Chapter 656: Golden Gate Inn

Albert Bay's teleportation array is built on an island, less than twenty li from the shore.

Even at that distance, the wall built along the coastline still looks extremely tall; the wall sits atop a mountain peak, over one li above sea level, a hundred meters wide, and its length on both sides is beyond Reslin's sight, as if it supports the whole sky—majestic and awe‑inspiring.

The massive wall is not completely closed; opposite the island with the teleportation array there is a gap about two li wide, which is Albert Bay's outlet strait and the city's gateway.

Above the strait stands a red bridge that links the two wall sections, allowing people and carriages to cross.

This is the famous "Goton Bridge."

Beneath the bridge, ships of all types pass in order, the currents never ceasing.

Reslin's gaze passes over the bridge, seeing a corner of the city behind the wall; the orderly streets imprint on his eyes, the streets bustling with people, its prosperity not inferior to the Empire's great cities—though it cannot match Mo Du, it surpasses many provincial capitals and ranks as second‑tier.

Asina also watches, a little dazed.

Not far outside the teleport hall is the dock, where someone shouts loudly: "Anyone boarding, hurry! To 'Hunter's Corner' dock only ten silver krones."

"'Dragon Bay Dock' departing now."

"'Oukelan Dock', fifteen silver krones per person, three more go together, and a Holy City map is included; each month only seven days are given, saving you the trouble of asking for directions—an excellent opportunity not to be missed…"

Shouts rise and fall on the dock.

They see someone emerge from the teleport hall, immediately swarm to hawk them, reminding Reslin of the black‑car drivers outside a train station in his past life, oddly familiar.

"Gentlemen and ladies, would you like to board?" a middle‑aged boatmaster steps forward, pointing at a crude sailing vessel on the dock, smiling broadly, showing none of the usual awkwardness ordinary people display before a transcendent, clearly accustomed.

"No need." Reslin replies coldly.

"Yes, we have disturbed you."

The boatmaster quickly steps back; seeing Reslin dressed as a Wizard, he had little hope but probed with a question.

"Wait." Asina calls him, "Give us a map of Albert Bay."

"Certainly, esteemed lady." The middle‑aged boatmaster beams, quickly pulls a printed map from the cloth bag at his waist, and quotes: "Three silver krones."

If this were the Empire, a map that costs only a few copper pieces to produce would sell for three silver krones and be called a black‑heart swindler, but among the many transcendants of Albert Bay, almost no one cares.

Asina cheerfully pays for the map and spreads it before Reslin and herself.

After a single glance she exclaims, "Albert Bay is actually this big!"

"Indeed." Reslin's expression also shifts.

From the map, Albert Bay's entire inlet is almost completely surrounded by land, like seawater backflowing into a deep gorge; the only exit is the narrow strait where Goton Bridge stands. The bay, set into the land, forms an irregular arc, long north‑south, narrow east‑west, its maximum length close to sixty li, encircled by continuous high mountains, with several islands inside.

The bay's interior enjoys pleasant climate; most of the year is sunny, and because it faces the sea, summers are not very hot, while winters are only half a month long and not cold.

During the Third Epoch, Albert Bay was dwarf territory, then the world‑renowned best natural harbor, perhaps unrivaled.

Later the Abyss invaded; when dwarves and elves withdrew from the New Continent, the gods jointly triggered the "Great Earthquake" to eradicate the Demon legions, sinking most cities of the New Continent into the ground.

Albert Bay lies on the western shore, far from the epicenter, and was lucky to suffer only minor effects.

Over a thousand years ago, humans re‑landed on the New Continent.

Transcendants spent decades clearing the monsters and Nethif tribes occupying Albert Bay, yet Abyss forces have constantly eyed this treasure.

Over centuries, countless battles raged, the front lines shifting back and forth; Albert Bay changed hands more than a dozen times.

Ultimately, humans decided to build walls on the surrounding mountains.

This massive wall took over two hundred years from proposal to completion, becoming the longest and highest wall in Ai Lun E Si's history; it completely encircled Albert Bay, giving transcendants a huge advantage over monsters, and Albert Bay has never been breached since, granting people room to develop.

Albert Bay's residents call it the "Great Wall," and to this day it continues to be expanded and reinforced.

Within the Great Wall lie three cities.

