Chapter 180

"It's raining."

When Su Lin returned to the Nightingale Tavern, the sky had begun a drizzling rain; the last bus of the night had just passed down the street, splashing small puddles.

From the increasing density of raindrops in the streetlamp light, this evening's rain would likely grow heavier; Su Lin folded his umbrella and strolled down to the basement.

As expected, only a few scattered tables had customers; the bar staff were killing time reading the Ruin Daily, and upon seeing Su Lin arrive, they immediately snapped to attention and greeted him.

Su Lin waved his hand—work when you need to work, slack off when you need to slack off.

The noble gentlemen of Ruin wouldn't venture out in heavy rain to gamble, so tonight would bring little business; the rich second-generation heirs who lived nearby, however, were regulars here.

Su Lin scanned the room and didn't see McCauley; he sensed her presence and walked toward a certain room.

Inside the room

A well-dressed young man lay sprawled on a Simmons mattress, drool trailing from the corner of his mouth and soaking the pillow, as if immersed in a perfect dream.

McCauley sat on a chair nearby, holding a fountain pen, scribbling furiously on scrap paper—writing, then revising, writing again.

After a long while, her emotions flickered slightly, but her psychological doctor's training allowed her to calm herself quickly; she glanced at the paper, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it aside.

"Sigh."

The sigh echoed; McCauley looked at the clock on the wall, then stood beside the bed and pulled back the blanket covering the young man.

"Mr. Dick, Mr. Dick." McCauley called softly; the young man awoke from his dream, his eyes still hazy, as if savoring the lingering sweetness of the dream.

"Hmm, did I fall asleep again?" Dick rubbed his eyes, skillfully pulling a leather wallet from his pocket and taking out a gold sovereign.

"Every time I'm with you, I feel like I have endless energy, never tired." Dick gazed at McCauley with fascination. "Have you really never considered my offer, Miss Dixi? My father may never accept you, but you could live in my private estate."

McCauley fell silent, silently thinking to herself:

'Of course you feel energetic—I gave you a psychological treatment. After the pleasant dream comes deep sleep; it's far healthier than alcohol or lust.'

McCauley deliberately showed a moved expression, then gently yet firmly said:

"You're always so generous, Mr. Dick. You deserve a better girl."

After skillfully declining, McCauley watched her most generous guest leave, then stayed behind to tidy the room—including the scrap paper she'd just thrown away.

She turned back toward the chair where she'd been sitting and saw a familiar figure seated there, holding a crumpled stack of draft papers.

"Boss?!"

"Shh." Su Lin gestured for silence, flipping through the pages in his hands.

Moments later.

"Not my usual type, but it's written decently." Su Lin nodded in evaluation. "So, thinking of switching careers?"

The story written was a classic Cinderella plot: a girl from the common class meets a young noble earl.

McCauley offered a smile uglier than crying, her voice trembling as she replied:

"No way, just a hobby, haha—when did you get here?"

Jennifer had told her the boss was attending a private banquet—didn't noble socializing take up a lot of time?

"About twenty minutes ago. I came to notify you—you're off on Thursday." Su Lin stood and walked to McCauley, took the gold sovereign from her hand, and returned four one-gold-sovereign coins.

"That's the venue fee." Su Lin also placed the crumpled stack of papers into her hand:

"I suggest you write something like 'The Tyrannical Rosell Fell in Love With Me'—maybe Ruin readers like that?"

Watching Su Lin walk out, McCauley stared at the few gold sovereigns in her hand—so, Mr. Sailer was tacitly allowing her actions?

"Will you and your family be free Thursday morning?" Su Lin suddenly turned back and asked McCauley.

McCauley's mind went blank, stunned.

What did he just say? Did I mishear? He asked if I had time Thursday morning? Her psychological doctor's ability vanished—her rationality had hit a historic low.

"I'm organizing a team-building event. You might not know what team-building is, uh…" Su Lin paused, then said: "I'm arranging a trip. We won't be open to the public; everyone will relax here."

"You don't work on Wednesday. Meet at the tavern Thursday at 8 a. m., lunch at Sazoren Restaurant—I'm treating everyone."

McCauley snapped out of her unrealistic fantasy, exhaling softly in relief—this was normal. No… not normal for a boss.

What she didn't know was that Thursday morning, the Fasak Empire's airship fleet would cross the boundary of Sunya Island, silently launching a bombardment with the aid of a Rank-Two Angel—Weather Mage.

Neither Su Lin nor Zhongli could directly intervene to stop this action, but Su Lin could casually ensure the safety of his own people.

