"Look over there." Hysilens suddenly spoke softly, pointing toward an observation platform extending beyond the outer side of the corridor bridge.
Her voice was especially clear amid the somewhat noisy sounds of the marketplace.
Quite a few people stood by the railing at the platform's edge, gazing into the distance as the breeze at this height gently stirred their clothes.
The four of them strolled over.
The wooden corridor bridge beneath their feet gave off faint, resilient creaks.
The platform offered an excellent view, overlooking the broader main harbor below.
Most of the clamor there had been filtered away by the distance, leaving a busy yet orderly scene.
Enormous star skiffs rested quietly in their designated berths like slumbering whales, or slowly moved to adjust their positions like awakened beasts, the indicator lights on their hulls blinking like breaths.
Small cargo shuttles darted tirelessly along invisible routes like busy bees, trailing fleeting streaks of light behind them.
In the distance, the main structures of the Luofu Xianzhou appeared and vanished amid wisps of cloud and mist. Its tiered towers and palaces resembled enormous lotus petals, their outlines traced by countless flowing bands of light. Those light streams pulsed steadily and brilliantly, like the lifeblood of the entire Xianzhou.
Farther still, beyond the edge of the buildings, they could glimpse a patch of deep, tranquil blue—the direction of the Ancient Sea, glimmering with a gemstone-like sheen beneath the sunlight.
"Mm, it looks lively over there." Phainon's attention was drawn once again to the crowd gathered on the other side of the platform.
The crisp shrieks and laughter of children drifted over from that direction.
It was a small stall with a simple cloth awning.
The vendor was an energetic old man with a short salt-and-pepper beard. Wearing a clean apron, he