They are "Saint Fangjig," "Jose," and "Oukelan."

Built along the bay, Saint Fangjig has the largest population and strongest power, controlling the bay's outlet and Goton Bridge; entering Albert Bay first requires stepping onto Saint Fangjig's territory; Jose sits in the south, smallest population but thriving trade, housing many brilliant alchemists and magical shops, and serves as a gathering place for non‑human races; Oukelan lies opposite Saint Fangjig, occupying the entire bay coastline, largest area and population, though ordinary people are a high proportion, so its overall strength trails the other two cities.

Reslin glanced at the map a few times, memorized it quickly, and his phone copied the map into his personal library.

"We enter the city."

He opened a teleportation gate, and the two stepped through.

The gate's destination is atop Goton Bridge; stepping out reveals Albert Bay in full, the towering walls on both sides like sheer cliffs looming, giving an immense sense of oppression.

Beneath the Great Wall, countless houses cling to the mountains, descending layer by layer from the wall's foot, the terrain gradually flattening into a plain city that stretches to the bay's edge; a dock dozens of li long hosts hundreds of ships, and magical airships launch from time to time.

This is Saint Fangjig City, one reason Albert Bay is called the "Holy City."

Across the bay, a bustling city can be seen—that is Oukelan.

"Truly spectacular!"

Asina can't help but sigh in awe.

Reslin nods; had he not known beforehand, who could have imagined such a prosperous city lying on the peril‑filled New Continent?

Neither rushes to enter, so they stroll on Goton Bridge.

Supernatural guards stand watch on the bridge; every three minutes a well‑equipped cavalry unit passes. The warhorses' hooves strike the bridge with resonant, powerful clangs, shaking the structure; pedestrians are accustomed and pay little attention.

Reslin watches a few more times; this cavalry's strength is quite impressive.

The squad leader is a high‑rank Iron Guard, each wielding a trident, armor enchanted, with a white cloak bearing a blue sea‑lion emblem, exuding lightning and storm aura, and a high‑rank storm priest accompanies the unit.

Afterwards several more patrol cavalry pass, identically equipped, led by a high‑rank storm priest.

They are the "Sea Lion Guard" of Saint Fangjig City.

Reslin watches the cavalry recede, then withdraws his gaze.

It is well known that Saint Fangjig's lord "Ake Man Namo" is a devout follower of the Ocean and Storm Lord, a very powerful storm priest who rose to Saint Rank over seven hundred years ago.

Within the Storm Church, Saint Rank storm priests have a special title: "Lord of the Ocean."

Ake Man is such a Lord of the Ocean, said to be near Thirty-level.

It was this mighty storm priest who, since over a thousand years ago, led people to pioneer the New Continent, clear monsters, resist Abyss forces, and was among the first to propose building the Great Wall, contributing the most; Albert Bay's current state owes great credit to Lord Ake Man.

Of Albert Bay's three lords, Ake Man's seniority, prestige, and strength are the highest.

He even named Albert Bay itself.

It is rumored that Akeman is a hybrid of a mysterious sea race and humans, possessing dual lineage; not only is he invincible on land, his power in the sea is even unfathomable, and he can command the sea peoples.

The Sea Lion Guard is merely the Transcendent Army that this ocean lord shows on the surface.

At the same time, he also controls a vast sea area off the western coast of the New Continent, an expanse comparable to several Empire provinces, extending into the Wu Jin Zhi Hai. Any ship that passes must pay tribute and obtain a passage permit; otherwise, within three days at sea a disaster is certain.

Therefore, the residents of Albert Bay honor Akeman with the title "Sea King."

The forces of the other two city lords are not as strong as Sea King Akeman, yet they are beyond ordinary people's reach.

The city lord of Oukelan is a rare Saint Rank Fighter, dubbed "One-Punch Martial Saint"; it is said no one can withstand his full‑force punch, any enemy is blown apart by a single blow. The city lord of Jose appears to be a Saint Rank Pastoralist, called the "Green Prophet," but her true identity is a publicly known secret: this female city lord is an ancient jade dragon.

The three Saint Rank strongmen jointly hold Albert Bay, along with an indestructible Giant Wall and tens of thousands of Transcendent Legion, deterring Abyss forces from attacking, which has led to the current prosperity.

After admiring the view from Gordon Bridge for a while, satisfying Asina's curiosity, Reslin finally opened the portal to enter the city again.

