After seven long days at sea, Yoren and his group were finally stepping onto dry land again.
For everyone aboard, this voyage had been unforgettable—in both the best and worst ways. Yoren was pretty sure that ninety percent of the passengers would never willingly board a ship again.
It was 2 p.m.
As cheers rang out from the deck, the silhouette of land finally emerged on the horizon.
They had reached the last stop before Shendi City: the small port town of Sanna.
Yoren, Snowsant, ACE, and Ifrit stood side by side on the deck, all wearing the same expression of hard-earned joy.
"Yeah, it's finally here!"
"We're free!"
Prue lit a cigarette beside Yoren, the sea breeze tugging gently at his coat.
"Yoren, are you disembarking in Sanna Town too?"
Yoren nodded. "Yeah. You guys too?"
Prue let out a quiet hum of agreement.
The two of them stood in silence for a moment, staring into the waves.
Prue took a long drag. "You know, Yoren... you're not Blacksteel, are you."
Yoren chuckled. "So you figured it out."
"Yeah, I can't explain it. Just a gut feeling. You're different from the usual cold, hard types in Blacksteel. You've got too much... humanity. It doesn't feel like an act either. It's just who you are."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
Prue laughed. "A compliment, of course. After what we went through, I realized something. Life's short. No matter how much money you make, it's worthless if you're dead. Might as well live a little easier."
His words lingered in Yoren's mind.
Live easier...?
Truth be told, aside from his bouts of chuunibyou flair, Yoren had always been the laid-back type. His old life reflected that perfectly: no big dreams, no world-changing goals. Just an ordinary family, average grades, a plain university life. He'd imagined a life of heroism and epic battles, but never had the will to chase it.
And yet here he was—on a path that had shattered that once-peaceful normalcy.
He sometimes wondered in the dead of night... even if you gave it your all, could you really change everything? Like Prue said, in the face of death, what did any of it matter?
With the 100,000 tera coins Hemer gave him, would it be so wrong to just disappear with Snowsant and Ifrit? Live quietly, build a life with them somewhere out of the way, take it slow?
He could protect them. Money wouldn't be a problem. In a world this unfamiliar, why not just enjoy the days? Ignore the conflict between the infected and uninfected. Leave the secrets of the deep sea to someone else. Stop racking his brain for ways to save Amiya.
Just laughter. Daily life. A quiet, ordinary existence with a not-so-ordinary identity. No grand goals. No plans. Just living.
But then again... what would happen to the world if everyone made that choice?
"Woooo~~~~~~"
A low, resounding horn cut through his thoughts. The ship was docking.
Sanna wasn't a full passenger port. Most of the cargo would be unloaded here, but passengers would disembark at the main stop in Shendi City. Only a few—like stowaways or special passengers—would get off here.
From the deck, Yoren spotted a few military officers waiting at the dock. Their lazy demeanor practically screamed bribery. Clearly, they'd been paid off by the smugglers.
The bearded captain made his way over.
"Young man, I won't forget what happened out there. Thank you. You saved my ship. You saved lives."
Yoren smiled. He liked this guy.
"It's nothing. My friends were on board too. Just... don't sail through those waters again."
"Oh, no chance of that. I'm selling this rust bucket. Never going back to sea."
"Honestly? Smart move."
The captain had once told him, "Mention Captain Habu when leaving the port. No one will stop you." And in Victoria, his name supposedly held weight. At the time, Yoren believed it. Now? He wasn't so sure. Whether it was Habu or a husky, it didn't matter. In Victoria, you needed a name like Wei Na—the golden lioness.
As crates were offloaded, a stream of stowaways slipped out, collars high, disappearing into town while the police turned a blind eye. Clearly, the 3,000 to 6,000 tera coins per head had done their job.
But Yoren felt confident. This wasn't Columbia anymore. Aside from threats to Rhine, not much fazed him now.
With the black and white twins, the fire demon's power, the predator, and an absolute defense, they were a five-stack team in Summoner's Rift who could win even if down a player.
He walked out of the port with Snowsant and the others beside him, waving like a dignitary on tour.
"Thanks for your hard work, comrades."
The road beyond was empty and clean, clearly a route meant for cargo.
Then came a familiar shout.
"Yoren!"
Turning around, he saw the Platts brothers. Prue had a cane; Pudding carried a suitcase.
They caught up, and Yoren smiled.
"Lao Prue, what now? Where to?"
Prue shrugged. "No idea. Victoria's big. Thought we'd look around."
"You going back to your old business?"
He mimed cracking open a source stone.
Prue smirked. "Maybe. We might have to, but for now, we're not strapped for cash."
"Then I wish you both the best. Hope we meet again."
"And good luck to you too."
Pudding suddenly handed over an envelope.
"Yoren, here. Something from us."
Yoren blinked, puzzled. "What is it?"
"Fifty thousand tera coins."
Yoren was taken aback. "Why?"
Pudding smiled. "You're in a foreign land with two girls to look after. It won't be easy. This isn't much, but think of it as a gift."
"This is too much. I can't—"
Prue clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Take it. We love money, yeah, but we never shortchange our friends. After I saw how you fought that monster with no hesitation, I knew you were one of us."
Yoren paused, then took the envelope.
"Alright. I won't say no. But hey, let's exchange contact info."
Prue shook his head.
