1. Arrival in the Imperial Capital, Meow?
“Is… is this the Imperial Capital?”
In the capital city of the Roland Empire, Cantelot, Ximo stood on a bustling street teeming with carriages and pedestrians, her eyes wide with shock.
“Yeah, compared to Border City, the Imperial Capital is definitely much more prosperous.”
Xiliya looked at everything around her. The Imperial Capital wasn’t unfamiliar to her, so she wasn’t particularly shocked. She thoughtfully took another piece of luggage from Ximo’s hands.
But Ximo wasn’t shocked by the prosperity of the Imperial Capital. Before coming here, she had specifically looked up information about Cantelot Imperial Capital. The books described it as the capital of the mighty Roland Empire—not only prosperous, but with a civilian magitool penetration rate of one hundred percent, providing great convenience to the capital’s residents.
Ximo stared intently at a small car that sped past… So, you’re saying this thing is called a magitool, huh!
It wasn’t just the cars. There were wide streets, streetlights on both sides, trash bins along the roads… and even traffic lights at the intersections? The modernity of this city gave Ximo a profound sense of dissonance.
The “car” that had just passed stopped at the intersection. Though its shape differed quite a bit from what she remembered, Ximo could tell at a glance that it was a car.
“The urban construction in the Imperial Capital is indeed different from Border City,” Xiliya said with a hint of emotion in her tone. “Those horseless carriages are quite common in big cities. The principle isn’t complicated—it’s just using magic crystals as an energy source instead of horses to pull the cart.”
Ximo nodded silently. She figured it out now: magic crystals were this world’s all-purpose fix. Everything could be explained with magic crystals.
The principle behind the car could be explained, but what about the design? Ximo didn’t believe in so many coincidences. The cars in the Imperial Capital, plus the magical camera from before, the surveillance monitor, and the “train” they took to get here—this world was way too similar to the one she’d transmigrated from!
“If you’re interested in the origins of these things, the Imperial History class after school starts will cover them. They’re the greatest achievements of human mages in history… well, school doesn’t start for another month or so, so it’s a bit early to talk about that now.”
Xiliya patted Ximo’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s find an inn first. Your body should be okay, right?”
Ximo shook her head. Ever since completing that plot task, the system hadn’t issued any new tasks for a long time. No tasks meant no punishments, and her condition had been stable lately.
That made sense. There was a significant time gap between Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the original story. The novel wouldn’t write out all the transitional time in between, but Ximo, having transmigrated, had to live through it all.
They set off for the Imperial Capital after the imperial army had preliminarily taken over affairs in Camberlan City.
Selina had left as soon as the unrest in the city had temporarily subsided. With her business in Border City finished, she couldn’t stay in Camberlan City forever.
After that, the imperial army arrived, Masha was escorted to the capital for judgment, and Xiliya gradually handed over the city lord’s authority—though nominally, she remained the City Lord of Camberlan City.
Once everything was settled, Xiliya realized there was nothing left for her to do in Camberlan City.
So, with a month until the Imperial Capital Magic Academy opened, Xiliya took Ximo and left Camberlan City.
The journey from Border City to the Imperial Capital took half a month, but Ximo didn’t complete the “Leave the Camberlan Family” plot task because the trigger time hadn’t arrived yet.
In the original plot, Xiliya was not only kicked out of the house but also given insufficient travel funds by Masha, which made the journey take a long time. She nearly missed the academy’s opening and got expelled.
As for now, with over half a month until school started, Xiliya decided to take Ximo to enjoy the capital for a few days first, then report to the academy later.
…
“Wahhh, it’s been so long since I slept on such a soft bed~”
In the room they’d booked at the inn, Ximo pounced onto the bed and rolled around.
After half a month of bumpy travel, she craved a soft bed immensely. The little maid turned into a complete slime puddle on the mattress.
Xiliya watched the little maid with a smile in her eyes. “Rest well today. Do you have anywhere you want to go tomorrow, Ximo?”
“Nope~”
“Perfect then. Tomorrow, we’ll find a place to sell this thing.”
As she spoke, Xiliya pulled a long, thick stick-like object completely wrapped in cloth from their luggage.
“Huh? It’s this thing, meow?” Ximo curiously scooted over. “Why did you bring this, Miss?”
What Xiliya was carefully inspecting was the decayed wooden staff dropped by the Beastman Priest after she shattered him that day.
It was a long journey, so they should have traveled light, but Xiliya had mysteriously brought this big stick. Ximo had been curious about it midway but hadn’t peeked as per Xiliya’s instructions. Now she finally knew what it was.
“This thing can sell for a good price, Ximo.”
Knowing Ximo was ignorant of magic knowledge, Xiliya patiently explained.
“First, the Northern Beastmen’s magic system differs greatly from humans’. This staff is a mid-level priest’s weapon—not some cheap junk. Second, this is the Imperial Capital, not Camberlan City. There aren’t as many opportunities to encounter beastmen on the border here… you get it?”
“So, just for its collection value, someone in the Imperial Capital should be willing to pay a high price for it.”
Xiliya knew Ximo might judge by appearances. Though the staff looked like a rotten broken stick, it actually held hidden depths.
Differences in magic systems meant the Beastmen Clan’s staff-making process differed from humans’—at least, the human empire wouldn’t typically make something so ugly-looking.
But Xiliya had already checked it out. The staff was of high grade. If not for the mismatch between human magic and the Beastmen Clan’s ritual magic, she might have kept it despite the looks.
“Tomorrow, we’ll head to the Free Market. Plenty of mages go there to hunt for treasures; there should be someone who knows its worth.”
Xiliya had spent quite some time in Cantelot in her previous life, so she was practically a local. She knew the city well.
