"Master, I'm ready to serve," it said, thanks to the improved intelligence on the enchantment. Seth looked at the result of his work and gave an approving nod. The girls had watched curiously for the past ten minutes and also gave an approving nod.
The demonic bard could have also tried to conjure a demon, but then he would have had to draw a magic circle in this place, leaving evidence. Since his demonology studies were also a little rusty, he would have even had to sing in this place, which would have definitely drawn attention.
"Do you think you can be our driver and navigate this city and the beast highway?" the blacksmith asked his new creation. The sand golem looked up with an expressionless face. It stayed still for a moment, as if processing his request, and finally nodded.
"I have inherited full knowledge of this city's road system and the Beast-Cart Promenade. I will dutifully serve as your driver," it acknowledged its new role. Seth pulled a set of simple robes and an illusion collar from his inventory, handing them to the golem.
"Here, wear these. There should be no problem acting as a normal cultivator, unless we meet some nosy big shot," the blacksmith estimated. The word nosy was almost redundant in that sentence, as every strong cultivator was a nosy meddler, as far as Seth had experienced.
Although the illusion of the carriage would cover for the golem, as long as he sat on the coach box, or was close to it, since they already had a servant with the mannerisms of the continent now, it would have been a shame not to use them properly. It would also work a lot better to keep up the cover than a coachman who was bound to the carriage... Especially when they didn't intend to use their own carriage from here on.
"Alright, let's choose a carriage up front and get going," the blacksmith clapped his hands, motivating the girls to choose one of the fine carriages up front, instead of these dusty, rundown ones in the back.
Although they could have used their own carriage again, it would have been a waste not to use one of these luxurious open ones, even if they lacked the improvements of their autonomous golem carriage. The girls chose a nice, open carriage with luxurious cushioning and proper suspension.
"Let's have Vegr and Drejtim pull the carriage; they shouldn't draw too much attention in this place, " Mina suggested, hitching the golem griffins to the carriage they chose. Seth had wanted to use a golem horse, but he accepted that the griffins were probably less unusual in this place.
The new golem immediately showed its worth as he expertly hitched the two griffins to their chosen carriage and naturally took a seat on the coach box, just waiting for the go-ahead. The trio entered their new, open carriage. They took a seat, with Seth in the middle and the girls to the left and right.
"Where to, Master?" the coachman asked readily, reins in hand.
"Get us to the hotel district, specifically the Jade Pavilion Hotel," Mina told him after checking her notes. With a nod from the coachman, the carriage started moving along the scenic highway following the outer city wall.
They were just in time to witness the view the girls had talked about. They were able to enjoy a scenic sunset on the mountains surrounding Doushi, as the carriage traveled, almost alone, on the beast highway.
However, they only got so far. As the carriage turned toward the hotel district exit, it ground to a halt facing the Merchant Council's wooden barrier. It looked official, and the people manning it seemed ever-so-slightly more professional.
"Brother Wu, can you take them alone? I gotta go purge the temple for a moment," one of them said openly and left to take a piss when his colleague gave him a nod. The bored, slightly sweaty clerk named Brother Wu stepped up onto the carriage.
He was wearing a rumpled silk robe, smelling heavily of some kind of tobacco, and carrying a brass-rimmed mirror. Routine inspection, travelers," Brother Wu droned, not even looking them in the eye. he too their papers, noted down their names, and returned them.
"Ever since the Southern Blade Sect went dark, the Council requires a spiritual baseline scan of all high-tier guests entering the Elysian Terraces. No offense intended. Just hold still," he told them and lifted the brass mirror. Its surface starts to glow with a faint, searching blue light.
Seth's
Brother Wu stood there, chewing his own spit, completely unaware that what he didn't have had absolutely no effect. The mirror hummed, seeking a cultivation base that was not there. For a fraction of a second, the mirror's surface dulled.
Ding! The mirror flashed a dull, unenthusiastic green light. The guard squinted at the glass, tapped it twice with his knuckle, and spat a red stream of tobacco out on the street.
"Below Golden Core Realm... and a mortal asset. Right. Everything is in order. Enjoy your stay at the Terraces." He stamped a piece of parchment he had written their fake names on, slapped it onto the carriage door, and stepped down, yelling at the golem driver to move along.
"That went quicker than expected," Seth commented as the carriage passed the roadblock and they continued toward the place the guard called Elysian Terraces. The name was no exaggeration; they all let out a slight gasp when they saw the 'hotel district'.
Lush terraces filled with life and vegetation were cut into a mountainside within the premises of the city. Surrounded by carefully designed gardens were huge towers, like a mix of pagodas and modern architecture, embellished with gold and glass. The whole scenery screamed high-class.
The whole cliffside faced southeast, giving a great view of the city and the sunrise in the morning, while experiencing long sunny hours. In the dim twilight of the setting sun, they could see mist falls waft down the terraces. There were smaller flying boats floating up and down the terraces as if swimming on the mist, giving it an additional aura of wonder.
The beast highway ended at the foot of the first terrace, the Emerald Station. This place was more bustling and didn't show signs of battle. Maybe the Dripping Faucet Triad, or what they wre called, had only taken over the west gate?
"We have to take one of the ferries to get up the terraces now," the golem driver explained, drawing from the knowledge and experience of its components. They unhitched Vegr and Drejtim from the carriage, leaving it at the station, and storing them away in an unseen moment.
Maybe the Double Drop Gang wasn't able to expand in this place, because it was a high-tier area where the ferries that brought guests to the hotels. There was also a noticeably higher presence of guards...
"Ferry for Jade Pavilion Hotel sets off in 5 minutes. All guests who have not boarded yet, please hurry along," they suddenly heard the call of the ferryman from above. The driver golem had already guided them to the correct platform.
They paid 40 low-grade spirit stones for 4 people to enter the flying boat, just in time before it started rising, lifting them to the sky.