Ashen Dragon-Chapter 530 - 3 Experiences

Chapter 530: Chapter 3: Experiences

Chapter 530 -3: Experiences

The steel beast raced across the vast wilderness, its steam pistons continuously working, producing a rhythmic dull thud.

Hours flew by as Jose watched the changing scenery outside the window and listened to Hera recount the empire’s history, filled with words like “loyalty” and “gratitude.”

However, those overly embellished histories made Jose a bit irritated.

This guy was beyond saving.

She had already been bewitched by that Red Dragon, becoming the spiritual slave of that Evil Dragon Emperor.

Jose thought to himself.

“Look! It’s a city!”

Soon, an eagle-eyed guard spotted the black city walls gradually emerging in the distance.

Jose looked over, and the city was far grander and more formidable than he had imagined, giving an intangible sense of oppression, with wyverns seemingly patrolling the sky.

“This should be the so-called Isdalia, the capital of the Ashen Empire.”

He thought to himself.

It was far inferior to the Holy City of Theodivacan in the former Fadlan, which was true.

Even the poorest and most humble citizen of Fadlan would proudly puff out their chest when thinking of that magnificent holy city—because that was, indeed, the most glorious place human imagination could conceive.

Unfortunately, after years of war, the once pristine holy city had become riddled with scars, with smoke wafting everywhere, and the corpses of soldiers from the Three Great Kingdoms filling the ditches outside the city, their blood forming flowing moats.

The war in the south.

Thinking of this, Jose felt a bit emotional, taking a deep sigh before commenting, “It’s a very good city, but as the capital of an empire, it still feels a bit…”

Hera then pointed to the city walls and introduced, “This is the largest fortress city in the south of the empire, Black Stone Fortress.”

Jose’s expression immediately stiffened. He stopped talking, merely observing the city as it drew closer silently.

“Black Stone Fortress Station, we have arrived.”

The conductor’s clear voice echoed within the carriage, seemingly amplified by some device.

The train approached, stopping at the gate, while the empire’s citizens, who had been waiting at the platform for a long time, poured into the compartments.

Among the passengers were not only humans but also Great Goblins, Tieflings, Half-Orcs, and even Ogres, making the caravan guards a bit nervous.

Humans and these monsters coexisted peacefully, sometimes even engaging in conversation, which amazed the well-traveled guards who had slain numerous monsters in the wild.

“Make way.”

“Don’t block the aisle.”

“Baron, are you traveling to Isdalia as well?”

The carriage quickly got noisy, but luckily Jose had booked a VIP cabin, and the large Ogres had their own special carriages.

After a moment of surprise, Jose focused his attention on the Black Stone Fortress.

Despite the tall city walls blocking much of the view, he could still see the clean, wide streets and the uniformly built brick houses through the city gate.

It’s truly a remarkable city, whether from a commercial or military perspective.

As a merchant, he would definitely be willing to do business in such a beautiful city, and as a commander, those tall, solid walls with protruding towers would serve as crucial defenses against external enemies.

If an ordinary city could be built like this, what would the imperial capital be like?

Jose thought to himself.

Looking at the people hastily entering the carriage, he suddenly asked, “Why are so many people heading to Isdalia? What are they going there for?”

Hera replied, “Isdalia is the sacred coronation site of His Majesty and the center of the empire. It has the most jobs in the entire country with the highest wages.

However, it is also an incredibly expensive place, and ordinary citizens find it difficult to afford a house in Isdalia. Even a basement can fetch hundreds of Ginnars at an exorbitant price.

Therefore, some citizens choose to live in other cities and travel to Isdalia for work by steam locomotive every day.

“I see…”

Jose was a bit astonished. He had never seen such a novel way of life, living in one city and working in another.

Hera gave a bitter smile and said helplessly, “If I could afford a house in Isdalia, I wouldn’t have to work as a guide in Tahan.”

The steam locomotive raced on, passing several undulating mountain peaks and cities.

“Amanata above…”

The guard sitting at the front widened his eyes and exclaimed uncontrollably.

Jose couldn’t help but look out the window. Despite having prepared himself mentally, he was still deeply shocked by the scene unfolding before him.

“Oh, gods…”

He muttered to himself.

In the distance were towering walls with no end in sight, a spectacular and uniquely styled block of buildings, and tall chimneys rising in the distance, emitting gray smoke.

But most striking of all was the giant stone pillar in the center of the city, hundreds of meters high, supporting a magnificent white altar, surrounded by mist, as if the Divine Realm had descended upon the earth.

