With clouds of smoke and a terrifying roar, the iron serpent reached its destination—Cikale District. It was known as the hub of all the major businesses that had become the pillars of the city's economy.
But that wasn't all the district was known for. It was also the most densely populated area in the city. So dense, in fact, that the city government had to build five smaller districts connected to it, both to reduce the population pressure and, of course, to provide more money trees... No businesses.
Jin and Jay tried to get out of the train cart, but luckily, they didn't have to struggle. A crowd of impatient office workers practically kicked them out—before kicking themselves out.
Jumping onto the platform, Jay finally took a breath of air that wasn't scorching hot.
"Wow, that was so intense."
He looked at Jin, who stood there, unbothered by the crowd of jostling adults, without a trace of emotion in his crimson eyes.
"We should go."
Jin looked at the iron serpent, just as the train let out another scream and began to leave.
The train had dropped them off at Platform Number 10, which was quite far from the station's only exit. Such was the fate of those who traveled in general class—the lowest, cheapest, and, of course, slowest.
Soon, they spotted the staircase that connected to one of the four single-roof lines, each connected to every platform with double stairs on both sides.
They rushed toward the stairs, sometimes pushing through the crowd, but mostly getting pushed back.
After a hard struggle and with an irritated expression, Jay finally sighed in relief, standing a bit farther from the gate of the station.
Jin looked around, a newfound curiosity flickering in his gaze.
Outside, the station greeted them with a vast parking lot, filled with carriages that nearly matched the crowd in number. Most were hand-pulled, with a few expensive ones pulled by beasts. As for the vehicles of the rich, they had a separate parking area with high-class services—security, staff to open doors, and attendants to park the carriages.
As Jin observed the scene, more than a dozen people suddenly rushed toward them. Upon reaching, they eagerly started urging them to sit in their carriages.
They were coachmen, hunting for customers.
'Looks like a hard line of business.'
The sudden ambush made timid Jay visibly uncomfortable. As for Jin, he calmly walked toward the nearest carriage and spoke to the crowd.
"Central Park. As fast as possible."
Jay followed and sat beside him.
The carriage puller of that carriage shoved the others away with a victorious expression and said in a polite voice.
"That'll be 7 copper."
It was common practice to negotiate the fare in advance for convenience. Usually, it was the customer who asked first— everyone in the commoner class always tried to pay as little as possible.
Jin wasn't familiar with the concept of ruls, rals and copper coins. But Albedo had given him 33 copper coins, so 7 didn't seem too bad.
"No problem."
With that, the carriage puller happily shut the tin door and secured it with a rope.
The carriage was a man-pulled type, in rather poor condition. It had just enough space for two passengers—the maximum the man could manage. There was no roof, and a small basket at the back served as a makeshift luggage compartment.
Gripping the two wooden rods, the carriage puller leaned forward and began to pull. Though small in build, years of experience had made him strong enough to haul the carriage without losing his breath.
But the holy city was unforgiving. The heat, coupled with the hilly, undulating roads, left the man drenched in sweat.
Fortunately, their destination was nearby. They soon arrived at a park situated in an open area. After paying seven copper coins and with Jin holding a strange item, they stepped inside.
The park was empty. It was afternoon, so the reason was obvious. At its center stood a stone pillar, embedded with mysterious symbols that glowed with an azure light.
"This must be the location."
Jin said as he took out the 'Key to the Nameless' and glanced at the pillar.
"Wow... so these pillars are responsible for maintaining the city's barrier."
Jay observed it with curiosity. He had read about them—each pillar housed a spell that sustained the barrier around the city. There were 108 such pillars scattered throughout, each guarded by officers of the Order.
"Wait, why isn't anyone guarding it?" he asked.
"Because of this."
Jin replied. He turned around to reveal a bronze lantern emitting a dark purple, sinister glow. Despite the bright afternoon sunlight, the lantern radiated an eerie shadow.
