Chapter 469: You are Smart

[Power Activated: Prime Mind Manipulation.]

Caelus spoke to Sylvia through their mental link while the fairy waited for his answer.

"Can you check his intentions?"

[Trait Activated: Sinner Eyes.]

Sylvia used Sinner Eyes to check the fairy and sent her answer directly to Caelus.

"I don’t see any killing intent, hubby."

"Oh?" Caelus appeared surprised. It seems like this guy didn’t have any bad intentions?

More importantly than that, they still needed to learn more about the Primordial World, so he decided to accept the invitation while keeping the fairy under watch.

"All right, we’ll take you up on that meal."

The fairy’s face brightened and he opened the ship’s door wider for them instantly.

"I am Bertram, and I promise the food will be better than my driving."

Hearing him introduce himself, Caelus also did the same. "I am Caelus Kross, and this is Sylvia Reign."

Caelus introduced Freya and the Hollow King as they boarded. Bertram made room for them around a long table and returned to the controls without asking where they had come from.

This time Bertram flew slowly and kept the ship away from people traveling on their own. Caelus watched through the glass sides as they joined the traffic heading toward the city center.

They passed beneath a stone arch and arrived above Crossroads Plaza. Wide roads led into the square from every direction and raised walkways let people cross over the traffic.

Bertram slowed the ship as they approached an open landing area.

"Welcome to Crossroads Plaza. Most of the population gathers in this part of the world, so you can find almost anything you need here."

Caelus looked over the square as they landed. Rows of shops and market stalls surrounded a central fountain while restaurants filled the streets leading away from it.

The fountain had a pool large enough for stone footbridges to cross it. Water sprayed through floating rings above the bridges and fell back into the pool on either side.

Teleportation gates stood along the edges of the plaza. Every few seconds another group arrived through one and joined the crowds heading toward the shops.

There were people with wings and people with horns among those who looked human. A giant ducked beneath a bridge while a tiny woman seated on his shoulder waved at someone across the road.

Freya stopped beside the ship’s doorway to watch a flock of bright fish swimming through the air. They passed over her head and vanished into a pond on the roof of a nearby shop.

Musicians played near the fountain while merchants called out prices from their stalls. Caelus smelled meat cooking as they passed an open kitchen and had to step aside for a cart loaded with food.

A Primordial was arguing over the price of a bowl of soup at one of the stalls. The vendor kept pointing at the board above his head and refused to change it.

More ships were arriving while others rose from the landing areas around the plaza. Between those streams of traffic, people flew under their own power and descended toward the shops.

Bertram led them around the busiest part of the plaza. Several faction towers stood beyond the markets with large banners hanging above their entrances.

Caelus noticed the same faction symbols on the clothes of people entering those towers. He could see several groups represented here, but he didn’t recognize any of their banners.

He almost asked Bertram which ones were the strongest, then kept the question to himself. Someone who lived here would probably know that already.

He didn’t know whether the people here welcomed visitors from other universes or hated them. Asking basic questions about the local factions could give them away, so he decided to listen to Bertram instead.

Sylvia walked beside Caelus as Bertram led them away from the crowded shops. The Hollow King and Freya followed close behind.

The road widened and the noise faded behind rows of flowering trees. At its far end stood a tall hotel with pale stone walls and broad balconies overlooking the plaza.

Silver-leaved trees grew along the front steps and spread their branches over the entrance. Above the doors a row of golden letters spelled out the hotel’s name: The Silver Orchard.

Attendants opened the doors and greeted Bertram as they entered. The lobby had a glass floor over a shallow stream with lamps hanging above the reception desk.

A wide staircase led to the guest rooms upstairs. The restaurant occupied the rest of the ground floor and its glass walls gave the diners a clear view of the plaza.

Bertram spread his hands toward the tables with a proud smile.

"I might not look the part, but this restaurant is mine. The hotel belongs to me too."

"You’ve done well for yourself, Brother Bertram. How did you manage to build a place like this?"

"My family helped me get started, of course. But I built the business into what it is today with my own hands."

He waved an attendant over and asked for a private dining room large enough for the whole group. Then he led them upstairs while explaining which parts of the plaza could be seen from the hotel’s highest floor.

Caelus listened without interrupting him. The man had turned a near collision into a tour of his property and still hadn’t let them sit down to eat.

Their room held a round table beside a glass wall overlooking the fountain. Bertram waited until everyone had chosen a seat before asking the attendants to bring the food.

The doors closed and the sounds from the hall faded. Bertram reached for the jug in the center of the table and began filling their cups.

Caelus laughed at Bertram’s claim that he had built the business himself. Then he stopped smiling and spoke coldly.

"All right, let’s get to the real reason we’re here. You brought us here for something besides a meal, didn’t you?"

The instant Caelus said that, the fairy’s expression changed.

"Looks like you are a very smart man. Mr. Caelus." Bertram smiled.

"You guys aren’t from this place, are you?"