Chapter 89: Chapter 88 : Popleigh

The trend of time travelling continued. Just as Ganurg appeared dozens of years ahead of Lagner, so did Popleigh to Ganurg. It was a massive city, stretching beyond the horizon. The exterior walls that were present at Lagner and Ganurg were nowhere to be seen; the ever-expanding Popeligh saw no need for them.

The architecture present had a more modern feel. The spacing of the streets, dimensions of the structures; everything seemed more deliberate and planned out. There was a razor-sharp precision and a flawless consistency present that even laymen couldn’t help but appreciate.

The city had an overall silvery-white aesthetic to it and was decorated with various artworks and statues of hawks amidst take off. And where Ganurg had a few large structures, Popleigh was swarmed with them, with all of them elegantly built and pleasing to the eye.

Samuel’s car had entered without issue and now moved through the city streets. Fixed at the window, Ralf took everything in with an impressed light shining in his eyes. What was already built coloured him impressed, but even more than this was the sight of progress being made in real-time. Looking around, he could see structures in various stages of development and people at them working hard and smart to complete them. It was very satisfying to watch unfold.

*Vrom*

At the intersection, Ralf watched as a yellow car crossed over to the other side. He couldn’t pin a car make equivalent, but if he had to guess, it’d be a Ford, and something out of the 70s. On the roof of the pseudo- Ford, a sign that read ‘taxi’ was displayed in bold. Following that, a black and white vehicle entered Ralf’s periphery.

Noticing his gaze, Greg spoke up. “Those are the Black Hawks.”

“Black Hawks?” Ralf repeated as he tracked the car’s trajectory.

“It’s the internal army, or police as they say. They oversee public security and such. Compared to Ganurg’s Town Guard, they’re a hundred times better at enforcing the law and keeping the peace.”

“Oh, this place should be quite safe then, right.”

“Very safe,” Samuel emphasised, “Law and order are very strict here, especially when compared to the likes of Ganurg and Lagner. Gangs and pseudo gangs aren’t a problem. The Black Hawks, and when necessary White Hawks clamp down hard on any troublemakers.”

“Hm, that’s reassuring,” Ralf’s eyes lit up; his gaze then shifted his mom’s way with obvious intention. “Mom, want to move here?”

“I’m up for it,” she said without hesitation. “This was where I initially planned to take you before the whole Turner incident.”

“Excellent,” Samuel burst out in joy, “a splendid decision, you won’t regret it. Popleigh is the best place to live in Zudrad, I assure you. Don’t worry about the arrangements, I’ll take care of them myself. Allow me to do the honours.”

“Please do then, and thank you in advance.”

“Thank you, Samuel.”

The middle-aged man simply nodded.

‘Fantastic, I can have them move in next to me. Take that Greg.’ As such notions formed in Samuel’s mind, a smirk crept on his face.

On the topic of residency, Ralf turned to Greg. “By the way, Greg, why don’t you live here? You have the money to, and knowing you, I’m sure you have a thousand connections here.”

“Well, it’s not like the idea didn’t cross my mind. I’d like to, but Joan’s heart is anchored to Ganurg, to that house…so moving isn’t an option. I don’t mind it though. Electricity is nifty, but it’s not like we’re terribly inconvenienced without it. As psionics, life is comfortable all the same. While permanent residency is out of the question, we take many trips over here. It’s practically our second home. And when considering that in a few years, Ganurg will just be another a part of Popeligh, I can wait,” Greg explained while eyeing the pedestrians.

“I see, that makes sense. By the way, what’s the ‘something interesting’ you mentioned? We’re already here after all.”

“Huh, wait you didn’t tell him why we’re here?” Samuel snapped Greg’s way and asked in bafflement.

Greg had a look of realisation flash over his face. “Ha, whoops, I’ve been stalling so long, I ended up forgetting to, ahaha, my bad.”

Samuel shook his head. “It’s those drinks, slow down will you.” Advising his old friend, he turned to Ralf and pulled out a golden coloured ticket from his bag. “This….this is what’s we’re here for young man,” he said as he waved the paper in front of Ralf’s face.

