Golden Bay Casino

Ling Chu looked in the direction he pointed.

Beyond the Outer City's jumble of rooftops, taller, more orderly buildings had come into view.

Compared with the houses near the docks, cobbled together from ship planks, reef stone, and old timber, the district ahead looked like another city entirely.

A wide Stone Gate stood between the Outer City and the Inner City.

Ordinary people weren't barred from entering, and no one charged an entry fee. But two squads of guards in matching leather armor stood at the gate, their eyes sweeping over the weapons and clothing of passersby.

The moment they passed through the Stone Gate, the surroundings grew noticeably quieter. The pitted road beneath their feet gave way to smooth, clean, dark-gray paving stones.

Drainage channels ran along both sides of the street, and cleaners worked at regular intervals.

The buildings looked completely different, too.

Most storefronts rose two or three stories, their walls built from neat blocks of white stone or black reef stone, their windows set with intact panes of colored Glass. Instead of reeking empty barrels piled outside the taverns, neatly dressed attendants stood at their doors;

The swords and blades displayed in the weapon shops grew more exquisite from one window to the next. A few even sat alone in Glass cases, faint magical light playing across their surfaces.

Farther in were jewelry stores, spice shops, luxury inns, and shops devoted to expensive wines.

Ornately decorated beast-drawn carriages stood by the roadside. Now and then, a finely dressed merchant stepped down, followed by servants carrying goods and bodyguards.

Even the pirates here were different from those in the Outer City.

The people outside might as well have had "vicious criminal" written across their faces, and they couldn't be bothered to mend their torn clothes. The pirates