Valos Fortress, also known as Barrier No. 13, was a bay city facing southeast. The area was rich in fisheries, and at the docks, fishing boats of all sizes came and went. Strong laborers hauled the catch onto carts.
"Hurry up! These are the Duke of Valos's favorite. Pick only the best, the freshest, and send them straight to the Duke's estate. If you slack off, you'll lose your worthless lives!" A noble's guard barked orders while a foreman cracked an iron thorn whip against the ground, sparking fire and a sharp sonic crack.
Behind the docks loomed towering gray-silver city walls, over thirty meters high, with sentries standing watch above. Below the walls stretched a row of two-story bastions, both walls and bastions bristling with cannons.
The city looked heavily fortified, but these defenses weren't aimed at war—they were meant to oversee the city builders working below, reinforcing and refurbishing the walls.
From afar, the endless stretch of wall resembled a giant beast, with the city builders clinging to it like ants, sweating under the blazing sun, enduring harsh scoldings from the foremen.
"It's livelier than I expected." Rosen glanced at the docks, crowded with fishing vessels, merchant ships heading for the Andia Kingdom, and even refugee boats. There were truly a lot of people.
A refugee family passed by Rosen, Robin, and the others, their voices full of excitement and hope.
"Wife, this is wonderful! We've finally reached the Andia Kingdom. They say it's the safest country—no more suffering from war!"
The speaker was a middle-aged man traveling with his wife and three children—two boys and a girl, all around seventeen or eighteen. They looked frail, malnourished, and exhausted, clearly having fled from some war-torn land.
"Hmph. Filthy lowborn scum. Don't block this Count's path. Clear them away! Disgusting. The royal capital is far better—here it's nothing but beggars and trash." A pale, sickly noble sneered at the commoners and refugees pouring into Valos Fortress.
At his words, the two squads of guards at his side moved to clear the way. Refugees and townsfolk hurried aside.
Clearly, this was a high-ranking noble of the Andia Kingdom, and no ordinary person dared cross him.
Rosen stepped back silently, observing. From the capital? Judging by his tone, he didn't come here often.
For him to arrive at Valos Fortress now… perhaps the kingdom's recent propaganda had worked, stirring the king's suspicion. Was this noble here to investigate?
"All entering must pay a fee of two million berries per person. Those without funds may register with the City Guard and work to earn the amount," announced the guard captain once the noble entered the city.
"Two million berries?! Why do we need to pay to enter the city? The ship captain never told us that—and it's so expensive!" the refugee father stammered in shock.
Two million berries wasn't much for merchants or pirates, but for common families, it was crippling. For five people, that meant ten million—an impossible sum.
The announcement sparked protests among the crowd.
Meanwhile, wealthy merchants and nobles paid the fee with smug satisfaction, striding into the city and sneering back at the poor left behind.
"Bang!" The captain fired a pistol into the air, silencing the unrest.
"What are you whining about? Do you think our Duke built these massive walls for free? If you don't have money, work for it. But trespassers will be executed on sight."
Clattering echoed as over a hundred armed soldiers on the bastions and walls aimed their rifles at the crowd. Silence fell instantly.
The captain smirked coldly. "Those unwilling to stay may leave. Those who wish to remain, register over there. Sign the contract, and you may live temporarily in the outer city."
"Signing lets us in?" someone asked, desperate. Many had nowhere else to go.
"Yes. But for fools thinking of sneaking in—look at the corpses hanging on the wall. That's the price. Don't think Iron Fortress Valos can be breached. The sea lies before us, and behind—on three sides—the Beast Forest. Try it, if you wish to die." He pointed at several corpses hanging from the thirty-meter wall.
The bodies had already been noticed, but in this world, a few corpses hardly drew attention. Now it was clear—they had been those who refused to pay and tried to force entry.
"I'll sign." It wasn't their lives being taken, just labor contracts. For many, it even seemed like a decent option.
"What about the children?" someone asked.
"Children cost one million each. They won't work, but adults must cover their fee. Once you earn enough, you're free citizens within the city."
Rosen watched in silence as many queued to sign their so-called contracts at a registration desk by the gates.
"President of the AKS Merchant Guild? Please, come through." The captain noticed Xia in the crowd. His face remained stern, but his tone softened and his attitude shifted.
The AKS Guild was a construction giant with countless workers and major influence in the Andia Kingdom. Not even a guard captain would dare offend them.
"Are all these people being registered under the AKS Guild?" Rosen asked after they entered without paying.
Inside, he immediately noticed the filthy sprawl of tents and shacks. The outer city was where the builders lived, the inner city housed the ordinary citizens, and the high city belonged to nobles. Three clear divisions marked Andia's rigid hierarchy.
"Yes, under AKS. But truthfully, our role is mostly to provide blueprints and some workers for the fortifications. Since joining the Folomond Guild, many decisions are no longer ours. After my father's death, the balance of power solidified. Even if I wanted to reclaim it, it wouldn't be easy." Xia's expression darkened. She knew too well what fate awaited those people.
"What will happen to them?" Robin asked, thoughtful. From what she had seen, working off the debt didn't seem so bad. At least inside the fortress, they would be safe from pirates.
"Look around." Xia's gaze swept across the outer city.
Rosen and the others followed her eyes. Beggars were everywhere—truly crippled and sickly beggars. Occasionally, a noble or rich man would toss them a few coins.
Beyond that, Rosen saw signs reading "Sell Children," "Sell Body," "Sell Myself." With each step, his expression darkened. Many of the city builders looked half-dead from exhaustion.
Sometimes corpses were carried away.
A land of wailing and despair? Rosen wasn't sure, but he could already glimpse the future of those new arrivals.
"Kind sirs, please buy my son. He's only seven. I won't live much longer. Just a little money for medicine for his mother, that's all I ask… please…" A man, prematurely aged though still young, kowtowed desperately to every passerby.
Beside him lay a woman on the verge of death and a skeletal little boy.
(End of Chapter)