The Erratum-Chapter 49: North-Eastern Port City Flag.

Three days after Cetas unlocked his Origin Zeal, the crew neared the walls of the Port City.

Crossing empty fields through an already existing path paved by the early ancestors of Heliosians, the crew surprisingly didn’t find any dangerous encounters.

Well, except for a few bandits and wild wolves, most of these obstacles didn’t pose that much of an issue.

Now only half a kilometer away from Port City Flag, Cetas smelled the distinct aroma of the sea. Actually, the carriage crossed a pathway where the shores of the sea were already visible.

Its blue splendor amazed Cetas as seeing where his home once belonged on the surface is quite an intriguing sight to behold.

Especially after seeing the pearl beaches that looked exquisitely clean, Cetas felt even more compelled to visit the shores of Port City Flag.

To the right, the sea spread its blue extravagance, meanwhile, on the left, sun-kissed fields of golden grass filled the horizon. The winds too seemed gentle, making the grass dance slowly as it brushed through it.

Gazing to the left, Cetas looked past the horizon and glanced at the rising sun in the distance.

Then, in his mind, he instinctively activated his Zeal. The essence flowed from his core, leading its way towards Cetas’ eyes.

One by one, grains of sand emerged from within the grass, floating ever-so slightly as if it were sleeping..

Cetas moved his fingers in an intricate manner, attempting to form an illusory symbol with the sands.

The sands from within the grass moved slowly, almost like ants that formed to group together.

Sweat trickled from Cetas’ forehead. He squinted his eyes, clearly showing signs of struggle.

The grains of sand floated up and formed a small inch-wide ball. It maintained its spherical status for only a second before collapsing and dividing into hundreds of grains, falling down to the grass below.

The grains didn’t affect the grass itself, of course. They were only illusory after all - existing merely in Cetas’ mind.

Letting out a deep sigh, Cetas shook his head and deactivated the Zeal in his eyes.

This is truly as far as I can manipulate it..

For the past 3 days, Cetas tried to harness the power of his attribute: Sands of History. However, even with cumulative practice, all Cetas could manage was form an inch-wide ball with the illusory Sands.

It is only natural, though, Cetas possessed a Conceptual Zeal - a type of Zeal that only high-level Pathfinders and Empyreans could control.

A mere Spark like him wouldn’t even think of manipulating such power!

Yet.. there was no harm in trying..

Well.. only a minor migraine that’s all..

It seemed nothing too fatal so Cetas continued to get used to his newfound powers.

Perhaps after becoming a Seeker, Cetas would have more control over his Conceptual Zeal.

He couldn’t wait for the next moment to Flourish.

After drowning himself in his thoughts, Cetas was taken back to reality after hearing Skadi’s soft yet fierce voice.

"Alright, everyone.. We are nearing the gates of Flag, the Port City is big so make sure to be cautious when traversing its streets. Stay close to one another and if possible, always have someone with you. Even if I can find you with my winds, it’ll be better if we all remain vigilant."

The 4 members of the Aegir crew understood and nodded their heads, replying with a simple ’Aye’ to Skadi. All members with the exception of Galkan, who was laying down on the wagon behind.

Wearing simple garments, Cetas noticed a floating dark cloak heading towards him.

Skadi raised her fingers and gazed at Cetas, "Here.. I apologize for the discomfort that this may cause, but understand it as a precaution, okay?"

Smiling at her, Cetas expressed in a kindly manner, "It’s alright.. I understand completely."

Skadi nodded.

"Thank you, Cetas."

The dark cloak that masked Cetas’ entire figure didn’t feel too uncomfortable at all!

In all actuality, it had its benefits..

For example, Cetas could hide his Ivory Flintlock and the bone bullets inside the cloak, preventing any unwanted attention to be directed towards him.

Of course, no normal individual would react properly after seeing a flintlock made out of bones! Especially with the words given by Reid back in the gunsmith..

