The waves surged and roared, the smell of fish thick in the air.
Crates upon crates of Treasure Fish hauled up by the fleet came thudding down.
Water Birds spread their wings, circling through the cold air as they waited for their chance.
Assistant Commander Ran Zhongshi stepped onto the dock and directed the operations. Two towering Dragonfolk broke through the surface, leaped out of the Great Marsh, wrung the water from themselves, greeted their superior, then hurried into the Prefectural Office.
"Hey, it's the Pingjiang and Ping He brothers. Tell me, what's Lord Liang busy with? He's summoned so many people this early in the morning—three waves already. Could they have found another lead on the Ghost Mother Sect?"
"How would us odd-job men know? Still, now that you mention it, we didn't see Lord Liang much for an entire month before. Since the New Year Festival break ended, though, we've been seeing him quite often."
"Lord Liang's a high-ranking official now, on the same level as our Lord Xu. Anyone below them who wants a promotion needs all three of them to nod in approval. Even his office got moved up to the third floor. New year, new air—there has to be something fresh about it, right?"
"Hahaha." Ke Wenbin laughed loudly as he jumped down and grabbed both men by the shoulders. "Talking behind his back? If Lord Liang hears you, watch him send you off to guard some back-of-beyond pond."
The clerks hauling the catch laughed and joked, but stopped their idle chatter.
In truth.
What the clerks said was not entirely wrong.
Third floor.
"Pingjiang, Ping He, take the records and bring Ao Cangyuan and Ao Miyun with you. Go to the border between the Central Court and the Southern Region to find Fat Catfish.