Chapter 155

Chapter 155: Setting Sail

In the southern Hopeland,

Despite the recent chaos, since the formation of the new Vergha Alliance, this place had become even more prosperous than before. After separating from the Frost Rose, it also became a hub for trade between both sides, with more ships coming and going.

The Calites Guild, being a proponent of the new alliance, received more seats and benefits within it. Additionally, due to Lolan Hill’s proposal, the alliance would allocate more of its revenue to basic public welfare projects such as building schools, roads, and hospitals.

Initially, with Lolan Hill’s detailed plans, they mostly followed the instructions, but inevitably encountered some issues in daily operations. When these problems required their own solutions, they also bore significant responsibilities. At such times, everyone began to miss the young lady, but there was no choice but to slowly learn to solve them on their own.

While business-related issues could be addressed through continuous exploration and negotiation, the absence of high-level strength and a central figure led to a slight decrease in the话语权 (decision-making power) of the Calites Guild after Lolan Hill left. Although the guild was indeed powerful overall, it lacked someone who could oversee everything and unify it.

Ceres was enjoying retirement in the Southern Islands, Chelsea, though experienced, was not suitable as a leader. Other senior members, the three fleet leaders were often away, and many of the managers and workshop leaders were recently promoted by Lolan Hill. They were capable individuals, but they felt somewhat resentful towards those who were mediocre but had longer tenures. However, they all felt that they were roughly equal, so why should one person stand above them.

Only when Lolan Hill was present could she truly make everyone accept her decisions.

Thus, in major events, the guild’s senior management had to resort to voting, and sometimes even had to ask Chelsea to send letters to Lolan Hill to seek final decisions.

At the harbor early in the morning, the snow was slowly melting, leaving only a little accumulation on the ropes tied around the docks. Ships were docked at the port, some unloading cargo, others preparing to set sail.

At the harbor, passengers waiting to board lined up. Due to recent unrest, identity verification and registration were required for entering or exiting the port.

“Name?”

In a small house by the harbor, a clerk wearing a warm hat held a pen in his hand and placed a stack of forms in front of him, asking as he looked up from the fire burning brightly inside the room, with many people still waiting outside.

“Bard,” replied a short youth. His skin was slightly dark, and although he was young, his hands bore calluses from hard labor, indicating he was someone who could endure hardship, despite his unattractive appearance.

“Where are you going?” the clerk asked, looking up as part of his official duty.

“To Nide County in Westwind.”

The youth spoke the unfamiliar word.

“It’s not called Westwind anymore; it’s Clancia now. It’s quite far from here. Even if you take a ship to the northern ports, you’ll have to pass through the Windy Wilderness and some forests,” the clerk asked suspiciously.

“Yes, I’ve prepared food and money.” The youth shook his heavy bundle, his voice honest.

“That’s not my main concern. Oh well, do you have a guarantee letter?”

“Yes.” The youth carefully took out an envelope from his chest, the exquisite envelope seeming out of place with his worn clothes.

“How precious.” The clerk took it, opened it, and pulled out the paper inside, the patterns on it also showing

Revealing.

“Those are the insignia of the Callitas Chamber of Commerce, quite impressive. Let me see which noble sponsored you, Miss Lolan Hill.”

The scribe raised his head in shock. This month, he had recorded thousands of people boarding ships, but this was the first time he saw the lady’s personal sponsorship letter. How could someone who looked so poor possibly be connected to a noble?

He was genuinely puzzled, but the seal and handwriting on the sponsorship letter couldn’t be faked. Having worked in the Alliance Guild before, he knew very well how to discern their authenticity.

“It’s hard to tell,” he sighed. At that moment, he put aside his casual attitude and focused on filling out the forms. He then asked Bard if there was anything else he needed help with. The northern region was currently chaotic, and going there wasn’t safe. Perhaps he should consider joining a large trade caravan for safety.

Bard declined, stating he wasn’t worried about his safety. He took the token given by the scribe and headed towards the harbor to board the ship.

The harbor was bustling with activity. Some ships were unloading cargo, others were loading, and some were being repaired and inspected. Some passengers sat by the harbor waiting.

The ship Bard was to board was still loading. He found an old bench, brushed off the snow, and sat down. The dampness wouldn’t soak through his thick pants, and he was sturdy enough not to catch a cold.

“Is that Bard?” A voice came from beside him. The youth turned and saw a young man carrying a long box.