Beckland

"Be sure to bring your family to the Nightingale Tavern—there will be valuable gifts." Su Lin told McCauley.

"Understood."

Su Lin closed the door, leaving McCauley standing there dazed.

Family

The next morning

Before dawn, McCauley returned home; as always, she suppressed her revulsion before entering, her lips trembling slightly as she forced a smile.

"I'm back."

"I've told you many times—don't wake up early to wait for me."

McCauley opened the door to see a golden-haired girl with braids and freckles, who pulled several gold sovereigns from her pocket.

"For Ellis, Harvey, Gardner, and Jeff's tuition and living expenses—send them off."

"In two months, you should start school too."

"Levi, from today on, go with Sister Vina to buy bread and vegetables—learn how to cook. You're a grown boy now." McCauley knelt and patted the head of a boy around ten years old.

"This week you don't have to eat black bread—my new boss is kind; he gave me a big raise."

"Yeah, your old boss was kind too—don't misunderstand."

To the children, McCauley radiated maternal warmth, working hard every day to bring them food and clothes.

"This sovereign." McCauley hesitated, then pulled a gold sovereign from her bag: "This week, buy more meat. I'm working Thursday, so don't cook for me."

After giving her instructions, McCauley felt drowsy; she walked toward her room, glancing out the clean glass window in the hallway—beyond the sky, a faint white glow was rising.

She suddenly had a illusion that all past hardships, life's trials, and former heartaches were slowly dissolving into the hazy white light obscured by mist and clouds.

Macauley turned her head away, instantly slipping into a state of rationality, and she soothed herself.

She still wasn't accustomed to daylight.

——————————

Inside Lord Hall's estate

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Lord Hall, Miss Kelaien, posing as Dorne Tarnes, walked toward the center of the crowd, cane in his left hand and a glass of champagne in his right.

"Mr. Mora, forgive me for speaking plainly—this foundation is not your personal affair," a councilor rebuked the refined middle-aged man with righteous indignation, "as a subject of the Rune Kingdom, I have both the duty and obligation to contribute my utmost effort."

"Precisely. This is a foundation of considerable significance," affirmed a nobleman, holding a glass of red wine.

"As Emperor Rosel said: take from the people, use for the people."

"If that day truly comes, I will actively participate in the foundation's operations—money and grain mean far less to us than the smiles of the people of Beckenland."

Zhongli politely praised: "Your benevolence and compassion are as vast as the Hohnichs Mountains."

His gaze met Miss Kelaien's; Miss Kelaien smiled, then looked up at the gilded ceiling above.

On the carriage ride back at night

Audrey sat across from Zhongli and Miss Kelaien, her eyes bright, a smile curling at her lips as she said happily:

"Wonderful! Your Holiness, Mr. World."

"Everyone is willing to join the Emergency Disaster Relief Foundation. We may not stop the war, but we can minimize losses the fastest."

The carriage driver did not know Lord Hall's daughter was inside; he merely followed his master's orders to deliver Mr. Mora and Mr. Dorne Tarnes to 160 Beckenland Street.

"Miss Justice, I hope you've prepared yourself in advance," Miss Kelaien removed his hat and placed it in his lap. "You must know, don't you?"

Audrey's smile slowly faded; she seemed somewhat disappointed. "Most people don't take it seriously—they're just flattering Your Holiness to gain favor."

But Audrey's tone carried a hint of hope. "Many others believe this endeavor is meaningful and worth joining."

"Though they feel it's distant. Hmm."

She seemed to search for a word to describe it, trying to articulate the psychological state of these people.

"It's like a pursuit—a pursuit of life's meaning, a desire to do good."

"From my experience," Zhongli said, as if recalling, his pupils slightly unfocused, as if the long history of ages had condensed into a barely visible glimmer in his eyes, "the hardest step is always the unity of knowledge and action."

"What one thinks in the heart does not equal what one can accomplish; the thoughts of today may change tomorrow."

"I understand," Audrey's eyes darkened slightly; at that moment, she thought of her parents, her brothers—what if it were her parents and brothers?

She did not know the true nature of war, only learning fear from the cold statistics and the horrific details between the lines of the books she had studied, drawing urgency from them.

How would the lives of those masses change?

The clatter of carriage wheels and hooves blended together, crisp on the night streets—these sounds reaching her ears like waves rolling in from a river, like the approaching war.

"Miss Justice."

After a brief silence, Miss Kelaien spoke:

"This war is also your chance for advancement."

"You should try to quickly digest the Dream Walker's potion."

Audrey gave a bitter laugh. "What an expensive price. I understand, Mr. World."

"Can you tell me roughly how long remains?"

