Dragon Heart. Land Of Magic. LitRPG Wuxia Saga. Book 6

As they walked through the streets toward the stalls, Hadjar noticed how people's attitudes toward them had changed. When they'd first come to Dahanatan, people had looked down on them with undisguised contempt and arrogance. Any 'village prodigy' would've been infuriated. Such disregard would've made them want to prove to the world around them, and to themselves as well, that they weren't a nonentity.

Hadjar and Einen didn't care about such trivial things. Both of them had their own goals that they'd carried with them through the years of endless battles, losses, and hardsh.i.p.s. The attitude of others could never make them doubt their own strength. Still, they were pleased to see that people now treated them with respect.

"Look, mother, they're disciples of 'The Holy Sky' School!

"Honorable disciples!"

"They're just ordinary disciples, but even that is a great achievement!"

"Father! One day, I'll become a disciple of 'The Holy Sky' School, too!"

"A noble goal, my son!"

Similar conversations could be heard everywhere. Only a few people had managed to pass the exams and become ordinary disciples. There were two other prestigious Schools, 'The Meltwater' and 'The Quick Dream', but their entrance exams were much easier. The disciples of these institutions, of course, were also lauded and had a high social status, but it was nothing compared to 'The Holy Sky' School's disciples.

"I still can't get used to it," Einen said while glancing at the stone buildings, wide avenues, shops, restaurants, taverns, auction houses, and brothels. "How many people live here?"

"According to Rahaim, almost two hundred million people."

"By the Great Turtle…"

If Hadjar hadn't already seen the Imperial capital from a bird's-eye view, he wouldn't have believed that it was so vast. For a former resident of Earth, it was almost impossible to imagine such a huge city. Someone from Lidus would find it a little bit easier to accept. This world was truly boundless, and the number of people who inhabited it could hardly fit in one's head. Although, keeping this in mind made it easy to understand how so many tens of thousands of true cultivators could all end up in just one school.

Communication between the far reaches of the city was carried out through air travel. Looking up, Hadjar saw countless flying boats and sh.i.p.s sailing through the azure sky. The sails of the largest ones — the frigates and battlesh.i.p.s — had the coats of arms of the family clans or Darnassus itself emblazoned upon them. The power of such war machines was amazing to behold. One such frigate could easily wipe a few kingdoms like Balium off the face of the planet (if this world was even a planet). No wonder Darnassus didn't really care about the barbarian kingdoms.

Half an hour later, the friends reached the stable nearest to the school. It was a long, massive, one-story building. Surprisingly, it didn't smell at all. Apparently, this was due to the magic hieroglyphs inscribed on the support columns.

For Dahanatans, the true path of cultivation was as easy to use as the way of cultivation that utilized the internal energy.

A fat man came out to greet them. Hadjar thought he was mistaken at first, but no, even upon closer inspection, the plump man in the blue robes was indeed at the New Soul stage. In the Sea of Sand, he would be a very, very strong practitioner and could attain a good, high position in the Kurkhadan oasis.

The Kurkhadan oasis, with its sheikh, who was a weak Spirit Knight, and the six Heaven Soldiers who'd survived the bandits' attack, couldn't compare to the power of Dahanatan. Here, such a practitioner worked as a simple groom.

"Honorable disciples," he saluted in the local manner. "Are you here to buy or rent?"

"Rent." Einen answered.

Both of them grimaced simultaneously. The man noticed.

"I understand that our stalls are nothing compared to those of 'The Holy Sky' School," he chattered. Hadjar and Einen exchanged glances. They hadn't known that their school had stables as well. "But I'll try to interest you, honorable disciples, in our new acquisitions."

He bowed and gestured toward the stables. However, it was more like a menagerie. Once inside, Hadjar froze for a moment. He'd never seen such an abundance of various creatures.

Enclosed in wooden, iron, stone, and even magic pens, stood the most outlandish of monsters. He saw a bear that was twelve feet tall. It was at the Alpha Stage and could reach an unthinkable speed of 220mph and keep going for forty days. There was also a famous Dahanatan racehorse. Its muscles bulged like boulders beneath its skin and its mane was so thick that it could've been used as a mattress. It was also at the Alpha Stage and could reach the 250mph mark and keep going for at least three weeks at that speed.

There were also various huge cats: tigers with porcupine quills; lions with webbed feet; lynxes with horns. Hadjar didn't know the names of these monsters, and he had no particular d.e.s.i.r.e to get closer to them and read each tablet. If he ever got rich, he would buy the bestiary in the Treasure Tower.

"Please recommend something that is both fast and hardy."

"My recommendation would depend on where you're going, honorable disciples," the salesman said without straightening his back.

Hadjar knew that the salesman must have seen their disciples' tokens and was trying to avoid offending them.

"Into the Forest of Shadows," Hadjar said before Einen could stop him.

There was a brief flash of triumph in the practitioner's eyes. Hadjar realized too late how Einen and everyone else acquired information about other disciples. All of them, no doubt, used these very stalls! And information, in this world, was one of the most valuable commodities.

"Then I would advise you to take a Three-horned deer." The groom's voice was enthusiastic. He was obviously going to make a good deal today. "It costs only a quarter of an Imperial coin to rent for a full day. It's small, but fast and hardy. It can run through the woods at a speed of 130mph. All who travel to the Forest of Shadows take Three-horned deer and never complain."

While describing the animals, the salesman somehow managed to lead the two friends to the stalls where the rust-colored deer were. Outwardly, they didn't appear very different from normal deer, apart from their more powerful muscles and strong legs. And, of course, the fact that they didn't have two branching horns, but three. The third, which was both sharp and long, grew from the bridge of their nose and clearly served as a weapon alongside their teeth, which looked more like fangs. They were also eating butchered rabbit carcasses instead of hay. Bloody carnivorous deer! Hadjar had never seen anything like it.

"We'll take them."

They made a deal and, after finding out that the saddles were included in the bargain, led their new transports out by the bridle. Both warriors preferred to move on foot, but they would have to use Speed Techniques if they did that. It was simply cheaper to rent the deer than to buy strength-restoring pills.

"Hey, merchant." Hadjar called out to the man.

"Yes, venerable disciple?"

"Can you tell me if someone asks about us later? I'll pay you. "

The salesman smiled slyly.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, honorable disciple," He said while nodding his head.

Einen didn't say a word to him, but Hadjar decided that he should be more careful in the future. He was no longer in the barbarian kingdoms, or even in the Sea of Sand. This was the capital of the Darnassus Empire, Dahanatan. A place where much stronger and more talented cultivators than him had ignominiously lost their lives.