warm and intensely humid, exactly simulating the deepest parts of the Elvarian jungle, heavily saturated with the overwhelming, complex scents of thousands of rare blooming plants, boiling cauldrons, and strange, bubbling alchemical mixtures.

  "It smells exactly like the spicy medicine you boiled for me, Zeno," Lyra whispered, her emerald eyes tracking the dozens of elite scholars and master alchemists moving rapidly between the massive, highly organized planting beds and the long, complex laboratory tables filled entirely with intricate glass distillation apparatuses.

  They approached a large, highly polished white stone counter located near the main entrance. Behind it stood a young, incredibly neat Elvarian man wearing pristine white robes, meticulously recording microscopic data into a massive, heavy leather-bound ledger.

  "Excuse me," Lyra said politely, resting her gloved hands on the clean counter. "We are seeking an immediate consultation with a Master Healer. Specifically, someone with highly specialized, extensive experience in dealing with deeply embedded, parasitic flora from the deep Elvarian sectors."

  The young scribe didn't look up from his ledger immediately. He finished tracing his complex sentence with absolute, unhurried precision before slowly raising his eyes. He took one single, highly critical, deeply judgmental look at their battered, heavily armed, soot-stained appearance and sighed deeply, a sound completely filled with exhausted, academic condescension.

  "The Grand Apothecary is entirely dedicated to highly advanced, cutting-edge theoretical research and complex alchemical refinement, mercenary," the scribe stated, his voice completely flat, nasal, and entirely dismissive. "We absolutely do not run a charity clinic for reckless vagrants who accidentally swallowed a poisonous mushroom in the dirt. If you require basic first aid or a simple poultice for a scratch, the lower-tier public infirmaries are located in the outer rings. Now, please step aside. I am tabulating critical botanical yield data."

  Lyra’s eyes narrowed instantly into dangerous, icy slits. The sheer, unadulterated arrogance of the sheltered academic immediately grated against every single street-honed survival instinct she possessed.

  But before Lyra could unleash her legendary temper, Zeno stepped smoothly forward, completely blocking her view of the clerk.

  Zeno didn't yell. He didn't ignite his blue Tena. He simply placed his massive, incredibly heavy, jagged obsidian-spiked Rock Serpent gauntlet directly onto the open page of the scribe's precious, meticulous ledger, completely pinning the book to the counter.

  The scribe froze, his eyes widening in alarm at the sheer size of the armored hand.

  Zeno leaned down, his amber eyes completely serious, his brow furrowed in genuine, deeply offended academic pride.

  "I am definitely not a vagrant," Zeno informed the terrified clerk, his voice a deep, entirely calm rumble. "I can flawlessly read the letter 'R', and I am an Apple Vanguard, even if my very expensive shirt is currently a little bit burnt. You should probably write that highly critical data down in your big book right now, before I decide to make sure your tiny pen completely stops working forever."

  The scribe swallowed hard, absolutely paralyzed by the polite, terrifying sincerity radiating from the massive boy.

  Lyra stepped up right next to Zeno, seamlessly capitalizing on the flawless intimidation. She leaned entirely forward over the pristine white counter, her voice dropping into a low, completely terrifying, highly dangerous whisper.

  "Listen to my very educated friend carefully, little man," Lyra hissed. "I am absolutely not looking for a bandage. I am currently carrying a highly dormant, incredibly dangerous strain of First Era Snare Vine spores deeply embedded in my bloodstream. If you do not immediately direct me to someone who actually understands the lethal biological implications of that sentence, I will gladly allow the spores to completely activate right here in your pristine lobby. You can personally enjoy explaining to the Guild Masters why their entire precious glass facility is suddenly overrun by highly aggressive, flesh-eating vines."

  The scribe turned a completely sickly shade of white, dropping his quill entirely. He processed the sheer, terrifying reality of the biological threat she had just described, realizing these were not simple mercenaries.

  Before he could stammer a panicked, trembling response, a new, highly authoritative voice cut entirely through the heavy tension of the lobby.

  "There will be absolutely no need for such drastic, highly unsanitary measures, young scout."