"Umm... what is that?"
"An enchanted item. Albedo gave it to me. It's enchanted to make us invisible."
"Really."
Jin eyed the dark purple light, which was beginning to fade.
"We should hurry."
He approached the pillar and raised the Key to the Nameless as if inserting it into an invisible keyhole.
In that moment, the air twisted, and the space before him shimmered. A majestic door made of pure light, brighter than the surrounding sunlight, materialized before them.
"Hey! Who goes there?"
The guards, startled by the sudden burst of light, rushed toward the pillar.
It wasn't unusual for these pillars to be targeted. In fact, many shadowy organizations had tried to break the city's barrier before. That's why security around each pillar was typically tight.
Before the guards could get any closer, the door of pure light began to vibrate intensely. Suddenly, it swung open—no, it was kicked open—and from within emerged a gaping maw of radiant light, rushing straight toward Jin and Jay.
"Wh-What is that!? Are we going to die!?" Jay shouted, his voice cracking with panic.
But Jin remained still, calmly watching the phenomenon.
"What an interesting method of teleporta—"
Before he could finish, the maw of light swallowed them whole without a moment's hesitation.
***
In the Nameless Domain, Albedo stood with a bright smile, anticipation of the newcomers' reactions etched across his strikingly beautiful face.
Beside him stood Luke, the echoes of past suffering lingering in his elegant, noble features.
Of course, he had every reason to look that way—he had been thrown into the Gate of Light more times than he cared to count. So now, he stood there, already knowing the expressions they were about to make.
Yet in his heart, a quiet joy remained. The joy of finally seeing someone else share his fate—of witnessing those same expressions of confusion and awe. In a way, he too was waiting to see their reactions.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. The back end of the Gate of Light appeared roughly three feet above the ground, emerging from thin air like a wound torn into the world. It spat out two new victims of its terror, like it was finally disgorging the remnants of a half-chewed meal.
Jin landed softly, resisting the air with the grace of cotton drifting in a breeze. He touched the ground like a breath of cool wind on a summer night.
Jay, on the other hand—just as Luke expected—landed face-first, with his rear awkwardly perched in the air. Luke couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Ouch…"
Rubbing his face free of dust and pain, Jay looked up at the two figures standing before them.
"Welcome to my Nameless," Albedo announced in a rich, ringing voice.
Luke followed with more courtesy, stepping forward and offering a handkerchief.
"We meet again, Mr. Monster Summoner."
"Oh, umm... I'm sorry about that. I'm Jay, by the way," he said shyly, raising his hand for a handshake.
"Yes, I remember. Luke Grimdal," Luke replied, shaking it firmly.
"And you too, Jin. I see you haven't changed much."
Jin gave Luke a small nod in response.
"Now then, it's time for a tour," Albedo declared, motioning toward Luke to guide them. With a graceful gesture, he turned to leave.
"Yes, have a good day, my lord," Luke said with a slight bow.
"Yes... a good day," Jay echoed, suddenly realizing he hadn't even greeted the most important person properly.
Albedo didn't seem to mind. He smiled and shook Jay's hand briefly before walking away.
Only after that did Jay let out a long sigh of relief.
Then he began to observe the place around him.
He had heard them call this place the Nameless Domain. He didn't know what it truly meant—but what he did know was that it was breathtaking.
A vast stretch of green grass flowed into a distant waterfall, where a grand mansion stood in quiet majesty.
The sight mesmerized him. Having spent his whole life in the Holy City, surrounded by cement and towers, this was the first time his eyes had seen something so alive. The place pulsed with untouched, natural beauty.
As he was possessed by the beauty, Luke and Jin had walked a distance away from him, lost in their own conversation. They finally reached the mansion. Jay reached them soon after getting himself out of nature's possession.
Standing in front of the gate of the mansion, Luke turned to them.
After coughing twice, he spread his arms.
"Jin, Jay. Welcome to your new home."