"Dock, disembark!"
Zephyr gave the order immediately after entering the Sibia Village's dock.
With his order, the warship docked in a slightly wider area. Without hesitation, he and his two students disembarked.
However, upon seeing the still-under-construction dock, the three of them couldn't help but express a hint of surprise. "Didn't senior Enchi say the Sibia Village is remote and relatively poor?"
Binz bluntly expressed his inner doubts. "But they've got money to rebuild a dock? And such a big one, too? Did we come to the wrong place?"
"Enchi wouldn't lie to me."
Zephyr pondered, then shook his head. A smile crossed his lips as he gazed at the halted construction before him. "Never mind. These are all irrelevant matters. Let's first ask someone where Ian is."
"Yes, Zephyr-sensei."
Hearing Zephyr's words, Binz glanced around curiously. "But… Where is everyone? How come such a large dock has no guards? And why stop halfway through building? Out of funds? Zephyr-sensei, should I go investigate in a nearby village?"
As soon as he finished speaking, before Zephyr, who had also noticed something wrong and frowned, could say anything. Ain, who had remained silent, suddenly said: "No need! Someone's coming!"
This brought Zephyr back to his senses. He seemed to sense something and turned to look at the villager approaching with a hesitant expression.
Zephyr suddenly grinned broadly, a hearty smile on his face, and was about to speak.
"Marines?"
The villager glanced at the massive warship, his tone tinged with doubt. Then, as if realizing something, he exclaimed: "You must be here to see Ian!"
Zephyr: "..."
Binz: "..."
Ain: "..."
The three froze, but only for a moment. Zephyr quickly regained his composure, still keeping a hearty smile on his face. "Yes, we are indeed here to find Ian."
"So it's true? You must be from the 315th Branch then!"
Hearing Zephyr's response, the villager said confidently: "Isn't Captain Enchi here?"
Then his expression shifted to excitement. "I didn't expect that Ian would actually invite the Marines to attend our village's winery opening banquet, and even bring such a big ship; this is amazing!"
"...?!"
Banquet?
What banquet?
Enchi didn't tell him!
Despite hearing some confusing words, the stunned Zephyr quickly recovered his composure, nodded without hesitation, and laughed heartily: "Yes, we're here for the party. Hahaha, aren't we early?"
"Early? Not early! In fact, you've arrived just in time!"
Zephyr: "...?"
Binz: "...?"
Ain: "...?"
At the villager's answer, the three once again fell silent. Then together they lifted their heads, gazing up at the still-bright sunlight.
Is it customary to hold a banquet in broad daylight in the Sibia Village?
Could it be some kind of good news?
But before Zephyr could ask, the other side cheerfully said: "The banquet has already begun! Come on, follow me! Let's go!"
With that, he enthusiastically invited Zephyr and the other two inside.
Zephyr and the other two exchanged glances, and without further ado, they followed.
As they walked, Zephyr cheerfully asked: "Young man, what kind of party is this?"
"You don't know? Didn't Ian tell you?"
The villager looked surprised, but then continued cheerfully: "Forget it, maybe Ian forgot. I'll tell you!"
With a look of pride, he said: "This is the opening banquet for our brewery."
"Brewery opening?"
Before Zephyr could say anything, Binz, next to him, said with surprise: "You even have your own winery? Weren't the Sibia Village supposed to be very poor? Where did you get the money to build a factory? Were those stories lies?"
"We're not scamming people."
The villager, who had been so proud, glared at Binz with disapproval at his rude words. "Although the Sibia Village is poor, our village has produced a great man!"
He couldn't help but feel proud again. "The winery was Ian's investment."
"Ian..."
Hearing that familiar name from the villager, the three of them were once again surprised. They seemed to have never expected this retired lieutenant to do such a thing.
Retire and return home to invest in his hometown?
Zephyr's lips curled up slightly, and he looked at the unfinished dock behind him, as if understanding something. "So, that dock..."
Before he could finish his words, the villager across from him, as if already guessing what he was about to say, puffed out his chest again and said proudly: "That's right, Ian invested in that too!"
He pointed ahead, his tone still proud. "Look, every village on the island has come to celebrate. The five village chiefs all said that with this dock and winery, our lives will surely improve. No one will be able to force down the price of our green grapes anymore. Those black-hearted people always pushed the price down whenever they came!"
As he finished speaking, Zephyr, who was about to say something, and Ain and Binz beside him seemed to notice something. They all looked in the direction the villager pointed, and sure enough, they saw the bustling scene.
Countless villagers were gathered in the open space. Even from a distance, they could still hear bursts of laughter and shouting.
And a little further back, there was the winery that the villager had mentioned. "I'll go talk to Ian and Village Chief Martin first."
Sensing the atmosphere of the banquet, the villager seemed particularly excited.
Without waiting for Zephyr and the others to speak, he ran forward alone.
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and catch up! We have specially brewed some green grape wine today, and there's not much left. If you're slow, it might be gone."
With that, he ran forward without looking back, leaving behind the three people who wanted to say something.
"Zephyr-sensei."
Just then, looking in the direction the villager had left, Ain seemed to notice something and pointed ahead. "That guy!"
"I saw it too."
Zephyr laughed heartily, and without hesitation, he walked forward. "A banquet? Looks like my recuperation here won't be too boring! Let's go, let's enjoy this banquet too!"
"Looks like I've arrived just in time, Ian!"
"..."
Hearing the familiar voice, Ian, who was wondering who had arrived, suddenly raised his head and looked ahead.
Sure enough, he saw those three familiar figures, especially Zephyr, whose bandaged hand seemed to have been reattached. His lips twitched.
Why had this old man ended up here?
But seeing those three, he breathed a sigh of relief.
However, before he could say anything, Zephyr approached with a bright smile. But as he looked at Ian and the woman he was leading, he seemed to notice something and froze in his tracks, his brow furrowing.
"...?!"
Ian's heart skipped a beat, but before he could say anything, Zephyr's smile suddenly turned serious, as if he were examining Robin. He said sternly: "No wonder this kid gave up on going to Marine Headquarters!"
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