Chapter 337: Coastal Towns

Chapter 337: Coastal Towns

It was another beautiful early summer morning.

The dense foliage in the forest gave way to sparse trees and small shrubs, with warm winds blowing from the south. In the distance, you could see columns of white smoke coming from a coastal city, down by the distant sea.

Gerald was still quite far away, currently going downhill, when he could already see the stone and wooden houses as well as a few sails of various fishing boats further down.

The roofs were covered with straw or red clay roof shingles, giving the place a cozy rural feeling. Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

The area around the city was covered by green fields growing grain, while the gray wall served as a divide between nature and the safety of a bustling town.

Only a few people were outside, working in the fields or chopping down wood from the nearby forest, while the air was still cool enough for them to work in the sun.

As Gerald came closer to the city, he came to see the plaque above the main gate which said [Port Dera] with big bold letters.

"Port Dera?" He took out his map and checked his position. As it turned out, he was way off to where he thought he would be. He was at least a few hundred kilometers west from where he was going. That was one of the downsides of traveling on the ground. It was easy to lose your way when you aren't constantly checking.

"Oh well, let's see what I can find here. Maybe they have a ship that can take me over to the other side," he said to himself cheerfully.

He made his way through the city after paying a fee at the gates and examined the tightly-built stone buildings and roads that snaked through the city. It reminded him of some old European coastal towns back on Earth. They were just a bit dirtier and smelled of fish.

Lots and lots of dead, rotting fish.

Except for the smell, the little port town didn't seem to have suffered from anything else. They had food aplenty from the critters and fish of the sea, and trade was good from merchants of spices and silk.

Port Dera was bustling with life, but Gerald had no time to stop and admire the work of men, for he was on a mission.

But he wasn't in a hurry and his throat was dry, so he made his way to a place where one could get good gossip and wine.

"A mug of your finest," he loudly announced, attracting the gazes of many around. "I'm looking for a ship to cross me the sea," he said. "And money is no problem, for the little ol' me."

A golden coin was tossed on the counter, stimulating loud, and interesting banter.

The master of the tavern picked it up, gave it a bite, and smiled back. A mug and a bottle soon came his way, and Gerald drank from it, to the customers' dismay.

"That's a bottle of burning Dragon Spit-Howler, and he's chugging it down akin to cool, clear spring water!" someone exclaimed, in horror and awe, feeling ashamed. He looked down at his pitiful beer and ordered an ale.

"A ship, say ye? Nay, for you, here one not be." The master of tavern shook his bald head, happy and loud, and offered Gerald to sell nother round. Beer ran in barrels and was drank in pints, early was morning and many were drunk.

Searching in vain, Gerald made his way around, leaving puking the sailors, and workers behind.

Alcohol burning was his stomach within, leaving his body as fast as it got in. Soon his mind was again clear like a spring, allowing his poetry to turn back his thinking clean.

"Uff, that stuff really burns your mind," Gerald held his head, still feeling the spinning effects of whatever that Dragon drink was.

He asked around a few more times, but in the end, he gave up, realizing nobody was willing to take him across the sea. The ships here weren't made to cross the turbulent waters, nor were they equipped with guards or soldiers to fend off a monster attack.

He had no choice but to make his way east and find the Jade Islands' merchants.