On the other side, Yue had mixed feelings staying in the mansion.
Joyful times are always fleeting.
Today is the day Ethan and the others sail back.
The debts of gratitude keep piling up.
He never dreamed that his spur-of-the-moment venture in Fireplace Bay would indirectly save Ophira from being submerged by the flood.
"Young master, the Empire’s delegation is about to leave."
Lily brought in a decent suit, and seeing Yue spacing out at the desk, she took a deep breath, neatly placed the clothes on the bed, patted her face with her hands, and tried hard to show a disgusted look—inspired by Ave, she had been practicing in front of the mirror every night.
She stood in front of Yue, looking down at him condescendingly, "Your friends are about to leave, what are you dawdling for here? Do you want me to kick you?"
Lately, Lily seems to have gotten fiercer, has she misunderstood something?
Yue admits that all this was his request, but he must emphasize it was all to keep himself from getting lost in people’s excessive praise and to stay alert.
More importantly, regarding feet...
Yue took the opportunity to glance at Lily’s white stockings on her legs and swallowed hard.
Yes, he has absolutely no interest in feet.
Upon arriving at the port, diplomat Richard was bidding farewell to Ave; his father also took the time out of his busy schedule to personally send them off.
The Empire signed many new treaties with the Western Continent, with the concept of "God" being revived, they also purposefully explored some theological topics with the Empire, Ethan brought them much insight with his idea of using "objective reality as a judgment standard."
Yue patiently waited until Richard finished his extensive diplomatic speech; at this moment, the port was full of Ophira’s residents.
The "Great Cataclysm" made them realize that the Empire is the most trustworthy ally.
Yue wanted to set out on a diplomatic visit with Ethan and the others, but Ophira’s rebuilding effort was not yet completed, the city needed him.
"Young master, if you don’t say something soon, it will be too late."
Lily pushed Yue from behind.
Typically, Yue, the young master, is eloquent and full of quirky sayings. Even when they sailed together, all the crew combined couldn’t out-talk the young master, but handling friends from the Empire, the young master often shyly behaves like an introverted little boy.
With so much to say, Yue didn’t know where to start.
He suppressed the myriad of thoughts in his heart and decided to follow his instincts, "Thank you all, I will not give up sailing."
Once Ophira’s reconstruction is complete, he would set sail once again.
Just like the warriors of several epochs ago, with fiery spirit and hopeful expectations leaving their familiar hometown, these days he witnessed the bond between Ethan and the crew, each person stood out on their own, an indispensable member on the ship, this is the future he dreamed of.
"One day, I will find companions that are just as great as yours and travel every corner of this world!"
Yue’s bold words left many in a daze.
This twilight scene made them feel as though they were back in the story of the warrior and the sea.
History seemed like a cycle; thousands of years later, today, someone was making the same promise at the same place.
Even Ethan was stunned for quite a while by these words.
He glanced around. This time, he was unprepared; he didn’t have a straw hat ready in advance. In such an event, he should have pressed the straw hat onto Yue’s head and entrusted this precious item to him.
The next to react was Ave. She admitted that Yue’s bold words were indeed quite inspiring, but she felt the atmosphere at the port was somewhat odd.
Yue spoke as if they wouldn’t see each other for over a decade.
But actually, "I discussed with Lord Richard about establishing a Teleportation Magic Array in Ophira. Soon the Imperial Mage Association will come to Ophira to set up the teleportation hub, then you could visit the imperial capital anytime."
Doused with cold water, Yue could only respond with an awkward smile.
Oh right, he had completely forgotten about how convenient teleportation magic was.
As the "Emperor’s Sword" slowly left Ophira’s port, there wasn’t much sadness on the deck. Ave convened a crew meeting before nightfall. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel·fire.net
Little Octopus had already become a team member, and Ave felt there was a problem that needed solving.
The golden hair on top stood stiff straight all night, as if ready for the storm.
"Haven’t you noticed a problem?"
The moment the meeting started, Ave solemnly raised a problem that had been bothering her for days. She placed Little Octopus on the table, "I’m Ave-Margaret, and it’s Aelium."
"Then who is ’Old Ai’?"
Ave thought, with the increasing number of team members, this was an issue they would face sooner or later. These days, whenever she heard the term "Old Ai," she felt Ethan was calling her, only to find each time Ethan was actually talking to the Little Octopus.
Aelium raised a tentacle, indicating its determination to claim the title "Old Ai."