Three — Crossing the Mountains
"Lamter's geography isn't great. Truth is, all of Kuri's isn't that friendly." Nidhogg sat across from Lilith, book in hand.
A thought struck the Black Dragon girl; she closed the book and spoke.
Lilith was drowsy, fishing for dreams. The sudden voice startled her awake.
Her heart thumped; she shook her head and flung the last fog from her small mind.
She turned and looked out the window. Kuri's wilds were lovelier than she’d imagined.
Every glance spilled into rolling ridges, forests painted in deep jade.
Higher up, the peaks wore layers of vivid growth—purples and scarlets in a dreamlike bloom.
The Little White Dragon adored that hazy, fairytale glow.
Yet she’d sat in this magic train for hours and hadn’t seen a single flat stretch.
After crossing the Sacred Loertada, they’d abandoned the carriage that made the Little White Dragon queasy.
At Kuri’s edge, they boarded a high-speed magic train bound for Lamter, the southern commercial city.
It takes nearly a day to race across most of Kuri.
Lilith had sunk into the soft seat for over ten hours.
A few more, and they’d arrive. Nidhogg had finished three mini-lectures already.
Lilith had even dozed off. Now she rose and peered outside again.
The view looked the same as when they first boarded.
Only one thing had changed: the mountain growth had thickened, no longer just green.
More plants flared with other dazzling colors.
Lilith realized she hadn’t seen a single plain in all of Kuri.
"Most of Kuri is mountains," Nidhogg murmured, sketching the land in words.
"The rest is hills, or the big basin up northeast. That basin’s the largest flat in Kuri."
"Lamter’s no exception. It’s a coastal city, and the part near the shore stays relatively flat."
"Between the eastern Selnos Mountains and the Mari Sea lies the Selnos Plain."
"The elves use that strip to push their industry."
"But that’s Lamter’s last true plain. As a trading city, Lamter’s natural setting is harsh."
"Apart from the Mari Sea, the other three sides are hemmed in by ranges."
"The north and west aren’t too bad—only a single ridge."
"But the western Selnos Mountains were a disaster for Lamter’s export-heavy economy."
"That’s why, before Maidiwen rewired mana, Lamter stayed a quiet little town."
"Once mana became a handy, always-on energy, everything shifted."
"The elves learned to send piles of arcane crafts and surplus ores over the mountains."
"They could finally move goods beyond the ring of stone."
"With the first railway laid, Lamter broke free of isolation."
"It started rising, becoming a commercial force across Kuri."
Nidhogg ran a hand over the train’s wooden walls.
The Black Dragon girl caressed the grain, gentle as if stroking time itself.
She wasn’t touching a carriage. She was touching history etched into boards.
"This model’s new," she said. "It rolled out not long ago."
"It’s several percent faster than the last generation."
"Twenty-one hours to cross Kuri end to end."
"From our starting point to Lamter, only eighteen."
"And the land flying under these wheels breathes with old air."
"This track was fixed when Morris first turned to trade."
"We’re traveling atop Lamter’s legacy, laid down a thousand years ago."
Nidhogg turned to the window. Lilith followed her gaze.
The color shifted. Green fell away.
A gray mountain filled the frame, stark and spare.
The train curved at its foot, and the window squared up to the gray.
It felt like a gray canvas being torn away, strip by strip.
Lilith held her breath.
The gray was a curtain over the painting beneath.
As the train pressed on, that curtain drew back.
What rushed in was a mountain of radiant gold.
The Little White Dragon’s world turned to a flood of gilded light.
Up there, the “plants” weren’t green at all.
They were money trees built of coins, rich and regal, declaring wealth to the world.
The train took another bend. The gold vanished.
In its place rose a purity like her own hair—snow-white and bright.
A white peak, a shade softer than gold, became the window’s main theme.
On those snow-laden heights, temples stood tall, solemn as vows.
Marble sanctuaries and carved white colossi dotted the giant spine.
Only near the cloud-wrapped tips did larger clusters appear.
Before she could glance at the other side, darkness swallowed everything.
A heartbeat later, light burst in.
They’d shot through a tunnel, bored straight into the golden peak.
Lilith craned back through the window.
The mountain of gold fell away behind them.
The white giant blurred and melted into haze.
"Congrats. You’ve crossed the Mali Mountain," Nidhogg said, clapping softly.
"Welcome to one of Kuri’s most successful trading cities."
"From here on, the city of elves will receive you."
"Welcome to Lamter."
