Chapter 186: Es
During the drinking party, I was thinking about re-examining the magic circles related to Spirits when Dean told me to behave myself. How does Retze know what I’m thinking?
So today, I’m being good and exploring the continent where Dragons roam. I’ve arrived in the country of Es, which is home to the largest city protected by Spirits. The name of the country is the same as the city and the river. A vast desert stretches out, with a large river flowing through it, and the Royal Capital sits at the delta where the river meets the sea.
Rain only falls a little on the seaside, and the river is the lifeline. The Spirit that protects the country is said to be the Spirit of the river. The desert is filled with sand dunes, just as I had imagined a standard desert would be. There’s plenty of sand.
I managed to gather a large amount of glass materials mixed in with the sand!
Before entering the city, I gathered information from the Sand Spirit wandering around. Es has been ruled by queens for generations, and the river Spirit is also female. It seems that the women of the royal family have historically been priestesses of the Spirits, and those who can see the Spirits or hear their voices—or possess both powers—inherit the throne.
The temperature during the summer days exceeds fifty degrees Celsius. The current Dragon King is a fire dragon born during the era of the Fire Spirit, and it seems that the influence of the previous Wind Spirit has contributed to the current state of affairs. —I wonder if that means the current king is that gem of a dragon; I really don’t want that.
I stayed for a while hoping to catch a glimpse of a Dragon, but it was too hot, so I gave up. I long for the shade!
Goods flow down the Es River to gather in the capital, and from there, they are sent to Naruadeid, making it a thriving trade hub. The main products of Es seem to be sugarcane, cotton, and the sand gold obtained from the Es River.
The sand in the desert is fine and contains yellowish glass, while the area around the river has black soil. It is said that the Spirits reside in a place known as the Eyes of Es, where two whirlpools are located, and from there, water springs forth and is carried away.
Once a year, the Es River floods, which will happen in about half a month. There’s an ancient temple that can only be accessed during that time, so I’m definitely planning to come back, but for today, I’m here to explore the city.
The port doesn’t cater to common folk, but there’s a massive market (Bazaar) on the west side of the capital. It’s a maze-like place, crammed with products displayed and hanging everywhere.
Perfume bottles, gold crafts, talismans, cotton products, water pipes, and all sorts of unclear souvenirs. I found a pastry filled with sweet red bean paste, but it turned out to be dates… It had a sticky sweetness, but since I thought it was red bean paste, the feeling of disappointment was overwhelming.
I also bought a loose-fitting outfit that resembles the local ethnic clothing, which reaches down to my ankles. My current outfit stands out, especially since I’m wearing black leather pants.
Since it’s loose, I can easily wear it over my current clothes. With the temperature being higher than my body heat, this long-sleeved outfit is surprisingly cool. Meanwhile, it seems the locals are mostly bare below the waist.
I cut through the shop, pushing aside hanging carpets, browsing through the cluttered store.
A man walks by with a board on his head piled high with bread, a girl with golden hoop earrings, and I dodge the persistent calls of vendors as I move forward.
Among the items, what caught my eye was a beautifully designed brass lamp with intricate cut-out patterns. It’s called a Palace Lamp, and many of them hang from the ceiling of the shop. Since it’s daytime, I can’t see it lit, but if I hung a candle in it, it would cast beautiful shadows in the room.
It’s not suitable for a work lamp, but I might buy a few to hang in my room on the island. Speaking of which, I remember those Turkish pendant lamps being beautiful too. The black decorative metal and cracked glass lampshades—though I doubt they have those here.
They sell perfume bottles, but the glass has low transparency, and it seems that once they reach a certain size, processing becomes difficult? It’s strange to me that gold products are cheaper than the glass ones lined up.
I hum to myself while selecting souvenirs, thinking about buying a strange doll. I’d never display it myself, though.
After wandering around, I ended up buying a large quantity of spices and, for souvenirs, I finally settled on cotton fabric. Since it’s summer, I might make T-shirts or tank tops to share with everyone. I’m satisfied for now with the mangoes, sugarcane, and cotton seeds I’ve acquired.
For lunch, I had unleavened flatbread dipped in Fava Bean Dip. The dip can be flavored with chopped onions, white cheese, and spices of your choice. And while the flatbread seems like the main dish, it turns out that the fava beans are the real staple, as even when I ordered meat, it came with a side of fava bean stew.
For dessert, they go all out by drenching everything in honey. The sweet pastry I mistook for red bean paste was actually quite mild in sweetness. Truly, this is a sugarcane-producing country.
After leaving the city, I took a breather in the shade of the palm trees by the riverside. This country is packed with people at the delta, and the Bazaar was overflowing with goods, so I’m a bit tired.
I spoke with an old man selling water pipes at the Bazaar, who looked indeterminate in age, and pieced together stories about the Spirits, getting a rough idea of where the ancient temple is located. I’ve bought what I needed, so it’s time to head back.
—Little did I know that I would soon discover the map given to me by the Gods had expanded its range.