Capital of Evigheden, Blue Eden.
It is a large metropolis built on mountain slopes and valleys. Its characteristic colors are blue and gold. Almost all the houses and buildings are painted in these colors, which perfectly match the whiteness of the snow that falls for much of the year.
Blue Eden was built in one of the coldest places on the continent, but mysteriously, its lakes do not freeze, providing the city with fresh water in perfect condition throughout the year.
After leaving the castle and walking away a little, Ryan looked back.
The castle had been built right on the back of a mountain painted white by the snow, giving a feeling of grandeur. It seemed to say: Above us, only nature.
He had never visited Evigheden before, so this was his first real experience. His memories were based solely on the illustrations in the novel. That's why he secretly admired it.
Then he turned his attention away and continued on his way. In front of him, in the distance, he could see the smoke from the industries that were just beginning to appear in this world. He could imagine the hustle and bustle near them, as this world was slowly approaching the age of steam, as it had been in its time on Earth.
They weren't there yet, and perhaps they never would be, as most of the industries in this world did not run on any kind of normal fuel, but rather on Spirituality, but progress seemed to indicate that they were approaching that era.
They were caught between a magical era, driven by spirituality, and a dark era, driven by steam. A perfect blend of contrasts, worthy of admiration. For a lover of the steam age and machinery like Ryan, this was a huge draw for him at the time.
Unfortunately, he couldn't see it all the time. He hadn't gone out for an aimless walk. He was heading toward the Alchemists' Tower, where they sold all kinds of ingredients for potions, poisons, and materials he would need.
The city's sidewalks were thoroughly polished and carefully maintained, as were the refined and reinforced stone roads. As a self-sustaining city, it had to be kept clean at all times so as not to pollute the water.
The beauty of this capital was comparable to the beauty of the Kingdom where he had lived until recently.
'Although Arcelia is better known for its beautiful green valleys and the beauty of its summer, this isn't bad either,' he thought, even though he was feeling a little cold.
A prince walking through the streets was always eye-catching, so he quickly attracted much attention. Despite being the least known among the princes and, in turn, the most despised inside the castle (and outside), people still greeted him and sent him flowers. Some wanted to approach him for interviews, but the guards prevented them.
At that moment, the captain approached him.
"Prince... doing this is not appropriate. Why don't you go back and let us buy what you need? Or cover your face, you will attract a lot of attention, and someone malicious could attempt to take your life," he said.
Although Blue Eden was generally very safe, the Walkers are unpredictable. In addition, some sects continually want to make life difficult for the royal family, so they look for anything that will cause them problems.
Furthermore, the Walkers of the Hunter's Path have powerful snipers, and the Alchemists are specialists in attacking multiple targets using their many tactics and poisons, so walking around the city was always dangerous for a prince like him.
Before, Ryan hadn't understood this; he had just arrived here and simply thought he was racing against time, but now that this person had mentioned it, he had to reconsider.
Thanks to the fact that he had been a Hunter in his past life, he could sense the malicious glances being thrown at him, so he was aware of it.
He nodded to him. Luckily, he was the least well-known prince, but doing this was not right.
"Let's do something..." He whispered a few things to him, leaving him stunned.
"Will it be okay?" he asked.
Ryan nodded.
The captain didn't feel comfortable at all, but he knew that, at the very least, it was a better decision than simply walking around the city.
"All right..." Although he hesitated, he went to talk to the soldiers. They quickly agreed and suddenly formed a circle around Ryan.
"Gentlemen," the vice-captain spoke. "Our master is looking for capable people to accompany him on a mission to the ruins of Sunken Mountain. Two princes will participate, and the pay will be considerable for those who wish to accompany them. Fifty pounds per day for each person; if you are strong, that pay will increase!"
His words immediately attracted the attention of all the passersby. Those malicious people also paid special attention.
Between killing him now and killing him after receiving such a substantial payment... naturally, they would choose the latter. Besides, killing him then would be easier than doing it now, when they can't even see him because soldiers cover him entirely.
Although he was a useless prince, the soldiers protecting him were not. They had power, so they had to be careful around them.
"So..." The vice-captain spoke again, pointing to a nearby luxury restaurant. "We'll be interviewing in that place until 2 p.m. If you want to earn easy money and participate in a venture that could make you rich, you're welcome to join us."
Finally, the vice-captain raised his spear, and the soldiers beside him did the same. Then they slammed it hard against the ground. They were powerful members of the Martial Warrior's Path; every movement was done with delicacy, but it carried powerful currents of Spirituality.
Suddenly, everyone around him staggered backward, the curtains of nearby shops shook, and animals ran to their burrows.
Then...
Ryan looked from across the street, completely covered in new clothes, a smile adorning his face.
'Even though I can't use Spirituality, this is child's play,' he thought.
He was now wearing dark clothes and a cloak that covered him from head to toe; God only knew when he had changed.
There was no sign of the prince; he looked more like a normal civilian.
As he turned around, he was momentarily stunned to see someone standing before him.
'Did they catch me?' he thought in shock. He immediately tried to run to the side.
"Don't worry, prince. It's me," he whispered. It was the captain's voice.
Ryan then turned and looked at him through his dark clothes and sighed with relief.
"Tsk. You're good." He laughed and motioned for him to follow him.
He immediately began walking through the alleys until he reached a quiet street.
Just as he stepped onto the street, as the captain had indicated, he understood why it wasn't so busy. His dark clothes fluttered in the wind as a strange, heavy train moving between small tracks crossed in front of him. It is currently the fastest method of transportation, but unfortunately, it only works to reach very distant cities.
They are called Spirit Trains. Curiously, Ryan witnessed their birth, about 50 years ago for him and about 100 years ago for the world. The company that created them partly sponsored him. According to his inherited memory, they were now in every city worldwide.
But this time, it was different. They weren't carrying people. Rather, they were carrying monsters.
It was his first time seeing them, but his gaze was fixed on them. Those were...
'Kazaks!'
Wolf-like beasts, with two horns protruding from their heads, powerful hooves, and a variety of different powers. At least that's how they are in their first evolution, and the ones he was seeing right now belonged to that type, the weakest ones.
They were about 2 meters tall and approximately 3-4 meters long, chained with powerful, sturdy chains as they were taken to a cell for investigation. On their heads were the numbers 778 and 801.
They are not just any kind of beast. They are responsible for bringing the apocalypse to this world. They are so dangerous that they have entrenched the world in only two continents. Humans have been forced to build great walls to separate themselves from the other continents, simply because they have taken control and are too powerful.
When the captain saw Ryan paying special attention to them, he spoke.
"Recently, the Lord Prince and Queen defeated one of the most powerful garrisons in the South, capturing many Kazaks. Those are the last ones. The rest are stationed at the Guard Barracks," he said.
Ryan snapped out of his deep thoughts and nodded.
The only one called "Lord Prince" in the kingdom is the First Prince. He is a great warrior of Hunter's Path who works with his mother, the kingdom's greatest Alchemist, a War Alchemist. Both are the main forces of the Kingdom in its defense against the Kazaks' advances in the South.
'If they won, they'd surely be back soon,' he thought.
Now that he had been reincarnated, he was curious about many things. According to the memories he had received, his mother and the first prince had treated him best, so he wanted to meet them.
He cleared his mind of silly thoughts and continued on his way.
In a few minutes, under the captain's guidance, they arrived at the Alchemists' Tower.