Humanity hated Zealots..

So, naturally, Cetas didn’t want his cover to be blown by showcasing his Ivory Flintlock to the world.

With Skadi’s warning in mind, the crew soon arrive at the entrance gate of Flag, falling behind a line of other carriages.

It took a few minutes for them to reach in front of the gate itself. When they did, though, members of the Laity checked to see if the crew’s carriage and wagon possessed any illegal objects.

Skadi, harnessing the horses in front, looked ahead so as to not seem suspicious. One particular member of the Laity studied her but was quickly mesmerized by her beauty.

Donning a white coat with golden rims, the fair-faced girl walked forward and inquired, "M-ma’am.. do you and your companions possess any weapons?"

Skadi uttered no words, rather, she shook her head and gazed at the member of the Laity from the side.

"I-I see. Well then.. e-enjoy your time at Flag! If you desire, I can assis-"

Now, Skadi turned her head at the girl and gazed at her with a striking indifference.

"No need. We are familiar with this city."

Dejected, the member of the Laity walked back to her post and gestured for Skadi’s carriage to move forward.

Entering the city gates, Cetas couldn’t help but be in awe.

The city gates were located above the entirety of the city itself. So, Cetas had a bird’s eye view of the entire grandiose of Flag.

Looking dramatically larger than Seyil and Lakalan, the entirety of Flag covered several kilometers of distance.

Its exquisiteness not only lied on its sheer size but rather, the intricate details on its architecture.

The streets looked lively, layered with several greenery along the sidewalks. Houses built with bricks stood tall as it encompassed the entire city. There were several commercial areas that had stalls and tents filled with many vendors selling an assortment of products.

A large fountain made out of alabaster exuded crystal clear liquid sourcing from the sea itself!

Many people were at awe with the sheer sight of the alabaster fountain. Therefore, a crowd of people gazed with sparkling eyes. Seldomly, they threw Solis inside to make a wish.

Additionally, the place that caught Cetas’ attention the most is an ancient cathedral constructed from limestone. The cathedral adorned large arched windows and sculpted figures protruding from the edges.

On the sides, two towers stood tall and loomed over the entirety of the Port City.

The roofs of the towers, layered by multiple bricks, had sharp peaks made from iron. Additionally, located in the highest

Additionally, a larger tower peaked in the middle of the cathedral, housing a large bronze bell

The entirety of the cathedral towered over the horizon, lengthening upwards and reaching the high altitude of the Port City’s gates.

With that, the carriage continued to pace forward.

Elishia, who admired the scenery outside, shifted her head back inside and asked, "Where are we going first?"

Hearing this, Jones answered casually, "First.. we are to head for the stables, leaving our horses to be tended by the masters while also selling back the carriage for a lower price."

Turning her head towards Jones, Elishia had a bewildered expression, "Huh? Why?! Didn’t we buy that for a whole price?"

"Indeed we did," Jones squinted his eyes, "However, we are pirates are we not?"

"Ah.. Right.." With a blank expression, Elishia turned silent and went back to gazing outside.

With a gaze of disbelief Cetas’ mouth went agape.

Did she really forget that she is a pirate?"

Cetas closed his mouth.

He dissipated the thoughts in his head and focused outside.

The streets seemed thrice as populated as Lakalan, containing people of different levels in life.

There were beggars, normal people, and individuals that wore exquisite clothing.

Naturally, the lattermost individuals had guards near them, prepared to protect the rich in case of any crime occurring.

As the carriage traversed the roads of Flag, moving around on its comfortable cobble roads, Cetas observed the surroundings near him.

More particularly, he focused on the shores below - towards the enormous shore of Flag.

Numerous ships filled the harbour.

There were galleons, schooners, caravels, brigs, and many more! Among them, some ships contained jolly rogers belonging to various pirate crews.

With the extensive security portrayed by the guards of Flag’s gates, Cetas wondered if criminals such as pirates were allowed inside.

