Aurelion — Golden Palace Hotel
Morning sunlight entered Noah's suite through the large windows.
He had slept comfortably and woke up without any particular plans.
After getting ready, he checked the city map he had purchased earlier.
The Royal Palace occupied an enormous area in the northern part of the Royal District. Its outer grounds included public gardens, ceremonial plazas, administrative buildings, and several historical monuments.
Ordinary citizens couldn't enter the inner palace without authorization, but certain sections of the outer grounds were open to visitors.
"Sounds worth exploring."
Noah put on his black travel coat, checked the accessories he had purchased, and left the hotel.
The Road to the Palace
The closer Noah travelled towards the palace, the more impressive the architecture became.
Wide stone roads led towards enormous gates. Royal banners hung from tall towers, displaying Valtherion's golden lion emblem.
Royal guards stood at regular intervals.
Their armor was polished silver with golden decorations, and each carried a sword.
Noah noticed that the guards were attentive but not unnecessarily aggressive.
Visitors passed through a public security checkpoint before entering the outer palace grounds.
When Noah approached, one guard glanced at his horns and golden eyes.
"Good morning. Are you visiting the public grounds?"
"Yes."
"Please present your identification crystal."
Noah handed it over.
The guard examined the information and returned it.
"You're clear. The public gardens and historical gallery are open until sunset. The inner palace buildings are restricted."
"Understood. Thank you."
The guard nodded.
Noah passed through the gate.
The Royal Palace of Valtherion
<escape>The palace was considerably larger than the buildings Noah had seen elsewhere in Aurelion.</escape>
Its central structure was built from white marble and reinforced magical stone. Several towers rose above the main building, while golden roofs reflected the morning sunlight.
The royal banner fluttered above the highest tower.
The palace wasn't merely a residence.
It was the administrative heart of a kingdom containing dozens of cities, hundreds of towns, and countless smaller settlements.
Noah stood for a moment, looking at the enormous structure.
"That's quite a place."
He followed the public path towards the outer gardens.
The Royal Gardens
The gardens were beautifully maintained.
Wide pathways passed between trimmed hedges, flowering trees, fountains, and decorative statues.
Several gardeners worked throughout the grounds.
A few families walked together, while visitors took photographs using small magical recording crystals.
Noah passed a pond surrounded by white flowers.
A stone bridge crossed its center.
He stopped briefly and watched the water.
A little farther ahead stood a large statue of Queen Seraphina Valtherion, the wife of King Aldric I.
An information plaque described her contributions to the kingdom.
Unlike her husband, who focused on military unification, Seraphina had established several public institutions, including schools, medical centers, and the first organized royal scholarship program.
Noah read the inscription.
"Interesting. The kingdom's development wasn't only about conquest."
He continued through the garden.
A gardener approached while carrying a collection of pruning tools.
"Beautiful morning, isn't it?"
"Certainly."
"Visitors usually come for the palace, but the gardens are my favorite part."
Noah glanced at the surrounding trees.
"I can understand why."
The gardener smiled and returned to his work.
The Hall of Royal History
Near the western gardens stood a large public building.
Its entrance displayed a golden inscription:
THE HALL OF ROYAL HISTORY
The building contained historical records, portraits, maps, royal documents, and displays covering the history of House Valtherion.
Noah paid the entrance fee and entered.
The first hall displayed the royal family tree.
It began with King Aldric I and continued through successive generations.
Noah studied the timeline.
House Valtherion had ruled the kingdom for approximately 420 years.
Some monarchs had ruled for decades, while others had died during wars or political conflicts.
The second hall displayed maps showing the kingdom's territorial expansion.
Noah noticed that Valtherion had once been considerably smaller.
Its current western and northern territories had been incorporated through treaties, military campaigns, and royal marriages.
The third hall contained historical military equipment.
There were old swords, shields, ceremonial armor, and banners from famous battles.
One display described the Battle of Red Valley.
It had taken place approximately 180 years ago, when an alliance of monsters and hostile mercenary forces attempted to invade the kingdom's northern settlements.
Valtherion's army had defended the region for nearly three months before receiving reinforcements.
Noah examined the old battle map.
The northern territories had always been dangerous.
That explained why House Ashford maintained such considerable defensive forces.
A separate section contained replicas and selected historical objects associated with the royal treasury.
The actual treasury was located inside the restricted palace.
Noah saw ceremonial crowns, decorative weapons, royal seals, and ancient coins.
One display contained a collection of coins from the founding period.
The earliest examples were made from gold and silver, with the royal lion engraved on one side.
Another section described the kingdom's taxation and financial system.
There were records of trade tariffs, mining taxes, agricultural duties, and royal infrastructure expenditure.
Noah found it surprisingly interesting.
A kingdom's wealth wasn't simply the amount of gold stored inside its treasury.
It depended on trade, resources, productivity, infrastructure, and the people living within its borders.
He spent some time reading the exhibits before moving towards the final hall.
The Dragon Era Collection
The last major hall contained objects and documents related to the Great Dragon Era.
Noah immediately noticed the difference.
The exhibits were older, and many descriptions contained uncertain dates.
One large painting depicted several enormous dragons flying above a mountain range.
The information board read:
THE AGE OF DRAGONS
Historical Classification: Ancient Dragon Era.
Estimated Duration: Unknown.
Description: A period in which dragon civilizations possessed significant influence across multiple regions of Aetherion.
Noah examined the painting.
Several dragons had different appearances.
