They had already traveled several miles from Alder's Farm by the time the sun rose above the mountains, its light revealing the densely populated lands of the Ninth Valley .
As far Arran's eyes could see, the rolling fields were speckled with farms and cottages, and in the distance lay several villages . At a guess, he thought it would be impossible to travel even a single mile in any direction without meeting someone .
There was something about the sight that made him uncomfortable . Even in the Empire, he had never been in a place like this — a place with no room whatsoever for real solitude . And more importantly, no place to flee or hide .
Before he could give the matter any more thought, Brightblade's voice interrupted his musings . "Now that we're on our way, let me fill you in on the situation . "
The words immediately caught Arran's attention, and both he and Snowcloud turned toward Brightblade, anxious to hear what she had discovered in the previous days — and more importantly, what lay ahead for them .
"To start, the House of Swords is just one of many," Brightblade began . "The Ninth Valley is filled with different Houses, each of which with different aims and goals . "
"Like the Sixth Valley's factions?" Snowcloud asked, understandably wary after the things they had faced the previous year .
Brightblade shook her head . "Not quite . The Houses are more like guilds, each specialized in a particular area of magic . While they do have disagreements on the course of the Valley — large ones, at that — their original purpose was to bring together the Ninth Valley's experts to combine their knowledge . "
Snowcloud nodded slowly, although her expression suggested that she thought the whole idea quite strange .
"At the top stand four greater Houses," Brightblade said, "with many lesser ones beneath them . Over the years, these greater Houses have almost become like separate societies, with each having amassed experts in the others' disciplines as well . The same is true for the lesser Houses, albeit to a lesser extent . "
Arran listened intently as she spoke, his interest growing as he understood that the Ninth Valley was very different from the Sixth Valley .
Brightblade cast a look at Arran and Snowcloud, looking as if she was expecting questions .
When no questions came, she continued, "The first of the Greater Houses is the House of Seals . This is the largest and most influential House by far, and its traditional focus is on seals and formations . "
"Their focus is on seals?" Arran's curiosity was immediately sparked . He had yet to unseal his Destruction Realm, and learning more about seals would certainly help him . "If they're the largest House, shouldn't we join them?"
"No," Brightblade replied curtly . "The House of Seals is firmly under the control of the Matriarch . If we were to join the House of Seals, we would irrevocably ally ourselves with her . And given the state of the Ninth Valley, that is something I wish to avoid . "
Arran gave her a resigned nod, though he could not help but be disappointed .
"Second is the House of Flames," Brightblade went on . "It was founded by experts on offensive magic, and these days, it holds the Matriarch's most vocal critics . Naturally, we cannot join them either — allying ourselves with the Matriarch's opponents would be unwise . "
Neither Arran nor Snowcloud had any comments about this . That it would be a bad idea to join the Matriarch's enemies was obvious .
Brightblade gave them another look, then continued . "Third is the House of Creation . Its members are mostly craftsmen — alchemists, enchanters, scribes, and so on . The House of Creation tends to avoid Valley politics, remaining neutral when it can . "
Snowcloud's eyes lit up at the mention of alchemists, but only for a moment . Their primary goal in coming to the Ninth Valley was to grow stronger, not to become skilled crafters .
"And finally," Brightblade said, "there's the House of Shadows . As the name suggests, its strength lies in Shadow spells, particularly those meant for concealment . They're predictably secretive, so I haven't been able to discover much else about them . "
They briefly went silent as a farmer passed them, a cart full of produce behind him . The man gave them a friendly nod, but otherwise barely appeared to notice their presence .
Some moments later, after the farmer passed out of earshot, Arran asked, "Then the House of Swords is one of the lesser Houses?"
"Correct," Brightblade said . "The House of Swords specializes in physical combat, and although its history gives it some status, both its numbers and its strength rank well below those of the greater Houses . "
"That's why you chose it? You want us to focus on studying physical combat?" Snowcloud asked, her brows knitted in thought .
Brightblade shook her head . "I chose it because we need to draw attention to ourselves . And that will be easier in a lesser House . "
"You'll have to explain that," Snowcloud said, confusion written plainly across her face . "I thought the plan was not to draw attention?"
"Your training will require resources that I alone cannot provide," Brightblade replied . "To get those resources, we need the full support of a House . And for that, we must make ourselves invaluable to them . That goal is more easily achieved in a lesser House than in a greater one . "
Now, Arran began to understand her plan . She wanted them to make a big splash in a small pond, so they could earn the full backing of their House . Yet after giving it some thought, he thought the strategy seemed uncomfortably risky . "If we show our strength, won't that draw too much attention from others?"
Brightblade grinned in response . "That's the other benefit of joining a Lesser House . Even if we cause an uproar in the House of Swords — which I fully intend to do — the other Houses will barely even notice . "
Arran furrowed his brow, then shrugged . From the sound of it, Brightblade had already thought the entire thing through .
Yet it seemed Snowcloud wasn't yet satisfied . "What about—" she began .
"That's enough for now," Brightblade interrupted her . "Most of your remaining questions will be answered soon enough, and there are too many people on the road who might overhear us . "
This last part was no exaggeration . Only a brief time had passed since the sun had risen, but already the road had filled with traffic . Most of the people who passed them appeared to be farmers and villagers, but there were several who looked to be mages .
That none of the people they passed gave them a second glance brought Arran little comfort . After the innkeeper in Alder's Farm had spied on them, he was fully aware that any of these farmers could easily do the same .
They progressed slowly along the traffic-filled roads, and before evening had even fallen, Brightblade suggested they stop in a nearby town to find an inn . She appeared to be wholly unconcerned with their slow pace .
When Arran asked her about this, she flashed him a grin . "I want to let the Grandmaster stew for a bit," she explained . "He'll be easier to deal with after he spends a few days worrying whether we will show up . "
And by a few days, Arran discovered, she meant well over a week . They could have crossed the distance in a day or two if they ran and traveled through the night, but Brightblade made it a point to travel slowly .
The delay caused him some frustration even if he knew the purpose . After over half a year of travel, his patience was starting to wear thin, and he was anxious to finally see their destination .
Yet when they reached the Ninth Valley's capital, all his frustrations were instantly forgotten .
The city was vast beyond belief — at least five times the size of any city he had seen before, if not larger . Rather than a mere city, it resembled a boundless landscape of rolling hills that seemed to have spontaneously sprouted an endless number of buildings .
Brightblade glanced at Arran and Snowcloud's dumbfounded expressions, then let out a loud laugh . "If just the sight dazzles you this much, you should know that at least a quarter of the people here are initiates . "
"What?!" Snowcloud gasped in astonishment . "How… how can there be that many? The truce has only been in place for fifty years, hasn't it?"
"A lot can happen in fifty years," Brightblade said . "Without any danger in becoming a mage, everyone with even the slightest shred of talent or ambition took the opportunity . " She shrugged . "Most initiates never advance beyond that stage, but with so many of them, even that small fraction amounts to hundreds of thousands of novices . "
"That's terrifying," Snowcloud said, her voice quiet with awe . "Hundreds of thousands of novices… that's more than the Sixth Valley has initiates . "
Brightblade chuckled . "I should mention that although the House of Swords is only a lesser House, it still has at least ten thousand members . " She motioned at the city . "Let's go . Reaching the House of Blades will take several hours, and I intend for us to be among its most valued members by nightfall . "
She set off toward the city, and Arran and Snowcloud followed behind her, eyes still fixed on the gargantuan city ahead of them .
As he approached the city, Arran finally truly understood Brightblade's plan . In such a vast sea of mages, it would be easy for them to go unnoticed — even if they made it a point to draw attention .
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