The massive iron-clad passenger ship slowly pulled away from the pier.
This was her first time on a ship.
Luo Li felt a surge of excitement in her heart.
She watched as the behemoth slowly distanced itself from the shore, feeling as if her eyes couldn't take everything in at once as she constantly looked around.
One moment, she was looking at the waves surging behind the stern.
The next, she was looking at the bow as it cut through the seawater.
In this moment, the other passengers saw a beautiful young girl with a pure smile on her face.
It stirred an involuntary sense of goodwill in their hearts.
There was no reason for this feeling.
It was simply the result of seeing the girl’s innocent and radiant smile.
It was a spontaneous reaction.
For a moment, everyone at the bow—men and women, young and old, nobles and merchants alike—couldn't help but break into a smile.
She was on a ship.
It was moving! It was moving!
Even though Luo Li had experienced countless major events and had even ridden a dragon, her heart was still racing with excitement.
She had loved the sea since she was a child, but she never had the time or the opportunity to truly see it after growing up.
Now, standing at the bow and gazing at the endless azure in the distance, she felt an indescribable thrill.
"Haa... phew!"
She took a deep breath. The sea breeze, with its slightly salty and fishy scent, was invigorating.
The corners of Luo Li’s mouth curled into a happy smile, one as genuine as a child's.
She leaned over the railing, occasionally glancing down at the water.
In the midst of the undulating waves, she could faintly see fish swimming.
Seeing them made Luo Li wish she could grab a fishing rod right then and there to experience what it was like to catch a sea fish.
"Beautiful lady, may I have the honor of making your acquaintance?"
Just as Luo Li was enjoying the scenery and experiencing the seasickness she had never known in her previous life, a man’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
The voice was full of vigor and gave off a decent impression.
Luo Li instinctively glanced back.
'Who is this? What a cliché pickup line.'
As she turned, a young man with short blue hair entered her sight.
He wore luxurious clothing and a crest hung from his chest.
Without a doubt, he was a noble.
"Are you talking to me?"
Luo Li’s good mood was instantly cut in half.
At a time like this, she hated nothing more than having this brief moment of tranquility disturbed.
Unfortunately, things hadn't gone her way, and she had been interrupted.
It felt exactly like the moment you're secretly reading a spicy novel at home and suddenly hear footsteps outside the door.
It killed the mood instantly.
"Of course, beautiful lady. It was love at first sight. I wonder if you would do me the honor of joining me for dinner?"
In this era, matters between men and women weren't as conservative as one might imagine.
Even a Saintess wasn't forbidden from marriage, let alone common women.
Keeping mistresses or marrying widows were common occurrences.
Naturally, the stronger a person was, the greedier they became.
Wealth was sometimes a form of strength, and in this world where the gap between the rich and the poor was vast, nobles with plenty of money and time acted exactly like this.
After looking the man over, Luo Li frowned slightly.
"Sir, I'm truly sorry, but it's not convenient for me."
"Oh? Is there some trouble you haven't resolved? My lady, as long as you are willing to dine with me, I will take care of whatever it is. What do you say?"
'This guy is quite thick-skinned, isn't he?'
He didn't back down even after such an obvious rejection.
"Sir, I don't have anything that needs doing, nor do I wish to have dinner. Thank you for your kindness."
Luo Li smiled as she refused, but the man’s expression turned somewhat sour.
After all, being rejected so bluntly in public at the bow of the ship was quite a blow to his ego.
"My lady, my name is Casma Borgia. I am no nameless nobody, and I mean no ill intent. I simply wish to invite you to dinner. Why don't you reconsider?"
Casma Borgia?
Luo Li wouldn't have cared about the first name, but the last name caught her attention.
However, she still didn't agree and simply looked at the man with a neutral expression.
When the people nearby heard the name Borgia, the eyes of several women lit up.
They quickly stepped forward.
"Mr. Casma, it just so happens that I'm free tonight. Perhaps..."
"So it's the young master of the Borgia family. No wonder you have such poise. If you don't mind, Mr. Casma, I am also free tonight."
In this era, it was no easy feat to climb the social ladder and connect with a noble.
The reputation of the Borgia family was second only to the four major noble families and the seven great families.
Luo Li didn't like it, but that didn't mean others felt the same.
However, Casma seemed to value Luo Li quite highly. He didn't respond to the other girls and simply smiled at Luo Li, waiting for her response.
Luo Li pondered for a moment before deciding to refuse again.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Casma, but I truly have matters to attend to. I see that these ladies are all quite beautiful, so perhaps you should invite one of them to dinner instead."
