Chapter 300: A Small Boat from the Empire

The night grew deeper.

Luo Yan had just extinguished the magic crystal lamp by his bedside and was preparing to lie down to rest when two light knocks sounded at the door.

"Knock, knock."

He hoped it wasn't Lady Serina.

Luo Yan didn't know why he had subconsciously thought this, but based on his past experience, that lady was likely the only demon he couldn't handle—

She gave him absolutely no time to think.

Luo Yan had a clear understanding of himself.

The reason he had been able to survive in Hell as a human was never because of supernatural power, but because of a brain that was still reasonably functional.

It was precisely because of this that he was extremely inept at dealing with people whose hands moved faster than their brains.

He believed he wasn't the only one; Mr. Festin must have also had a headache over Lady Serina's personality more than once...

Luo Yan threw on his coat and walked over to open the door.

To his surprise, standing at the doorway was actually Mi Ya.

She was wearing a deep purple silk nightgown, the edges trimmed with thin black gauze. Her freshly washed pink hair still carried traces of moisture, the half-dry tips clinging to her collarbone, and she emitted a faint, sweet scent of citrus mixed with night dew.

Luo Yan noticed that her face was still flushed with a shy, rosy hue; clearly, she hadn't completely recovered from the previous embarrassment.

Honestly, he quite admired her courage.

After such a socially mortifying incident, he would have understood from the bottom of his heart if she had disappeared for a week without showing her face.

"Is something the matter?" Seeing that Mi Ya hadn't spoken, Luo Yan took the initiative to open the conversation.

Mi Ya's lips moved, her eyes darting back and forth restlessly beneath her lashes like a startled squirrel...

"Um, just now... I'm sorry."

She kept her head down, her hands clutching a stack of familiar magic photos, the corners already crumpled from her grip, as if she had struggled outside the door for a long time before finally gathering the courage.

"The photos... I'm returning them to you."

Luo Yan reached out his hand but didn't take the photos; instead, he looked down at her slightly pale knuckles and gently patted her fluffy hair.

"You didn't do anything wrong, why are you apologizing?"

"I didn't... do anything wrong?" Mi Ya raised her head in a daze, unable to understand this answer, and even less expecting Luo Yan to say such a thing.

Luo Yan nodded.

"Those are your treasures; how you use them is your freedom. Since you didn't share them with others, what right do I have to interfere?"

"I, how could I possibly share them with others! But, but... they are, after all, your..." Mi Ya looked away, her face blushing, and whispered, "You must think I'm disgusting, right..."

"How could I?"

Looking at Mi Ya, who was on the verge of tears, Luo Yan smiled and comforted her.

"People's preferences are... well, what I mean is, likes are free. If there's one thing you didn't do well, it's probably that I discovered it, and your mother didn't give me a chance to pretend I hadn't seen it. How about putting them in a cabinet next time? That way, you can avoid accidents and also prevent the servants from seeing them."

No wonder he had previously noticed the maids in the manor always looked at him strangely; it seemed Miss Mi Ya's hobby had long been an open secret in the Partridge family manor.

However, Mi Ya didn't seem to realize this, or perhaps at this very moment, she was completely immersed in that all-encompassing gentleness.

She froze, looking up, clearly not expecting that not only did he not blame her, but he had also thoughtfully come up with a reasonable idea for her.

Her trembling lashes were hung with dew-like mist, and what flickered in her eyes was no longer embarrassment and panic, but the wavering of someone filled with warmth.

"Luo Yan..."

"What is it?"

"No, nothing..." Mi Ya, who was about to say something, suddenly panicked and looked away, the courage she had just gathered deflating for some reason.

Perhaps because she was in her own home.

Or perhaps because her parents were both there.

In any case, in her view, it wasn't a good time.

Luo Yan took in all her little thoughts and movements, but only smiled gently, finally patting her soft, fluffy pink hair and saying in a tone used to coax a child.

"If it's nothing, then goodnight... It's getting late, I wish you sweet dreams."

"Mm... goodnight."

She actually bit her tongue on the short syllables. Feeling embarrassed, Mi Ya let out a "wooing" cry, and by the time she came to her senses, her cheeks were as red as a scorched branding iron.

