Kyrian nodded once and passed through the colossal arch of the gates, his companions following him.
The interior was like crossing into another world. The air, already rich in Qi, beca even purer and more fragrant.
The noise of the crowd outside was replaced by a more subdued murmur.
The main street stretching out before them was wide enough for ten carriages, paved with slabs of bluish-white marble that seed to emit a soft luminescence.
Elegant buildings, with architecture of flowing lines and slender towers, lined both sides.
Suspended gardens, with plants and herbs that glowed in various colors, hung from balconies.
And above, the translucent do and, higher still, the ceiling of eternal white clouds, diffused the light into a perfect, shadowless brightness.
It was a city of dreams, but a city built upon unquestionable power and wealth.
For a mont, even the most stoic of the group, Kyrian and Li Fen, stopped to absorb the information.
Bai Zhu was the one who broke the silence.
"Place for rich people," he grumbled as he crossed his arms.
"It slls like... flowers and arrogance."
i Li smiled, looking around.
"That’s to be expected of an empire so ancient and powerful, especially one that has been an important center of events and comrce for hundreds of years."
Kai rely looked toward the rooftops and side alleys, observing where he would like to explore, rather than what they wanted everyone to see.
Kyrian let them have their mont. He himself was a little impressed, but his mind had already moved on, processed the information, and gone on to the next practical problem.
"The auction will take place in fifteen days," he said, his voice sounding louder amid the street’s murmur.
"Until then, we can explore. But first, we need a place to stay."
The statent was obvious but necessary. In a city flooded with visitors for the greatest event in a hundred years, accommodations would be scarce and extrely expensive.
"Should we look for an inn?" Yan Ling asked.
"Or perhaps... does the Court have any contact or property here?"
Kyrian thought for a mont, uncertain. Then he looked at i Li.
The look was a clear question.
’You, from the diplomacy branch, would know sothing?’
i Li, accustod to reading between lines and glances, understood imdiately.
Her work led her to interact with other forces, to maintain contacts, and to know of the Court’s arrangents. She frowned slightly, delving into her mory.
"Usually, in centers of power like this, the Court maintains... contact points," she murmured, more to herself.
"Not exactly an embassy, but discreet places for communication and logistics. But I’ve never been here personally..."
She closed her eyes for a mont, as if rifling through ntal files. When she opened them, there was practical determination in her gaze.
"Follow ."
Without further explanation, she turned and began walking down the wide avenue, her steps now more focused.
Kyrian and the others exchanged quick looks before following her.
i Li did not seem to have a specific destination.
Instead, she walked with special attention, her senses sharpened.
They followed several streets, the murmur of the main crowd falling behind. It was when they passed the entrance of a particularly clean and silent alley that i Li stopped abruptly. Her nose twitched slightly.
A fragrance floated in the alley air. It was sweet and floral, like jasmine and lily, but there was an exaggerated amount of it, almost artificial. And then, for those with senses attuned to vital essence.
Kyrian, Bai Zhu, Yan Ling, Kai, and Li Fen.
Beneath the sweetness, in the deepest layer of the fragrance, there was a tallic, dry, familiar note.
Blood. Old blood, treated, disguised, but blood nonetheless. It was like a signature, a territorial mark left for those who knew how to sense it.
"It’s this way," i Li announced, her voice low but confident.
She entered the alley, and the others followed. Even away from the main avenue, the place was impeccable.
The walls were the sa bluish marble, decorated with subtle geotric patterns. There was no trash, no filth.
There was also almost no one, it was a place of passage.
The scent guided them to the end of the alley, where a discreet structure leaned against the wall of a larger building.
It was small, with a simple dark-wood façade and a window with closed curtains. An unassuming sign read.
"Mountain Tea."
It looked like a small tea house or an intimate restaurant.
"That’s it," i Li said, indicating with her head.
Kyrian nodded and entered first, pushing the door lightly. An interior wind chi tinkled softly.
The interior was dark and cool, contrasting with the brightness outside. There were a few simple wooden tables and wooden chairs, and the predominant sll was of high-quality green tea and a faint mustiness of a poorly ventilated place. At first glance, it seed empty.
But Kyrian felt it. Several pairs of eyes, hidden behind slatted wooden panels or slightly ajar doors, were on them. The attention was heavily analytical but not hostile. Just vigilant.
In the main room, a single man stood with his back to them, wearing a simple gray cotton robe, ticulously rubbing one of the tables with a cloth. His movents were slow, ordinary.
i Li took a step forward, ignoring the sensation of being watched. Her voice, when she spoke, was clear and carried a specific phrase, like a password.
"Bloody Orchid Under the Moonlight."
The sound of the words seed to change the pressure of the air.
The man cleaning the table froze for a microsecond. Then he turned slowly. He was a middle-aged man with a common, uninteresting face.
He examined them quickly, lingering longer on the crimson robes, and then a gentle and absolutely empty smile stretched his lips.
"Naturally," he said, his voice as ordinary as his face.
"The second door on the left." He pointed with his chin toward a narrow corridor at the back of the room and then returned to cleaning his table, as if they had disappeared.
i Li made a subtle gesture for Kyrian to follow her. She looked at the other four.
"Wait here. Don’t cause... incidents." Her gaze landed specifically on Bai Zhu, who grumbled but threw himself into a chair, crossing his arms.
Kyrian and i Li followed the dark corridor.
It slled of dust and sothing dicinal. The second door on the left was made of solid wood, with no visible handle. i Li touched it with her fingertips, and it opened silently inward.
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