Venus Rouge

The Holy City

June 19, 515IE, The Red Crane Hotel, Westgate Avenue, Western District, Arcluz City, Rozario

To tell you the truth, even to someone from modern Earth, the capital of Rozario is really a breath-taking sight.

Nothing but exquisite gothic architecture for as far as the eye can see.

I thought the same when I visited the capital of Gestalt, but this world really looks like it was ripped straight out of a nineteenth century cityscape painting. Never mind how much it reeks in reality.

I could definitely see myself vacationing here in my previous life and strolling around this charmingly built city.

...

Alright, I may be a bit biased towards this particular city.

Do you know why?

Well, when we drove past the Western gates yesterday evening, I was shaken from my exhausted stupor by the fact that I was hardly shaking at all, but we were still moving.

There was a split second of confusion before we peered out the window to see what happened, and lo and behold, pavement. And not just any pavement either.

There was a sense of dejavu when I saw that familiar, satisfying pattern flying past under the carriage wheels, because this was the same brickwork pattern used back home in the fief.

I had seen the windmills at the border, but Rozario really jumped onto the innovation band waggon with both feet, huh?

It makes sense in a way.

Arcluz is the crowning jewel of the Faith of Light. It could have only the best, and many of the changes I enacted in our fief put it leagues ahead of even the Holy City's past appearance.

And that simply would not do.

Either way, Arcluz city automatically earns brownie points for sparing me the torture of being thrown around by bad infrastructure.

Furthermore, Arcluz is basically the trendsetter for all the countries that practice the Faith of Light, so this is bound to create a ripple effect, and soon, changes will be popping up all over.

The Craftsmen's Guild is going to see another massive upswing in popularity soon.

I'm in such a good mood that I don't mind stepping out of our comfy hotel to stroll around like a proper tourist instead of just doing the motions to secure our alibi.

I really cannot help my curiosity by this point.

I'm probably just vain, but I really want to see just how much of the changes from our fief were adapted to this place.

This is why I found myself up bright and early the morning of our second day there gazing out at the city, streets damp from a shower of rain the night before.

The moisture from the early summer rain added a whole new atmosphere to the tall structures of brick, metal and tile competing for the highest spot on the skyline.

Altogether, the view was postcard perfect from the balcony of my disgustingly overpriced hotel room.

I turned away from the distracting panorama to glance once over the lavish room draped in all manner of rich cream and midnight blue fabrics with white marble floors and expensive artworks scattered all around.

I would normally choose someplace more simple-and-clean rather than posh-and-overdecorated, but we are once again in an environment where we need to mind our identity as members of a ducal household and a(n exiled) prince.