Indeed, after half a day’s journey, on one sunny afternoon, they climbed a long coastal hill.
As the mount’s hooves stepped onto the hilltop, their view suddenly opened up, revealing the radiant and magnificent ocean scenery before them without warning.
The first thing that struck their vision was the boundless blue stretching to the world’s end. Sunlight scattered across the vast sea surface, shattering into billions of jumping, floating golden spots, extending all the way to the blurry boundary where sea and sky meet.
This was an expansive sight vastly different from forests, mountains, and wastelands, carrying a soul-stirring power that made Aaliyah, who was seeing the sea for the first time, slightly open her mouth in an irrepressible awe.
"Is this the sea?"
Aaliyah jumped down from the bird’s back, stood atop the hill, felt the sea breeze, and stretched lazily.
Gauss also dismounted, looking at the distant scenery.
In front of them was Coral Bay. The entire bay was like a giant overturned blue shell, its arc-shaped coastline extending far, embracing a calm and tranquil water area.
And their destination for this journey—Sen City—was located at the eastern end of the bay on the river delta plain.
The city’s scale was massive, with clusters of white buildings gleaming under the sun, sprawling from the coastline to the inland plains.
Of course, the most eye-catching was the enormous port.
The port stretched along the coastline, countless ships moored within, and the towering masts densely packed, as if forming a forest stripped of leaves in the winter.
Besides the clumsy merchant ships, there were nimble oared sailboats, and even some sleek, cannon-laden, flag-bearing peculiar vessels could be seen at the port.
Upon closer examination, one could see ant-sized crowds bustling back and forth at the port, and the cranes slowly moving to load and unload cargo.
Above the city, seagulls and other unidentified sea birds flocked and circled.
The group lingered on the hillside for a long time.
It was Gauss who finally broke the silence.
"Let’s go over there."
They mounted their land birds and, with a squeeze to the birds’ sides, led the team down the winding slope road, heading towards the bustling seaside city.
"Fresh mackerel! Just landed! Would you like to take a look, sir?"
"Tom, hurry up, the captain is calling everyone to gather."
"Heading out to fish again? Really... I was hoping to rest a few more days."
"Damn, the port officer raised the taxes again, business is becoming impossible!"
"Are you leaving then?"
"Let’s hold on for a while longer and see..."
"...There have been significantly more storms this year compared to previous ones."
Sen City had no obvious city gates or walls.
As Gauss entered the bustling market, a more lively and noisy scene unfolded.
Shops stood shoulder to shoulder, banners and signs were ubiquitous, dried fish and shrimp, exotic spices from afar....
Pedestrians jostled each other, and besides numerous sailors and merchants sun-tanned to a bronze color, Gauss also saw several ’humans’ with fish-scale-adorned skin.
"Those people have Sea Race bloodlines." Serdur quietly explained. "This is quite common in coastal cities."
Gauss nodded.
The term Sea Race doesn’t refer to any specific biological species but rather encompasses intelligent marine creatures, most of whom exhibit humanoid forms.
If in other forms, they would be named Sea Beasts, Sea Demons, Sea Monsters, and so forth.
While he was observing, those few fish-scale-adorned ’humans’ happened to be pouring water on themselves.
"The bloodline of the Sea Race is both a gift and a curse." Serdur continued to introduce, familiar with coastal areas. "If they stay on land for extended periods, their skin scales become dry and cracked, and in severe cases, they may even bleed painfully, suffering like fish out of water. Hence, they need to frequently moisten their bodies with water or simply immerse themselves in seawater."
Serdur’s tone carried a hint of sympathy.
"Some people may discriminate against them, but for many captains or those engaged in maritime operations, they make excellent sailors and laborers."
Perhaps to prove Serdur’s point, a short distance away from the city.
They saw several older human boys forming a circle, cornering two younger siblings against a wall. The children being cornered had unhealthy grayish skin, dull scales covering their cheeks and arms, and faint gill lines behind their ears.
The smaller brother squatted in the corner, while the sister stood in front of him, spreading her arms to protect him.
"You two ’fishy ghosts’. Why aren’t you soaking in water, coming to land for what?" A tall boy deliberately kicked the dirt on the ground, throwing it onto the two children.
"No wonder, my mom says there’s a stink on you! She won’t let me play with you." Another chubby boy pinched his nose, making an exaggerated disgusted expression.
Another boy reached out to pull the girl, trying to knock her down, to snatch the few pretty shells the boy in the corner was tightly clutching in his hands.
Children’s malice sometimes comes more severe than adults’.
Just then, sunlight was obscured, and the air temperature seemed to drop suddenly.
A cold, emotionless voice echoed behind the children.
"What are you doing?"
The boys turned around in panic upon hearing the voice, seeing a tall adult woman, and behind her, stood several other imposing men and women.