The freighter docked at York Port, an enormous seaport. Once the cargo ramp was lowered, machinery began hauling and hoisting the larger goods, but most of the work still had to be done by hand.
Looking down from the deck, one could see densely packed laborers. Their hair was generally purple or gray; they were not of the Maklai race, but illegal immigrants who had smuggled themselves over from other continents. Yet when they worked in places like the port, the Vien Immigration Bureau pretended not to know they existed.
Among the able-bodied adults, many child laborers darted about as well. They were generally thin and frail, and many looked malnourished.
Children certainly could not work as effectively as able-bodied adults, but they were cheaper. Capitalists did not choose child labor out of kindness; they calculated the costs and found that children really were a bargain.
It was a scene of striking layers and contrasts;
When you looked up, you saw the bustling, noisy seaport and the tall buildings farther away, giving it the feel of a very modern metropolis;
But when you lowered your head and looked only at what lay beneath your feet, it was as though you saw the "human world" again, out of place, yet undeniably there.
The passengers disembarked from another deck;
Puer still sat on Kallen's shoulder, and Kallen still held Golden Retriever's leash. After they disembarked, they found an open space ahead with several cars parked there, along with a group of bodyguards in suits standing ramrod straight.
At their head, representing the welcoming party, was a middle-aged man in a wheelchair.
Before they disembarked, Mrs. Jenny had told them that Mr. Mike would be meeting them at the port. He was the second elder brother of Eunice's father. She had also reminded