The ocean did not roar when Jeather first saw it.
It breathed.
Slow.
Immense.
Alive.
They had walked nearly two days along winding coastal roads before the forest thinned into salt-stained plains. The air shifted long before the water came into view. Humidity thickened. The wind tasted metallic. The scent of pine and moss was replaced by brine and drying kelp.
The first thing he noticed as they approached the port was not the ships.
It was the beasts.
They walked openly.
Casually.
Like livestock mixed with nobility.
A man hauling crates had a Bronze-tier Tidal Mastiff padding beside him — its fur perpetually damp, its eyes glowing faint aqua, each step leaving shallow puddles that evaporated seconds later.
Two teenage girls passed by laughing, one trailed by a Coralwing Gull, a mid-sized avian beast with crystalline pink feathers and razor-edged wings. It pecked at stray shells along the road like a pet chicken that could probably decapitate someone mid-flight.
Further down, a merchant argued loudly while a bulky Ironhide Lobstrum clacked its plated claws behind him — a crustacean beast the size of a wagon wheel, shell tinted bronze and reinforced with iron nodules.
Saxum leaned forward on Jeather's shoulder.
"Jett… everyone has beasts outside."
Astrael's voice drifted calmly from within his consciousness.
"This region normalizes coexistence. They are accustomed to visible power."
Velkaria spoke next, cool and measured.
"It reduces ambush potential. Transparency is a deterrent."
Jeather hummed.
"Or they just like showing off."
A fisherman waved as he passed.
"New face! Don't let the sea bite!"
Jeather blinked.
"…Does it do that often?"
The fisherman laughed and kept walking.
Kael's expression remained unreadable.
"This port is different from Ardent," the old man said quietly. "More honest about its dangers."
They crossed into Saltwind Port proper.
Wooden planks reinforced with rune-braced beams formed the streets closest to the docks. Nets hung from lampposts. Lanterns shaped like shells flickered with contained mana flames.
Everywhere—beasts.
Some small enough to perch on shoulders.
Some large enough to block entire alleyways.
None restrained by secrecy.
Jeather smiled faintly.
"I like this place already."
"You said it was east from the old trade marker?" Jeather asked.
Kael nodded. "Past the broken lighthouse foundation. The port should be visible after the final rise."
Jeather squinted ahead.
"Strange," he muttered.
"What is?"
"I expected it to feel tense."
Kael gave him a knowing look. "Ports that survive do not survive through tension. They survive through adaptation."
They crested the rise.
The bar stood near the center of the port — large wooden exterior, three stories visible from outside, sea-stained walls, sign swinging above the door:
The Drowned Leviathan
A carved serpent wrapped around the lettering.
Outside, several beasts rested beside their owners:
A Silver-tier Brine Panther, its sleek body rippling like liquid mercury.
A Bronze Reefback Boar, tusks crusted with hardened coral.
A Mistfin Serpent Pup, barely Silver potential but still snapping at passersby playfully.
Saxum puffed up.
"Jett… can I fight one?"
"No."
Astrael's tone was dry.
"You would lose."
Saxum gasped dramatically.
Velkaria's voice carried faint amusement.
"Perhaps against the pup."
"I would win!" Saxum protested.
Jeather pushed the bar door open.
From the outside, The Drowned Leviathan looked like a standard large tavern.
Inside—
It expanded.
The interior was at least four times the exterior footprint.
Jeather paused mid-step.
"Spatial reinforcement," Kael murmured.
The ceiling arched high — easily five stories worth of vertical space. Suspended platforms connected by rope bridges formed upper seating areas. Massive pillars carved like sea monsters supported the structure.
Jeather made a quick mental estimate.
"If the outside was maybe forty meters wide…" he muttered softly, scanning, "inside is easily one hundred twenty across. And height… at least thirty meters."
Velkaria hummed.
"Anchored dimensional folding. Stable. Expensive."
The noise inside was controlled chaos.
Hunters laughed loudly.
Beasts rested beside tables — some perched on chairs, others lying beneath them. A pair of Bronze Saltclaw Drakes were curled together near a fireplace pit filled with blue flame.
Music drifted from a corner stage where a bard plucked at a stringed instrument shaped like a seashell harp.
No one looked surprised by Jeather.
Several even nodded politely.
A woman with a Wavecrest Lynx beside her raised her mug slightly in greeting.
"New hunter?"
"Collector," Jeather replied casually.
She grinned.
"Even better."
Astrael's presence spread subtly through the room.
No aggression.
Just awareness.
The Brine Panther near the door stiffened slightly.
The Reefback Boar snorted.
The Mistfin Serpent hissed quietly.
They could feel Astrael.
Bronze.
But wrong.
Velkaria's silver aura brushed outward gently.
The beasts settled.
Saxum wiggled excitedly.
"So many friends!"
Jeather chuckled.
"Food first. Friends later."
The bar was organized by tier.
Lower floor: Bronze and common hunters.
Second platforms: Silver-ranked individuals.
Topmost balconies: private lounges likely for Gold and above.