This time the portal's landing spot was close enough to be seen from the bridge.

The "Hunter's Corner" of Saint Fangjige City is the pier nearest the bay's mouth; every day hundreds of ships pass this stretch of water, and the nearly‑one‑mile‑long pier bustles with crew, dockworkers, and merchants whose voices mingle, presenting a scene of prosperity.

A portal opened by the roadside of the pier, startling the people nearby.

Then they saw a man and a woman step out.

The man was a young Wizard in a black robe, wielding a silver staff; such attire is so common on the New Continent that it drew little attention.

The woman, however, made eyes sparkle—she was a strikingly handsome beauty.

Most people, after a lingering glance, reluctantly looked away.

Anyone who has survived a few years on the New Continent learns some tricks and sharpens a discerning eye; these two Transcendents are certainly not to be trifled with—just the female warrior alone is at least a legendary strongman, and if she's in a bad mood and you offend her, you'll be in serious trouble.

Yet some people couldn't help but watch covertly.

Asina actually didn't mind, walking out of the pier with Reslin while observing the city's unique character.

The biggest impression was the extremely high proportion of Transcendents.

When she was in Mo Du she often went out to explore, knowing that humans, unlike storm giants, have a very low percentage who can walk the Transcendent path; Mo Du is already one of the world's most concentrated hubs of Transcendent power, with roughly one Transcendent per three to four hundred ordinary people.

But in Saint Fangjige, Transcendents are everywhere.

Counting roughly along the way out of the pier, Transcendents made up nearly one‑third—a staggering proportion.

Albert Bay's permanent population is about 600,000; at that ratio there are roughly 200,000 Transcendents, and they are not ordinary Transcendents—those daring enough to venture onto the New Continent are usually stronger than their peers, truly elite.

This is evident from the surrounding Transcendents.

Their weapons and armor bear many battle scars; each has a fierce bearing and sharp eyes, clearly veterans of countless fights, and some are stained with congealed black blood, dust‑covered, as if they have just entered the city from outside.

Emerging from the bustling pier, a wide stone‑paved avenue lies ahead.

The pier is always the most bustling district of a port city.

After walking a few hundred meters, a conspicuous inn sits by the water, in a prime spot occupying a large stretch of shoreline and abutting the pier street; it has five stories, and the rooms upstairs offer expansive views of the bay, the sunset over Gordon Bridge, while the ground‑floor lobby sees guests coming and going, accompanied by the sounds of clinking cups and lively conversation.

Asina read the sign hanging outside the wall: "Gold Gate Inn…"

"We're staying here?"

"Hmm." Reslin replied, "A few years ago I made an agreement with some people: if I come to Albert Bay I can go to the Gold Gate Inn to find them; if they're there, I can get familiar with the local situation."

"You actually have friends on the New Continent!" Asina said, a bit surprised.

Reslin smiled, "I'd say they're friends."

In fact, I was once their creditor.

Those two were Transcendents who, back in Longshande's Soul‑Market, sold me a "Crystal Lizard" soul; the ranger urgently needed a Feather‑Snake soul to upgrade to an elemental archer, lacked funds, sold the crystal lizard and still owed five hundred Gold Shields, and I offered to lend that money; they promised to repay within a year.

Within less than half a year they repaid the loan.

However, Lei En did not receive the five hundred Gold Shields in person; at that time he had already left Longshande for Mo Du to assume the title of Earl of Glamorgan. The other party learned of this and sent the money to Longshande's house, where his brother Brisset passed it to him.

Since then I have never seen them again, and they never tried to leverage the connection.

When lending the money, my Soul Eye sensed that the two had excellent character and were trustworthy; their repayment later confirmed my judgment.

They are members of the Soul‑Hunting Squad, long‑term residents of Albert Bay, and should be able to offer me some assistance.

I just don't know whether the two are currently out adventuring.

The Gold Gate Inn lives up to its name; its broad, towering main door is etched with golden patterns, grand and elegant. As Reslin and Asina entered the lobby, a wave of heat and wine scent hit them, and immediately the noisy hall fell silent.

Hundreds of Transcendents seated at tables, mostly men, turned like sharks sensing blood, swiveling to cast gazes at the two.

Precisely, it was Asina who drew their attention.

(End of Chapter)