Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 534 - 3 Long Bridge Port_1

Chapter 534: Chapter 3 Long Bridge Port_1

Long Bridge Port, the largest deep-water port in the City of Freedom, has thirteen docks in total. In theory, it can simultaneously berth seventy large ships or hundreds of medium and small ships. Such a capacity is rare in the whole Yarran World. Whenever it’s the busy season for cargo shipping, you can witness an impressive sight here - big ships fill the thirteen docks, and even the anchorage outside the port is full of cargo ships waiting to dock. Every day thousands to tens of thousands of tons of goods are concentrated in Long Bridge Port and then distributed and delivered to the surrounding countries and cities.

It’s now the afternoon of the day. The afterglow of the setting sun is shining on the buildings of the port. Although it’s late in the day, it doesn’t affect the bustle on the docks. Whenever a cargo ship is berthed, a large number of dock workers would flock to it waiting to be employed. Ship owners inevitably need a large number of robust workers to unload a full cargo hold and transport it to the warehouse. In a few days, they would need even more labor to reload the new cargo onto the ship.

In the City of Freedom, being a dock worker is a decent short-term job. Not only is the pay relatively generous, but also there is always a demand for labor regardless of the season or time. It has solved a large number of employment problems for the city. In this city where mercenaries gather, even some lower-ranked professionals and sturdy ordinary people forming micro or small mercenary groups would go to work at the docks when they cannot get jobs to maintain their livelihood. Although they would be mocked by their peers and despised by ordinary dock workers, they can at least earn a considerable income every day and get through this tragic low tide period.

The ship owners, as the employers, often prefer to hire these mercenary groups who moonlight as dock workers. Although these people charge slightly higher rates than ordinary workers, their strength also surpass standard people, especially for those professionals. Even at the lowest rank, their power is several times stronger than sturdy ordinary workers. They could handle the work of several ordinary people. Thus it is apparently more cost-saving to employ them. Therefore, it is no wonder that ordinary workers resent these job-stealing mercenaries.

As the bell rings on the port, several large cargo ships dock next to the wharf. The crowd on the pier quickly starts to get busy, and bales of goods are carried on shoulders to the designated warehouses. The originally calm pier becomes noisy in the blink of an eye. Even the temperature on the dock rises a few degrees due to these robust workers’ intense work. However, striding forward leisurely and seeming strangely out of place among these bustling workers, five people pass the port’s checkpoint and enter the interior of the City of Freedom.

As it is a duty-free port, the checkpoint only records and randomly checks the types and quantities of goods. Unless dealing with sensitive or dangerous items under embargo, these port officials won’t cause any trouble. These officials are surprised today, as it is rare for passengers disembarking at Long Bridge Port without any cargo, given this is a long-distance cargo port with no passenger ships docking. But it’s apparent from their appearance and attire that these people are upper-rank professionals. Even if they choose to enter the port on a cargo ship, it’s not something that ordinary port officials like them can interfere with. So they simply lower their heads and act as if they have seen nothing.

"It feels so good to set foot on land again." Catherine said happily. After spending so many days at sea, with only about ten hours living on the land of a small island, the girls almost forgot how to walk when they first stepped foot on the land. They staggered and swayed for a while before getting used to walking again. Catherine wiped the sweat from her forehead, "We haven’t been to the City of Freedom for a long time. Can we stay in a hotel tonight and take a good stroll around the city tonight and tomorrow? Um, Freya, do you have any issues? If you have any concerns, forget it, we can go straight home."

"Most people don’t even recognize me anymore, what could be the problem?" Freya said nonchalantly: "I haven’t been here for a long time either. It would be nice to stay a few more days for a break."

"Then it’s decided." Catherine said happily: "We should find a place to celebrate our successful completion of the mission later. Ha, the rewards of this mission are quite substantial. It’s worth having a grand celebration."

"Before we celebrate, shouldn’t you put that thing on your back in a hotel for storage?" Pannis glanced at the sweating Catherine: "Or do you really plan to run around with that heavy thing on your back?"

"No way." Catherine immediately shielded the Deep Sea Illuminator on her back with her hand and shook her head: "Such a valuable item, I can only feel reassured when it’s with me. Otherwise, I would cry if it gets lost."

"Why not just remove the most valuable Tears of Light inside it and carry that around?" Pannis rubbed his forehead in annoyance: "This kind of Illuminator doesn’t work well on land, only underwater. Even if you bring it back intact, no one will buy it. Instead, it would be more profitable and convenient to remove the Tears of Light."

