Wandering around Fitsay
This Light of the Golden Sun all seemed rather pleasant and peaceful, but Lyla knew there was often a difference between the words and the reality. The image of life projected to pilgrims and outsiders was different to that lived day to day. Lyla nodded to pilgrims, thanking them and letting them swim on.
Moving on through the market, she made a show of examining all the goods on display, but couldn't buy anything, sure the Sedrians wouldn't, and couldn't, accept galactic credits. Instead, she bartered a few gleaming crystals from Isis for a weird shell carving, some sharkskin knotwork, and a piece of coral. That ought to oil the wheels of conversation, as she'd found on other worlds. It did, and Lyla listened intently to what she heard of Karak and Fitsay's troubles.
She was starting to get a good feeling for the situation here: everyone wanted to see the Golden Sun, but it was firmly in the flippers of Cardo and his priests, in Fitsay. Hence the pilgrims came here. Fitsay profited off them, and Cardo remained in charge. Karak seemed to think this Golden Sun should be shared around a bit more. Lyla couldn't blame him for that. These warrior-monks of his intrigued her, after Cardo's words of pacifism. Maybe they would help against the Imperials. After all, if the Imperials took the Golden Sun, then no Sedrian could have it.