Chapter 403

Chapter 403: Proposal and Rejection

At the inn.

Several young girls in light dresses were kneeling on the bed, playing a game with chess pieces.

“My little figure upgrades to LV4 Rose Priestess, then attacks Night Spirit’s LV4 Water Dragon. Due to the attack, the Water Dragon’s life drops to 0, and Night Spirit is out of the game, hahaha!” Lily excitedly picked up the chess piece.

“Wah, no! I spent so long raising that Water Dragon,” Night Spirit struggled in Lolan Hill’s arms, trying to grab the piece but couldn’t reach it due to her short arms.

“Haha, Night Spirit lost again,” Alena teased from the side.

Lolan Hill comforted Night Spirit, stroking her head until she finally calmed down.

Then, there was a slight knock on the door, and Letis entered.

“I heard that tomorrow, the Harbor will have a special large cruise ship, ‘Great Eastern,’ arriving. We can take that ship to the Southern Islands.”

“Such quick news, amazing!” Alena looked up, and they began planning their next arrangements.

“I thought we would stay here for a long time. The other day, I even learned some musical instruments. The bagpipes were quite interesting.”

“Me too.” Lily raised her hand, but her flute sounded no different from a sharp sparrow’s chirp.

“Let’s go see it tomorrow.”

“Sure.” x4—

The next day, at the Harbor.

A massive vessel slowly approached from the sea. As it neared the shore, its shadow loomed over the people, making them feel as if the sky had darkened.

The ‘Great Eastern’ cruise ship was commissioned by a noble from the Verdant region through the Rourna country’s large alchemical workshop and shipyard. It cost nearly 100,000 extraordinary gold coins. At about 200 meters long and 36 meters wide, with a displacement of nearly 30,000 tons, it had three propulsion systems: two large wheels on either side of the hull, a propeller underwater at the stern, and six large masts, each 70 meters tall.

Although Lolan Hill found the cruise ship bulky and sluggish, it was still unprecedentedly novel in this era, attracting countless nobles to experience its luxurious journey. The ticket price alone was as high as 100 extraordinary gold coins.

“In recent years, the technology for ironclad warships just entered the experimental stage. Coincidentally, a noble from another country showed interest in it, so they made this experimental giant ship. Unexpectedly, it succeeded, and the technology quickly advanced,” Letis, as the former young lady of Rourna, naturally knew all about it.

“How big,” Lily, Nia, and others watched the ship, which seemed like a prehistoric beast, slowly approach, feeling a pressing sense of awe.

Rushing over, although they all knew that this ship was not meant for war, they still felt a chill.

“Let me ask the ship’s manager if we can get some tickets,” Letis said to her companions and then headed toward the lowered gangway.

The others waited at the seaside restaurant.

But waiting took longer than expected, so they decided to explore their surroundings first.

“This time, I’m going too,” Ye Ling raised her hand, having missed out on many things last time.

Thus, Lolan Hill, Ye Ling, Keti, and Alena walked toward the street, while Bumansa, Lily, Vimya, and Nia stayed at the restaurant.

As they walked, looking at the new shops, they found themselves near the ‘Hibiscus Wine Estate’ again.

“Hey!” An urgent voice called out behind them.

Lolan Hill and the others turned around; it was Triton.

Seeing them turn, he ran up to them, placing his hands on his knees, panting as he spoke.

“Can you please help me?”

—

A while later, in a small alley.

Alena propped her chin up and said, “So, you want us to pretend to be the ‘Twilight Travelers,’ huh? That’s quite bold.”

“We let you off before because you were struggling to make ends meet, and the owner wasn’t much better. But now, instead of improving, you want to drag us into your scheme.”

“Can you tell us more about your detailed plan?” Ye Ling asked, unafraid and curious.

Triton repeated what he had told Sulis and the others yesterday.

Lolan Hill smoothed back her wind-tousled bangs and looked curiously at the young man, asking, “Don’t you fear we might report you?”

“Of course, I’m afraid, but I bet that all of you kind young ladies wouldn’t report me.”

“So, you think we’re easy targets?” Alena picked up the lollipop she had just bought and licked it.

“No, no, it’s not like that. It’s just that I really don’t know anyone else who would be more suitable.”

“But why should we get involved in your wild ideas? If we pushed the girl in front of us to sing, we could make a fortune easily without all this trouble, and avoid being exposed.”

“This…”

Today, Lolan Hill wasn’t wearing her hood, revealing her full face, which stunned the chubby boy. After standing there in shock for a moment, he finally lowered his head. He had a hunch yesterday that these girls were extraordinary, and today he was just taking a chance.

In fact, it was their friendly demeanor that convinced him they wouldn’t go out of their way to expose him over something trivial, which is why he dared to tell them the truth.

The emotions.

Keti simply watched everything before her eyes. At this moment, she did not have a clear sense of right or wrong; everything seemed fresh and intriguing to her.

“Wait a moment, let me think about this again.” Triton raised his hand, signaling for a pause so he could think for a bit before continuing.

“We can consider an alternative approach. Instead of taking risks by pretending to be the ‘Twilight Brigade,’ we could debut as a new opera troupe and board the ship that way.”

“Not bad, but there’s no need for that. Why would the Phoenix walk on the ground when she could soar in the sky?” Alena said, twirling the lollipop in her hand.

“Let’s go back.” With that, Alena pulled the still-interested Ye Ling, and they walked back in the direction they came from.

Lolan Hill was more interested in understanding the origin of Triton’s idea and wanted to know what the other half of the people in Vergha were thinking now.

“The risk of this plan is significant. Why do you want to take such a risk?”

“That’s because I want to live an extraordinary life.”

Even though he had stumbled over his words when explaining the plan earlier, he spoke fluently now.

“Do they really think giving me a little money will satisfy me? No way.”

“I want to be respected and called ‘Mr. Triton.’ That’s the life I aspire to.”

“But I know that no matter how hard I work, I’ll end up just like Sister Sulis, leading a mundane and ordinary life.”

“I want to make a big move! Take a gamble, just like those wealthy merchants and nobles, to live a carefree life where I can eat whatever I want and travel wherever I please.”

“But this isn’t the right path. You might make some money, but after that…”

“After that is another matter. How can I give up without even experiencing it? I won’t accept that!”

Perhaps feeling that these young ladies looked down on him, Triton had a rebellious streak and vented his long-suppressed desires and thoughts.

Seeing this young man flushed and hysterical, Lolan Hill felt a stir in her heart.

The world and era were different, but the familiar people and events continued to unfold. Young people without hope yearned to break free, their hearts wandering without direction.

Thank you to the readers 20210307145516976, Narle, Le Luo Chuan, Wuqing Huaruo, Mingri Zhisui Zhe, Lang Nige Lang, Lonely Traveler, Yunzhong Gumei, 20170317043145791, Not a Reader 20771334, Fan Xing Melody, Zhi Chi Shao Hua Qing Nan Liu, 20210303224918782, Wēnduò Tǐtǐ de Chún Bái Èmó, Congyu de You Dao, and fifteen other readers for their support!

Thank you all.

(End of Chapter)