She couldn't remember how she had escaped; in a flash, she was already standing at the door of her bedroom, closed it with a "click," threw herself onto the bed, rolled around several times in a strange posture, and finally rolled under the covers.

I want to die—

Ahhhhh!

Several strange cries leaked from the seams of the pillow. Mi Ya wanted to smother herself in the quilt, but couldn't bring herself to do it.

Her mind was now filled with that hand that had rested on her head, that heartwarming smile, and those thoughtful words.

An hour passed...

Her abundant energy finally spent, Mi Ya, hugging the quilt, caught her breath, sparing the pillow she had almost shredded and herself.

She lay on the bed, her hooked calves swaying gently, one slipper dangling from a foot, the other already gone who knows where.

Looking at the photos spread out on the bed, the corners of her mouth, slightly upturned, were like buds blooming in the depths of the night at the beginning of the month, hung with countless dreams and candies.

"I have to find a cabinet to put you in..." Her index finger gently poked the "Luo Yan" in the photo who could no longer move, her eyes filled with doting.

The night was quiet, with only the ticking of the wall clock extending slowly, like thin threads, bit by bit entangling the rhythm of her heartbeat.

When Mi Ya yawned and turned over, preparing to sleep, a faint ray of light happened to leak through the gap in the curtains.

That was the light from the Magic City's amethyst dome—

Dawn had broken.

Dawn had broken.

On the beach of the Jana Continent, white waves lapped lightly against the shore, as leisurely as seagulls pacing the bank—as if the storm two weeks ago had happened in another world.

This land seemed to still be forgotten by the world.

Captain Kadesen rubbed his eyes, lifted a corner of the rain canopy, got out of bed against the somewhat chilly morning wind, and walked outside the house.

He was still wearing that old coat, baked stiff by the sun; the dried sweat stains could even be squeezed for salt residue... but he had no leisure time to care about whether he was disheveled or not.

Stretching, he followed the edge of the camp, stepping on the sand toward the cook's wooden shed.

The large pot of porridge bubbled with heat; in the murky broth, one could see a few grains of gelatinized wheat, oysters floating on top, and a few strands of unknown seaweed drifting alongside.

The cook handed him a bowl carved from a coconut shell.

"Added fish bones today, the taste should be better than yesterday."

"You didn't wash the pot yesterday, did you?" Kadesen took the bowl and retorted weakly.

The cook gave a sheepish smile and didn't answer, which counted as tacitly admitting many things.

Retorts aside, Kadesen knew it wasn't the time to be a picky eater; he drank it clean very quickly, even letting out a satisfied burp.

Once full, it was time to work.

He walked into the camp and shouted, waking up those lazybones, and then led them to start the new day's work.

A full week had passed since the *Traveler* ran aground on this strange continent.

Relying on the hammers, nails, cloth, and wooden boards sent by Baron Titch, as well as a pile of "bizarre but unexpectedly useful" magitech devices, they had finally managed to build a dozen sheds on this beach torn apart by the storm that could shelter them from the wind and rain.

No longer sleeping in tents was already a huge improvement.

Although life was still very difficult, with endless physical labor during the day, constant mosquitoes at night, and seawater baths becoming more uncomfortable the more one washed—life finally had a bit of hope.

Humans are animals with extremely strong adaptability.

Especially those who have lost everything; they are easily satisfied.

Following Baron Titch's instructions, they drove a few wooden stakes into the seaside and finally managed to create a simple pier—although that thing could at most tie up a few broken fishing boats.

The name "Deadwood Port" finally felt a bit more fitting.

Every time Kadesen saw the fortress on the hill, he felt it was incredible.

At first, he thought the city wall was extremely crude, but now he only felt it was a miracle on the vast ocean—to be able to build a castle in this godforsaken place was simply too amazing!

If that big shot could help them build Deadwood Port as well, that would be even better...

Of course, Kadesen was just thinking about it.

He knew in his heart that that fortress was likely the result of the Prince Prince Kelin family's hundreds of years of operation and accumulation on this land, while they could only rely on themselves now.

It is worth mentioning that the night before last, Kadesen discovered that his group was not alone on this continent—

They met a group of lizardmen who called themselves the Tide Clan.

