Travel in the Coast

Traveling between the Coastal city-states is a challenging endeavor due to vast distances, inconsistent paved roads, and a combination of treacherous obstacles and dangerous wildlife.
To give an idea of the distances involved, it would take approximately 3 months for a single independent traveler with no luggage to march from Ashimachi to Kansujian in a straight line - likely closer to 4 months if you consider the roads between the two cities do quite a bit of winding to avoid environmental obstacles. And that would be one of the shorter journeys!
If one is determined to travel by land, trading companies regularly dispatch caravans between city-states. Given how lucrative tourism can be for some parts of the Coast, the most prominent companies also offer hirable taxi services and livery stables for long-distance travel. While every city-state has some form of private taxi service or livery available for travel within the region, international travel on roadways remains the domain of affluent and experienced trade groups.
For those who either cannot afford to hire a long-distance taxi or who are pressed for time, traveling by river is the fastest, safest, and least expensive option. Most city-states are connected by waterways large enough for trade vessels to pass one another, and even dangerous marine predators such as the Hailongxiong are unlikely to attack a boat.
Trade companies hold less influence over the river travel scene in the Coast, with private and even independent transport services catering to tourists and employees of businesses and local governments too small to maintain their own fleet of passenger boats. The shorter duration of traveling by river means fewer provisions for passengers, crew, and beasts of burden, so owners of boats no larger than canoes can make a living offering such services.

A transit map showing viable routes between city-states. Gray lines indicate a continuous road between two city-states and blue lines a continuous waterway.