Chapter 204. On Deck

The air changed the second the bus doors opened.

The morning sun was just coming up over the water, putting a cold light on the docks. The dry heat of the desert was gone. In its place was a cold wind that smelled of salt water and fuel.

Outside the dirty bus windows sat a big concrete yard. A painted sign on the wall read: CENTRAL BUS TERMINAL — SOUTHERN SEAPORT CITY.

The driver turned off the bus. The passengers unbuckled their seatbelts and pushed down the narrow aisle. Everyone wanted to get out and stretch their legs after the long night ride. Most importantly, the atmosphere was too suffocating with the lodgekeeper in the bus. It felt like an eternity on the bus. Now that they had arrived at their destination, everyone was eager to quickly get off.

Aiden did not rush. He waited until the path was clear, then walked down the steps. His sneakers hit the ground.

He did not look back at the bus.

He walked across the wet concrete yard toward the main building. At the end of the yard were huge automatic glass doors. People were pouring through them in a steady stream, coming from buses, cars, and trucks.

Aiden stepped through the glass doors and walked inside.

The main terminal building was loud and crowded. Big fans turned slowly on the high ceiling far above. Thousands of people walked across the shiny floor in every direction. Speakers on the walls kept calling out times for boats and ships.

Aiden walked through the crowd. Here, power was about rules and money. Guards here were watching for people selling things without permission.

Aiden did not stop to look at the shop windows or the maps on the wall. He already knew where to go.

He followed a blue line painted on the floor. It led straight to the boat area.

The main building ended at another set of big glass doors. Outside, the gray morning sea stretched out as far as the eye could see. Giant steel ships sat tied to the wooden docks. Big cranes lifted metal boxes onto the decks.

Aiden got into line to buy a boat ticket.

About twenty people stood ahead of him. There were traders with leather bags, and people with nothing. These were usually warriors with storage bags housing their clothes and other things. There were also families with big bags.

A man in a nice coat was shouting at the woman selling tickets through a hole in the glass window.

"What do you mean the price went up?" the man yelled. "I checked three weeks ago and a ticket was twelve thousand dollars! Now you want eighteen thousand?"

The woman behind the glass did not look up from her screen. "The price went up at midnight," she said in a flat voice. "Eighteen thousand dollars for a standard room. If you cannot pay, please step out of line."

"Eighteen thousand dollars for a three-day boat ride?" the man shouted, turning around. "This is a scam!"

Nobody in line said anything. The people behind him just stared with cold eyes. Shouting did not make the line move faster.

The man cursed, tapped his card on the machine, and grabbed his paper ticket rudely. He walked away toward the gates, talking to himself.

The woman selling the tickets sighed. Clearly, she had endured her fair share of rude customers today.

The line moved forward.

When Aiden reached the window, the woman barely looked at his face. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Western Continent. Oakhaven Port," Aiden said.

"Normal room or VIP?"

"VIP."

"Three hundred thousand dollars. Put your ID card on the scanner."

Aiden pulled out the clean ID card he got before leaving MadCity. He laid it on the scanner with a stack of cash.

The machine beeped with a green light. The woman took the cash, pressed a few keys, and a paper ticket printed out.

"Gate 7. The boat leaves in forty minutes. You must hurry so you don’t miss it," she said, looking past him to the next person.

Aiden nodded politely, took his ticket and ID, put them in his pocket, and walked toward the gate.

As long as his money was real and his ID passed the check, he was just another person buying a ticket.

At the exit gate, people stood in straight lines between blue ropes. Guards sat inside wooden booths to check papers.

When Aiden reached the desk, the guard took his ID and ticket. He swiped the card through a small machine and looked at Aiden to check the picture.

"Why are you going to the Western Continent, Mr. Alex Turner?" the guard asked, stamping the paper.

"Personal business," Aiden said.

"How long will you stay?" the guard asked.

"A long time," Aiden replied.

The guard didn’t know what to ask anymore. He shrugged. He did not ask any more questions.

Thousands of people left the southern continent every year for personal reasons to the western continent. The man’s ID checked out. It meant he wasn’t a wanted criminal.

He handed back the papers and pointed to the door. "Go ahead. Have a good trip."

Aiden took his papers. He nodded politely to the man and walked out onto the wooden dock.

The cold ocean wind hit his face hard, smelling of salt water and wet wood.

Tied to the end of the dock was the Sea Sentinel—a giant six-story boat made of thick steel. Long wooden walkways ran from the dock up to the side of the ship. Workers in bright coats guided people up the steps.

Some people walked up with high noses and refined demeanors. Clearly, these were some influential people who held themselves in high regard.

Aiden walked up the walkway.

At the top, a worker scanned his ticket, and nodded.

"Welcome, sir," the man said. "Your suite is ahead, follow me," the worker said.

He didn’t dare act disrespectfully to the young man just because he wore cheap clothes. This man decided to pay for a VIP room. People with that amount of money were not simple.

Aiden nodded politely, and followed the man.