—That was the Isdalia Grand Altar.

For some reason, Jose suddenly recalled himself at the age of six, worshipping the Holy City for the first time, looking up at the “Eternal Sun God Tower.”

And now, Isdalia gave him that same feeling.

“It truly is a… miracle.”

He couldn’t help but voice his genuine thought.

“Yes, for us Anzeta people, that is a miracle.”

Hera also looked up at the white altar in the sky with a devout expression, “Mr. Jose, that is where His Majesty Cassius was crowned.

No matter where you are in Isdalia, as long as you look up, you can see that sacred place.”

“Isdalia South Gate Station, we have arrived. Please remember His Majesty’s grace and disembark in an orderly manner…

“Finally here.”

“Hurry up, do you want to be late and get your pay docked?”

People on the train began to disembark one after another, and after calming down and taking several deep breaths, Jose also left the train with his caravan.

He had the guards unload the goods from the car and gather their equipment. The group then made their way grandly into the city.

The roads here were even wider than he had imagined. The main road’s width was absurd, allowing a dozen carriages to travel side by side.

The roads here were also cleaner and smoother than any he had ever seen. They seemed to be paved with some kind of black gravel, without any unevenness, making him marvel.

Rail tracks were also laid on the sides of the roads, with small steam locomotives running on them, while city residents waited and moved about at the platforms.

At a glance, one could see a variety of races: Humans, Tieflings, Great Goblins, Half-Orcs, Half-Goat People, Ogres…

Regardless of the race, everyone was quite busy, moving hastily, and people seemed accustomed to everything, showing a natural familiarity with coexisting with different races.

“Citizens, please comply with the public security ordinances!”

Knights riding bipedal wyverns patrolled in the air, while Tiefling Guards holding rifles marched in neat rows along the right side of the street.

Their caravan was completely insignificant in this city.

A towering Ogre approached, scaring a guard into raising his shield, sweating all over.

“You, what do you want?”

The guard had encountered Ogres in the wilderness before, where his teammates were eaten alive. He knew well the ferocious nature of these monsters and was terrified of them.

But the Ogre merely glanced at him disdainfully and snorted, “Overreacting bumpkin, it’s your first time in the imperial capital…”

“Yes, foolish and weak human.”

Another Ogre in a suit chimed in.

The two Ogres left, grumbling, leaving the guard drenched in sweat. He thought he was about to be eaten.

Could they really let him go like that?

Seeing this, Jose couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Hera, there was a question I’ve been meaning to ask.

How exactly do they suppress their nature? Those Ogres, wyverns, clearly the most brutal monsters…

Yet now they can become like this and even follow orders?”

Hera looked as if it were natural. She raised her head again and stared at the white altar in the sky.

She clasped her hands and whispered, “Of course it’s His Majesty’s doing. His wisdom is as deep as the ocean, enlightening these ignorant creatures, bringing them the light of civilization…”

“…”

Jose fell silent.

Before arriving in the empire, he had always thought this was a place ruled by an evil dragon, a living hell.

People would be imprisoned in huge mines, wearing heavy shackles and toiling endlessly, continuously producing deadly firearms to satiate the Red Dragon’s endless greed for wealth.

But reality was far from his imagination. In this guide’s words, the Dragon Emperor was described as a radiant and towering being, worshipped by countless imperial citizens.

Looking at those grand yet uniquely styled buildings, Jose began to really doubt that the Red Dragon had any so-called “divine power.”

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

How else could he have transformed the desolate and barren Anzeta into this within just over a decade?

“All people worship together, the great Red Dragon in the sky!”

“How can we ever repay His Grace? His Majesty makes springs flow down from the mountains, refreshing all the lands…”

“His Majesty is like the sun in the sky, and we are like plants on the ground, endlessly bathed in light, growing strong and tall…”

Suddenly, a melodious chant came from afar, echoing throughout the city.

Jose frowned, “This is…”

Listening to the familiar melody, Hera said joyfully, “It’s ‘Cassius’s Hymn’! What an auspicious tune!”

“Right, Mr. Jose, today is February 29th, and Coronation Day is almost here. It’s an annual grand event.”

Hera’s tone was excited.

“…”

Listening to the song’s refrain, “How can we ever repay His Grace?” Jose once again became silent, even starting to doubt himself.

If the people of this country were in such a fervent and confident state, then the danger level of the Ashen Empire was even higher.