“It really is you! I almost didn’t recognize you. I’m Lavoisier, the apprentice at the alchemy workshop near where you used to work. I often ate there before.”

“It’s you,” Bard recalled. The alchemy apprentice was relatively wealthy, always ordering white bread and eating well.

“You quit your job later on, didn’t you? It’s been a while since I last saw you.”

“Yeah, I worked at a winery for a while after that.”

“Oh, I see. Indeed, a lot has happened recently.” Lavoisier sighed, then asked,

“Are you returning home?”

“No, I’m visiting a friend’s hometown.”

“Visiting friends, that’s great too. I don’t have any friends. My teacher isn’t around anymore either.”

“Without friends, spend more time with your family. It’s good to have more moments together,” Bard said, feeling moved.

“But I don’t have a family. When I was little, I was an orphan. I almost starved to death on the streets. If it weren’t for my mentor saving me, I probably wouldn’t even be considered human.”

At this point, he seemed to open up, continuing to pour out his recent emotions.

“My mentor treated us apprentices well. Most of us came from poor families, but he rarely made us suffer. He said suffering isn’t a good thing; it makes people feel inferior.”

“Then your mentor is pretty good.”

“Is he?”

The young man gave a bitter smile. His mentor had used them as subjects to extract souls for the final experiment to improve the efficiency and autonomy of golems. If it hadn’t been his turn when the golem was already complete, he might have died.

“In fact, my mentor’s kindness wasn’t pure,” he paused, then continued.

“But I can’t hate him, after all, he raised me and kept me alive.”

“Forget it, let’s move on.”

“Let him go.”

The two exchanged a few more words, but unfortunately, Bard didn’t have much to say, and soon after, he boarded the ship.

Lavoisier walked towards the ship he was to board as well.

Just before reaching the deck, a staff member asked, “What are you carrying on your back?”

“This… This is an alchemical creation left to me by my mentor,” he replied after some thought.

“Can I take a look?” the staff member inquired.

“Sure.” Lavoisier then opened a long wooden box, revealing a golden sword with intricate magical patterns that allowed it to fly and made it extremely sharp.

“You can’t bring weapons on board,” the staff member said, shaking his head and looking at him warily.

“This is truly a treasure left to me by my teacher. I want to keep it with me,” Lavoisier pleaded, clearly troubled. However, the staff member refused, and they stood in deadlock on the deck in front of the ship.

“What’s going on? Why has there been such a delay?” a sharp voice came from the ship.

“Lord Jerald, I apologize, this passenger wants to bring a weapon on board,” the staff member answered nervously.

“Let me see.” Jerald stepped down from the ship, examining both Lavoisier and the sword for a while before speaking.

“Do you still intend to bring this item?” His words seemed to carry a hidden meaning.

“Yes.” Looking at this prominent figure of the Helius family, Lavoisier nodded.

“Don’t you hate it?”

“I hate my own weakness more. There are many things I am powerless against.”

“The creator of this sword has failed. Why do you still insist on this path, researching other things isn’t better?”

“Even though my mentor failed, it doesn’t mean there is no value in it. I believe there is still something worthwhile.”

“My mentor relied too heavily on external objects, and the person who defeated him made me realize that it’s better to focus on one thing rather than spreading my efforts.”

“Such as?”

“Like this sword. The only thing that injured that person was this golden sword. If only the sword could be faster, sharper, and tougher.”

“Is this your philosophy?”

“Yes, as long as my sword is fast and sharp, I can ignore all those other distractions.”

“I see.” Jerald seemed to resonate and said, “Let him on board.”

“Thank you, sir.” Lavoisier thanked him happily and boarded the ship.

Only after this young man had boarded did the staff member cautiously ask, “Sir, that sword should be the creation of that Rourna alchemist. Given our current relationship with the Frost Rose, shouldn’t we pay extra attention to letting him board?”

“No worries, he’s just a pitiful soul.” Jerald recalled the information and items found during the guild’s search at the alchemy workshop and shook his head, dismissing any concerns. Then he boarded the ship.

“Hoist the sails, set sail!”

With the order, the sails of the entire fleet were raised, along with the emblem of the Helius family—a yellow and green camellia.

They would sail southward, stopping at the southern archipelago for supplies, then follow the ocean currents eastward toward another distant continent in the eastern region, anchoring at Longquan Bay, where the dragon-loving nation of the Eastern Continent—the House of Plantagenet—held sway.

(The End)