A day later, at a canal crossing some three hundred kilometers south of Becklan City, the docks were bustling. The crossing belonged to Fidix City and served as a vital transport hub—and Becklan City's lifeline.
Becklan City produced no grain of its own. All the food its people consumed came through this canal, and any trouble here would directly affect the meals of more than a million people.
Beside the dock, an old boatman puffed on a pipe full of harsh tobacco.
A neatly dressed young man approached. It was Modi, who had appeared in Becklan City not long ago. Smiling, he asked, "Sir, could you tell me how to get to the City of Light? I mean... the fastest way."
The City of Light was the Holy Light Church's main city in the Number One Void World, and the largest city there. Its population was said to exceed ten million. The vast city was divided into ten districts, all surrounding the Heavenly Tower at its center.
Legend held that the Lord of Light had stayed in the Heavenly Tower after his descent. The tower contained the purest power of Holy Light, and an ordinary Cleric who spent a single night inside might rise a whole level.
The old boatman glanced up at Modi and chuckled without answering.
Modi immediately understood. He took out a slightly worn banknote and handed it over. "Sorry for the trouble, sir."
The old boatman glanced at the note, snatched it up without ceremony, and gestured behind him. "He'll take you." A muscular man with a bare chest walked over.
Modi smiled and nodded his thanks. He followed the man, but instead of heading for the nearby dock, they turned away from the waterfront.
Once the two had gone, a boy in his early teens