"There really are so many mysterious and unknown things in this world..."
Byron sat in the office of the port's military administration, unable to stop himself from sighing.
Outside the window, the tides from the distant sea rose and fell, and the occasional cries of seabirds swooping low over the harbor district drifted in. Slanting sunlight stretched across the vast sea and poured into the sprawling architectural complex of Northport, casting sharply defined light and shadow among the brand-new ramps, houses, towers, and walls. A squad of soldiers marched in neat formation toward a watchtower where they would relieve the guard. Farther away, magic-infused vehicles loaded with supplies rolled over newly paved concrete roads, merchants responding to recruitment calls lined up before the checkpoint awaiting inspection, and the roar of construction machinery came from even farther afield—from the direction of the Number Two Harbor connecting bridge.
A gentle warm breeze blew through the administration office. Two visiting representatives sat in backed chairs beside the desk. One was a beautiful woman with medium-length blue hair, dressed in a sea-blue gown of unknown material, with a golden pendant hanging from her forehead as she carefully studied several crystal vessels on the desk. The other was a woman whose body was almost entirely covered in scales and tough hide, as if a human had fused with some kind of deep sea creature—the latter was especially eye-catching. Her lower body, resembling a blend of sea serpent and fish, "sat" awkwardly in the chair. The extra half of her tail seemed not to know where to go and kept swaying uncomfortably, while her upper body, though clearly feminine in shape, bore deep sea creature traits everywhere.
Byron's gaze could not help falling on that "Naga" again. "Forgive me, Lady Helen, I mean no offense—but this