Kremia Transit Port
North Blue · Kremia Transit Port
Thin morning mist lay like gauze over the North Blue's most chaotic trading port.
Waves rolled in the distance, while voices clamored on the docks. The sounds of cargo being loaded and unloaded, vendors hawking their wares, arguments and laughter all mingled together, painting a picture of survival under a gray order.
Kremia Transit Port was one of the North Blue's most famous gray areas. Nobles, wealthy merchants, smugglers, bounty hunters, black market traders... all sorts of people crossed paths here. Money and power flowed through the shadows, while the port's "managers" maintained a tenuous order on the surface.
Here, everyone believed in only one thing: whoever had more money called the shots.
An ordinary passenger ship slowly pulled up to the dock. Passengers disembarked one after another, melting into the noisy crowd.
Just then—
Swish!
A tall, slender figure appeared out of thin air at the edge of the passenger ship, as if he had materialized from the air itself.
His black hair was slightly wavy. He stood three meters tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and perfectly defined muscles that were not overly bulky. A finely tailored dark gray suit outlined his tall, upright figure, lending him a cool and elegant air.
His deep black eyes swept calmly over the docks. His features bore not a trace of worldly concerns, yet no one could look away.
It was Roy, out of uniform.
"We're here," he said quietly, his voice deep and gentle, with a hint of laziness.
As soon as he spoke, the noisy port seemed to grow a little quieter.
Vendors stopped hawking their wares mid-cry. Passing noble ladies covered their mouths and gasped. Even the workers unloading cargo froze, failing to notice when the crates in their hands landed on their feet with a thud.
Everyone's gaze was drawn, unbidden, to the man who had suddenly appeared.
"Wh-who is that?!"
"He's so tall... and so handsome!"
"Is he a noble from some country? Or a celebrity?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! What if he's someone important..."
Roy ignored the commotion around him and strode down the gangway at an unhurried pace.
His leather shoes made steady sounds against the wooden dock.
"What a hassle..."
He had not wanted to draw too much attention, so he had left off his Marine uniform. But his height and looks stood out far too much in a place like this.
Still, it did not matter.
The corners of Roy's lips lifted slightly as he looked over the port's hidden corners. Several greedy or wary gazes had already settled on him.
"Perfect... saves me the trouble of looking for them one by one."
He strolled into a reasonably clean-looking tavern. The moment he pushed open the door, the noise inside fell silent.
The atmosphere froze. Behind the bar, the owner stopped what he was doing, sweat beading at his temples. Forcing a smile, he came forward. "Sir... what would you like to drink?"
Roy sat down and tapped his slender fingers on the bar, his voice calm and soft. "I want information."
The smile instantly froze on the owner's face. "I-information?"
"Where is Gild Tesoro?"
Roy raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the man like a blade. His tone remained gentle, but allowed no refusal.
The air turned cold.
In a corner of the tavern, a group of burly men quietly rose to their feet, hands settling on the weapons at their waists.
Without looking back, Roy chuckled. "Sit down if you don't want to die."
His voice was not loud, but it cut through the air like ice, piercing everyone to the bone.
The men froze instinctively, alarm bells ringing in their heads.
Their beastlike instincts roared: Danger! Extreme danger!
The burly men sat back down in silence, their movements stiff, cold sweat slowly trickling down the backs of their necks.
Roy looked at the trembling owner again. "So, can you answer my question now?"
The owner's lips had gone pale. He stammered, "H-he was still at the Golden Sand Casino yesterday... b-but early this morning, he... he went to the Abandoned Mining District to the north..."
"Very good." Roy nodded, pulled a Beli from his pocket, and casually tossed it over. "Thanks."
He got up and left, and only then did everyone in the tavern breathe a sigh of relief.
Outside the tavern, Roy looked toward the faint outline of the mine to the north and narrowed his eyes.
"The Abandoned Mining District... Looks like this future 'Gild Tesoro' is still picking through trash."
The next second, he vanished into the morning mist, as if he had never been there.
All that remained were the crowds still murmuring on the chaotic docks, and a few men who had followed him but completely lost their target, looking around in bewilderment.
North Blue · Abandoned Mining District
The blazing sun beat down on the abandoned mine pit. The air was thick with the acrid smell of metal and the dry scent of dust.
The mine had originally been worked jointly by the royal family and merchant associations. Though long since officially abandoned, it had become a new base for exiles and ambitious men.
Gild Tesoro, twenty-eight years old, stood bare-chested, his blond hair disheveled and sweat beading at his temples. A dark circular brand remained on his back—the mark of a Celestial Dragon's slave, ugly and glaring.
He stood at the edge of the pit, tightly gripping a piece of ore that gleamed gold and red. His knuckles had turned white from the force.
It was Star Iron Ore, exceedingly rare and rich in metallic spirituality. It could be used for high-grade weapons and noble ornaments, making it a coveted rarity on the black market.
"Dig carefully, all of you!"
He turned and roared at the dozen or so laborers at the bottom of the pit.
They were dressed in rags, their muscles lean and wiry, yet they gritted their teeth and kept swinging their pickaxes. Sweat and dust mixed into mud that ran down their faces.
"This kind of ore can fetch a sky-high price on the black market! Once we've gathered a little more, we can buy a decent ship and leave this godforsaken place!"
A nearly obsessive fire flickered in his eyes, as if that ship were his first step toward reaching the top of the world.
With the Star Iron Ore in his hand, he seemed instead to see another life:
On a rainy night, his girlfriend Stella was dragged away by a Celestial Dragon, crying as the hem of her dress tore in the mud;
In anger, he lashed out at the Celestial Dragon, only to be seized and taken to Mary Geoise as a slave;
He knelt prostrate on the marble floor of Mary Geoise, golden boots kicking his mouth bloody;
He crawled in chains, becoming a slave dog who fawned on his master for a single gold coin;
He suddenly whispered, his voice hoarse.
"In this world... without money, even breathing is a crime."
"There's nothing money can't buy. Without money, you can't do anything!"
"But as long as I have money..." He lowered his head, a sickly fervor gradually appearing in his eyes.
Just as he was lost in the flames of memory and desire—
"Ahem."
A quiet cough cut through the oppressive heat like a cold wind.
Tesoro whipped around, the hairs on his body standing on end. A black-haired man over three meters tall stood less than half a meter behind him, hands in his pockets and expression calm.
"When did you get here?!"
Tesoro's pupils contracted and his entire body tensed. Cold sweat almost instantly soaked the back of his waistband.
He glanced around. His men were still hard at work in the pit, yet not one of them had noticed the newcomer!
"You..." He instinctively took half a step back, his voice low and wary. "Who are you? A noble? A spy? A bounty hunter?"
Roy did not answer. He merely lowered his head slightly, his gaze passing over the Star Iron Ore in Tesoro's hand.
"Star Iron Ore. Good eye," he said softly, his tone as calm as if he were appraising a commodity.
Tesoro narrowed his eyes and warily tucked the ore back inside his clothes.
"Just who are you..."
Before he could finish, Roy stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait, what are you do—"
Swish!
Both men vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving only the laborers, still stunned, and the pickaxes abandoned on the ground, reflecting a piercing glare in the sunlight.