Second World

Outside the entrance to the zone portal facility, a huge steam-powered carriage was parked there. Jack was ushered to that carriage. It was improper if the sovereign of another country was made to walk all the way throughout the city.

When he walked toward the carriage, a commotion happened near the gate of the zone portal facility. He also heard someone calling his real name.

He looked over and saw The Man and Bowler trying to break through the barricade made by the dwarven soldiers.

Jack immediately went over to the two, which startled Broban because the person he was in charge of suddenly just went off course without any warning.

"Hey! What are the two of you doing here? Oh... Three of you," Jack corrected after seeing Jet was with them. His short stature made him invisible until Jack came near.

"We heard you are visiting Palgrost's palace. We are here to accompany you," Bowler answered.

"Damnit! This is not sightseeing, you know. I am on an official matter," Jack chided.

"Come on, Jack boy. Bring us. Say we are your bodyguards," Jet persuaded.

"Yeah, we are certainly better than those two lame human soldiers you bring," The Man added.

"Stop saying things like that! Are you trying to cause trouble between us and the natives!" Jack berated.

Luckily, the human soldiers The Man ridiculed were out of earshot. The two soldiers who were with Diane were only level 50 special elites. So, The Man was not wrong. They were now stronger than these soldiers.

"Please, Jack. Take us with you," Bowler pleaded.

"You, people...," Jack shook his head. He then turned to Broban who had come over and asked, "Can you let these three come with me? They are my friends."

Broban used Inspect on the three. After confirming the three were in the same outworlder guild as Jack, he told the dwarven soldiers who guarded the perimeter to let the three through.

The three were jumping and cheering as they passed through the perimeter.

"Can you three please stop acting like children? You are embarrassing me!" Jack rebuked them.

The three straightened themselves after the rebuke. They tried their best to put on serious faces, with little success, and they started walking as if they were marching in a military parade.

Jack felt the urge to kick the three of them.

Broban was back to ushering them to the carriage. He opened the door and let Jack and Diane enter. When Bowler and the others wanted to climb up as well, Broban stopped them.

"Only the king and the minister are allowed. You will have to follow on foot," Broban told them. Jack chuckled at their disappointed faces.

Broban gave some instructions to the platoon and then entered the carriage as well. The carriage started moving at a slow pace with the platoon marching alongside it. Bowler and the others marched with the platoon.

Inside the carriage, the space was rather large. They won't feel cramped even if Bowler and the others were let in, but Jack respected the host's decision. Broban served Jack and Diane some refreshments that had been prepared inside the carriage. The carriage also had a screen that let them see the outside. Broban introduced them to some of the more notable landscapes they passed through. Some of which Jack had visited on his previous visit.

After almost three hours, Broban finally told them they were nearing the palace. Even though the carriage moved at a walking pace, Jack had a feeling they were taking a scenic route to the palace.

When they came out of the carriage, Jack saw a huge wall before them covered with gold plating. A colossal sparkling gate was at the wall's center. This gate was reached by a series of massive silver stairs. At each end of the massive stairs stood a dwarven soldier in ceremonial armor.

'This was quite theatric,' Jack thought to himself.

"Please follow me, King Storm Wind," Broban said and went up the stairs.

Jack and the others followed. When they arrived at the colossal gate, they noticed that the reason it sparkled was because it was made of diamond.

The gate split in the middle and it started opening to the inside. It didn't even open halfway but it was enough for them to walk in. Since the whole capital was built in a massive cave system inside a mountain, they simply went into another section of the cave when they walked through the gate.

The hall behind the gate was even more spacious. It was a huge plaza. Thousands of dwarven soldiers lined up at the left and right, forming a path toward the large building in the distance, which was no doubt the palace.

Jack thought they had walked into the palace when they went through the gate, turned out there was an entire complex behind the gate. As Jack walked through the prepared path, they saw beautiful gardens and pools around the palace. Their beauties didn't lose to gardens in the outside world. How those trees and plants survived inside this place without sunlight was something he didn't understand. Perhaps the artificial lights up on the cave ceilings provided the plants with the same benefit as sunlight.

The palace was very architecturally impressive. The buildings of Palgrost had the most modern look compared to other countries. The palace also possessed the same style. It was composed of metallic materials and glass. The glass was not the see-through kind. It was stained glass with patterns on it.

When they entered the palace, the inside was not any less impressive. Every hall was extremely spacious. Jack had no idea why dwarves who were smaller than the other races needed spaces that were generally larger than the other races.

Every floor, wall, and ceiling inside the palace had reflective surfaces that made the space appear even more spacious. Bowler and the others kept on uttering 'wow' every time they crossed a hall, to the point that Jack had to turn back and glared at them to make them stop acting like kids.

Broban finally stopped in front of another sparkling door made of diamonds. Not as huge as the gate from before, but this door was still large compared to a normal door.

"Only the king may enter. The others please wait," Broban said. "The president wished to meet with King Storm Wind alone."

Jack nodded his agreement. Broban opened the door and stepped to the side to let Jack enter. He then closed the door afterward.

Inside the room, Jack came face to face with a dwarf in a regal outfit. He figured this dwarf was president Thelgrun Stoneking. Jack was face to face with the president because Thelgrun was standing on a wooden stand.

"So, what gift do you bring me, human king?" Thelgrun said with an intense stare. "Let me warn you. If I'm not satisfied with your gift, don't expect to leave this place in one piece."