Fire Mage

Chapter 702: Riverdale City

After stealing the Titan's Circlet, Charles returned to Mermaid's Inn and soon arrived before a wooden door on the second floor.

Then, he calmly raised his hand and knocked on it thrice.

"Old man, I'm back already. Open the door." He said.

"Wait a second, lad." Runeth's voice came from the other side, and soon the door opened with a creaking noise.

"You finished your job already?" Runeth asked as he opened the door.

Instead of responding, Charles opened his palm and showed the golden ring to him while entering inside.

"Oh? A powerful intellectual artifact indeed." Just as he spoke, he seemed to have looked into the artifact's past itself and asked.

"So you are the creation of Elder Dwarf Hjuldar? But why do you possess a wicked essence?"

"You know Master Hjuldar?!" A shocked voice came from the golden ring.

"Anyone who entered Elder Plane would never forget this legendary name. Even though he died more than a hundred millenniums ago, he is one of the top Rank Runesmiths and could be considered as Master of Creation. And his creations are even circling around that higher plane and giving a hard time even for the Gods. Although his achievements can't be compared to Lord Shepherd, he is still a respected Runesmith among all Ancient Mages." Runeth said in a solemn tone.

"You guys familiarise each other after we leave this City. Before the Royal Family notices that one of their precious artifacts has been stolen, we should get out of here." Charles said as he walked towards the center of the room and saw the iron spear was quietly hovering in the air. He also saw many rune characters hovering all over the spear and appeared to be coiling around it.

"So, how is your research going, old man? Do you still think this piece of metal is working spending your time on?" Charles asked, even though he knew this artifact might be something unique on its own.

"Humph, it's not an easy matter to study an evolution-type artifact. I need more than a decade to find out at least how it works and evolves. Only then can I think of a method to rank it up little by little." Runeth said as he walked back, arrived closer to the iron spear, and quietly stored it in his space ring.

"Let us depart at this moment," Runeth suggested. Then, he initiated his stride towards the wooden entrance door, prompting Charles to follow closely behind. The duo swiftly exited the room, making their way back to the ground floor. There, at the reception, they returned their keys before bidding farewell to the Mermaid's Inn.

Their journey continued as they secured a four-wheeled carriage, navigating through the bustling streets of the Central Borough. Before long, the carriage arrived at the Southern Gate, marking a transition in their venture.

As they disembarked from the carriage at the Southern Gate, Charles and Runeth found themselves amidst a group of merchants who were also leaving the Holy City. With a shared purpose, the pair joined this eclectic company, journeying westward along a dusty trail.

Upon distancing themselves from the Holy City and parting ways with the merchants, Charles and Runeth ascended into the sky. The landscape unfolded beneath them as they soared into the horizon and started flying in the direction where the Arc Kingdom was located.

"How far is the Iron Kingdom from here?" Charles asked as he manipulated his wisdom power and started flying in the air.

"It should be around 34,000 km. But if we fly 10 seconds per kilometer, we can reach at the end of the fourth day. It took me around five days to reach the Sacred Empire from the Iron Kingdom."

"But we don't have to waste that much time, right?" Charles asked as he stopped flying.

"Oh, I forgot you can use that invisible flame to teleport." Runeth also halted his flying and looked at his back.

"Yes," Charles nodded while releasing his wisdom power in all directions and covering more than a 100 km radius.

Then, he manipulated the 'False Flame' and created a Flame Portal before jumping into it.

"I need to check into this false flame when I've enough free time," Runeth muttered as he also stepped into the flame portal and soon disappeared from there.

A second later, the portal slowly shrunk into the size of a small pebble and completely disappeared.

Following that, they continued this procedure, passed through the Blood Empire, more than a dozen small kingdoms, and finally reached the Iron Kingdom. But instead of returning to Rebirth Tower, both again teleported from there, passed through the Moon Kingdom, and finally arrived at the outskirts of Riverdale City.

Both landed on the outskirts of Riverdale City and started walking in the direction of the entrance gate.

"This brings back memories," Charles said as he gazed at the seven-meter-tall fortress-like stone wall encircling the City.

