18.2 The Imperial Capital

Faust stepped off the flying ship. His eyes were drawn up.

The Imperial Capital’s skydock was massive. An organised maze with hundreds of docks, possibly thousands, stretching in every direction including up and down. It was so large that turning around, Faust saw a kind of flying ship road, where ships practically tailed each other before turning into a numbered dock on the side.

Moreover, the docks weren’t made of wood. Faust walked forward on a massive marble bridge, with intricate handrails and gilded with golden designs. The marble docks were like bridges, with support columns extending on either side of them to hold up more layers of bridges and docks above them.

Unlike the skyport in Azure Water city, the Imperial capital’s seemed incredibly organised, at the very least, they could afford proper signage. Faust even felt the aura of Nascent Soul realm from a massive marble tower that overlooked the whole skydock.

Faust watched his steps as he navigated the sea of people coming and going to the various docks and platforms, following the signage labeled, “To Ferries for other districts.” From what he knew, the Grand Archive would be in the East Westonia District.

Faust quinted his eyes, then looked at his map. West Westonia, Northwest Westonia, East Estoria, Southeast Estoria, North Southoria, South Northoria, West Souwestia…

“Which genius came up with these names?” Faust muttered. They were just variations of the direction from the City centre. With the city divided into a 9 square grid, Northeria, Norwestia, Westonia, Southwestia, Southoria, Southestia, Esteria, Notheria— Then each square was divided into 9 more districts, with each being named according to their direction from the center of their square, or central Southwestia district…

Faust shook his head smiling. Whoever named them was a fan of efficient communication. He continued to the ferries area.

“All Citizens! Bow before her highness! The fourth princess of the Imperial Empire!!!” A voice boomed, Faust turned along with many others.

He saw several massive red flags embroidered with golden dragons, each with a qi signature so dense it formed together into a twisting dragon of Metal and Fire Qi. The flags were being carried by a large group, in red, silver and gold armour that completely obscured their forms, crossing one of the bridges.

The crowd on that bridge cleared up in an instant, squeezing themselves against the sides, while those who could simply jumped off and floated beside the bridge.

Then, in a wave that rippled from the royal procession, everyone who had heard the voice bowed, getting to their knees and then putting their heads to the ground.

Faust followed everyone else as his mind caught up to the situation, bowing in the direction of the two lines of flags on the distant bridge, one level below the one Faust was on and two bridges away.

Looking through the handrails, Faust couldn’t help but admire the authority of the royal family. There must have been hundreds of thousands of people who were bowing with their heads to the ground

Faust followed what many others were doing, looking up from his position to glimpse what was going on.

Looking up, Faust could tell, every armoured guard was at the peak of the Open Palace realm. In the center of the procession, there were three women. Front and center, there was a smug looking woman with blonde hair, wearing black and gold dragon robes… Faust squinted his eyes. Not robes, they were another eccentric like Rozaline with the high slits on the dress and black thigh highs.

Even if it was technically modest, Faust really wondered where all these powerful heirs were getting these clothes. Even Ho Jinyou’s choice of loose robes was perfectly calibrated to show his chiseled upper body.

Behind the smug woman, who could only be the supposed fourth princess, two more women walked a step behind her, their heads bowed subserviently and hands neatly folded in front of them. They wore black and white uniforms with short puffed out skirts, white stockings and tight black and gold corsets.

All three women were in the Golden Core realm. Not some low grade Golden Core either. Faust suspected the two maids had the same Earth Golden Core he was aiming for. The princess aura on the other hand, was terrifying, with the Heavenly Qi stirring around it.

A Heavenly Gold Core.

At the back of the procession, an old man in plain white robes stroked his beard.

Nascent Soul realm.

Faust shivered under the pressure, looking away from the old man.

The procession suddenly stopped in front of a ship.

“Dear Miu. Why don’t you come out and greet me?” The princess spoke and Faust strained his ears to hear.

There was a punctual pause.

“Dear… Your disguise doesn’t work on me.” The princess continued.

A shape, on the deck of the boat held by the princess’s procession, moved.

A young girl, in thick gray clothes with short black hair, raised her head still on her knees.

“Ah… your highness… Uh… Good to see you…” The young girl spoke.

“Indeed.” The princess snapped her finger. The old man at the back of the procession pointed.

The young girl’s form distorted, turning from an unassuming black haired girl to a significantly more eye-catching girl with long green hair and a small green snake that Faust could just barely make out, peeking out of her clothes.

“Cute little beast tamer. I believe I invited you to my estate, didn’t I? What might you be doing at the skyport’s departure gate?” The princess asked melodiously. Yet Faust imagined it must have felt like being held under a guillotine from the girls perspective.

“We-well— uh— I didn’t notice it was your highness earlier—I—I could never dare go beyond my station and enter your highness’s abode..”The girl trembled, gently moving to pat the little green snake peaking out of her clothes.