“Combat Arena,” Ralf’s eyes lit up as he read the words written in black ink

Samuel smiled. “Yes, the ‘something interesting’ Greg here mentioned is precisely that. Ever been to one before Ralf?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“I see, then you’re in for a treat. The Combat Arena is the number one form of entertainment in this city. You’ll rarely find an empty seat in the stands. And this is for the regular showings; the one you’re going to is anything but that,” Samuel waved the ticket again. “As you might have guessed from the colour, this is a special ticket. The Combat Arena is holding a special event today called the Firm or Flimsy Event, which will see the top fifty Fighters go at it in a series of one on one duels.”

“Oh,” Ralf’s surging excitement returned in full force and then continued to rise. “That’s awesome. What are we waiting for then, lets go.” Fired up, he was eager to witness the spectacle. However, Samuel’s next words quickly doused his agitation.

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“Ah, sorry to burst your bubble but it only starts at 8 pm.”

“Oh,” Ralf deflated somewhat but this was only momentary as he quickly propped himself back up. “Four hours to kill, no problem. Then, let’s do some exploring in the meantime shall we.”

“Since we have the time, we could check out some houses too,” Hana proposed.

Samuel’s nodded. “Excellent suggestion, let’s do so right away.”

The next four hours raced by. The first stop was Blue Wing District - the district Samuel lived in. It was one of the wealthiest districts in Popleigh, and it showed. It was extravagant and beautiful, with every property being no less than a mansion in size. While there, the Senior Advisor gave his best sales pitch, which ended up landing well with the Fawkes pair.

The decision to move in was reached, and Samuel directed his workers to begin arrangements. The group didn’t stay long. After a brief stop at Samuel’s Manor, the group of four headed back onto the streets.

In the car, they then zig-zagged around the city. The Fawkes pair was given a tour around Popleigh and introduced to the city’s various points of interest. It was an enjoyable experience for the mother and son, with consuming Popleigh’s various delicacies being especially delightful.

During this time, Ralf learned more about the Combat Arena and the duke who decided to build it.

Just as casinos were basically guaranteed to bring profits, so was Combat Arenas. In fact, in this regard, Combat Arenas were even more prolific. There was a big start-up cost and one needed a lot of skilled personnel to maintain it, but once everything was set up and running, an absurd amount of income would be generated.

Hearing this, Ralf praised the Duke’s money-making prowess. Samuel agreed but added:

Money must have been a consideration, but I doubt it was the main one. You see, Vincent loves Psi battles, and I mean loves them, probably more than anyone else in this city. Just as it’s rare to find an empty seat, it’s rare to find him not present watching from his private booth. With it being a special event, he’ll hundred percent show up tonight.

Samuel went into more details about the Combat Arena at Ralf’s request.

The main problem with having Combat Arenas are the lack of fighters, however, this isn’t a problem here. Most of the Fighters are part of the White Hawk army. He has them battle here, to serve as entertainment, but also as a form of training to keep them sharp. The Combat Arena is also used as a means to recruit capable fighters into the White Hawk ranks. From what I’ve heard, it’s been very successful.

Ralf’s opinion of the Duke rose higher at the words.

Time passed, and when the street lights were lit up, Rei was called upon before being brought up to speed.

His concerns lay elsewhere though.

[[A pity, I wanted to see where this world stood,]] he said lamentably as he looked toward the ‘Enviso’ sign.

[[Me too, it was just bad timing. We’ll just have to come back tomorrow.]]

[[Yeah.]]

With thirty minutes left, the group decided to head over to the Combat Arena venue. But in doing so, they missed the opportunity to watch the day’s final showing of Psi movies.

Since hearing about Psi movies, Rei had been eager to experience them.

[[Hopefully, the Combat Arena isn’t something lame.]]

Ralf shook his head. [[Greg and Samuel have hyped it up to the Heavenly Plane, so I doubt that would be the case…and even if it is, I’m sure we can change that fact.]]

[[Hmm, already having ideas.]]

[[Ten billion of them,]] Ralf said confidently.

Rei’s lips curled up from his couch in the Mental Space. [[As expected of my other self. Though, before jumping in, we’ll have to see if these waters are even safe to swim in.]]

[[Of course of course.]]

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