“Come, smile nicely, say cheese!” With a click of the shutter, a passer-by handed the phone back to Local Bully. He smiled and waved in return, “Thanks, friend.”

It was now early June. The sun shone radiantly.

They stood on a side of the river bank. A massive skyscraper otherwise known as the Pearl of the Orient building stood directly across the riverbank from where they were. In fact, it sat among an entire row of towering skyscrapers, which included the Peace Financial Building, the Bank of Communications Building, the Bank of Cathay Building, the International Convention Center… The entire series of skyscrapers dazzled in the sunlight, forming part of the beautiful skyline in the early summer days.

Cruise ships drifted along the wide river, while thousands of foreign tourists held up their cameras on the opposite bank of the river, doing their level best to capture a panoramic view of the majestic city. Pedestrian traffic was heavy around these parts.

But it was strange.

The city was clearly bustling, yet there was a peculiar sense of tranquility when one stood on the other side of the river bank.

They had arrived only earlier today. The journey from the Insignia Province to the Eastsea Province took only slightly more than three hours. From there, it was only a short drive to the heart of the city, where they registered their arrival with the staff of the Eastsea Building 653, rejected...