Trout Town stood beside a relatively gentle bend in the Twilight River, with the vast Blackwater Swamp stretching behind it.
As the only sizable settlement connecting the river trade route to the edge of the swamp, Trout Town was somewhat smaller than Rose Town, but even busier.
To cope with the year-round dampness and seasonal floods, most of the town's houses were built on stilts.
Of course, merchants with bulging purses and adventurers planning to put down roots here were willing to spend the money on solid stone foundations.
Most of the houses were built from white oak shipped from near Lingang City. After being soaked and fumigated with specially prepared oil paste, the timber could effectively resist the rot and warping caused by the damp environment.
Because the town stood on the swamp's edge, the ground was soft and the roads were horribly muddy. Even with gravel and planks laid down, they could not completely escape the grip of the mire.
Every passerby had thick mud plastered over their boots, and each step made a squelching "splurt, splurt" sound.
But this did nothing to slow their hurried steps, because it was the busiest season of the year for the local fishermen.
Fishing was the lifeblood of Trout Town.
At the docks, flat-bottomed cargo boats from both upstream and downstream were busy loading and unloading goods.
Twilight River's specialty, silver-scaled trout, shimmered in the barrels. All kinds of aquatic products were piled high, while rare herbs and monster materials brought back by adventurers from deep within the swamp lay scattered nearby.
Of course, the main attraction was the migratory redfish that could only be caught during this season. Their plump bodies were the most eagerly awaited gift of the year.
This should have been the liveliest time of the year.