City of Water

The Ironwoods, contrary to its name, was not a place where plants with metallic cells took root. It was not how I envisioned it to be, with me being a guy that was well-versed in fantasy, and that made it all the more disappointing.

The reason for such a name, was because of a certain endemic species of trees that could be found nowhere but here. It was aptly called Ironwood, hence the name Ironwoods. Its properties, wood density higher than water, approximately 1000 kg/m3, helped construct strong buildings and ships.

Here, lots of lumberjacks from Jia City could be seen chopping the day away. They carried spare axes, and another spare for the spare. It was quite common for their axes to break here since the trees they were chopping were very durable. It almost made you think they harden in response to physical trauma.

The caravan passed by the Ironwoods pretty quickly, with some of the lumberjacks waving towards Mr Abdul, halting the caravan, hoping to buy axes from us. Since one of our wagons brought lots of equipment to sell, the order was quickly addressed, and they left happily ever after with their new axes to the distance. Based on their demeanour, Mr Abdul's caravan was well known amongst the populace of Jia City, which includes the lumberjacks.

'Hey, system.'

[What is it?]

'Can you give me a map of the area?'

[Alright. I'll send it in three… two… one…, sent!]

I felt an image was sent into my brain. It was a geographical view of the place, one that I knew not how to use. Bear with me, please. I lived my entire life with GPS. Paperback maps? What is it? Can you eat it?

'Hey, system.'

[What is it?]

'Can't… you know, show me a minimap instead?'

[I believe I've shown you a minimap before? Is that useful for you?]

'… '

[Yeah, exactly. At least you are a little bit better than that guy with three swords, though.]

Being told that you were a little bit better than the epitome of being lost, shook me to my core. Memories from the life before resurfaced with an answer. Now I know why my best friend always took the wheels when we went out together, even though I am also a competent driver.

"Brother Cho?" The fighter suddenly called.

"Yeah?"

"It's nothing, I'm just checking since you seem out of it."

"Ah, alright then."

"Also, we are near the clearing right now."

"The clearing? Ah, the clearing of this place."

True to his words, not long after, the view widens. The trees grew sparsely, letting the sun shine its light better than before. Because of that, the undergrowth, the grasses, and the bushes grew far more densely. Far in the distance, I could see a grassland, and as if slicing it apart, the Green River flows.

Fishermen and merchant boats populated the surging river. Boats after boats after boats, and the occasional ship from down south, seeking passage to the Spirit Sword Sect. All of them brought something with them they could sell at Jia City, making it an important business hub for people from all walks of life.

On the riverbank, there were children playing around with the reeds. They played make-believe, though I do not know what kind of roles they were playing. Their wooden swords clashed repeatedly, without much force, so that they will not hurt each other.

As we passed them by, one of the fishermen shouted something to one of the children there. A chide, asking them not to be a failure, and a command to help. In response, maybe a conditioned one, the kid dropped the wooden sword and pick up the fishing spear. The kid was clearly unhappy with his parent, though he still did his job, even with a visible scowl on his face.

Such a thing was alien to me, who was raised in a place full of extreme freedom, bordering on anarchy. But it was not where my roots lay. My parents were nomads, where family and the clan was the only thing that mattered. They hated the whole 'family number one' thing that was going on, and fled to the city. And to protect themselves, they joined a gang of sorts, where they had me. From here on, I think you already knew how they were raising me, so I'll leave the rest of the story for later.

While I'm deep inside my monologue, the caravan halted.

"What's happening, Lin?" I asked.

"Mr Abdul is finished the paperwork to enter the gate."

"That big gate over there?"

"Yeah."

Big, was an understatement. That thing was ginormous. A giant gate, with a large bridge in the middle. From an architectural standpoint, one could see that its intended use was for the many fishing boats and ships that loitered the place. But they should be impossible to contain without any port outside, unless they did something to the city itself. The gates were littered with symbolic images of fishes that were turning into flood dragons, and beside those images was a list of rules sculpted in place.

