In the washroom, Kaven looked at himself in the mirror and quietly said, "I'm being hunted by the Secret Order. Although they might not pay too much attention to a coward like me, I think I still need to improve myself as much as possible. I don't want to lie in a cold coffin yet, which is why I fled all the way here."
"Although Tingen City is a good place, and I'd like to live here permanently, the channels here are too scarce, and the extraordinary materials that can be collected are very limited."
"Perhaps going to Sea would be a good option."
He took out the crystal pendant used for divination, hung it vertically, and after the crystal stopped, he used the 'pendulum method' for divination.
"My hope of becoming stronger is on the Sea."
"My hope of becoming stronger is on the Sea."
After seven repetitions, he saw the crystal pendant rotating clockwise at a moderate speed. After receiving this revelation, Kaven put away the pendant and returned to his original compartment.
"I'm joining," the Seer said with certainty.
"That's great!" Nafi cheered. She had become familiar with Kaven over the past few months.
Kaven was composed, calm, and restrained, always able to help her make choices on difficult issues through divination. Now, hearing that Kaven was also going on the ship, Nafi was naturally happy; she also wanted to have another familiar friend on board.
Lex nodded and said, "Then, I need to apologize to you all."
"To conceal my identity, I made some disguises. The 'Duke' you know is just one of my identities in the Loen Kingdom."
Lex wiped his face, and his skin wriggled, changing back to his original appearance: "This is the real me. My friends on the Sea all call me 'Rayleigh.' I have a bounty of three thousand pounds from the Blood Admiral. Besides being an informant for the Kingdom's Navy, I also have connections with the Storm Church."
Considering that he would be spending a long time with them on the ship in the future, it was impossible to always wear the 'Thousand-Faced Traveler,' so Lex revealed some of his information, but still held back, only using the identity of the hunter 'Rayleigh.'
Kaven and Nafi exchanged smiles; they didn't seem too surprised. Nafi chuckled and said, "Actually, we occasionally discussed what your true identity was, Boss, and whether the face you showed us was truly your own."
"Oh, and the conclusion?"
Kaven took over the conversation and said, "Nafi and I both agreed that you should have some reservations, but we didn't expect you to be an informant for the Kingdom's Navy and even have connections with the Storm Church."
"I apologize for hiding it from you all for so long," Lex said apologetically.
Nafi shook her head and said, "You don't need to apologize, Boss. Everyone has some secrets, and I believe you must have a reason for doing what you did."
Lex sincerely said to her, "Thank you, Nafi, thank you for trusting me."
"Now, my friends, we've made a pact here. After the New Year, we'll go on an adventure on the Sea together!"
At this moment, the play on the stage finally began.
-
December 17th, Friday evening, Queen's Borough.
A party was being held in an old villa. Several carriages were parked outside the villa's gate, and the carriages bore different patterns.
These were Family crests, but if someone familiar with Backlund's nobility were present, they would notice that the Families represented by these crests had all fallen into decline.
Some of them were even close to bankruptcy, which shows that although the attendees could be called nobles, in the eyes of true nobles, these fallen nobles were not much different from commoners.
Tonight, a young lady at the party undoubtedly became the center of attention. Young gentlemen were always by her side. She was a sixteen-year-old lady with golden hair and blue eyes, wearing the most fashionable court gown of the time. Her smile was like the brilliant summer sun, making one young gentleman after another revolve around her.
"What's wrong with them? Haven't they seen girls before? They've been circling that girl from the countryside all night. Look, even Frogo went over."
On the other side of the hall, a group of girls of similar age watched the popular girl in the distance with envious eyes.
A brown-haired girl looked at the sofa nearby, at a slightly older, beautiful girl with dark brown hair and fair skin: "Elana, what did you say her name was?"
"Harribel, a Miss from a small Town in Desi Bay. Her father is a baron, and their Family moved to Backlund last month," the girl named Elana said, rattling off the details. "Oh, and I heard her brother even joined the Navy."
"Navy?"
The brown-haired girl laughed: "Elana, isn't your brother also in the Navy?"
Elana said proudly, "That's different. My brother is a Lieutenant, and he works in the Naval General Office."
"I really envy you, Elana, if only my brother were as capable."
Just then, a girl exclaimed, "Look everyone, Lambert also went to chat with that Miss! Elana, didn't Lambert confess to you last week?"
On that side of the hall, a young man with golden hair parted in the middle stood beside Harribel, saying something unknown. The two occasionally exchanged knowing smiles, making Elana's eyes almost spit fire.
She stood up, gave a look to the other girls, and they all went over to Harribel.
Elana intimately linked arms with the golden-haired Miss and said to the handsome Lambert beside them, "Excuse me, we'd like to share some ladies' insights with Miss Harribel. Could you lend her to us?"
Lambert chuckled and, understanding the hint, said, "Of course, please do."
Elana showed a charming smile and said, "Miss Harribel, would you like to chat with us?"
"Of course," Harribel replied with an impeccable smile, accepting the girls' invitation.
They went to a corner of the hall, and a black-haired, brown-eyed, freckled Miss said, "Miss Harribel, I heard you're from Desi Bay?"
"Yes, I lived in Enki Town in Desi Bay until I moved to Backlund."
Elana deliberately raised a glass of champagne and said, "Have you heard of Enki Town?"
The other girls shook their heads in unison, knowingly saying, "No."
Elana placed the glass of champagne in front of Harribel and said, "I'm sorry, we've always lived in Backlund and our knowledge is limited. We only know about the big cities. No one has ever told us about these small coastal Towns."
Harribel narrowed her eyes slightly. She could tell that this girl's apparent humility actually contained arrogance.
She remembered her father's instructions, suppressed her temper, and did not retaliate, taking a small sip of champagne.
Just then, another Miss sniffed hard: "Do you smell a fishy odor?"
Elana's friend, the brown-haired girl, immediately nodded: "It seems there's a little."
She moved close to Harribel, then immediately recoiled, and looked at the golden-haired Miss, saying, "It seems to be coming from Miss Harribel. It must be because Miss Harribel has been exposed to too much Sea wind. But isn't using perfume the most basic etiquette when attending a party? It can cover up those strange odors."
The black-haired Miss from before laughed: "Perhaps Miss Harribel isn't used to using perfume. After all, it must be quite difficult to buy suitable perfume in a coastal Town, right?"
Harribel's breathing immediately became a little heavier, and her chest rose and fell slightly. Her patience was almost at its limit.