The group gathered at the outskirts of the port city, preparing to join a caravan headed for the Capital city of Ezkanur, known as Eldrida,the Sacred Place. Yuki explained to Kojo that in Ezkanur, knights weren't given permanent postings to towns and cities, but were rather given their assigned places based on their rank, which also determined the duration of their turn in the general roster.
The Order of Glory Knights employ a rotational system to ensure their soldiers remain versatile and responsive to the realm's evolving needs. By rotating knights through various postings, the knights are exposed to cultures, threats, and opportunities, fostering adaptability and preventing stagnation. This approach also maintains the Orders' integrity and effectiveness, preventing entrenched interests and allegiances, while facilitating knowledge sharing, continuous learning, and ensuring their expertise remains sharp and versatile.
(Seems like a lot of effort goes into maintaining a military.) Sysia said as a few knights walked by,greeted Yukio and continued to prepare for the journey.
"I agree," Kojo replied as they walked off.
"I expected things to be more peaceful, not so militant. This is the Holy Land , after all."
Yukio nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes, it mostly is peaceful. But even in a peaceful society, there are deviants who try to cause trouble."
"What's with all this politics and allegiance bullshit, anyway?" Kojo asked, Looking at Yuki.
Yukio's expression turned somber.
"You'll soon find out that in the Holy Land, things are far from ideal. In fact, they're no different from the struggles faced by other nations... maybe even worse."
" Oh?" Kojo said eyeing her with a curious expression.
She sighed.
"Keep close, Kojo. I'll give you a rundown when we get to Eldrida."
" Alright. But why are we joining a caravan,in what's basically the north pole?" He asked.
(A Tundra is basically a snowy desert you know.)
"This caravan is made up of merchants, travelers, and knights who have completed their time in the port city," Yuki said, nodding towards the gathered group. "We'll be traveling with them to Eldrida. The knights are from the Order of Glory Knights, and they're returning to the capital after completing their various duties. They are either going for reassignment or have already been assigned to be stationed at Eldrida."
Kojo nodded, his eyes scanning the group. The atmosphere became colder,cold enough to make him shiver slightly and cause him to glance up at the sky.The weather was far from ideal, with dark clouds gathering on the horizon. Yuki explained that Ezkanur experienced six months of sunshine, followed by six months of night just like the world they came from. Kojo asked her how that was so since the new world they were in,Gaia itself was three times the size of the Earth and had three moons wouldn't that mean that the everything relating to the worlds rotation and revolution would be different?They were currently in the midst of the nighttime period, but it would soon give way to sunshine again.
(You're asking this now?)
" Well,I never really had the need to think about it until now so...."
( You never think. Period.)
" Ok,that was uncalled for." Kojo grumbled.
(Want another one?)
" No thank you."
( Better. As for the reason why Gaia's rotation and revolution are seemingly the same as Earth's despite its bigger size and gravitational action from satellites is because....)
" Hey,now that you mention it,why do we still say Earth Magic? Shouldnt it be ....uh...Gaia magic then?" He asked looking up and rubbing his chin. The sudden question caused Yukio to pause and ponder it as well.
( Shut up and listen to me.) Sysia yelled snapping them out of it. She grumbled aom inaudible strings of profanity which Kojo sensed were aimed at him then continued.
(At the planets core lies a dense, magically resonant center composed of the rare Astrumite,a variation of Mystium that has been supercharged with arcana.This core facilitates the flow of magical energy throughout the planet through viens known as Ley Lines.
Gaia's three moons are imbued with a...let's call it the Stellar Anchor, a magical property that maintains a resonant orbital configuration. This resonance stabilizes their orbits, minimizes tidal interactions, and allows Gaia to maintain a consistent rotation rate. A localized gravitational compensation field also reduces the planet's gravitational pull.
Gaia's unique magical properties enable it to resonate with the celestial harmonics of the universe, effectively "tuning in" to the same cosmic rhythms as Earth or rather tuning all Earth variants to be the same or similar as Gaia's. All these allow Gaia to maintain a stable, rotation and revolution, despite its larger size and the presence of three moons.)
Yukio was tapping Kojo and trying to wake him up.
( How can you fall asleep while standing? And with a voice in your head?!)
" Oh are you done?" Kojo said with a yawn.
( You're the one who asked the damn question!)
" Now,now..." Yuki said trying to calm Sysia down. A chilled wind blew.
"We need to move quickly," Yuki said, her voice urgent. "A blizzard is forecasted to hit in a few days, and we don't want to get caught in it. We can make it to the next city before the storm hits, but we need to leave now."
Kojo nodded and headed towards the ship the sailed on to get Lin.The pod of Scylla had inflicted a lot of damage on the ship. The entire hull had been breached, flooding the lower decks, including the hold and the orlop deck. Loch and his crew wouldn't be able to make repairs in time, so they had decided to stay behind and wait out the storm before setting off.
As he aporoached, Kojo noticed Lin and Loch engaged in a deep discussion. Loch's entire crew was present, and they bowed respectfully before departing. Lin walked up to Kojo, a cheerful smile on her face.
"What was that about?" Kojo asked, nodding towards Loch and his crew.
Lin's smile faltered for a moment before she regained her composure. "Oh, nothing. I was just thanking him for bringing us to Ezkanur safely."
Kojo raised an eyebrow, unconvinced and sensing that there was more to it, but he didn't press the issue.
As they set off with the caravan, the wind began to pick up, and the weather grew increasingly terrible. The group trudged on, their faces set against the wind. The knights, clad in their armor, led the way, their torches casting flickering shadows on the ground.