NOVPUB
Chapter 61: City Of Niloreth
The Empress’s gaze, calm and cold, settled on Daniel and Eva.
Not like a human’s gaze. Not even like a hunter looking at prey.
This gaze... was like something beyond comprehension, examining a flaw in the fabric of existence. And Daniel? Every part of him felt like he was no longer himself.
He was just a "thing." Something now under a microscope in front of that woman.
The Empress paused for a moment. Her eyes locked onto Daniel.
"Fallen one...?" she murmured, softly and almost in wonder.
For the first time in centuries, her frozen eyes opened just a bit wider.
She raised her hand. The air trembled. Strange currents of unknown energy twisted between her fingers, and then a small mark of light formed — alien and complex, shaped like a broken ring with inward blades that looked like they were consuming themselves.
With one motion, she sent the mark toward Daniel. It moved silently, without light, and landed on his chest. It disappeared in an instant.
No one noticed. Not Daniel, not Eva. Not even Vorak, standing right beside them.
The Empress no longer looked at them. The space in front of her bent, as if she had willed the door open herself. And before anyone could say anything, she vanished into the darkness.
A few moments passed. Yet it felt like time had frozen.
Daniel hadn’t even breathed. Eva pressed her hands tightly to her chest, her eyes still on the sky.
Then the silence broke.
"Who... was she?" Daniel’s voice was low and dry as it spread through the air.
He still didn’t dare raise it.
"I don’t know... but she’s definitely one of the strongest beings in this world... maybe even beyond..." Eva replied between shaky breaths.
Because of her family’s status, she had seen many powerful people— even S-rank Climbers among them.
But none of them were even one ten-thousandth as terrifying as that woman’s aura. In fact, she felt like those people were ants in comparison.
Daniel sighed. He pulled out a water bottle from his inventory.
One for himself, one for Eva. They each took a few sips, and slowly, the trembling in their bodies eased.
"Let’s go." He mounted Vorak.
The rest of the path through the broken valley was calmer than expected. A few weak monsters appeared, but Daniel took them down with just a few quick moves.
Finally, by late afternoon, they passed through the other side of the valley and stepped into a flat plain.
They both let out a breath of relief at the same time.
"So where do we go now?" Eva looked around, then pulled out a leather map from her cloak’s inner pocket.
"The closest city is right here... Niloreth. From there, we can use the Teleport Array to head to the Central Fields."
"Good." Daniel nodded, then said to Vorak,
"Pick up the pace a bit."
Vorak let out a low growl in agreement. His feet pounded the ground harder, and they moved faster.
An hour later, the stone blue towers of Niloreth appeared on the horizon.
As they reached the city gates, Daniel and Eva jumped down from Vorak. Daniel patted Vorak’s head and smiled.
"Thanks... go get some rest."
Vorak let out a soft growl, then turned into a crimson light and vanished into Daniel’s spiritual sea.
Tired but determined, Daniel and Eva walked toward the silver gates of the city. But before they reached them, two guards with metal spears and light armor stepped in front of them.
"Who are you? What’s your business here?" one of them asked with a serious face.
"We’re travelers. Just came to spend the night in the city," Daniel straightened up, stepped forward, and spoke in a calm but firm tone.
He didn’t want to mention they had come through the Broken Valley. That would only bring questions and attention — which he didn’t want right now.
"Sorry, but the gates close after noon. No outsiders allowed in after that." The other guard — a man shorter than his spear with a thick mustache — looked up and said.
"What? That’s the dumbest rule I’ve heard." Daniel frowned.
The guard shrugged, like he heard that complaint every day.
"Rule’s a rule. Dumb or not, we just enforce it."
"There’s really no way? Not even if we just want a place to sleep?" Eva stepped forward, her voice worried but firm.
The second guard — a woman with dark armor and tired eyes — shook her head.
But just then, the sound of metal wheels rolling over the stone road echoed through the air.
A fancy carriage with silver decorations and the crest of a twin-headed lion slowly came around the bend toward the gate.
"Open the gates! Officials coming through!" the guards stood straight and shouted.
"I thought entry was forbidden after noon?" Eva said sarcastically.
"They’re from one of the ruling families. It’s different," the mustached guard said.
Daniel sighed.
I could turn these two to ash with a flick. But that’d be stupid... damn, my patience is wearing thin.
"Is there a problem?" came a middle-aged man’s voice from inside the carriage.
"No, sir. Just two travelers who can’t enter because of the rule," the guard answered formally.
"It’s fine. Let them in. It’s dark. No need for them to stay outside," the man laughed — a warm, heavy laugh.
"Yes, sir." The guard nodded.
"You may enter. But by law, that’ll be two silver coins per person." He turned to Daniel and Eva.
Daniel raised an eyebrow, paused for a moment, then turned toward the carriage, gave a small respectful bow, and said,
"Thank you, sir."
Then he walked over to the guard and paid four extra coins.
"These are for the trouble. By the way... know any good inns?"
The guard’s eyes lit up.
"Of course! Go to The Quiet Shade Inn. It’s cozy and clean, and the owner’s super welcoming. Just go down this street, second turn on the right — building with the green roof." He spoke excitedly.
"Perfect. Thanks for the tip." Daniel smiled.
"Oh look, money makes them so polite," Eva muttered.
Daniel laughed. Money’s a very angry thing, he thought. In my past life, I saw even presidents get bought with it.
Niloreth — a city that smelled of order and beauty.
Stone-paved roads lined with soft blue-glowing runes that lit up at night.
Decorative bonsai trees along the paths, two-story homes with round windows, and clean, colorfully dressed people all gave the city a safe and bright feel.
The air smelled like fresh bread and fragrant flowers.
After a few minutes, Daniel and Eva arrived at a building with a green roof and a hand-carved wooden sign.
The sign read:
"The Quiet Shade — Peace You Deserve!"
They opened the wooden door and stepped into the lobby.
The space was warm and inviting. A small fireplace burned, and the scent of tea and spices filled the air.
Behind the front desk stood a girl — no, more like a cat-girl.
Thick chestnut hair, cat ears on her head, golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light, and a tail swaying slowly in rhythm.
She wore the standard reception outfit, but her laid-back attitude somehow made her look even cuter.
Daniel was stunned for a moment.
Oh my god... cuter than I imagined. He had heard stories about cat-girls before,
but seeing them was a whole different thing. Now he understood why people said cat-girls were even cuter than elves.
"Welcome to the Quiet Shade. What do you want?" the girl smiled and asked in a sharp, playful voice.
"Your best room, please," Daniel said simply. Luckily, money wasn’t a problem at the moment.
"Our best is a two-bed suite. Seven silver a night," the girl ran her hand across the ledger and said.
"That’s fine." Daniel pulled out the coins and counted them carefully.
"By the way, is there anywhere we can eat here?" he asked with a smile. Both he and Eva hadn’t had lunch and were really hungry. 𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
"If you’re hungry, see those stairs going down? We’ve got a small restaurant in the basement. Food’s really good," the cat-girl smiled, took the coins, and added:
