"You can open your eyes now," Rihisna said while looking at Noriala's bewildered face.
Noriala slowly opened her eyes. Unconsciously, her mouth fell open as well, overwhelmed by the vast, endlessly green landscape before her. In other words, she had never seen scenery as beautiful as the Kingdom of Tupmur. She quickly covered her open mouth with her hand, stunned by awe. At the same time, her body leaned forward slightly, as if her knees were about to give way. Noriala took several deep breaths.
"Wahhh!… It's so beautiful!" Noriala shouted loudly.
Rihisna, who had been observing her antics, was startled and took a step back.
"Is this really the Kingdom of Tupmur?" Noriala asked Rihisna.
"Erk… Erm… Yes, why?" Rihisna replied softly, puzzled.
Noriala smiled and immediately ran around, spinning her body joyfully. In other words, she danced beneath the gentle breeze and the beautifully blooming flowers. Rihisna merely watched her from a distance.
Thump!
The sound of Noriala falling flat on the ground echoed. Rihisna shook his head and slapped his forehead when he saw her sprawled out.
"Are you okay?" Rihisna asked as he approached her.
"Yes! I'm fine," Noriala replied, standing up quickly.
"Wait—what did you just call me?" Noriala asked, stepping closer to Rihisna with a sharp gaze.
"Huh? Is that wrong?" Rihisna answered, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yes, it is wrong… You're just saying it as you like," Noriala snapped, her face showing irritation.
"What's wrong with you? You can't even accept that?" Rihisna retorted firmly.
Noriala turned her body away from him.
Tch!… I'm really bad at comforting people, Rihisna muttered teasingly.
"Here, take this!"
Rihisna plucked a flower nearby and held it out to Noriala.
Noriala turned around, surprised by his action. She hesitated before slowly reaching out her right hand toward the flower.
"Eh? You actually want it!" Rihisna suddenly pulled the flower back, teasing her.
"What! You're asking for it now!" Noriala exclaimed loudly, clenching her fist as a fire-element Iktas formed in her hand.
"Huh? Hey, don't do anything! You'll burn the garden!" Rihisna warned her.
"Hmph!"
Noriala extinguished the flames in her hand and stepped back.
"Alright, let's go to the headquarters," Rihisna said, walking past her.
"Hey! Wait! What are we going to the headquarters for?" Noriala asked as she jogged after him.
"What else? To collect the reward," Rihisna replied, spreading his hands casually.
Moments later, Rihisna released wind-element Iktas from his feet. His body slowly lifted into the air. Noriala watched in amazement. She could feel the immense amount of Iktas he was releasing.
This is high-level Iktas, Noriala whispered in her heart.
Rihisna floated even higher.
"Alright, let's go," Rihisna said to Noriala, who was looking up at him.
"Huh? What?" Noriala replied, confused.
"Oh right, I forgot you can't fly," Rihisna said, descending back down.
"Alright then," Rihisna said as he stretched his hand toward Noriala.
SUISHHH!
The sound of wind-element Iktas surged from Rihisna.
The Iktas enveloped Noriala's entire body. She began to float on her own.
"Wahhh!"
Slowly, Noriala rose into the air, filled with excitement.
"Okay, now you can fly," Rihisna said. "Do you know how to fly?"
"Erm…" Noriala did not know how to answer.
"Have you ever flown before?" Rihisna asked.
"No," Noriala replied briefly, shaking her head.
Rihisna took a deep breath and thought. How am I supposed to bring her along? he muttered inwardly.
"Ah! Let's do it this way," Rihisna suddenly said loudly.
He reached out his hand toward Noriala.
"Hold my hand," Rihisna said.
"What?" Noriala replied, clearly objecting.
"Come on, don't you want to fly?" Rihisna said with a smile.
Slowly, Noriala moved her hand and took Rihisna's. She felt the warmth of his hand. At the same time, both of them began to rise higher and higher. Noriala was bewildered by what was happening.
Wahhh… I never thought I could fly, Noriala whispered to herself.
Soon, they sped forward like the wind, as leaves scattered across the clouds. From above, Noriala could see the vast and beautiful gardens below. They flew over areas where people were busy at work, locals trading, farming, building, and children laughing as they played. In other words, a peaceful scene unfolded before Noriala's eyes for the first time in her life.
"Alright! We're almost there," Rihisna said as he slowly lowered their altitude.
"Wahhh! What gate is that?" Noriala asked when she noticed the area ahead growing quieter than before.
"That's the entrance to the central core of the Tupmur Kingdom the Headquarters," Rihisna replied as they landed before the gate.
"I never imagined the area would be this vast," Rihisna muttered, though Noriala overheard him.
On a massive scale, the land nearly covered half of the northern region of the Tupmur Kingdom. Towering buildings soared into the sky, easily ten to twenty times the height of an ordinary human. Their architecture was adorned with intricate decorations. The ground was lined with plants and flowers, while artistic engravings and symbolic patterns decorated the pathways.
Rihisna walked slowly, with Noriala following behind. Both of them moved at a measured pace, mesmerized by their surroundings. Even though this was Rihisna's second visit to the Tupmur Kingdom, he had never imagined a central district filled with such grand structures. He had once assumed Tupmur was nothing more than a small rural settlement. His assumptions just like Noriala's were completely wrong.
"Let's go to the Headquarters," Rihisna said softly.
Noriala replied only with a smile.
After a long walk, they finally arrived at the Headquarters.
