BXBX NOVEL Chapter 47 Public Appearance
The city of Adenberd was huge, like REALLY Huge! At least sixty thousand people lived there by rough estimation as there was no custom of counting the population in Akarxia. The reason being that it was an arduous task in the first place, and second that people died all the time in Akarxia, as the mortality rate was quite low.
No one in the entire Atrana Kingdom who had been to the city of Adenberd would argue that it was one of the most advanced, populated, prosperous, and largest cities in the Kingdom.
It was divided into a few layers as most of the cities were tended to in the Kingdom. The residential district where the rich lived, the commoner's neighborhood where all the ordinary or middle-class people lived, the bazaar, and the city square along with certain miscellaneous places.
The City had stone-paved roads, enormous mansions, luxury merchandise stores, an entertainment district, beautiful architecture, natural scenery, and everything that was the mark of a developed territory and beyond.
However, what it provided the most was a sense of security to the people who resided in it. The mantle of the White Family was strong and unmoving, the city had a natural shield that was the mountain range that surrounded it from the back as well as the 'mist barrier' in front.
At least this was what Ethan had learned from the lessons and books. The reality of it all was yet to be seen by him from his own two eyes. As Ethan never believed something truly if he hadn't confirmed it by himself.
It was just another day in Adenberd, the time was around ten in the morning and everyone's day had just begun.
The streets were busy with the tapping of horses, sightings of a few carriages, pedestrians going to their respective work, housewives going out shopping, etc.
The bazaar was filled with pedestrians, merchants, stalls, shops, peddlers, and entertainers. It was noisy but lively at the same time.
"Sparrows Wispers, Raven's whisper!
Oh Wonderer, wonder what they tell?"
a teenage boy shouted dramatically in an enigmatic and curious tone in the middle of all the bustle as he stood on the roadside holding a stack of brownish paper.
"What they tell? Oh, what do they tell? Little man," The nearby pedestrians asked curiously as they chuckled at the boy's antics.
"Oh-hoo! They whisper many things yes many things, things from the east, things from the north, things from the capital, and things of amusing nature!" The boy announced laughingly as he jumped about like a storyteller.
"Do tell, oh whisperer, what did the birds hear?" Another pedestrian asked with a giggle seemingly amused by the role-play.
"They flew across the sky, reaching the royal capital... There they heard....!" The boy spoke with an excited expression on his face moving his arms around and making dramatic gestures that invoked everyone's curiosity.
"Tell us little guy, what's the news?!" The pedestrians exclaimed in anticipation.
"They whisper the tale of a Young Lad, he who serves the King as his Sword, Titled the Youngest Sword of the Realm! The King's Knight, he's Shirin White!" The fellow uttered in a perfect salesman tone as he flashed one of the newspapers in his hand on which the head news was of Shirin's appointment as Knight.
Everyone gasped in amazement as first there was the younger one who recently got famous and now the elder brother was also making his name. Then all of them broke out in cheers and whistled merrily as they sang gossip of the White Family's Glory.
"Oh? What's this? The Sparrow squeaks in my ear again, having brought the news from the Empire!... The Church? How interesting! The boy muttered in shock.
"Oh? What is it about the church?" Recovering from the earlier news of Shirin, the pedestrians asked.
The boy smiled cheekily showing his teeth and extended his hand as he said, "Three bronze coins and you can read all the latest news!"
"Alright, lad!" One of the pedestrians said and placed three bronze coins in the boy's hand, the boy then gave him one of the newspapers from the stack.
Some more people followed the lead of the first person and also bought a few newspapers while some simply left with disappointment. The boy then walked along further in the bazaar shouting, "Sparrows Whispers, Ravens Whispers!...."
This was one of many such interactions in the huge bustling bazaar where people haggled, laughed, fought, and enjoyed peculiar day-to-day situations.
The bazaar was like a maze, the pathway through it was a narrow lane and thus busy with people, and on both sides of the path were the vendors and stores. The lanes also took turns here and there creating a massive maze-like structure filled with people.
It was somewhat similar to a bazaar in medieval Arab or Persian empires on earth. However, a lot more vibrant as throughout it was decorated with small colorful fabric of triangular banners attached to strings in the air from one stall to another just above the pathway.
While at the starting point of the bazaar, it was especially lively.
Street vendors were selling wooden toys along with storybooks of fairy tales as the little kids nagged their mothers to buy them one, a band of bards was performing to welcome the coming patrons with various adventurous and melodious folklore, further in the distance a crowd was surrounding a particular stall where a puppet show was going on, while some youngsters were selling quick snacks such as skewers and local delicacies.
Amidst all this, a commotion suddenly rang from outside the bazaar as the tapping of horses along with the wheels of the carriage rolling as well as the increasingly surprised gasps of the nearby folks fell on everyone's ears.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their heads curiously thinking about what kind of spectacle they would get to see.
Gradually, a lavish purple carriage with the insignia of the White Family escorted by three elite armed bodyguards on horseback came into view as people became silent and naturally gave way.
The bazaar become quiet as the crowd moved aside clearing the road and making way for the carriage.
The silence then transformed into faint murmurs when the carriage stopped just outside the bazaar, the nearby 'Men of The City Watch' came running and bowed as they saw the familiar carriage and stood solemnly beside it holding their long spears.
The horses neighed in awkward silence as the carriage's door opened and Ethan finally walked out followed by Earlene and Anicia.
At some distance from the carriage, crowds of people in groups were watching the happenings curiously.
"If I'm not wrong... Then that's the Young Miss and her friend who has been here recently... But then who's that boy with her this time?" A middle-aged man muttered in a crowd in front of a garments stall at the roadside as he narrowed his eyes trying to get a better look at Ethan.
"White hair... Never-seen before face... So young and with those angelic features... Could it be that's... Third Young Master?!" Someone from the crowd exclaimed.
All it took was that single comment to spark a fiery clamor as everyone finally realized that the Mysterious Third Young Master who had been in the spotlight recently was finally making a public appearance.