"No." Catherine refused to compromise: "This device is only valuable when it is intact. If we dismantle it, it will be worthless. I won’t be fooled."

"But the thing is only valuable if it is dismantled." An almost exasperated Pannis shouted: "The complete Illuminator has too limited an application scope. Almost no one besides the Sea Race would be interested."

"Give it up, Pannis," Freya sighed. "At times like this, no one can convince her."

"That’s right," Catherine nodded with pride. "Give it up. Let’s go. We will take the public carriage to the Kate Blue Hotel in the city center, which is a great place for celebration. Lina, pack up your book quickly. Vivian, snap out of it. Let’s get going."

The five people walked out of the port and into the bustling City of Freedom. The City of Freedom was the first city established on Neutral Land, and it’s a symbol of its spirit. Even though it has been relocated once in the past four hundred years, it still retains its basic appearance. Its laws are quite lenient, and as long as you do not break them, you are free to do whatever you want. Two hundred years ago, some drunken mages even stripped off their clothes at midnight and used sound amplification magic to sing loudly in the tavern. For some reason, everyone in the tavern drunkenly joined them, running naked along the city roads, attracting more drunkards to join the streaking crowd. It devolved into a naked running event that involved the entire city, the terrible singing that disturbed the sleep of the whole city’s residents nearly sparked a riot. Even so, the laws of the City of Freedom did not prohibit streaking and singing, so the mages were never held responsible. However, after the incident, two more laws naturally made their way into the City of Freedom’s law book.

As long as they do not break the law, everyone is free to do whatever they want, and this is the City of Freedom, the paradise for mercenaries from the Neutral Land.

Leaving the port, there is a straight street, both sides of which are full of taverns and small inns, prepared as entertainment for sailors. Here, one could buy the strongest liquor, find the best value-for-money entertainers, and participate in the liveliest gambling games. The street has all the facilities sailors need, enticing them to stay within its reach. Sailors who have been here know the advantages of this place. They are addicted, as with every stopover, they would be lodged here promptly, willingly having their pockets drained of every single gold coin by the merchants.

Following the street forward, shirtless sailors can be seen everywhere, swaying unsteadily as they walked. Occasionally, drunken sailors could be seen strolling down the street with scantily dressed entertainers, their crude jokes making people blush to hear them. Walking for more than ten minutes, one would leave this street engulfed in the aroma of strong alcohol and perfume, and enter a regular city road. As this here is the location of the harbor, it is slightly remote within the city. To enter the city area, one would still have to walk more than ten kilometers. As this is a freight harbor, therefore, there are hardly any taxi carriages passing by, and public carriages, which come after long waits, are responsible for dealing with transportation issues.

Luckily, they are not in a hurry. Like taking a leisurely stroll, they walked down the city street, under the setting sun’s afterglow that stretched their shadows out behind them. Deep in the sea where there was no sunlight, now that they were back on land, even the light from the setting sun felt warmly familiar to the girls.

The city layout of the City of Knowledge is in a block structure where all roads run north-south or east-west. In contrast, the City of Freedom has a radial structure, with all the main roads radiating out from the central Freedom Square. The circular city looks like a cut open pie where each piece is a different area. These main roads are connected by secondary roads, making the city look like a complex spider’s web when viewed from above.

"Actually, this layout is not very friendly to outsiders," Catherine commented. "It’s said that every outsider has a miserable experience of getting lost here. However, if you get familiar with this place, you will find these roads very convenient. Unlike in the Holy City, you do not have to make right-angle turns every time."

"You have to be able to find your way first," Pannis shrugged. "If I remember correctly, if you walk straight down from Long Bridge Port, you should end up in the second shopping district."

"That’s right, that’s the place," Freya nodded. "The most convenient area. Only businesses related to shopping are allowed to operate in these shopping districts. Very few other types of businesses can be found. It’s hard to say whether it’s convenient or not."

"At least it’s not a bad thing," Pannis added, "This kind of planning means most people can choose their destination directly when they want to do something. As for the daily necessities, you can buy them in small shops in other areas. There won’t be too much trouble."

"Alright, let’s get going. Once we reach the shopping district, there will be more taxi carriages." Catherine tightened the grip on the giant illuminator on her back. "I can’t wait to have some land’s food." (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com and place your votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)