"Wahhh… is this really the headquarters?" Noriala said, looking up at the towering building.
The structure was conical in shape and immense in scale. Its grand doors resembled those of a royal palace. They entered slowly.
"Welcome to the headquarters," said one of the staff members.
The floor was made of smooth wood engraved with symbolic patterns. Artistic carvings decorated the main hall. The walls were built from stone etched with floral motifs. Above them, the ceiling was made of glass, allowing sunlight and clouds to be seen clearly.
"May I help you?" asked a staff member at the inquiry counter.
"Oh, I'd like to meet Sir Saona," Rihisna said.
"May I have your name, sir?" the staff member asked.
"My name is Rihisna," he replied briefly with a smile.
"Oh really? My apologies are you the adventurer who defeated the monster?" the staff member asked excitedly.
"Yup," Rihisna answered confidently.
"In that case, please proceed immediately. Sir Saona has been waiting upstairs on the first floor," the staff member said quickly.
"Alright! Thank you," Rihisna replied.
They hurried up to the first floor. Rihisna stopped before a large wooden door carved with plant patterns, flowers, and leaves. He knocked gently. No answer came. He knocked again, this time harder.
"Yes, who is it?" a voice called from inside.
"Yes, I'm Rihisna," he replied softly.
The door opened on its own.
"Oh! You're Rihisna right on time," Sir Saona said, busy with his writing.
"Good morning, Sir Saona," Rihisna greeted, bowing slightly.
"Well done. You survived and completed the mission!" Sir Saona said as he approached and shook Rihisna's hand.
"Thank you," Rihisna replied with a smile.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you," Sir Saona said, pulling Rihisna into a hug.
Rihisna returned the embrace, puzzled.
"Why, Sir Saona?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing. I thought you wouldn't come," Sir Saona replied, releasing him with a smile.
"So! You came to collect your reward, right?" Sir Saona asked as he walked back to his desk.
"Hahaha! Yup," Rihisna replied with a small laugh.
"Hohoho! You certainly deserve it!" Sir Saona laughed as he opened a drawer.
Noriala, who had been standing behind Rihisna, quietly observed their interaction. They seemed like old acquaintances. She looked around the room, there was a large desk, tall bookshelves filled with books, and thick wooden floors carved with tree motifs. Most striking of all, a lush green tree as tall as a human grew beautifully inside the room.
Noriala smiled at Sir Saona.
"Are you Rihisna's assistant?" Sir Saona asked, frowning slightly.
"Err… Erm?" Noriala did not know how to respond.
"Oh! I forgot this is Noriala, my friend," Rihisna quickly interjected.
"Erm, hi!" Noriala said, waving with a smile.
"Hello! She's quite lovely," Sir Saona replied kindly.
Sir Saona then took out a bag and placed it on the table.
"Alright! I hereby grant a reward of half a Nailber to an adventurer named Rihisna," Sir Saona declared.
"I accept the reward granted by the Head of the Northern Tupmur Kingdom, known as Sir Saona," Rihisna replied formally.
"What?!"
Noriala suddenly exclaimed loudly, then quickly covered her mouth.
"Is something wrong, Noriala?" Sir Saona asked.
"Hm? She might just be surprised, Sir Saona," Rihisna said with a smile.
"What? Surprised by the amount? That's understandable," Sir Saona said.
After finishing their business at the Tupmur Kingdom Headquarters, Rihisna invited Noriala to go shopping. They headed toward the central district of the kingdom, where countless goods were traded. In other words, the Mid-Center of the Tupmur Kingdom was the heart of all commerce and trade.
Many people referred to the place as Putmur. Since it had no official name, the locals had given it one themselves. Physically, the area was enormous, capable of accommodating nearly ten thousand people at once. Decorated with lush plants, it created a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. At the same time, the facilities were highly advanced. For example, massive Iktas-powered generators provided light and powered machinery, allowing Putmur to operate even at night.
"What are we buying?" Noriala asked as she watched the bustling crowd.
"Alright, take this money and go to the clothing shops," Rihisna said, handing her some coins.
"If that's the case, I'll go first," Rihisna said, walking away after giving her the money.
"Hey! Wait! What kind of clothes am I supposed to buy?" Noriala shouted but Rihisna did not respond and kept walking.
Without wasting time, Noriala began searching for clothing shops.
"Wahhh! That smells so good!" Noriala exclaimed in front of a food stall.
"Miss, would you like to try some?" one of the vendors asked.
"Huh? Can I?" Noriala replied.
The vendor took a skewer of grilled food and handed it to her. Without hesitation, Noriala took it and ate. She bit into the food, savoring it with delight.
"Well? How is it? Good?" the vendor asked.
"Mmm… it's delicious!" Noriala replied, chewing with her eyes closed.
"Would you like to buy some?" the vendor asked again.
"Yes! Yes! How much?" Noriala said, quickly buying ten skewers.
After that, Noriala visited various food and drink stalls. After some time, Rihisna began searching for her. First, he checked the clothing shops, she was not there. Then he tried the accessory stalls, still nothing.
Maybe she's at the food stalls, Rihisna thought.
"There you are!" Rihisna said when he finally found Noriala, surrounded by all kinds of food she had bought.
"I told you to buy clothes, and you went and bought food," Rihisna sighed.
"Ermm?" Noriala replied, her mouth full.
"Never mind. I already bought them. Come on, let's find a place to rest," Rihisna said, inviting Noriala to head toward their lodging.