When the suffocating and blood-scented air of the Red Road Forest finally came to an end, Hideo stood with Mais on his back for a while to observe the view before them. Plain City, built inside a massive pit in the middle of a wide plain, looked like a deep wound opened on the surface of the earth when viewed from above.
Hideo took a deep breath, trying to clear the dust from his throat. Plain City was far from the Lake of Oblivion and even its rivers. Consequently, water resources came from other cities. Why would a city so poor in water resources actually exist? To be honest, Plain City was an ancient city. It was unknown when it was founded, but it had existed for a long time and a great number of people had gathered here. You couldn't just move them to another region all of a sudden. Its City Lords were strong compared to other cities, and each generation of City Lord was usually powerful enough to be a Lord. Rather than a city seized under the power of a single family, it was a city where the strong took the lead. And this powerful city had always chosen each City Lord from within its own ranks. Therefore, it was quite difficult for the royalty to have their way with them.
A large population and a powerful army. Mais would have loved to possess this place. Unfortunately, political relations were more important than ever for this city. Since they would not accept any leader other than one of their own, he needed an internal commander to rule in his stead. But how was he to find someone who wouldn't betray him so quickly?
Mais turned toward the city beneath his mask and sniffed the air. He knew Hideo was also curious about the city. "They have to import water. But that doesn't mean they are a poor city. It is still a notable hunting and livestock region. You'll understand better once we go inside."
As they passed through the city gates and plunged into the market square, Hideo was surprised by the voices reaching his ears as he tried to make way through the crowd. In the past, he had little reason to visit Plain City. He had mostly traveled east and south. He had heard things about Plain City, but they were just rumors. He was surprised by how crowded this city was and... by their wagging tongues.
"Did you hear? The Navan family has already opened the betting pools!" said a cloth merchant, leaning toward the man next to him.
The other merchant looked around and lowered his voice, though he couldn't prevent Hideo from hearing. "There are still two years until the elections, man! But the Navans are smart; I heard they are drawing the lowest commission. Golden State City will turn into a bloodbath when that day comes, but they've already started piling up the gold."
Hideo slowed down in front of a greengrocer while carrying Mais. "They're talking about bets," he murmured.
Mais only listened from behind his mask. People were counting names one by one. "The Young Genius will definitely win!" someone said. An exaggerated guess. Kasuur was still very young. Another added, "Don't underestimate Baro, the Lord of Yellow City." He wasn't entirely wrong. Baro was right at the age limit. Rumors about Porius Navan from Red River City, Alisanne Navan, the daughter of the State Lord's heir, and Meng Maris, the outcast child of the Meng family, were mixing into the dust of the market. All these names were famous individuals with good luck. It was just that the evaluations were somewhat distorted because of their fame.
Although the State Elections were a genius-marketing tournament, there was still a winner. At this point, there were many candidates to be the winner, and picking the right person could provide a high rate of profit.
When Mais noticed his own name wasn't being mentioned, he smiled bitterly under his mask. These ordinary people couldn't even imagine what an alchemist could do. They thought alchemists could only produce pills—and they weren't entirely wrong. They just underestimated the importance of it. To them, being a genius consisted of nothing but swinging a sword.
At that moment, an old merchant asked, "What about the young lord Ursul?"
The face of the man next to him turned as white as chalk, and he squeezed his friend's arm tightly. "Shut up! Are you crazy? Never mention that name again, you'll get us into trouble!"
Hideo frowned as he noticed this sudden panic. "Who is this Ursul?" he whispered to Mais. Mais didn't answer, simply saying, "Keep going." Within Mais's knowledge, there was nothing but rumors. And rumors were often not very reliable sources of information.
The dull thuds of Hideo's boots echoed through the high-ceilinged, flashy corridors of the auction house. Mais had climbed down from Hideo's back and was advancing with that heavy Sage aura that drew the gazes of the nobles around him every time he struck his staff on the ground. He was still wearing his mask, and despite his changed physique, he didn't stop attracting attention. After all, he was a Sage and he was wearing a mask. When the clerk at the ticket booth saw Mais's mask, the accompanying Sage aura, and the gold pouches Hideo dropped on the table, he practically doubled over. He understood what Mais wanted without him even answering.
"Top floor, third private box, sir," the clerk said, his voice trembling with excitement. "It has the best view of the city; no one will disturb you."
Just as Hideo took the ticket and approached Mais, a violent noise broke out from the service door on the side. Several security guards threw someone out into the dust and dirt, kicking him as they dragged him along the ground. Hideo paused and frowned.
"What is this?" Hideo murmured. "A clown in front of the auction house?"
The man on the ground wore a clown outfit with faded colors, torn in places and full of patches. The white paint on his face had mixed with the blood flowing from the blows he received, turning into a horrific mask. However, the truly strange thing was the man's reaction. With every kick, his body jerked and cracks could be heard, but he was laughing as if he were listening to the world's funniest joke.
"Take this madman away at once!" shouted one of the guards, but no matter how much they hit him, the Clown neither stopped laughing nor moved away. Although he crawled on the ground, the guards had to beat him with all their strength just to move him a single step forward.
Hideo felt nauseous as he watched the man's insane behavior. He had to admit, he was scared as well. "This man has lost his mind," he could finally say. "He's going to die, but he's still mocking them. He's still... laughing. What is so funny!"
Mais, however, stood still. He didn't care what Hideo thought. His thoughts toward this man were different. His blind eyes were not looking in that direction, but his mind could vaguely sense the emotional waves spreading into the air with every laugh of the clown. To be honest, Mais's talent was leading the way in this regard, but the clown's emotions were so intense that they almost allowed Mais to see the Trace of a Tao he had never known. If Mais weren't blind, he might have already taken a step into this stage.
Not only that. None of these people were a Sage. That was why they couldn't understand that what Mais felt was not a madman's joy, but rather a mountain of grief. Behind every painful laugh, Mais could feel a presence growing more intense, and it unnerved him.
Noticing Mais's unease and hesitation, the ticket clerk immediately came over to reassure his noble guest. "Please excuse us, sir," the clerk said, looking at the man on the ground with disgust. "There is no need for you to get involved. Just the usual antics. Security will remove him completely now."
Mais turned toward the clerk from under his mask. His voice had a coldness that cut through all the noise in the environment like a knife. "Who is he? You're not going to tell me he's just a simple madman, are you?"
The clerk took a deep breath, his voice containing both deep hatred and an irrepressible contempt. But Mais felt that he caught something else behind this tone. Pity? For a moment, the clerk stood hesitantly. He was having difficulty explaining it. "The previous city lord caused great damage to Plain City," he finally said. "Unfortunately, he didn't live long enough to see justice. And our new lord found a mascot to appease the people's anger. The son of the previous City Lord, Ursul."