However, he shook that thought away, realizing that the reason why the city allowed them inside is due to the influence of the Church.

They knew that the sheer sight of the ominous cathedral would strike fear into the hearts of those unjust.

And.. it seemed to actually work!

Well, Cetas was only here for a couple of minutes so he was not one to judge.

But judging based on the existence of pirates below, he deduced that the Church of Helios was quite confident in their skills to subdue danger.

The Port City Flag is quite close to the seas after all. Surely they had the capabilities to protect themselves against unprecedented Leviathan attacks.

Still though, even with the freedom of pirates to enter the Port City, Cetas knew common sense.

Remaining clandestine is much better than hanging out in the open, left only for the scavengers to pick their meals.

That said, the city of Flag is tremendously large. Finding a singular pirate would be similar to finding a needle in a haystack!

Upon 10 minutes passing, Skadi found a suitable carriage to store the horses and sell their vehicle.

The crew members, except for Skadi and Jones, went outside of the stables and patiently stood in front of it.

Before, Cetas and the others were at the peak of the Port City but now, they were on the second layer of Flag.

Flag consisted of 6 layers.

The first layer, being the topmost layer, is considered to be one of the commercial districts of the city. There are a number of trading centers, and markets at the topmost layer, notably, the night market.

Since most of the trading has easened access due to the gates being located in the same layer, markets opened and paved the path to transforming into one of the commercial districts of the city.

Therefore, blacksmiths, food markets, gunsmiths, clothing boutiques, and many others would be located in this layer!

Potentially, another ’underground’ market could exist in the first layer.

Next.. the second layer housed most of the citizens in Flag. Houses upon houses were beside each other and the streets were always crowded with people.

The reason that Skadi and the others were at the second layer is due to the fact that all of the stables in the first layer were not accepting any more.

In simple terms, they were fully booked.

So, luckily, Skadi found a stable where she can store the horses and sell the carriage to.

In the third layer, it is almost akin to the houses of the second, however, it is more higher-classed than the aforementioned.

The people that lived here attained high-class status, most of them earning 15 Solaris per 15 days.

Additionally, the alabaster fountain is located in this layer.

Similarly, the fourth layer contained many houses but the people that lived within are of a higher status than the two prior to it.

Earning more than 30 Solaris per 2 weeks, the people inside can be considered as ’wealthy’ in the eyes of the commoners.

Furthermore, the cathedral of the Church of Helios was located in the fourth layer and on the opposite side, a commercial district can be found.

The fifth layer is considered to be the poorest area of Flag, housing slums, garbage dumps, and houses made out of tattered planks.

Naturally, the sixth layer below corresponded to the layer above it. Although there were some parts in the fifth and sixth layer considered to be.. safe and proper. Most of the two layers were riddled with poverty.

It was as if they were both split in two sides. On the right side of the fifth and sixth layer, the slums were located, containing many drunkards, drug addicts, and criminals that the Church of Helios kept in check once in a while.

In contrast, the other side seemed to be quite decent. It had cleaner streets, better infrastructure, and a promise of safety especially in the darkness of the night.

The lowest layer - the sixth layer - typically welcomed pirates and diplomats from other continents.

Needless to say, pirates and envoys settling on a single harbor would be.. quite troubling especially for the diplomats coming from another continent.

So, the separation between the two layers proved to be significant in terms of trade and formal conversations.

Upon gazing upon the layers of Flag, Cetas couldn’t help but be at awe.

Such an enormous city! How could it possibly be built by humans? It must’ve taken years.. no, decades!

Invigorated by the history behind the city, he decided to ask Skadi about the details later.

Seeing as Skadi and Jones exited the stables, carrying a pouch of Solis in their hands, Cetas shifted his body and faced the two.

Upon arriving, Skadi looked at the crew, facing their gazes one by one.

Then, with a serious tone, she spoke:

"Now.. let us head to the docks.."