The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 20 part 2] Hope - The Adventurer's Guild

...

Kate lead them out to a sunlit hall, "This is administration. The State Department, PR Department, and Human Resources are here. It's not very glamorous."

They exited south of a gigantic courtyard surrounded by golden structures. Grandiose... "They're Goldstone, magically reshaped granite." Kate shrugged, "Arther decided it'd be appropriate during the reconstruction. I find it a bit much personally." Really? I think with the shrubbery, it work.

Paved pathways lined the square, separated by waist-high islands of yellow flowers. Stone pillars intersected this buffer at regular intervals all the way around. "What are those?" Hope asked.

"Ah, those are——" Kate paused and pointed to people leaping across the tops. I bet Light is itching to join them. "They're runways." She finished. "Do you know about them?"

"I do now." Wise responded. The rest of us don't.

Kate rolled her eyes, "Many here can move inhumanly fast. This is problematic as, every so often, they'll collide with someone who isn't a martial artist."

If Dawn ran into an ordinary person while sprinting... Her sister would be fine. Even without ice armor, her body was tougher than steel. But the person she collided with...

"That's why, in areas where adventurers gather, they set up runways. Be sure to travel in the direction of the arrows if you use them. On a similar note, climbing the buildings is perfectly fine. Saint and Immortals jump between them to get around."

"So we can't run on the ground?" Soul asked.

"You technically can, but it's frowned upon. You'll get in serious trouble if someone's hurt, so please don't."

"We're heading towards the landing platform west of the plaza." Kate pointed to an open space with a four by four grid of white squares. Three people suddenly appeared in one of them. Warping resembles teleportation from a distance.

"Maybe you could give a rundown on the way? Silver suggested.

"Right..." Kate nodded. "Just a disclaimer, Headquarters is the size of a city with a long history. So forgive my disjointedness."

Spreading her arms, she twirled around, "This is the GreyPlaza. Outdoor assemblies, celebrations, and festivals happen here. It's also used for large-scale mobilizations and temporary refugee housing. Basically, it's multipurpose."

About nine hundred feet long, North to South, and three hundred wide. The surface was a single smooth slab of granite. No even the tiniest fissure...

"Arther wanted it repaved with Goldstone too, claiming 'GoldPlaza' sounds better than 'GreyPlaza'. Honestly, he wasn't wrong, but I'm glad Radin vetoed it."

"To the East, the long building is the Great Hall, which is used for indoors events and conferences. Arther's funeral will be held there..." Kate trailed off briefly. "On the other side is MonumentPark and the Tomb of Legends." I wonder how close she was. Arther had brought her to the Isle and trained her. His death must hurt...

"That's the Guildmaster's residence, directly to the west. You probably figured that out already..." Kate laughed. Yes, we did. The large mansion was covered in a thick layer of ice. "Apparently it was a bit too flamboyant for Astra's taste. The basement connects to the Obsidian Cavern."

That'll be useful. The plaza was growing crowded as they approached the landing platform. It was Hope's first time mingling among so many.