All of them are before the tall gates as people that crowded it gave way because they saw the palanquin entering. The guards all formed a line and started to bow towards the palanquin as they give respect to Princess Shini.
"All hail the Great Protector of the Imperial City of Hinomoto!" The guards stated as they bowed. Some of the ones that are trying to enter even kowtowed to show ultimate respect to the member of the imperial family.
"Thank you all for your respect. May all of you have a good day." Princess Shini stated in her fairy like voice.
The people are enamored with the way she said thing as if she touched their souls. Adrian though did feel that she did something to the words. She now knows what the special ability of the Soul Princess is. The title of Soul Princess does ring true especially to her as she is born with a rare ability to touch the souls of others.
"She is a what the Gods of Death call a Light." Adrian muttered to Levin Cloud and the latter was surprised.
The Gods of Death have called special people that could touched the soul of others as Light. She could be a guiding light to the living so that they could be able to go to death with a fulfilled purpose. They are often born every thousand years or due to special circumstances.
"If that is true then it is no wonder that the Imperial City of Hinomoto is at their golden age right now. She is basically giving them all the luck they need as long as she resides here." Levin Cloud stated.
Just as Levin Cloud stated, people called Lights are people that can get luck depending on the lives that they touched. Since they were born to give back to people, they are often given special boons like depending on the people they have helped. As the Soul Princess erected the barrier in the Imperial City of Hinomoto, she must have helped at least hundreds of thousands of people.
"I guess, you could say that the fact that we encountered her was not being lucky but her being lucky. What are the chances that we just happened to encounter those masked individuals in the mountain? The fact that a perfectly sealed box that kept the fragment leaked some of its energy is already out of the norm." Adrian added.
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"I agree. I thought it was just your luck that made us encounter her, but it seems that the game is helping her. Still, she will not live long if she continues to use a chunk of her soul as the source of the barrier. You can see it as well, right?" Levin Cloud stated as he looked upwards to see the huge barrier covering the Imperial City of Hinomoto.
"I can see it as well. It is a very powerful barrier, but it is also made of her soul. She may be able to extend her life by a small amount if she does not get out of the Imperial City of Hinomoto, but she would live the life of a caged bird." Adrian commented as they were suddenly stopped by the guards as they were following the palanquin containing the Soul Princess.
"Please state what you are going to do and why were you tailing the palanquin of the princess. You cannot get in by going with her escort as it is clear that you are not part of her guards." The head gatekeeper stated.
"They are my guests. Please do not make it difficult for them." Princess Shini stated and the head gatekeeper bowed to her.
"Apologies for my action earlier. I did not know that the four our you were guests of the princess. You may pass the gate once you register your mana signature on the orb beside the gate." The head gatekeeper stated.
"It is not a problem as you were only doing your job. Keep at it." Peridot stated as she suddenly carried herself with an air of grace and elegance.
"What happened to her?" Kabrakan asked.
"She is somewhat of a noble in the eastern continent. She is also the young mistress of the Ryujin. She needs to show some decorum." Levin Cloud whispered.
"I see. It is just odd seeing her act like that. I would not have been surprised if it was Adrian, but Jade is something else." Kabrakan stated.
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"I agree but I do find it oddly sexy." Levin Cloud stated as he suddenly felt a presence looking at him.
"You should go to the gate now as they are waiting for us." Peridot stated as she glared at the two cousins.
"I shall head on first as I have some important business. I shall send someone to fetch you later for your reward." Princess Shini stated as all her guards bowed towards Adrian's group and entered the gate.
Adrian, Levin Cloud, Peridot and Kabrakan were escorted to the gate where there is an orb that one must insert their mana. It is a specialized crystal used to detect all people in the imperial city and seems to be connected to the barrier as well. It is also used to track anyone that commits a crime in the imperial city which is why the crime is almost non-existent here.
After all of them put their mana signatures inside the orb, they were free to enter the city. They were immediately greeted with clean streets and the laughter of people. One could truly see that the people inside the imperial city were happy because they were safe as even children roamed around without adult supervision.
The buildings were colorful as well with varying wall designs. The only thing that the buildings had in common were their roofs that formed a uniform line to the huge castle located at the middle of the imperial city. The one thing that did not change are the stares that the group got as they were not really natives of the eastern continent except for Peridot.
"This place is like visiting an eastern village that was well preserved in their old architecture. Most of the world are not like this anymore." Levin Cloud muttered and the rest agreed as the world became modernized after 2050.
Most of the ancient structures were maintained but only those used for tourism. The people that used to have ancient homes transferred or rebuilt theirs to get with the times. Only a few places in the world are like this now. Modernization is good in a sense that it made the lives of people easier but it does come with a cost of forgetting the past.
"Let us explore! It has been a long time since we just explored places." Peridot stated as she suddenly pulled Levin Cloud towards the stalls.
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"I guess they are in their own. What are you going to do?" Adrian asked Kabrakan.
"I will go to a skill shop and see if they have defensive skills or self-buffing skills." Kabrakan stated as he went to the market section.
"I guess I am the only one that will go and get information then." Adrian muttered as he looked for an inn that has a small butterfly mark. The hostess did tell them that they have a branch in the imperial city.
The clothes of the people in the imperial city are different depending on the wealth of each person. Normal citizens wore an average yukata as the weather is temperate. Those that are of wealth like nobles or big merchants could be seen wearing kimonos embroidered using high quality silk or golden threads.
He does see that the people here are respectful of each other and do not use their standing in life to bully other people. Nobles and commoners have a base level of respect for one another which might be enforced by the way of living here. The hostess did say that the punishments for crimes in the imperial city is very severe which is why the justice system here is thorough and unforgiving.
"Some things do come at a cost but the people are free to do what they want. It is better than a lawless area where those above do not care about what happens to the common people." Adrian muttered.
Adrian then found the tea house that he is looking for as he was discreet in searching for it. The butterfly detailing was very difficult to distinguished as it was not in his face. The black butterfly could only be seen when one goes in front of the store curtain and see the small butterfly insignia in front.
Adrian entered the store and is immediately greeted by a hostess. Adrian then discreetly flashed the token that he received but it seems that they were already expecting him. Since he did not go inside the imperial city polymorphed, he was immediately known for being that demon benefactor.
"We have been expecting you, benefactor. Please follow me." The hostess stated as she led the way.
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