New Continent, Central Earth, Luwalden Duchy.
As the ship docked, especially with that familiar dragon-head flag in view, Rhodes, a Dragonkin, quickly wrapped his scaly body—so different from ordinary humans—tightly in a linen robe. He left only his eyes exposed, which still held a look distinct from common folk, and began his usual work of hauling cargo on the docks.
Ever since the great rebellion forty-five years ago, the Luwalden Duchy had shattered into a fragmented state, with various factions vying for control. For ordinary people, merely surviving required immense effort and a stroke of luck.
Dock work was pure manual labor, paid by the piece. The job market was even more fiercely competitive than the food delivery industry on Blue Star; an ordinary person toiling all day would barely scrape by.