“I’m afraid you’re not the one to decide that, Miu.” The princess smiled, “Come along then. We’ve wasted the whole morning.” The princess turned. The young girl looked like she wanted to run, but two armoured guards holding flags appeared behind her, blocking her escape. She had tears at the corner of her eyes, but obediently got to her feet and followed, trailing behind the princess and her maids before the maids nudged her forward to be between them and the princess.

“Turning an invitation from royalty down?” Someone in the crowd beside Faust whispered in disbelief, shaking their head.

“It hurts that I know of another with about the same amount of sense.” Faust mumbled back, making sure to use a whisper technique that didn’t let an ounce of sound beyond a few meters.

“…At least they don’t live long.” Another whispered voice, consoled Faust.

Faust felt a pang in his heart. “Oh… Oh how I wish… But the Iron Shell… Never breaks…” He sighed.

A moment passed.

“At least I’m not in that girl’s position.” Faust mumbled to himself unconsciously, small mercies.

The already silent skyport became even deader. With even the qi flying around from various whisper techniques becoming still and stagnant.

“I wonder. Who just spoke then?” The princess’s voice rang out softly across the bridges and platforms of the skyport.

Well it certainly wasn’t me, I would never. Faust thought. Who would speak with their voice in the presence of the princess? Even using whisper techniques when you were at a distance was risky and better avoided. Who would be insane enough to actually speak out loud? Even mortal children knew not to do such a thing.

The world truly became like a painting.

The princess’s eyes scanned over the countless people bowing to her around the skyport, before her gaze settled on the old man who was now standing on the side of the procession.

“Apologies, your highness. My attention waned during the moment and I couldn’t track them.” The old man spoke. As he should because nobody spoke.

“A shame.” The princess continued on her way, followed by her procession, the poor girl Miu ready to burst into tears at any moment as her feet forcibly carried her along.

Soon enough, the procession faded from view and Faust along with thousands of others began standing up at once.

Murmuring broke out immediately.

“Hey, was it you who spoke just then?” Someone asked Faust.

“Of course not. I would never make such a fatal error.” Faust rejected the false accusation.

“Naturaly, naturally. Who would dare speak out loud in the presence of royalty.” The person nodded, before continuing on their way.

Faust briefly glanced at where the procession disappeared to, before looking away and continuing to the ferry’s area.

A line of red robed imperial scribes blocked off the only apparent exit from the skyport complex by foot, sitting behind polished mahogany desks, with more junior looking scribes moving documents around and to a place unseen.

Behind each desk, there were two blue uniformed guards with red and gold armbands.

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There were other ways to exit if one considered flight, however, Faust had yet to see anyone on a flying sword, except for similarly blue uniformed guards with red armbands.

The guards didn’t wear any obvious metal armour like the royal procession had. Nor did they even have a weapon visible.

Feeling the Peak Meridian cultivation from every blue uniformed guard however and reading the ancient characters embroidered in gold on their armbands— which Faust understood to mean Imperial Soldier or something close— it was obvious that they were guards regardless.

Faust entered one of the lines, behind hundreds of others, looking around the massive complex and between the crowds.

“Excuse me, sir. From Clear Mirror Sect.” One of the guards called out and Faust quickly found them.

“Gates are divided by cultivation. You’re in the Qi refining line. Please move over there.” The guard pointed to some stairs. His tone was perfectly controlled and even, as if he had said that one line hundreds, thousands of times.

Faust looked above the line of clerks and saw the characters, “For Qi Refining cultivators only. Meridian Opening and above please ascend to the next level. For mortals, please descend one level.”

The long black and gold sign stretched above the entire pure white marble archway that was being blocked by the line of scribes on desks.

Faust cleared his throat before calmly leaving the line and walking up the stairs, ascending two levels to an identical setup, with only much shorter lines. He had been so distracted by the massive structure and crowds, that he had missed the massive damn sign. He felt his stomach churning at the thought.

He wasn’t forgetting that memory any time soon.

The blue uniformed guards on this level not only had a red and gold armband, but also red beret caps with a golden pin in the shape of the dragon on the imperial flag.

Each of the red capped guards were at the peak of the open Palace realm.

Faust waited in one of the much shorter lines as compared to the Qi Refining line.

Soon, Faust reached the front of his line.

“From the Clear Mirror Sect? Do you have your sect token?” The scribe asked.

Faust nodded and handed it over.

The scribe brushed over it with his hand and qi, before handing it back and scribbling something neatly on the ruled up document in front of him.

“Purpose for visit and length of stay.” The scribe said.

“Study at the Grand Archive. For two or three years.” Faust answered concisely.

“Stays more than 3 months recommend a mailing address. Please sign one at any imperial office or post station as soon as possible or your mail will not be routed properly.” The scribe informed, before stamping another document with some details on Faust twice, then tearing it in half and handing one piece to Faust.