"Nah. I believe in fate. Victoria's big, but if we're meant to meet again, we will."
He stretched out a hand.
Yoren took it.
"Lao Prue, as long as the mountains stand and the rivers flow, we'll see each other again someday."
"We will, brother. We will."
The Kingdom of Victoria, with a land area of over 200,000 square kilometers and a population exceeding 40 million, stood tall as one of the most formidable nations in the eastern part of Terra.
Situated across the sea from Columbia, Victoria might have had less land, but its international influence was every bit as weighty. A glance at the map would show a nation meticulously structured: 14 major cities, 69 smaller cities, and over a hundred towns and villages. A great river cut the country in half, dividing it into northern and southern regions. At the heart of the north stood Londinium—the capital and beating heart of Victoria.
In areas like governance, military, industry, religion, science, and culture, Victoria was a shining example of progress. It was a country that looked to the future. And yet, paradoxically, its political system remained rooted in an old hereditary monarchy. Kingship ran through bloodlines, passed down from one generation to the next within the royal family.
The King was supreme—the nation's highest authority in both judicial and military affairs. On paper, he held the power to appoint or dismiss ministers, generals, governors, bishops, and other senior clergy. He could even declare war.
But in a country as advanced as Victoria, giving one person absolute power was too dangerous. After all, what if a foolish or tyrannical heir ascended the throne? Would the nation be doomed to crumble under his incompetence?
To prevent such a scenario, Victoria established the Yuan Council—its own version of a cabinet. Composed of powerful family representatives, the Council included roles like the Chief Executive, the Inspector General, the Chief of Military Affairs, and the Supreme Commander of the armed forces.
Under normal circumstances, the King's word was law. But the Yuan Council existed as a silent guardian—ready to act if the monarch went astray. It wasn't about disrespecting the King. It was about protecting the country.
As they walked down the road, ACE explained all this to Yoren.
"I rarely come to Victoria myself," ACE said. "That's about all I know."
"Yeah," Yoren replied quietly.
He wasn't all that interested in the official details. He'd already learned most of it before coming here.
Victoria's national flower was the rose. Its coat of arms displayed three lions encircling a brilliant rose. It stirred something in Yoren—an echo of a memory. Though not a perfect match, Victoria bore a striking resemblance to the mighty empire from his past life: Great Britain, the empire upon which the sun never set.
But politics didn't concern him now. What truly mattered was something far more pressing—where they were going to eat.
Yoren pulled out a map. Sanna Town was the southernmost port in Victoria. Looking at the coastline, there weren't many coastal cities to begin with. Logically, a place like Sanna—situated perfectly for trade and travel—should've been thriving. But the town looked far from wealthy.
Snowsant tugged on his sleeve.
"Windmill, I'm a little hungry..."
Yoren glanced at the time—nearly 4 p.m.
They'd docked around two, and in all the excitement, no one had eaten. Now, after walking for over an hour, that hunger was kicking in hard.
He looked up at the sky, thoughtful.
Food was important, but daylight was fading. Before anything else, they needed a place to sleep.
He patted Snowsant's head gently.
"I'm hungry too. But let's find a hotel before it gets dark. We'll eat after."
Snowsant remembered that terrifying night in the Rhineland—stumbling through a strange city in the dark, desperately searching for a hotel. If not for that robbery they'd run into, who knows when they would've found shelter.
She nodded obediently.
"Okay. Let's find a hotel first."
As they walked through the streets of Sanna, Yoren's mind turned to another problem—identity.
Back when they were still with Prue, he'd learned the importance of having official identification in Victoria. Without it, living a peaceful life here was practically impossible.
In Victoria, identity was represented by a special metal card. There were a few different statuses.
The highest was that of a citizen. To become one, you had to meet several conditions: you couldn't be infected, you had to have lived in Victoria for over ten years with a clean record, and you had to pay a substantial fee. Babies born to citizens automatically qualified. So did spouses or foreigners who had made significant contributions and pledged loyalty.
Below citizens were outsiders. This was the most common status among stowaways and migrants. All you needed was a temporary residence certificate—a card issued after a physical exam, fingerprinting, blood sampling, and submitting personal information. The catch? It only lasted three months and needed to be renewed regularly.
Both citizens and outsiders could move freely, though only citizens enjoyed full legal benefits.
Then came the third legal status: registered infected.
These were infected individuals allowed to live in Victoria legally. Their application process was similar to that of outsiders, but their freedoms were far more restricted. Like in Columbia, they could only reside in designated zones. Entering city centers, using public transportation, or accessing public buildings required special approval.
Even so, it was better than nothing. Many infected found steady work in factories on the outskirts, carving out a basic but stable life.
And then... there were the undocumented.
These were people without any status—illegal residents.
If someone was caught living in Victoria without ID for over a week, it was considered a crime. Some were international fugitives, others had committed crimes locally, and some were infected who didn't want to be labeled or restricted.
Foreign infected who applied for legal status didn't always get it. Rejections were common and could lead to deportation.
Without ID, these blacklisted infected had no access to regular work. Many turned to gangs, smuggling, or secret infected organizations. Some got involved in conflicts over Origin Stones.
As Yoren walked beside Snowsant and Ifrit, he stared at the town around him.
The buildings. The people. The rhythm of life.
He wasn't just thinking about where they'd sleep tonight.
He was thinking about what kind of people they would have to become... to survive.