![](https://i.ibb.co/4gS1rPq/TaoIcon.png)
Errings Rising {} D-rank
WC: 603
TWC: 603
Tagged: @Arthur Harrington
Muse: Ugh
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The instant he stepped onto the weathered wooden deck of the ship, he felt a weight lift from his very burdened shoulders. With head held high, he cast his golden orbs outward to sea instead of saying goodbye to the country of his birth, Dongxia. All he took with him was a lonely and trepidatious childhood, his trusty polearm, and a small travel bag filled with his prized tea set, as many herbs as he could fit, and a sack of mandarins. Even though he was officially leaving, the young man couldn't relax until he could get off the boat. It was a sturdy, extremely well-made vessel running on steam and oil, but it was very Dongxian. It would take him as far as Port Robinshire in Ca-Elum, and only then would he begin to feel free.
Ca-Elum didn't catch his attention much. He wandered around the big city with typical but muted tourist interest. There was no denying that the port had anything and everything for sale from nearly every country he'd learned about in school. I was an introduction to world goods. Even more comforting was the lack of anything authentic from Dongxia. There was a stall claiming to have artefacts, but any native Dongxian would note they were paltry fakes. He saw one small tent where he suspected a merchant was peddling herbs and medicines, but he quickly moved on from it in favour of a Joyan shop selling loose-leaf teas. He bought only a few since he was travelling light, purchased a snack for the road, and boarded a Ca-Elum transport vessel heading for Fiore.
The difference between Dongxian ships and Ca-Elum ships was startling, but they seemed equally efficient even if he did find the latter lacking a certain finesse. He sailed close to Minstrel which tempted him, but something held him back. He had had this plan since his mother taught him about all the countries. Fiore had always been his first stop for exploration. Rumoured to be a land of freedom and acceptance, Fiore would be low-risk. It had a diverse population and terrain. He would try his luck there before he ventured on to the less hospitable nations.
Swinging around the southern coast of the peninsula, the ship docked at a port town named Cedar. It was far from the enormous, bustling trade city of Port Robinshire, and after Ca-Elum's first impression, he was a little disappointed. Cedar offered little more than fishing stalls and architecture, unlike anything he'd ever seen. He descended the ramp with only a few others, pausing on the docks to get his land legs back. It wouldn't take long to explore this place, but the young man was already running into a snag. While he had a travel plan for the order of nations he planned to visit, there wasn't much planning done once he arrived in those nations. Fiore must have larger cities. Inland, perhaps?
Just like that, there was a new visitor in Fiore, a half-demon from Dongxia named Tao, who had never been allowed a surname due to his paternal lineage. The first thing Tao wanted was some maps. He'd get nowhere if he wandered around lost. The problem was, upon venturing more into the town, he saw nowhere to attain any maps, none of Cedar and none of Fiore. He was quickly learning that Cedar wasn't a hotspot for tourism. Hitching a ride on a trade ship had taken him out of the way for someone new to the nation. Though he hated to ask, Tao's only option now was to find someone to help him.
Ca-Elum didn't catch his attention much. He wandered around the big city with typical but muted tourist interest. There was no denying that the port had anything and everything for sale from nearly every country he'd learned about in school. I was an introduction to world goods. Even more comforting was the lack of anything authentic from Dongxia. There was a stall claiming to have artefacts, but any native Dongxian would note they were paltry fakes. He saw one small tent where he suspected a merchant was peddling herbs and medicines, but he quickly moved on from it in favour of a Joyan shop selling loose-leaf teas. He bought only a few since he was travelling light, purchased a snack for the road, and boarded a Ca-Elum transport vessel heading for Fiore.
The difference between Dongxian ships and Ca-Elum ships was startling, but they seemed equally efficient even if he did find the latter lacking a certain finesse. He sailed close to Minstrel which tempted him, but something held him back. He had had this plan since his mother taught him about all the countries. Fiore had always been his first stop for exploration. Rumoured to be a land of freedom and acceptance, Fiore would be low-risk. It had a diverse population and terrain. He would try his luck there before he ventured on to the less hospitable nations.
Swinging around the southern coast of the peninsula, the ship docked at a port town named Cedar. It was far from the enormous, bustling trade city of Port Robinshire, and after Ca-Elum's first impression, he was a little disappointed. Cedar offered little more than fishing stalls and architecture, unlike anything he'd ever seen. He descended the ramp with only a few others, pausing on the docks to get his land legs back. It wouldn't take long to explore this place, but the young man was already running into a snag. While he had a travel plan for the order of nations he planned to visit, there wasn't much planning done once he arrived in those nations. Fiore must have larger cities. Inland, perhaps?
Just like that, there was a new visitor in Fiore, a half-demon from Dongxia named Tao, who had never been allowed a surname due to his paternal lineage. The first thing Tao wanted was some maps. He'd get nowhere if he wandered around lost. The problem was, upon venturing more into the town, he saw nowhere to attain any maps, none of Cedar and none of Fiore. He was quickly learning that Cedar wasn't a hotspot for tourism. Hitching a ride on a trade ship had taken him out of the way for someone new to the nation. Though he hated to ask, Tao's only option now was to find someone to help him.