Black Stone City, Black Stone Avenue.
This was the main thoroughfare of Black Stone City, a road that ran from the city gates through the entire Outer City and Inner City. It was exceptionally wide, able to accommodate ten horse-drawn carriages abreast, and its sides were lined with the most lavishly decorated restaurants and teahouses.
Today, Black Stone Avenue was in an uproar. Elegant carriages and fine steeds streamed by endlessly, the rumble of their wheels over the bluestone slabs a constant drone.
Along both sides of the road, even the luxurious restaurants that were usually quiet on a typical day were now packed with people.
The windows of the second-floor private rooms were ajar. Young ladies from prestigious families, dressed in fine silks, frequently leaned out, some waving round silk fans, others tossing down sachets. The sound of their chattering was as crisp as the song of larks.
