A faint hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, and the darkness slowly receded beneath the radiance.
In two empty, desolate rooms, everyone spent an uncomfortable night.
After drifting on the water for so long, their bodies had accumulated considerable fatigue. Instead of getting proper rest that night, they suffered from aching backs and sore waists because they were unaccustomed to the unfamiliar environment.
Fortunately, the route's bonuses were no joke. Human physical abilities had already far surpassed the levels once considered normal.
After getting up and moving around for a while, all that discomfort was suppressed.
When they pushed open the doors and stepped out of the courtyards, the summer heat displayed its most ferocious side in the northern part of the Southern Fire Domain, a region filled with ravines.
Even in the early morning, the temperature had already boldly surpassed thirty-five degrees Celsius. Waves of heat swept back and forth through the ravines like a trapped beast with nowhere to vent its blazing fury.
Inside the small Fishing Village, the courtyards and walls hastily built by the survivors divided the area into numerous isolated sections.
The sections were connected by narrow paths that had been roughly leveled, while crude drainage channels had been dug along the bases of the walls.
Fishermen came and went without end. Since modern clothing had sacrificed a certain amount of practicality for appearance, it had basically vanished from people's sight in just over a year. In its place were close-fitting rain capes woven from reeds.
The rain capes were ugly and only moderately comfortable, but at least they kept people from being roasted under the sun while naked.
They were practically standard attire in this relatively prosperous and peaceful small Fishing Village. Quite a few people also covered their heads with straw hats