691. Survivors of the Archipelago

Archipelago, Silver Sand Bay.

The mountaintop manor once occupied by the great slaveholders had long since been razed. In its place stood a towering spire, its gray-white body visible from far away.

The entertainment venues at the foot of the mountain had also been cleared out and rebuilt into rows of somewhat uneven sheds, cooking smoke curling up from them.

The island's population was even larger than it had been before the fog had run rampant.

After all, Sophia had settled every survivor in the Archipelago on Silver Sand Bay and the nearby islands.

Ships of all sizes were moored in the bay—some newly built, some repaired. Gun barrels stood like a forest, and still more ships were being built around the clock.

A little over ten li to the east, on an island far less conspicuous than Silver Sand Bay.

Two Tiger-men crouched among the reefs, heads lowered as they gathered in a fishing net.

One had darker fur, the other lighter. The dark-furred one was sturdier, while the light-furred one was tall and thin, with a small piece missing from one ear.

Both bore slave brands on their bodies, but that was all in the past. The Archipelago no longer divided people into slaves and non-slaves.

"Pull it in slowly. Don't tear it." The dark-furred Tiger-man did not even lift his head, his thick fingers deftly picking fish out of the netting. "If we rip it again, we'll all go hungry."

"I know, I know," the one with the missing ear answered. But after looking at what was in the net, he could not help muttering, "It's getting less and less. This net used to bring in half a bucket. Now it can't even cover the bottom."

The dark-furred one said nothing.

He gave the net a hard