"So, what are you planning to do?" Runeth asked.

"Let's go to the Life Church and visit Bishop Reynolds first," Charles spoke and fastened his footsteps towards the entrance. Although they didn't have any Arc Coins, they managed to enter the City by paying two Iron Gold coins and noticed many things had changed.

The first thing that caught Charles's attention was the gloominess that loomed over every citizen's face. What startled him deeply was that he saw many beggars as they walked into the City.

The second thing that caught his attention was the number of mystics in the City increased. Not only that, but he saw more than a dozen Rank-3 Mystics roaming here and there in the streets.

'The security in the City seems tighter. Paladins, Bishop Rank members, and even other class mystics are appearing everywhere.'

He also overheard about the strict tax laws implemented by the newly crowned King. After asking Gensis to look into the Wisdom Link, he managed to get a gist of the current situation.

The First Law was the wealth Tax on Noble Estates. In a bid to consolidate power and further subjugate the noble class, the King of Arc Kingdom named Arion Stormarc imposed a wealth tax on their extensive estates, houses, and lands. Nobles were required to annually contribute sixty percent of their accumulated wealth, including lands, precious metals, and valuable artifacts. Failure to comply resulted in severe penalties, confiscation of assets, and potential exile. This measure ensured that the King maintained a firm grip on the economic resources, suppressing any possible opposition from the influential nobility. Due to this, the Nobles had no choice but to squeeze out the commoners' money from their pockets firmly.

Second was the Labor Tax on Peasants. Exploiting the labor force to bolster the royal treasury, the King instituted a harsh labor tax on the peasant population. Peasants were mandated to devote a significant portion of their time and effort to state-directed projects, such as constructing grand monuments, fortifications, or infrastructure. Failure to meet the imposed labor quotas resulted in heavy fines, forced conscription into the royal army, or even enslavement.

The final law was the Artifact Tithe on Mystics: Seeking to harness the power of mystics and curb potential opposition from those with arcane abilities, the tyrannical King enforced a stringent artifact tithe. All wizards, sorcerers, Mystics, and even influential organization members were required to surrender a portion of their enchanted artifacts, spellbooks, and mystical relics to the royal treasury. Failure to comply led to imprisonment, confiscation of magical assets, or even execution. The only exception was the members of the Lawful Churches.

'And Count Vossenburg, the current ruler of this City, is one of the closest allies of the current tyrannical King and also became the owner of the Riverdale City after the civil war. Currently, he controls three major cities like Riverdale City in the Eastern Arc Kingdom and possesses wealth and power equal to that of Marques.'

While gathering information, the duo traveled through the main road, walked across many streets, and finally arrived at Ivy Street, where a dome-shaped building with four white pillars on each corner was located. Two silver-armored guards stood at the entrance and were holding spears in their hands.

As Charles and Runeth walked closer to the building, they didn't stop them from entering and even greeted them with a bow.

"Hmm, do you plan on interfering with the Arc Kingdom's current situation?"

As Charles and Runeth entered through the nave, Runeth looked at the large number of people gathered inside and asked.

"I have no interest in mortal's business now. But I plan on settling here for a few years." Charles said as he walked on the aisle of the main chamber and soon arrived before an elevated stage at the front.

"You want to stay here? Not in the Rebirth Tower?" Runeth couldn't understand his motive and asked in puzzlement.

"This place holds much importance to me, old man. I don't care about the people or the ruler, but I want to stay in my house for the next few years and then leave this world permanently. Will you come along?" Charles's words made Runeth halt his footsteps.

"You want to leave this world? But where do you plan on going?" Runeth inquired.

Charles went silent for a moment as his gaze landed on the familiar white statue made of unique rock.

The woman in the statue wore a flowing blouse complemented by a long tulip skirt and elegant footwear. She had big blue eyes and long curly hair, and she wore a gentle smile.

If he were in the past, he would've clapped his hands together and prayed to the Goddess Nira out of reverence and sacredness.

But he felt nothing now.

After a short silence, Charles finally spoke.

"I plan on visiting a world called 'Garden of the Undead.'"