CHAPTER 319: CHAPTER-319

And just as Kaya expected, even though she didn’t move much—and Cutie was holding her so tightly that she barely even flinched—she felt it. The shift in the wind, the way the air now slapped against her face, sharper and colder.

Then came the faintest change in posture—Cutie moving slightly, adjusting her in his arms. He turned her head gently, shielding one side of her face with his palm, the other pressed against his chest. His arms tightened around her, one hand covering her ear as if trying to block the roar of the wind.

But even through that cocoon of warmth and protection, she could still feel it—the rush, the pressure, the wild freedom of the air tearing past them. From that alone, she could tell—they had picked up speed. A lot of it.

The flight continued for days. Kaya and the others didn’t stop at any nearby tribes—they couldn’t. Each tribe had its own boundaries, its own people, and it wasn’t as if you could just drop by uninvited and expect a warm welcome.

So instead, they slept wherever they could—sometimes on tall branches, sometimes in quiet caves, sometimes under the open sky with the wind as their blanket. The days blurred into each other, a rhythm of flying, resting, and moving again. By the time they finally reached the capital, nearly half a month had passed.

And the moment Kaya’s feet touched the ground—

Thud.

Her side collided with a solid wall. She blinked in shock, looking up at it. Stone. A massive wall of stone that stretched as far as her eyes could see. For a second, she just stood there, pinned between awe and disbelief.

She had seen many tribes before—each with its own way of life—but this... this was different. It looked like something pulled straight out of an ancient tale, like the old fortresses or castle gates from the Japanese or Chinese stories she’d read. The walls were built entirely of stone, and the enormous gate at the center was made of heavy, reinforced wood. The kind of door meant to keep enemies out—and perhaps, to keep something else in.

As they approached, Kaya noticed figures stationed near the entrance. For a brief moment, she thought they were ghosts—their movements were too still, too synchronized—but then she noticed the bright red silk bands tied around their arms, marking them as guards.

One of the guards lifted his hand, forming a zero with his fingers. Veer nodded silently and reached into his pouch, pulling out three smooth blue stones that shimmered faintly under the light.

Kaya recognized them immediately.

Beast-hunting stones. Veer had once told her about them—rare stones earned after hunting a beast, used as a form of currency among tribes.

Watching him hand them over, Kaya quickly understood what was happening. The gesture. The exchange. The brief nod between Veer and the guard.

It was the entry fee.

And Veer had just paid for all three of them.

As soon as Kaya passed through the massive wooden doors, she stopped in her tracks. Her breath caught.

Inside, it was like stepping into a completely different world. Outside, the land had been wild—forests, barren stretches, tangled jungle, untamed and raw. But beyond the doors... this was civilization, alive and vibrant, humming with life.

Rows of street vendors lined the streets, their wooden stalls spilling over with goods. Some sold food, others trinkets, fabrics, or tiny gadgets Kaya couldn’t even name. Everything was orderly, yet bustling, a rhythm of human activity that felt both foreign and familiar.

But what truly mesmerized her were the people. She had never seen anything like this. It was as if the entire world had gathered here—countless cultures, countless faces, all woven together in one living tapestry. Different clothes, hairstyles, colors of hair and skin, all coexisting side by side.

A man with a rose-shaped, intricate, and mesmerizing design embroidered across his robe passed by. Another’s face was painted entirely white, stark and haunting. A woman’s hair shimmered pink like spun sugar, paired with crisp black jeans and a square-cut jacket. A man with dark, tan skin and curly black hair tied into a bun walked past, his posture straight and commanding.

Kaya’s eyes darted from figure to figure, taking it all in. She couldn’t imagine such diversity even in the grandest cities of the West—or in the highlands of old civilizations. Yet here it was, alive, breathing, chaotic and beautiful.

It was like a soldier’s dream come true. Kaya wandered forward, eyes flicking from stall to stall. Some were familiar enough—fruits, meats, ordinary supplies she’d seen countless times—but others were unlike anything she’d encountered before. Jewelry made of polished stones, trinkets adorned with red feathers, delicate carvings, all crafted not from metal, but from wood. The wood was shaped so thinly it could slip perfectly into an ear hole, yet somehow sturdy enough not to break. The craftsmanship left her speechless.

She picked up a slender earring, turning it over in her fingers. The vendor’s face lit up.

"Look, miss! This is our famous fox-tribe earring. You won’t find anything like it anywhere else!"

Kaya smiled, marveling at how they had managed to make the wood so fine yet strong. "How much—" she began, but before she could finish, Veer slapped a white crystal on the table. "I’ll take all the earrings here."

Kaya whirled, slapping him on the head in exasperation. "You fool! Do you want to waste all our money?" Her voice was low and growling, warning him to put the crystal back. Flustered, Veer quickly obeyed, and the vendor’s gleaming eyes dimmed for a moment before he smiled again.

"No, just these," Kaya said, pointing carefully: a feathered earring, a gem-studded one, and a uniquely carved wooden earring shaped like a half-moon floating over the ocean.

"Do these have special meanings?" she asked. The vendor’s smile widened.

"Ah, miss, each has its story," he said, pointing first to the feathered earring. "This is made from a swan’s feather. Swans only mate for life, so it symbolizes devotion—’I am yours, forever and only yours.’"