Miss Kelaien thought for a moment, then lifted his clasped hands from his crossed legs and held up a number.

"Two months?" Audrey ventured.

"Two days."

————————

"Sigh, how many times has this happened recently?" A pirate with a whitening beard scrubbed vigorously at the deck's bloodstains with a mop. "You kid, why are you helping me?"

"You're the captain's—"

"The captain's—"

His vocabulary was lacking—or rather, he dared not speak the words aloud; if those inside the cabin heard them, his old bones would surely fall apart.

"Forget it." He continued scrubbing the congealed blood, then pulled a sharp little knife from his belt to pick out the stains in the crevices later.

"Are you copying their gossip too?" Lu Mingfei, wiping with a cloth, moved swiftly—the areas he cleaned gleamed brightly, for he had secretly cast a spell.

"Old John, why are you still a pirate at your age?" Lu Mingfei stood upright, glancing at the 'battlefield' ahead—due to his provocation, the Second Mate and Fourth Mate had engaged in a friendly exchange, but someone had broken the code and launched a surprise attack, sparking a brawl involving dozens.

Too bad it wasn't directly my doing.

Old John had been ordered to clean the deck; this old pirate was nearly sixty and usually handled logistics.

Lu Mingfei felt guilty, so he came to the deck to help him clean—even though Lu Mingfei was the newcomer, no one dared give him orders now.

"Why not retire early?" Lu Mingfei walked forward to the front of the deck and began his next round of cleaning: "Are you aiming to become Pirate King, chasing after the one and only legendary treasure?"

"Hahaha," Old John straightened up and rubbed his lower back. "Retire? Retire from what? I just boarded this ship this year—I haven't saved enough yet."

Lu Mingfei widened his eyes, staring at Old John in disbelief.

"What? Doesn't look like it?" Old John patted his biceps. "I used to be a dockworker in Beckenland's harbor district—I only went to sea this year."

"You're this old—why become a pirate?"

Lu Mingfei had assumed he'd been aboard for years, given his sun-browned skin and obvious signs of wind and sun exposure, his face appearing older than normal.

"Didn't your son stop you?"

He'd heard just two days ago that Old John had mentioned his son, who apparently lived ashore.

"Gone missing," Old John continued working, gripping the mop's handle. "You know about Beckenland's Great Smog?"

"He vanished on the third day."

Lu Mingfei felt he'd stepped on a landmine—but two days ago, Old John had spoken as if his son had recently done something.

"Where's your wife?"

"Caught an illness, died." Old John's hand paused briefly as he spoke.

"Sorry." Lu Mingfei secretly gave himself a slap across the mouth, and focused on scrubbing the stains.

"Actually, I still have a daughter." Old John walked over to Lu Mingfei's side, looked up at the starry sky and that red moon in the heavens — being out at sea had one advantage, you could often see the stars and the red moon.

Lu Mingfei didn't quite dare to respond.

"She's very pretty. If she were still alive I'd really want to introduce her to you, on the condition that you hadn't become a pirate, hahahahaha." Old John bowed his head and continued cleaning.

"Was that also because of the Great Smog?" Lu Mingfei looked at Old John, recalling the Great Smog incident the group had discussed at the Tarot Club.

"Mm." Old John didn't even look up as he said: "My son went missing, my daughter fell ill, the docks shut down and I was unemployed at home, my wife went out to sell herself to make a living, and ended up catching the illness herself."

"I figured there wasn't much point in living, so I jumped off the dock."

"When I woke up, the boatswain had already fished me out, and I've been staying on this ship ever since."

Lu Mingfei unconsciously clenched the rag in his hand; he felt the flow of blood in his body slow down.

"When I was young I yearned for the sea, but I never once left shore in my whole life, hauling cargo at the docks every day." Old John gave a contemptuous snort. "Never thought at this age I'd still end up becoming a pirate."

"Fate really is a funny thing, hehehe."

Old John seemed to remember something and sized Lu Mingfei up, lowering his voice as he said: "Actually, being a pirate has its perks too — the food's a lot better than when I was working on land. Meat at every meal."

"You with your little frame need to eat more. Who knows, one day, hehe, it'll come in handy."

Old John let out a lecherous laugh, his gaze drifting from Lu Mingfei up toward the main ship — that was the captain's quarters.

Lu Mingfei forced out a smile, and continued squatting to scrub the deck.

The waves slapped against the hull, sending up layer upon layer of snow-white spray. The sea wind came rushing in, the cool breeze carrying the salty tang of seawater into his nostrils, along with the rusty smell left by dried, congealed blood.

End of chapter.