The first rays of the morning sun gently illuminated the verdant paradise that was the capital of Korrovan. A small group walked the streets in good cheer. Silk and jewels decorated the humans, while even the Chimeroi were wearing proper clothing for once.

Zeke and the others from the Lion’s Den were on their way to the Veergati. While they walked, Ravi explained what would be expected of them.

“The Veergati is undoubtedly an important event, but you don’t have to worry too much. It is not as formal as one would expect. After we set up our booth, you are free to wander around and mingle. This is the time when you will be able to make essential connections. Alternatively, you can visit the other booths and get familiar with powerful Rana Samrat.”

Zeke listened as he walked along. His mind was whirring, trying to organize his priorities. He had more than one goal. Thankfully, the event would last from dawn to dusk, giving him enough time to achieve everything he wanted. It would probably be a good idea to take it slow at first and study the lay of the land before acting.

As they approached the city's center, other groups came into view. They were each comprised of around a dozen Mages and five strong Chimeroi, similar to their own group. They had to be the representatives of the other schools. Zeke noticed that an Arch Mage led each of them. He hadn’t been aware of this, but it now seemed that this was a requirement for the leaders of a school.

Soon, the palace came into view. With its sprawling towers, domed roofs, and many halls, the word ‘palace’ didn’t do this place any justice. It was the most overwhelmingly luxurious sight Zeke had ever seen. Even the king of Tradespire didn’t live in such a place. However, that was most likely not a matter of finances but a matter of taste.

Even if Zeke had all the money in the world, he would never want to live like this. It was a display of wealth that wasn’t even practical anymore and served only to highlight the status of the ruling family. The amount of gold on display would be enough to feed the entire city for the next century.

To be fair, Zeke had not seen anybody starving.

From what he had observed so far, this was a city of riches without an ounce of poverty. Even the slaves that walked the streets were dressed elegantly and didn’t seem to be malnourished. Ignoring the inequality in status, this city was a paradise incomparable to any he had seen before. How had the Raja family achieved this?

Zeke and his group were ushered in through the main gate and directed to one of the many halls. They, alongside a continuous stream of people, finally entered the venue. It was a brightly lit hall with an open courtyard in the middle. Alongside its walls were luxuriously decorated alcoves. Each of them had an elegantly carved engraving next to it.

Snake Pit, Sandstorm, Gryphon’s Nest, …

It was then that he realized those were the different schools' names. Zeke swept his gaze over all the alcoves — there were dozens. If an Arch Mage led each school, then this wasn’t just any gathering here, but an army. Even the empire, recognized as the strongest military power on the continent, only had a couple hundred Arch Mages at most.

This country was a lot stronger than he had anticipated.

If all those Arch Mages were as strong as Ravi, then that would be even more frightening. They would make a scary force, considering that each of them had brought five Chimeroi equal to the peak Grand Mage level.

Once again, Zeke wondered how the empire had been allowed to run rampant for as long as it had. However, this discovery only gave more credence to his theory that the empire had hidden a lot of its strength. How else would they dare to act so domineering with only a single Exarch?

After all, even from here, Zeke could feel the vast power emanating from the central palace. It was a turbulent force, wild and destructive. It was where the ruler of Korrovan, the lightning Exarch, lived.

“Are you the members of the Lion’s Den?”

Zeke was brought out of his thoughts by this question. The voice had been warm and gentle, and Zeke studied the woman who had spoken. His eyes widened. She was an incredible beauty, with a perfectly symmetrical face and long, blonde hair. However, what surprised him was that she, alongside all the other attendants, were elves.

In Tradespire, Zeke had seen the Korrovan ambassador walking around with an elven slave. Back then, he had not realized how common this practice was among the royal family. Weren’t they afraid of angering the elves? After all, they were a powerful race. Despite not being as strong as the humans, they were incredibly united. There wasn’t a single nation able to challenge them on their own.

Was Korrovan really this arrogant?

To be fair, their confidence wasn’t entirely baseless. After all, this city was in the middle of the desert. If there was any place the elves would be powerless to reach, then it was probably here. At the end of the day, most of the elves had either a Life or Nature Affinity, making them a lot weaker in the desert.

“Yes, we are the representatives of the Lion’s Den,” Ravi answered, his voice full of pride.

Zeke studied his group. Aside from him and Leo, nobody seemed surprised at the presence of the elven slaves. It was likely that this was not a new development. It appeared this was a risk the people of Korrovan were willing to take. Zeke could only shake his head at this. Morality aside, was it really worth offending a mighty race for a few exotic servants?Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“Understood. Please follow me,” the elven beauty said as she guided their group toward a particular alcove. Zeke saw that each entering group was received in the same way.

Upon arriving at their booth, the attendant bowed and left. Ravi led them inside and immediately took a seat. He smiled at each of them and made a shooing motion. “Off you go! Now that you know where our place is located, you can go.”

“What about you?” Zeke asked.

“I’ll stay here,” Ravi said, still grinning. “If people have business with the Lion’s Den, they will come on their own. I do not need to run around like you youngsters.”

Zeke nodded, heading out into the bustling hall with Leo and the other humans. He glanced at his brother. “What are you going to do?”

Leo glanced around, his eyes shining. “I think I am going to visit the other booths. There is somebody I want to find.”

“Who?” Zeke asked.

“Vulcanos!” Leo exclaimed, his eyes brightening even further.

Zeke searched his memory for that name.

[Notice]

Vulcanos is a Rana Samrat competing in the fourth circle. His skin is made of liquid stone, and he seems to have an innate control over both earth and fire. Species unknown.