It's not the first time that she's heard that sentiment. There wasn't a mention of a chariot, but both of her Mentors had expressed dismay at her arriving so soon to the start of the arena. Not that she had any control over that.

A chariot ride would have been interesting. And bizarre. Why chariots? This place seems more technologically advanced than that. Was it some kind of historical callback to the country's name? It seemed like a weird thing to hold onto in the midst of the modernistic gadgets and gallantry. But there's another part of that information that bothers her.

What did you mean by sea troll? There's a very different picture running through Phi's mind at the moment. All sorts of Earth mythology couldn't prepare her for how wrong her mental picture was.