Chapter 46: [46] Welcome to My Orellia
The dinghy scraped against worn wooden planks as Raven tied it off at the harbor. Her fingers moved through the familiar motions of securing the boat while her cat-like eyes swept the docks. From the Crimson Sparrow, Orellia had looked like any other backwater settlement. Up close, the differences hit her like cold water.
No chaos. No drunken pirates stumbling between buildings or threatening merchants in broad daylight. Instead, men in green bandanas moved with purpose, carrying supplies, checking manifests, directing traffic with the efficiency of a military operation. The amber dust that coated everything glinted in the morning sun, but beneath that golden sheen lay something far more organized than she’d expected.
This isn’t a pirate occupation. It’s an administration.
Raven adjusted her hat, making sure her distinctive hair remained hidden, and stepped onto the dock. A young man with a clipboard approached immediately.
"Name and business?" he asked, his tone polite but firm.
"Lily," she said, using her old alias. "Here to see Captain Moreau about amber jewelry."
He made a note. "Weapons?"
Raven lifted her hands, showing empty palms. The dagger strapped to her thigh remained invisible beneath her coat. "Just a woman looking to make an honest trade."
"Follow the main road to the square. Captain’s holding court today." He gestured toward a wide street that led up from the harbor. "Stay on the path. Don’t wander."
Her boots crunched on amber dust as she walked. A pair of Black Serpent pirates passed, their green bandanas stark against the golden light. They weren’t swaggering; they nodded to a shopkeeper, and one even shifted a heavy basket for an elderly woman.
Fear wrapped in politeness. The most dangerous kind.
The town square opened before her like a theater stage. Where Hotaru Town’s square had been dominated by Hardy’s monument, this space pulsed with living authority. The Golden Lighthouse towered over everything, its amber panels catching the light, but a massive black and green flag now hung from its peak. The serpent emblem coiled across the fabric, visible from anywhere in the square.