"What was that?" I asked the fighter.

"The image or the words beside it?"

"The words."

"That is the rules one must obey when the gate opens and closes."

"Why is that?"

"You will see it later, or I could tell you now if you prefer it."

"I will see it later then."

It was quite fortunate that we arrived early, the customs in this place kept things tight after all. The documents we needed in order to enter the place were placed in stacks. The caravan head's familiarity with said documents helped us enter faster, and I could feel the envious gazes of the ones lining up behind us.

"Ah. So that's why the walls are that high."

"Surprising, right?" The fighter replied to my comment.

Yeah, I never expected this spectacle. They hollowed the ground to create space for ships and the like to anchor. Everything inside the gate was water save for a circular space at the centre, where a clock tower stood.

Then where did the residents live, you asked? They lived on the thick and high walls. There was a very wide road built circling the wall and you could clearly see the city districts from down here. The lower ring area was for the market district, the middle ring area was for the residences, while the top ring area was for the governmental district.

"The space should not be enough for all of them, right? How did they solve that problem?" I asked.

The caravan leader who happened to overhear me, replied, "Look to your right, Mr Cho."

There was another gate, although far cry from the giant gate we passed, it was structurally wide, with enough space for two caravans to come and go easily. On it, carvings could be seen, with motifs of fish, flood dragons, and water.

"The residents here lived not only on the walls but also inside it." He added.

"Won't it be dark, and musty in there, Mr Abdul?"

"Not to worry, there is proper sewage and ventilation system inside. They used an ore called Sunstone which helps a lot with indoor farming or gardening, it also kept the atmosphere bright. Along with that, the roads inside are wide enough for at least two wagons side by side, giving the residents enough room to breathe."

I had to confess. That description he gave me, tickled my boyish soul. One that every man out there had. The call to adventure. But more than that, it made me curious. Who created such a sophisticated design on these barbaric lands of cultivation? Who had enough brainpower, energy, and wealth, to design and complete such a structure?

'Hey system, these walls won't just suddenly fall on me right?'

[Worry not, the integrity of the structure is well preserved, and it is also made to be hollowed out inside. There are support pillars where there should be, so you don't need to worry too much about it]

'Alright.'

While I was conversing with the system, the caravan entered the lower ring's gate. After walking for a while, with only dim lanterns as a guide, we saw a bright light beckoning us.

So this is the road within the walls, I thought. Even though I already got prior information from the fighter and caravan leader, seeing it for myself was a different matter altogether. I looked at the high roofs of the place and saw the sunstones embed into stone. It was warm inside.

"Mr Cho, are you listening?"

"Yeah, of course. Where were we?"

"I was talking about the structure and mapping of the city."

"Right, sorry if I'm out of it for a moment there, Mr Abdul."

"It's okay. As I was saying before, this whole road right here is the marketplace. If you go through that gate at the end of the road, you will find the restaurants, inns, and taverns."

"That one right there? After the little curve?"

"That is correct."

"I see. If I wanted to visit the higher levels where should I go?"

"There is a small door next to the gate, in there you will find the stairs to the next level. However, wagons and the like have to go through the main road outside."

Perhaps sensing my giddiness, the caravan leader then added, "After we have checked in at the inn, how about you tour the place with Lin?"

"I will do just that, then. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Recommendations, is it? A small restaurant at the furthest end of the area, by the name of Flowing Waves, has some great views."

He stroked his beard, thinking a bit, before finally adding, "Outside, near the middle ring area, there is also a great shop. It sells antique items found in the depths of the river, along with some fresh beverages. It is called The Anchor."

"That does sound intriguing. I'll head out after the caravan unloads, then."

"I shall thank you for your help in advance, then."

With our conversation done, the caravan leader went back to his spot at the forefront of the caravan. Anyway, long story short, after helping out the caravan with unloading goods and stuff, I went around to tour the place with the fighter. Our first destination was the beverage-cum-antique shop, named The Anchor.