Chapter 75. Trouble.
*Roku. Southern Earth Kingdom. Village of Chin.*
After my visit to this village with Shizuka, life became much calmer. The villagers elected a new leader themselves and... stopped celebrating "Avatar Day." The village lacked little, so we didn't stay long and continued our journey.
According to the map, our next destination was a medium-sized horseshoe-shaped port.
"Be cautious in the port," Lao instructed his daughter. "It's filled with all sorts of scum who don't care about authorities. You might even encounter Fire Nation ships."
"Where do they come from?" Toph tilted her head, curious.
"We barely have our own fleet," he said with a bitter smile. "What little we have can't compare to their steel ships. So everyone turns a blind eye to such things. If the locals started resisting, I doubt they'd fare well..."
The port was exactly as Lao described. Pirates, thieves, and bandits—the whole set—but there were also ordinary people who, upon seeing us, eagerly offered their goods.
"Buy Fire Nation armor, older models, bulk discounts available!" one vendor called out.
"Sir, try fresh Koi fish, straight from Kyoshi Island!" a sly-looking man advertised.
Glancing at his stall, I saw prices three times higher than what Kyoshi Island fishermen usually charged. When I visit the island, I'll tell them to raise their prices. After all, it's a unique product, and someone will always buy it.
"So much water," Toph marveled, frozen at the dock.