"Legend has it that before the Great Cataclysm, Mirror Lake was nowhere near as vast as it is now."
"Gray Mist Port wasn't called Gray Mist Port back then, either."
"It was just a fishing village."
"The villagers had fished for generations, living simple, honest lives."
"Then the Great Cataclysm struck, and Supernatural Erosion spread across the entire world. Some people fleeing by boat passed through the village and wanted to plunder some supplies."
"But the moment they went ashore, a fog rolled in."
"The people who stayed aboard never saw them return. Every last one of them disappeared."
Yao Hu told the story, swaying his head.
"Later, Mirror Lake grew larger and larger, becoming as vast as a sea, the largest lake in the wasteland. Gray Mist Port also grew increasingly important because of its location."
"It's like the narrow waist of a gourd. The peninsula jutting into the lake sits right across an unavoidable passage."
"The natives held firmly onto the place."
"Almost every ship traveling across Mirror Lake has to resupply at Gray Mist Port. Gradually, it became prosperous and attracted plenty of outsiders."
"But Gray Mist Port is very safe."
"Except that you shouldn't go outside in heavy fog, or you might encounter something ill-omened."
"Normally, there are people maintaining order, and fighting is forbidden. Over all these years, evil spirits have rarely invaded the port."
"Of course."
"The people there practice some strange forms of evil god worship."
"But as long as you don't bother them and respect the local customs, you'll be fine. They don't force outsiders to share their beliefs, either."
Heavy fog.
Vanishing people.
Ill-omened encounters.
Evil god worship.
Natives.
With so many classic elements combined, the place had somehow acquired a reputation for safety.
That was quite something.
"You should know