Upon arriving in Eaglewind, Vicente and Layla couldn't help but take a good look around this huge city.
That was a city of nearly 300,000 people!
For these two young people from the Seidel Kingdom, a place where the largest city in the kingdom, the capital, had only 280,000 inhabitants, this was a very large metropolis.
This place was so big that it seemed to have no boundaries, like a jungle of blocks and stones.
There were a lot of Mages there, unlike any other city the two of them had been to. Even some Sovereigns lived there!
But the most impressive thing was not that this place was rich and powerful but that it was still one of the mid-level cities of the Chutha Dynasty.
If one traveled further northwest, one would eventually reach the strongest and richest area of the state, where even Paragons could be found if one looked hard enough.
Few of the Chutha Dynasty's forces had Paragons. However, the state's ruling family and two continental organizations with branches in the dynasty had Paragons living locally.
For this reason, the dynasty's capital was an even better place than Eaglewind, the city where Vicente and Layla had just arrived.
As they walked along the local sidewalks, appreciating the local beauty and noticing the many opportunities in the city, the two approached the center, where they would spend most of the next few hours.
They would stay there for a day or two to rest and do business, then continue on their way.
"Are we going to a restaurant?" Vicente suddenly asked Layla. "I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat before we find a place to rest."
Layla hadn't had a decent meal in days, so she didn't refuse.
They arrived in the city's center, looking for a restaurant with a smell that would catch their attention. Mages like them could sense scents dozens of meters away from its focus, so it was easy to find the best place to eat.
When they walked into a luxurious restaurant, they had no problem with reservations or anything like that. The two of them had learned to show their aura at the right time, and when they did, they easily got a table in that establishment.
That was a city that had Sovereigns, but there were less than 15 Sovereigns there. Meanwhile, the number of High-level Mages was ten times the number of Sovereigns, but not all of them went out to eat at the same place at the same time every day.
Two of them looking for a seat in a renowned restaurant was enough for the establishment to make an exception and find a place for them.
Vicente and Layla soon settled into one of the best seats in the restaurant, overlooking Eaglewind's central square as well as the rest of the restaurant.
After ordering their respective dishes, they were served drinks and snacks until their attention was drawn to a group of new arrivals.
A brown-haired young man, very well dressed and accompanied by powerful women and guards, entered the area where Vicente and Layla were standing and immediately caught the attention of everyone there.
Several people in the area stood up to greet the brown-haired young man, while others merely nodded in respect.
Layla looked at the light blue-eyed man and opened her mouth in surprise.
"A Sky Sovereign ?" She murmured as she felt the powerful aura of this young man who couldn't have been more than 20 years old.
How could she and Vicente know the age of a stranger? As people in the area greeted the young man and his companions, some murmured pertinent things about this genius passing through the city.
Kai Tillsley, 19, Cyan talent, popularly known as The Lion, the youngest elder of the Brass Crocodile Soldiers, was passing through Eaglewind on his way back to his sect after completing a mission.
Hearing the murmur of the people around them, Vicente and Layla couldn't help but stare in awe at the young man with the Cyan Magic Gem on his forehead.
Even Vicente, who normally wasn't very impressed, opened his mouth as he felt the magical fluctuation of this person, who must have been around Lauren's age.
'There are people like that all over the continent, master.' Torne commented, sensing his master's surprise. 'In a way, this young man is not so different from you. That is the first time you've met a genius who can cultivate as fast as you, but that's because such people are rare, not because they don't exist.
They exist all over the continent, and if you were to put them all in one place, they would probably fill a ballroom. You'll definitely come across a lot of them as you get stronger and venture into the northern lands.
But the farther south you go on the continent, the fewer of them you'll see. They are rare, so you cannot find them in simple, weak places.'
'Is he really only 19? Is it serious?'
Torne said. 'I can't be sure of his age. Sovereigns can disguise their appearance very easily. But there's no denying that his vitality is magnificent. He's definitely under 100.'
To be under 100 and already close to the threshold between the 4th and 5th stages was impressive!
Anyone who achieved such a feat would be considered a genius throughout the continent!
Paragons usually reached their levels between 500 and 1,000 years old. But to reach the 5th stage at the age of 700, for example, would already be a great achievement, considering that less than 1% of magicians with the potential to become Paragons reached the 5th stage.
Vicente knew a little about the number of experts on the continent and how difficult it was to advance when you were already at high levels. That was why he couldn't ignore the existence of this brown-haired young man and look at him in a different light.
'I see... Leaving the Seidel Kingdom is proving to be more enlightening than I imagined.'
Torne said nothing when he heard this comment, knowing that it would be challenging for his master to stay in Saltstar City for long after this journey.
The reason why most of the talented and powerful people who were born in the Seidel Kingdom left wasn't just because the kingdom didn't suit them. It was because after getting to know something better, it became complicated to ignore some of the shortcomings of weaker places and not wish for change.
Some would definitely try to improve the quality of their city's or family's services to suppress these differences a bit, but sooner or later, they would have no choice but to leave their homeland behind.
It was impossible to change the mana wealth of a region. Even if you increased the flow of valuable resources to that place and attracted powerful magicians, it was impossible to change a place permanently!