One possessed crimson scales, another had pale blue scales, while a third was covered in dark scales with golden patterns.
The painting was likely symbolic rather than an accurate historical record.
Nearby, a glass display contained a small fragment of an ancient dragon horn.
Its original owner was unknown.
The information plaque stated that the fragment had been recovered from a collapsed ruin in the central continent.
Noah examined it.
The material was ancient, but the fragment had lost most of its original energy.
He didn't need to analyze it further.
A nearby visitor was explaining the exhibit to his young son.
"These creatures were said to be powerful enough to destroy entire armies."
The boy looked amazed.
"Are they still alive?"
The father shook his head.
"Nobody knows. The last confirmed dragon appearance was centuries ago."
Noah listened quietly.
The conversation was ordinary, but it reminded him how little the average person knew about dragons.
He moved towards another display.
It contained seven different dragon symbols.
The information board described them as markings found on ancient structures across northern Aetherion.
Noah recognized some of the designs from the records Duke Ashford had shared.
He studied the symbols carefully.
There were similarities, but the museum's display didn't provide enough information to identify their exact meaning.
He took note of the exhibit and continued.
A Small Royal Bookshop
After leaving the historical hall, Noah found a bookshop near the gardens.
It sold books about Valtherion's royal history, public institutions, noble families, and famous historical figures.
The shopkeeper greeted him.
"Welcome. Looking for something specific?"
"Books about the kingdom's administration and history."
"Then I have a few recommendations."
The shopkeeper showed him several titles.
Noah selected three.
[Purchases]
- The Royal Government of Valtherion ×1 — 12 Gold Coins.
- A History of the Valtherion Monarchs ×1 — 16 Gold Coins.
- The Kingdom's Great Military Campaigns ×1 — 19 Gold Coins.
Total: 47 Gold Coins.
He stored the books in his ring.
The shopkeeper noticed the golden ring.
"That's a fine piece of jewelry."
Noah glanced at it.
"Thank you."
"An enchanted storage ring?"
"Something similar."
The shopkeeper didn't ask further.
Noah paid and left.
The Ceremonial Plaza
By afternoon, Noah reached the enormous plaza in front of the palace.
It was used for royal ceremonies, military parades, public celebrations, and important national announcements.
The open square was surrounded by decorative pillars.
At its center stood a tall monument dedicated to the soldiers who had defended Valtherion throughout its history.
There were thousands.
Some belonged to famous commanders, while others belonged to ordinary soldiers whose names had been preserved by their families.
He stood there for a while.
He wasn't particularly sentimental, but the monument represented something important.
A kingdom survived because countless people had protected and maintained it over generations.
A group of soldiers marched across the distant side of the plaza.
Their uniforms were different from those of the palace guards.
A nearby information board explained that they belonged to the Royal Ceremonial Guard.
Noah watched them complete their formation exercise before continuing.
A Brief Stop at the Magical Transit Station
Noah decided to return towards the central district.
Rather than walking the entire distance, he purchased another magical tram ticket.
The carriage was relatively crowded.
A merchant stood beside the door, holding several packages.
Two academy students discussed an upcoming examination.
An elderly woman struggled to place her luggage on the overhead rack.
Noah helped her.
"Thank you, young man."
"You're welcome."
She smiled and took her seat.
The tram continued along its route.
Noah watched Aurelion pass outside the window.
The city was enormous.
There were residential districts, workshops, schools, hospitals, markets, administrative offices, and entertainment areas.
Even after several days, he had barely explored a fraction of it.
Evening — Personal Dimension
Noah returned to the hotel before sunset.
After resting for a short while, he entered his Personal Dimension.
Archivist-07 greeted him.
"Welcome back, Master."
"How's the research?"
"The First Architects Technology Fragment has reached 19% data recovery."
Noah nodded.
"Any new information?"
"Several incomplete references to spatial synchronization networks have been recovered. The fragment may have been designed to coordinate multiple transportation gates across distant locations."
"Can you determine the network's destinations?"
"Not yet. The recovered coordinates remain incomplete."
"Keep working on it."
"Understood."
Noah then visited the research laboratory.
He examined the equipment and checked the storage facilities.
Everything was operating normally.
Afterwards, he walked towards the open training grounds.
He summoned a small amount of spatial energy and began practicing Advanced Spatial Movement.
This time, he focused on stability rather than distance.
He marked five locations across the training ground.
His objective was to move between them without losing balance or wasting unnecessary mana.
The first few attempts were successful.
On the fourth, his movement ended slightly farther from the intended position.
Noah frowned.
"Still not perfect."
He repeated the exercise.
After several more attempts, his control gradually improved.
He stopped when he was satisfied with the session.
[SUPREME DRAGON SYSTEM]
Daily Reward Available.
[Reward Claimed]
- Evolution Points ×2,500.
- System Gold Coins ×40,000.
- Supreme Mana Recovery Potion ×3 Bottles.
[Updated Resources]
Evolution Points: 104,500.
System Gold Coins: 1,917,000.
Noah stored the potions.
He then returned to the mansion and sat near the large windows overlooking the lake.
Today had been another peaceful day.
He had learned more about Valtherion's history, seen the royal grounds, and gained a better understanding of how the kingdom had developed.
There was no need to rush.
Aetherion was enormous.
He had only just begun exploring it.
Noah leaned back comfortably.
"Tomorrow, maybe I'll explore another district."
He closed his eyes.
For now, the royal capital was enough.
End of Chapter 22