Jeather noticed something else.
No visible Platinum-tier beasts.
Interesting.
Either too rare…
Or too dangerous for casual display.
He scanned exits.
Four visible.
Two likely hidden.
Kitchen area guarded by a bulky man whose beast — a Copperjaw Moray — coiled in a water trough beside him.
Security was subtle but present.
A waitress approached.
Mid-twenties.
Confident posture.
A small Foamshell Sprite hovered near her shoulder, shimmering like a tiny jellyfish with a pearl core.
"First time here?" she asked.
"Is it that obvious?"
"You're observing too much."
Jeather smiled.
"Occupational habit."
She handed him a menu carved into thin lacquered wood.
Items listed:
Grilled Tide Serpent Fillet
Ember-Seared Reef Crab
Brine-Stuffed Sea Loaf
Deepwater Mussel Stew
Mana-Infused Kelp Wine
Saxum tugged at his collar.
"Jett hungry."
Jeather glanced upward slightly.
Inside his consciousness—
Astrael was silent.
Velkaria composed.
The Basilisk observed from the Realm.
The Chimera was restless.
Jeather looked back at the waitress.
"I'll take one of everything."
She blinked.
"For…?"
He glanced around casually.
"For us."
She looked at Kael.
Kael nodded calmly.
She scribbled quickly.
As she turned to leave, Jeather stopped her.
"One more thing."
"Yes?"
"Where can I sell beast cards?"
She didn't react negatively.
"Official Exchange is two streets east. Private brokers operate near Dock Seven."
"Who oversees this port?"
"Harbor Overseer Dargan Holt."
New name.
No connection to his bloodline.
Good.
"Strong?"
"Gold-tier contract. Balanced."
The Sea Spear Guild has a Gold-tier captain. And the Tidal Academy produces some dangerous students."
Jeather leaned back slightly.
"Academy?"
She nodded.
"Saltwind Tidal Academy. Trains marine-aligned hunters. Strong focus on amphibious and aquatic beasts."
Velkaria spoke quietly inside his mind.
"An academy tied to water specialization would have research access to deep anomalies."
Jeather tapped the table lightly.
"Deep anomalies?"
The waitress tilted her head.
"Strange currents. Creatures appearing from below mapped depths. Things that don't belong."
The Basilisk's earlier words echoed in his thoughts.
Pressure that bends platinum.
Jeather smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
As food arrived — trays stacked high — Jeather noticed something.
A group entered quietly.
Uniform cloaks.
Blue-grey embroidery shaped like tridents.
Their beasts remained outside.
Disciplined.
Controlled.
The waitress lowered her voice.
"Sea Spear Guild."
Jeather watched them casually.
One of them glanced in his direction.
Their gaze lingered.
Not hostile.
Assessing.
Astrael's presence remained calm.
Velkaria's silver aura thinned deliberately.
Saxum whispered loudly.
"Jett they staring."
"I noticed."
Food arrived in waves.
Steam filled the air.
Saxum clapped happily.
Jeather took a bite.
Paused.
Then raised a brow.
"…This is good."
Very good.
He finished one dish.
Then another.
Then looked at the waitress as she passed.
"Another round."
She stared.
"You serious?"
"Yes."
"For you?"
"For us."
When the second round arrived, Jeather did something new.
He reached inward.
To the Beast Realm.
The internal space responded.
The Platinum Basilisk rested coiled around a stone formation.
The Platinum Chimera paced restlessly along a lava-lit ridge.
Jeather opened a portal.
He looked around.
No one reacted.
No one saw it.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"They can't see it," he murmured.
Kael observed quietly. "The realm exists beyond standard spatial perception."
Jeather leaned back slowly.
"If no one can see it… if I can enter at will…"
He paused.
Velkaria spoke carefully.
"It can function as emergency refuge."
Astrael added:
"If your consciousness remains intact."
Jeather's lips curved faintly.
"So it's a hiding spot."
Saxum blinked.
"Hide-and-seek?"
"In a way."
Jeather stared at the bustling tavern.
"If something overwhelming appears… I can retreat into the Realm."
He imagined it.
Battle turning against him.
He vanishes.
Enemies confused.
He recovers inside.
His beasts ready.
A slow smile formed.
"That's broken."
Inside the Realm, the Basilisk coiled around stone terrain Jeather subconsciously shaped.
The Chimera paced along a volcanic ridge.
The Basilisk spoke coolly:
"There is pressure beneath the sea floor."
Velkaria echoed the observation.
"Mana density irregular."
The Chimera growled.
"Something large moves."
Outside—
A distant horn sounded.
Low.
Long.
Hunters stiffened.
Sea Spear Guild members rose from their table calmly.
No panic.
Just readiness.
The waitress muttered softly:
"Again?"
Jeather wiped his hands.
"Dessert first."
Saxum pumped both fists.
"Fight!"
Jeather leaned back instead.
"We observe."
Because he wasn't here to save ports.
He was here to collect.
And if something strong surfaced—
He would seal it.
For hobby purposes.
Naturally.