After Cui Ciyou and his companions entered Donglai Port,
the first thing they saw was a rather crowded cluster of wooden buildings.
The architecture had an ancient style, somewhat reminiscent of traditional Chinese wooden buildings.
It was unlike anything on the Demon Continent, among the Beastfolk, or in Millis and Asura.
The Demon Continent favored a rugged style, even using the bones of enormous monsters in its buildings.
For example, Migurdia Village used the shells of Great King Land Turtles as houses.
The Beastfolk lived right up in the trees, embracing a natural style.
They made few alterations, hollowing out homes in towering, thousand-year-old trees.
Then they linked the tree houses with wooden walkways.
The Millis Holy Country's buildings followed a predominantly white theme.
From the outside, every house looked like a church on Earth.
The Asla Kingdom favored symmetrical, European-style architecture.
They wandered around for a while, and before long, night fell.
Cui Ciyou and his companions settled into an inn called Tingchao Pavilion.
The harbor city did not fall silent with the arrival of night.
Vendors' cries and travelers' hearty laughter and conversation drifted faintly through the window.
Mingling with the sea breeze's distinctive briny scent, they filled the air with the bustle of everyday life.
Early the next morning,
once the first light of dawn broke through,
Cui Ciyou took Keith, the member of their party most skilled at negotiation and gathering information,
and visited shops of every size throughout Donglai Port.
They hoped to buy a detailed map of the Dragon King of Kings' domain, suitable for a long journey.
But the result?
It was a bitter disappointment.
"Are you kidding me, you bastard?"
Inside a seemingly professional map shop hung with old parchment scrolls,
Keith's monkey-like face was filled with incredulous fury.
He nearly took