Principled Jewellery

The third Day of the Fire, month of the First Moon; four people were seated within a wagon that sped along a well-paved road. The road was made from what looked like marble that had been crushed into a fine powder and then re-solidified.

The wagon had four wheels under the compartment while two more wheels protruded out at the front. The compartment was divided into two sections: the tiny front section where the driver sat and the spacious rear section where the passengers could comfortably sit.

The driver sat on a springed cushion as he placed his right hand on a steering apparatus that controlled the two wheels that protruded out. His left hand was placed atop a board where various runes were inscribed into. A steady stream of energy seeped out of his left palm and entered into the board, activating the mechanisms that were actuated through the runes inscribed into it.

The driver hummed a popular local tune as he occasionally popped a fruit into his mouth. The fruit easily melted the moment it touched his tongue and began to steadily replenish his energy. It was shaped like a strawberry and smelled like it was made from nectar even though it tasted bland.

Every time the driver ate the fruit, he would slap his right hand across a counter placed beside him that sported a simple number pad. Every time he slapped its head, the value of the number displayed in it increased by a single numeric while producing a sonorous sound.

In the passenger section, four people were currently seated. A man that had his head balding at the top but still sported a thick chestnut brown hair on the sides gently patted the figure of a girl as he hummed a tune. Another man who had wavy black hair that flowed like silk sat opposite to the man as he too hummed in chorus.

On his lap rested the head of a boy that was drooling while occasionally flashing a stupid grin. The eyes of the man with the wavy hair softened with pride as he gazed at the boy resting on his laps as if it were the most comfortable pillow in the world.

"Sirs, we will be reaching the gates of Rooknil Princely City in 5 Chants." A voice echoed from the driver's section.

"Alright." The man with the semi-bald head echoed. He then gently nudged the shoulders of the girl sleeping on his lap.

"Sarah, we have to get down soon."

"Dad, have we already reached the city?" Sarah woke up and rubbed her bleary eyes while letting out a lazy yawn. She then climbed atop the thighs of David Washer and peaked out of the window. The moment she took in her surroundings, her eyes widened in surprise as she screamed in excitement.

"Dad look, the walls are so big. It looks as if a hill had been carved into the wall." Sarah exclaimed as she jumped on David's thighs in excitement. She then turned around and jumped at her father, intending to pull him closer to see the marvellous sight she had just witnessed. In her excitement, she failed to notice her position and head bumped onto her father's nose.

"Oww," David held his nose that had turned red from the impact. Sarah had still not noticed that she had head bumped onto her father's nose since she wasn't hurt by the impact. She then shifted her gaze onto the boy who was peacefully enjoying his slumber.

"Sleepyhead, how long are you going to sleep. We are leaving you behind." Sarah shouted near the ears of the boy and cunningly took a step back.

"No! Don't leave me behind!" The boy sprang up in fright before clutching his head in pain. His head had directly crashed into the chin of his father when he had hurriedly woken up in fright.

"Sit still!" Stephen Miller growled at the boy and placed a hand on his mouth. He had probably bit his tongue due to the hit on his chin.

"S-Sorry." The kid meekly responded and obediently sat on the seat next to him, just beside the window so he could gaze out.

'Hehe' Sarah beamed with happiness after seeing the boy get scolded when a fist lightly tapped her on the head. A pair of arms then lifted her up and seated her on a lap.

"You little rascal." David Washer said while his eyes were slightly cloudy due to the hit his nose took.

"But, Dad, I want to see more. Can I? Please!" Sarah said.

"We are approaching the gates. Sit still." David said as he tightened his grip around her, afraid that she would break free once again.

Sarah pouted in displeasure as she slightly craned her neck towards the window and enjoyed her surroundings.

A thick green wall extended on both sides beyond what her eyes could see and spanned a height of 20 Dobin, a height that was equivalent to 20 grown men stacked vertically atop each other.

Sentries were placed along the sections of the wall at various heights and positions, while battle armaments like crossbows and cannons were placed at the top of the wall.

Their carriage slowed down to a halt and joined a queue that consisted of wagons of various shapes and sizes. There were ones that were shaped like a pumpkin, cucumber, and a bottle gourd. There were even imbalanced wagons that had only two wheels but carried a huge carriage overhead that looked like it would topple at the slightest breeze.

