“Is this the Northwest Bay?”
At the docks of Port Fran, a group of people dressed as merchants disembarked from a commercial ship. The leader, a woman, exclaimed in awe upon seeing the port bustling with a myriad of merchant ships and busy workers loading and unloading goods.
“Big Sister Seviya, this place looks quite nice, doesn’t it?”
A child, who appeared to be in his teens, looked around excitedly. This group was none other than Seviya Acitini and her companions from the Horn Bay Alliance. There were ten of them in total, four men and six women.
After the Arcane Society promised to help, many people from the refugee camp were willing to join the Society for protection. Others, with the suspension of the witch hunt along the coast of Horn Bay, went back into hiding among the common folk. The rest, after much deliberation, accepted Seviya’s proposal to cross the ocean to the Northwest Bay.
“Roskin, don’t wander off!”
An older man with grey hair grabbed the boy who was about to run off and turned to Seviya, “Miss Acitini, we’ll wait for you here at the dock.”
“Alright, Old Aode, keep everyone from wandering off. I’ll be back soon.”
After asking several passersby for directions, Seviya arrived at the door of a warehouse and called out loudly, “Excuse me, is Mr. McKinley here?”
The workers, busy with their tasks, turned their attention to her upon hearing her odd accent in Ordo language.
“Miss, are you looking for Mr. McKinley?”
“Yes, could you please tell him that someone named Acitini is looking for him?”
A short while later, McKinley, a colleague of Liszt, hurried over to Seviya.
“Welcome, welcome, you must be Miss Seviya, the beautiful lady.”
Seviya smiled and nodded in greeting, “Hello, Mr. McKinley, that’s me.”
“Ha ha, I received a letter from Liszt two weeks ago. I never thought he would refer so many alchemists to settle in the Northwest Bay. People of your ‘high caliber’… My! The Count would surely reward him handsomely for this.”
“I’ve already arranged a shop and lodging for you as per the instructions in the letter, at fair and reasonable prices. And it’s in a district where people from Horn Bay live, so you’ll definitely feel at home.”
“That’s wonderful, Liszt said I could count on you.”
Seviya took out a small bag from her pocket, which jingled with the sound of metal.
“This is a small token of our appreciation for your efforts these past days.”
McKinley hastily declined, “Oh, how can I accept this? You’re friends of Liszt, and therefore my friends. It’s only right that I help you.”
“We’ll be troubling you a lot in the future, please accept it.” Updates are released by NovєlFіre.net
“Heh heh! Then I’ll reluctantly take it.”
After some back and forth, McKinley somewhat embarrassedly accepted the bag. He weighed it in his hand – wow, are alchemists this wealthy?
Soon, he and Seviya went back to the dock to gather the others and visited the selected shop.
The group was very satisfied and immediately completed the transaction with the previous owner.
“Ah, we finally have a proper place to settle down.”
Old Aode found a chair and sat down, visibly relieved. Nearly a month of drifting at sea had been quite the ordeal, especially for someone of his age.
After her companions had found places to rest, Seviya pulled McKinley aside.
“I heard people on the street talking about some ‘Inauguration Ceremony.’ What’s that about?”
“Oh, that? You see, our lord, Count Paul Grayman, along with four other neighboring lords, has established a Customs Union. Naturally, there will be no tariffs within the union, making trade among ourselves even easier. The ceremony, which will officially mark the commencement of the Customs Union, is taking place in three days, near a checkpoint at the border between Alda and Lanaka in the south.” ȓÄŊỐΒΕ§
“Really?” Seviya understood. She had already heard a lot about the Northwest Bay Customs Union, as Liszt mentioned it frequently.
Perhaps she should attend this ceremony to tell Liszt about it later.
Three days later, she finally fulfilled her wish.
At the border between Alda and Lanaka, colorful flags fluttered in the breeze. The checkpoint was surrounded by crowds and numerous carriages loaded with various goods.
The five lords stepped onto a temporary platform and delivered brief speeches. From Liszt’s daily descriptions, Seviya recognized Count Paul Grayman, standing in the middle. He was indeed young.
“Gentlemen, the checkpoints between our territories will no longer hinder trade! I declare them removed!”
Count Grayman concluded the ceremony, and on his command, the barriers that still stood on the road were moved aside by a group of people.
Cheers erupted from both sides of the checkpoint.
Amidst the uproar, merchants on both sides hurriedly drove their carriages towards each other to sell their goods. Although they frequently traveled this route, today’s ceremony held significant importance.
The border soon turned into a temporary market, bustling with people selecting goods they fancied, and many minstrels performing, creating a festive atmosphere.
Representatives of the merchants, following an ancient tradition, climbed onto the platform to offer grains to the lords, who received them with smiles.
Seviya stood at a distance, observing the young Count Grayman, curious about the lord whom Liszt admired so much. According to Liszt, the various changes in the Northwest Bay in recent years were all due to this remarkable lord.
Gradually, however, her attention was drawn to a person beside the count.
More precisely, a woman.
The scholarly attire, the wide-brimmed, pointed hat, and the long emerald hair beneath it.
There was no mistake, although she couldn’t see the face clearly, every other feature pointed to someone she remembered.
“Excuse me, who is the woman dressed as a scholar beside Count Grayman?”
She quietly asked a bystander who was also watching the event.
“Are you referring to Miss Ladi Sertia? Oh, she’s no ordinary person; she’s an administrative officer in charge of education under our lord. Ah, to think a young woman, and from Horn Bay no less, would be entrusted with such responsibility by the lord. I hope my daughter grows up to be as successful.”
His words, however, struck Seviya like a bolt of lightning.
She repeated the phrase to herself, in disbelief.
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