Although she was somewhat interested in the Borgia family, Luo Li refused the man's invitation cleanly.
With the power she held, investigating a family would be incredibly easy.
There was no need for her to take the risk herself; it wasn't worth it.
After all, she was a stranger in a strange land. No matter how powerful a dragon was, it was hard to contend with a local snake on its own turf.
To investigate, she first had to ensure her own safety.
Although this Casma Borgia appeared very gentle, humble, and polite, Luo Li’s intuition told her something entirely different.
This man gave her the illusion of a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Why would a wolf wear sheep's clothing?
To hide itself and catch its prey, of course.
And his prey was clearly her.
While Luo Li didn't normally believe in things like a sixth sense, in a world where even magic was logical, she couldn't dismiss it.
Therefore, Luo Li’s rejection was swift and decisive.
There was no hesitation.
Casma, with his short blue hair, simply stared at Luo Li.
After a long while, he suddenly broke into a grin.
"It seems the lady truly is busy. In that case, I won't disturb you any further."
As he spoke, he turned elegantly and walked away, not even acknowledging the girls who were throwing themselves at him.
Watching Casma’s departing back, a faint sense of unease rose in Luo Li’s heart.
It was an uncomfortable feeling.
Perhaps it was just an illusion, but then again... perhaps it wasn't.
To others, it looked like Casma had given up on hitting on her, but in Luo Li’s eyes, it was different.
He didn't seem to have given up; he had just briefly pulled back.
It was like a hunter who, upon encountering prey, deliberately ignores it to make the prey lower its guard.
Thinking of this, Luo Li couldn't help but become more vigilant.
This man didn't look like a good person.
She turned back to look at the scenery again.
However, she no longer had the heart to continue enjoying it.
The sea scenery was indeed exhilarating at first, but after a while, it gradually became boring.
After all, there was nothing out there but the azure ocean and the azure sky.
And this ship.
There really wasn't much else to see.
Once the initial excitement wore off and after being interrupted like that, Luo Li suddenly lost interest.
'Forget it, I'm done looking.'
'I'll go back to the cabin and rest.'
Based on the ship's speed, they would likely reach Moonrise City by noon.
With that thought, Luo Li turned and headed toward the cabins.
She didn't see that as she entered the cabin area, a figure followed behind her.
She stepped into the corridor.
Although the ship was clad in iron on the outside, the interior was still made of wood.
The walls, floors, and ceilings were all kept very clean.
After all, a ship like this was quite expensive.
The passengers were mostly merchants and nobles.
Therefore, putting effort into hygiene would increase the value of the tickets.
Because the ship was so large, the cabins were divided into various classes.
The cabin Luo Li had booked was naturally of the highest grade, located at the very top of the ship.
This section of cabins was situated above the deck.
She walked up the stairs to the top floor.
There were only three rooms in sight.
One of them was the one she had reserved for today.
She didn't know who the other two belonged to, but it didn't really matter to her.
She opened the door and entered.
The furnishings in this room were quite luxurious.
One could tell at a glance that it was specifically designed for nobles or exceptionally powerful merchants.
In fact, most merchants had noble backgrounds. Those without such backing couldn't survive in the various cities.
Those nobles were like vampires; when faced with these merchants full of blood, which one of them wouldn't want a piece?
Because of this, if merchants didn't attach themselves to and flatter the nobility, they had no chance of survival.
The nobility’s tool was power, and power... always trumped money.
Power represented force, and force could simply crush wealth.
This situation had led to a very close connection between commerce and the nobility in the Kingdom of the Moon.
Solving this problem likely wouldn't be something that could be done overnight.
However, she could perhaps start with Brilliant City.
She could separate the merchants from the nobles.
In any case, Brilliant City, along with the entire northeast region, was now under the Saintess's direct jurisdiction.
Although the northeast region was sparsely populated, its vast stretches of arable land gave it great potential.
She wondered how things were going back there during her absence.
It had been nearly a month since the day she left Brilliant City.
She had spent almost half a month on the demon island alone.
Once she reached Moonrise City, she would quickly send a reply to Lola.
No, she should contact Augus first.
Or... contact the Pope directly?
Luo Li stood on the balcony, gazing at the horizon where the sea met the sky as she thought.
Suddenly, a faint, grating noise came from behind her.
'Click... click...'
What was that sound?
'Click!'
Was someone... picking the lock?
Rate on N.U.
