The passenger ship sailed smoothly across the sea toward Linyu Port.
Leaning against the railing, Chen Mian watched the waves recede. The ship had long since left Wigtan Port behind.
Flora sat on a wooden crate on the deck, flipping through Keyins's journal page by page. Louise sat right beside her, her silver-gray hair blown into a gentle mess by the sea breeze.
She didn't mind Flora reading her journal at all. Instead, she leaned in close with great interest to read along, sipping the Moonlight Grass tea Flora had brewed for her.
“Chen Mian, do you think Linyu Port will be affected?” Loviki asked, looking at him from the ship's railing, having already pulled her cloak's hood back over her head.
“It will probably be affected to some extent,” Chen Mian said after a moment's thought. “From how they described it, the magical beasts in the Forest of Death must have been spooked, causing them to gather in large numbers toward the outer regions.”
“Spooked? Is there really something terrifying hiding inside the Forest of Death?” Loviki frowned slightly.
“There wasn't before we left, but who knows about after,” Chen Mian said with a smile. “Don't overthink it. We'll know what's going on once we get back.”
“Aren't you worried?” Loviki asked seriously, her gem-like eyes fixed on him.
“Not really,” Chen Mian replied calmly. “If anything, you're the one who seems anxious.”
“If you can't handle it... where else am I going to find a place with free room and board?” Loviki muttered with a pout. Halfway through, she noticed Flora and Louise looking over, and her voice trailed off.
“No, it's not free. You still owe me rent,” Chen Mian replied, a hint of amusement playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Is—is that really the point right now?!”
“Yes, that is exactly the point.”
“I already gave you the golem core.”
“The golem core isn't worth much,” Chen Mian said, shrugging.
“Then what do you want me to pay you back with...” Loviki looked up at him.
“Help wash the dishes, get stronger, and then do what you want to do.”
Chen Mian's words caught Loviki off guard. She quickly turned her head away, staring back out at the sea, though a small smile crept onto her face. “Got it.”
In the twilight, the passenger ship sailed into Linyu Port. The harbor lights drew closer, and the scent of cooking smoke began to drift through the air.
The four of them stepped down the gangway and walked along the streets bordering the pier before turning into the familiar, empty alleyway.
Inside the dark alley, a white light flashed and then faded.
When their vision cleared, they were already standing on the lawn in front of the apartment.
The apartment door was shut, but a warm, yellow light spilled from the windows.
Loviki pushed her hood back and took a deep breath of the forest air, which was rich with the scent of pine and soil. “We're finally back. It feels like we've been gone forever.”
“Yes, we're back.” Flora untied her cloak and hung it on the rack beside the door.
Louise stood at the very back, looking up at the cream-white building with a trace of curiosity in her eyes.
Just then, the front door of the apartment was pushed open from the inside.
Luolin stood in the doorway. She froze for a moment when she saw the group outside, her white cat ears perking up as her eyes lit up. “Mr. Chen Mian! You're back!”
“Yes, we just got off the ship a little while ago.” Chen Mian walked inside and changed his shoes. “How have things been in the village while we were away?”
Luolin stepped aside to let them in, replying happily, “The vegetable garden has been doing very well! During our transaction the day before yesterday, Boss Morris wanted to expand our trade volume, but we didn't agree. We wanted to wait for you to return before making a decision.”
“The wine you wanted is also fermenting. Sister Tina said it shouldn't be exposed to the sun, so we built a well-ventilated shed for it. We can transfer it to the oak barrels tomorrow to age, but it might take a while before it's fully ready,” Luolin said, her ears drooping slightly in disappointment.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, her expression turned slightly serious. “Also, on the second day after you left, several different groups of people spent some time observing us from outside the barrier before leaving. I'm not sure what they wanted.”
“It's fine, they won't be able to stir up any trouble.” Chen Mian finished changing his shoes and stood up. “Has there been anything unusual in the forest lately?”
“Everything around the apartment is mostly normal, though the nights have been much quieter lately. We can barely hear any beast roars anymore, and the flame demon bear has been lingering around the perimeter of the barrier,” Luolin said thoughtfully. “Also, Sister Melo heard that the outer regions of the Forest of Death have been quite turbulent lately. More and more magical beasts are appearing there, and the adventurers are getting too scared to train in the outer areas.”
Just as Luolin finished speaking, a sudden gale whipped up, causing the windows to rattle violently. Accompanied by intense wind pressure, a massive dark shadow descended from the sky and landed right in front of everyone. With the head of an eagle and the body of a lion, it was Ryan the griffin.
Ryan folded his wings, his sharp talons leaving deep gouges in the ground.
Standing before them, his amber eyes locked onto Chen Mian as he let out a series of low screeches, seemingly conveying some message.
After listening to Ryan's cries, Chen Mian patted his front leg. “I understand. Go get some rest.”
Ryan gave a soft cry, then spread his wings and vanished into the night.
“What happened?” Flora asked Chen Mian softly.
“It's nothing, just some uninvited guests around the Forest of Death area lately,” Chen Mian said, shaking his head calmly. “But they're still quite far away, so it won't affect us for now.”
“Uninvited guests?” Loviki frowned slightly.
“Yes. Ryan sensed a few dragons and some high-tier magical beasts active in the depths of the Forest of Death, seemingly looking for something,” Chen Mian said with interest.
“A few... dragons?” Loviki repeated, her voice a bit dry.
“Yes, but don't worry about them. Let's have dinner and get a good night's sleep. It's been so long since I've slept in a bed, I've actually started to miss it,” Chen Mian said with a smile.
“Mr. Chen Mian, who is this big sister?” Luolin looked at Louise with curiosity, her eyes filled with a touch of awe.
“Her name is Louise. She's my companion and the apartment's newest tenant.”
“Hello, Miss Louise! My name is Luolin!” Luolin said, looking at Louise. As she spoke, her cat ears twitched involuntarily. Miss Louise was incredibly beautiful, and she carried a very warm presence.
Louise tilted her head, her violet-gold eyes scanning the girl with the white cat ears as her lips curved upward. “Hello there, Luolin.”
She took a small step forward. “May I touch your ears?”
“Ah... Y-yes, you can,” Luolin replied shyly, her ears standing straight up.
Chen Mian sighed softly, reaching out to pull Louise back. “Don't scare her.”
“I'm not scaring her, her ears are just really cute,” Louise said with an innocent look. “And Luolin already agreed.”
Blushing, Luolin murmured softly, “I-it's fine, Miss Louise... you can touch them...”
“See! She agreed!” Louise immediately turned back, smiling as she raised her hand to gently touch Luolin's ears.
Luolin blinked, looking at the silver-gray-haired sister in front of her. Miss Louise was very lively, and her presence was indeed incredibly warm.
And... Mr. Chen Mian seemed to have changed a bit too. He was talking a lot more.
“Mr. Chen Mian, leave the cooking to me. You all should rest well,” Luolin said before quickly running into the kitchen.
“Do you need my help?” Flora asked, following her to the kitchen door.
“Nope! Leave it to me, Miss Flora!” Luolin nodded and turned back with a smile. “I've been studying cooking hard too, you know!”
Because Chen Mian and the others had returned so suddenly, Luolin was exceptionally excited tonight.
“By the way, Luolin, where is the little one?” Loviki also came to the kitchen door.
“Miya is over at Sister Melo's place. Lately, she's been saying she wants to learn how to sew clothes from her,” Luolin replied as she chopped vegetables. “I'll go pick her up from Sister Melo's after I finish cooking.”
“No need, I'll go,” Loviki said, setting down her backpack. She pulled out a glowing peach from inside and walked out of the apartment.
Rate on N.U.
