The Free City of Valaria was the "Wall Street" of the continent. It was a city of white marble, deep-water ports, and merchants who could price the soul out of a man before he even finished his morning tea. This was the location of the Great Continental Expo—the ultimate "Trade Fair" where kingdoms were made or broken based on their "Product Innovation."
"The 'Burn Rate' on our travel expenses is astronomical, Bastian," I said, leaning against the railing of our private galley as we entered the harbor. I wasn't wearing my wedding silks today. I was in a sharp, charcoal-grey traveling suit made of reinforced iron-silk, looking every bit the "Grand Chancellor of Industry."
