The night wind blew in from the river.
It carried damp moisture and the scent of humus from the distant forests, sweeping over the rolling slopes of the Falling Star Hills before finally settling upon the not particularly towering City Wall of Blue Creek Forest Great City.
The City Wall here was built entirely from grayish-white stone.
Its surface was overgrown with dark green vines and moss.
Obvious signs of repair could be seen in many places, with stones of varying shades used for the patchwork, making it look from afar like a series of clumsy patches.
The battlements atop the wall were spaced unevenly.
On average, there was only one stone Watchtower every hundred meters or so.
The towers did not fly the banner of the Avalon Kingdom or the crest of any single family.
Instead, they displayed all manner of merchant guild banners.
There was the [Fair Balance Merchant Guild], with crossed swords supporting a pair of scales.
There was also the [Blue Creek Shipping Union], bearing a sailing ship and anchor, as well as the [Creek Forest Gold Exchange], painted with a vault and key.
The flags drifted lazily in the night wind, while the night watchmen leaned behind the battlements, most of them dozing with their Spears in their arms.
Only a few spoke in low voices, with muffled laughter occasionally carrying through the air.
There was none of Dagalisni's massive defensive rings, meshing together with the precision of gears.
Nor was there Luntax's ancient and rigid hierarchy.
Blue Creek Forest was more like the product of a Great City forcibly pieced together from a heap of disordered building blocks.
Its core was neither a noble Castle nor a city hall, but a broad district adjoining the inland river docks.
Taking the docks as its origin,