The carriages slowly inched forward when it was finally their turn. Two soldiers that donned Iron armour with the symbol of an eye inscribed into their chest plate marched forward and pointed a cylinder-shaped object at the carriage. Energy rushed into the cylindrical object and activated the ability within it. A transparent wave of energy that felt cold to the touch emerged out of the cylindrical object and scanned the wagon from front to rear.

On not finding anything out of the ordinary, the soldier nodded to another soldier who approached the window of the wagon and knocked on it. The driver immediately handed out an identification tag which the soldier took to inspect with another cylindrical-shaped object.

Similarly, another soldier took the identification tag passed on by David and Stephen and carefully inspected them. On finding nothing amiss, they peered into the wagon and noticed the two children. After a couple of questions, the soldiers captured a picture of the two children and haphazardly scribbled some of their defining features in a notebook before giving the green signal for their wagon.

"Dad, is their inspection always so strict?" Sarah asked. The turn of events was an eye-opener to her since this was the first time she had visited such a big city.

"It is always guarded with such strict inspections. For, a prince is in charge of this city." David said.

"A prince; like, the son of our King?" The boy, John inquired.

"No, the term prince here just stayed due to past traditions. The person in charge of this city is actually the younger brother of the King." Stephen Miller said.

The wagon then entered the city and travelled across the well-maintained road. The road was 100 Dobin wide which was split into two equal halves by a column of trees. The two sides of the road were also lined by neatly trimmed shrubs that were laden with aromatic flowers.

Their carriage proceeded to travel on the left side of the road, occasionally flattening the flowers that came under their wheels due to the winds, further enriching the aromatic smell infused into the air.

"Smells so fresh!" The two kids simultaneously exclaimed as they took a deep breath of the air.

The two adults smiled at the antics of their children before giving the driver further details pertaining to their destination. There were wide buildings that ranged from being two to three-storey high and were styled in a fashion similar to the monument, Chichen Itza of Mexico. The only difference was the low number of floors which were further carved into the shapes of numerous beasts arranged in all sorts of poses.

As the carriage continued to go forward, the sceneries changed from the wide expansive buildings to the ones that could be called skyscrapers. The carriage finally stopped before a building that was 15 storeys high that had a symbol of an eye hovering above an opened book and a sign that read, "Temple of the Principle Seeker."

The quartet alighted from the wagon as David inquired about the price of the journey. The wagon driver showed the counter as David inspected it. He then fetched out a Ten Rupi coin from his pocket and handed it to the driver.

The eyes of the driver twitched in annoyance for a moment as he held the Ten Rupi coin and added it to his pouch. He then fished out 7 One Rupi coins and handed them back to David. David calmly pocketed the change and beckoned for the others to follow him inside.

The One Rupi coin was thumb-sized and red in colour. It had the image of an eye made with fine indentations on the back while the front had the image of the number '1' impressed into the mold. The Ten Rupi coin was similar in size to the One Rupi coin except for it being orange in colour and having the number '10' on its front.

The four people climbed a flight of stairs and entered through a wide archway that led into a spacious hall that could fit about ten-thousand people at a time. The two children abruptly turned silent as the two adults led them inside and joined another long queue.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally approached a desk where a woman sat with a frown. Without any nonsense, she curtly gave them two forms and asked them to fill it. David and Stephen quickly filled the form that only requested them of the child's age, date of birth, details of the parent(s) and finally, a drop of blood from the two.

The woman gracefully collected the four blood samples and passed the first set under a machine. She inserted some energy as the machine whirled into motion. It quickly scanned and flashed a green light.

"You are her father and she is your child. Proceed to room number D56." The woman handed David the form he had filled after stamping it. She then proceeded to swiftly throw the two blood samples into a designated trash can before inserting the next set into the machine.

David brought Sarah to the side while Stephen stepped forth with John in tow. After the machine whirred and emitted another green light, the woman stamped their form and instructed them to proceed towards room number 'D57'.

The quartet silently walked towards a flight of steps on one corner of the wide hall and climbed towards the fourth floor. Then they inquired a couple of staff for directions until they finally reached their designated rooms that were placed next to each other.

David patted the head of the nervous Sarah as he pushed open the door to the room labelled 'D56' and entered it. The two of them were then greeted by the sight of a tired-looking gentleman who was munching on a couple of fruits that looked like a strawberry.

"Sorry, give me a moment. I am running dry." The gentleman hurriedly swallowed a handful of the fruit and expertly wore a pair of gloves.