Chapter 3743: Manaron (Part 2) "No problem, dear." Elina replied, making him groan. "What do you mean, I’m welcome to come along, but I’ll have to pay my own tab, Lith?" Tista protested, since she was the only one to whom he had applied such terms. "Well, the last time we came here, you and Bodya alone were worth half the tab." Lith grunted. "This is a family dinner, and as far as I know, he’s not part of our family." "Why are you cutting me off, then?" She grunted back. "Are you disowning me or what?" "You already owe me a pile of Adamant, big sis." Lith’s eyes narrowed. "You’ve maxed out your credit with me until you start paying me back." Driven into the corner, Tista could only resort to Forbidden Magic. "Mom, Lith is being mean to me! He’s not buying me food!" "Please." He scoffed. "You are a grown-up woman. This kind of trick doesn’t work..." Lith’s voice trailed off as he met his mother’s pained expression. "Are you really going to leave your sister home just to save a few coins?" Elina asked. "Mom, it’s a few gold coins, not coppers!" He replied. "Also, she wants to bring her boyfriend along. Why should I pay for them?" "Because this is a family dinner and your sister is family." Elina said. "As for Bodya, you are right. You don’t have to pay for him, but it would be nice if you did. He lost his family, and we are all he has left." Valeron’s and Elina’s eyes weighed on Lith like a mountain. The baby boy empathized with the Niddhog, and Lith couldn’t stand the thought of souring his mother’s mood. "Fine." He raised his hands in surrender. "They can come." "Thank you, baby!" Elina took his face and peppered it with kisses. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎 "As long as you promise you won’t do this in the presence of witnesses!" Lith tried and failed to escape the affectionate onslaught. "I can manage that." Elina chuckled. "Don’t worry, Lith. We can pay for ourselves." Orion patted his shoulder. Usually, Orion and Jirni would not have intruded on a family event, but without the babies or Kamila, the Verhen Mansion offered little protection against the resources of the Gernoff Household. "Thanks, but it’s not necessary." Lith shook his head. "Quylla, on the other hand..." "Hey, I resent that!" She grunted. "And I resent having to restock my pantry every other day!" Lith snorted. "Don’t worry about that cheapskate, babe. I got you covered." Morok said while looking at Orion, who gave him a "I got you covered" look. Morok had plenty of money, but Quylla’s appetite scared him and everyone who watched her eat, including her parents. ’Maybe Tyrants are part human and part shark.’ Orion pondered. ’It would explain Morok’s fangs and my Little One’s ravenousness.’ "Don’t worry, Lith. I have my own money." Kelia said. "Don’t even think about it, young lady!" Lith said. "You are my guest, and I have no issue feeding my human-sized guests with a human-sized stomach." The Verhens crossed their private Warp Gate and arrived directly at the capital of the Gorgon Empire, Manaron. It would have taken quite a bit to bring so many influential people past the customs if not for the invitation letter Lith had received from the Magic Empress. Once the scanner marked her seal as authentic, the guards let everyone pass without asking a single question. On their way to the Travelling Tavern, Elina asked if it was possible to tour the battlements to enjoy the nightscape. "Yes, milady, but Manaron is huge, and it would take you hours to circle the walls on foot." The guard replied. "On top of that, security becomes tighter past sundown, and you would be stopped by every patrol you encounter." "I see. Thank you." Elina sighed. "Why that disappointed look, Mom?" Lith asked. "Because what makes a floating fortress exciting is that it’s floating." She replied. "Once you get down the parapets, however, it’s just a city full of stone buildings and surrounded by tall walls. "If you don’t look at the stars above our head, you wouldn’t even notice we’re flying through the air." Manaron’s hubbub was no different from any other city’s. The flying enchantments produced no noise and kept the ground stable even though Manaron moved at a remarkable speed. "Would you prefer a deafening noise and have the road quake below our feet from time to time?" Lith couldn’t help but think of an airplane during turbulence. "Gods, no." Elina held Surin tight to her chest. "I’m glad this place is safe. It’s just underwhelming." "Hold that thought." Lith brought everyone to the nearest Transportation Gate and inputted the current address of the Travelling Tavern. "By the gods!" Elina said once she walked through the stone arch. Every building had been carved with earth magic, giving it a solidity and a level of detail that no human hand could achieve. No lanterns or magic crystals lighted the roads and sidewalks because there was no need for them. The defensive enchantments of the houses also illuminated the area around them, making every alley as bright as day. Dimensional magic was sealed inside Manaron, so heavy objects were transported inside spheres of solid light conjured by the arrays running below the streets. Transportation Gates were only for people and what they could carry by hand. Everything else was delivered to its destination by the city’s arrays after being scanned by the security crystals in front of each Gate. The citizens of Manaron used magic to perform all house chores, from watering the plants on their balconies to taking out the trash. There were people floating through the air with spells or lifted by the magical formations of the houses. Each one of the buildings had a small garden that the arrays transformed into a perfect playground according to the children’s wishes. Stones turned into sliders and safe monkey bars due to the sponge-soft ground. Small tendrils of water lifted small wooden planks to form swings at a moment’s notice. Elina witnessed a few parents using the space above and below the ground in their gardens to build small mazes where their children chased each other and played mock battles. Sometimes against their siblings, others against their neighbors, more often against the mud monsters conjured by the arrays inside the home-dungeons. "I stand corrected. This place is amazing!" While the children played, the adults cooked dinner with the help of magical appliances and renovated the house according to their needs. Unused areas fused to form ample dining rooms when the citizens of Manaron had guests or hobby rooms when they had a moment of peace. The number of mages born in the Empire was the same as those born in the Kingdom, the difference lay in the houses. Every building in Manaron was equipped with arrays that turned them into small enchanted castles, granting their owners powers no different from those of a real mage. Even people with no magical skill could perform incredible feats, ensuring the safety of the house and the comfort of its inhabitants beyond what Elina had ever seen in the Kingdom. "Look, baby, your Magus chairs!" Elina pointed at the swings. "Mom, what did we say about calling me baby, love, and all that stuff?" Lith grunted at the endearing term and the lost profits due to plagiarism.