Those guys had men and women, or rather, males and females; they had fins and scales on their bodies, and some even leaned on fish-bone canes—they were migrating from the mountains toward the coastline.

At first, both sides were startled by each other, but fortunately, it didn't escalate into a firefight. The other side very restrainedly did not enter their camp, and because of the Baron's warning, they also suppressed the urge to take action to avoid greater trouble.

Finally, it was likely their leader who proposed hoping to exchange their catch and pearls for the resources in their hands—mainly those rum barrels.

Kadesen agreed immediately; anyway, the wine inside had leaked out, so it was better to go with the flow and give a gift, while also improving everyone's meals.

And those pearls were all good things.

If they could be brought back to the Empire, they could probably be exchanged for quite a few silver coins... of course, provided they could get back.

Speaking of which, there was another strange thing.

He didn't know if it was because he hadn't touched a girl's hand for too long, but Kadesen suddenly found those lizardmen quite pretty?

It wasn't just him who felt this way; the other sailors all had the same idea... but the other side clearly didn't look down on them, just left after the transaction was finished.

The lizardman matter came to an end, and there was no follow-up after they left.

Kadesen reported this to Titch, but Titch said such trivial matters didn't need to bother him; he was a Baron, a noble, a landlord... not their father.

This guy always had that arrogant face, but sometimes Kadesen also felt that his nature might not be bad?

Although this person always had a noble's style, liked to put on airs, point fingers, and force them to work, he was still much easier to get along with than the barons of the Old Continent.

At least he didn't treat them like refugees, at least the food after finishing work was really good, at least they were building houses for themselves and solving their own living problems so far—and they hadn't gone bankrupt or been hanged because of those damn trees.

This was already considered kind on the Old Continent.

Master Titch's kindness didn't stop there.

Just yesterday, when Kadesen reported the "progress of the shantytown renovation" to him, Master Titch patted him on the shoulder and said solemnly—

"Work hard, young man. I can tell at a glance that you're a poor devil who has sailed for a lifetime without owning a ship of your own. But I'm different. Once you build the port, not only will those houses be yours, but I will also appoint you as the Viceroy of Deadwood Port!"

"An appointment letter personally signed by an Imperial noble—since you are a citizen of the Empire, you should know its weight."

Very funny, isn't it?

There was only a broken flagpole standing on this beach; where did any port come from?

And although this barony seemed very large, he hadn't seen a single villager so far.

But even so, Kadesen's breathing still quickened.

Port Viceroy...

The opportunity to change his fate seemed to have really arrived!

And precisely because of this—

From that day on, he became more motivated than before, not even needing Titch to urge him, taking the initiative to get up early and lead his brothers to work.

Time passed bit by bit, and soon it was noon.

Just as Kadesen was about to call his brothers to eat, a sailor suddenly trotted over and said to him in surprise.

"Boss! There's a ship on the sea!"

A ship?

Kadesen was slightly stunned, his face immediately showing wild joy, grabbing the sailor's shoulder and saying.

"Where?! Quick! Take me there—no! Go! Light the fire first! Let them see we're here!"

"They've already seen us!" The sailor was incoherent with excitement, speaking at a rapid speed. "I saw it, they lowered a small boat and are rowing toward us!"

While speaking, a sampan had already appeared on the horizon; one could vaguely see five people sitting on the boat, with two oars rowing hard.

Kadesen rushed to the seaside to welcome them, just in time to see the five people jump off the sampan, their boots stepping onto the shore.

The leader soon discovered him, straightened his collar slightly, and then stepped forward, his figure upright and his expression calm.

"My name is Lisi," he said, his voice not loud but his articulation clear, with a standard Imperial accent. "Captain of the *Grace*. We drifted off course in the storm, damaged our rudder, and the steam boiler also had some issues; we can no longer continue sailing."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the flag fluttering in the wind on the shore, then looked at Kadesen's coat covered in dust, and said cautiously.

"I saw the Imperial flag on the ship... may I ask, is this an Imperial colony?"

While saying this, the four people behind him looked around alertly, their hands resting on the places closest to their guns in unison.

Kadesen stood straight, subconsciously straightening his waist and back as well. While sizing up Lisi, he was also calculating rapidly in his heart.

This person spoke with a soldier's tone, but he wasn't wearing a standard military uniform. The fabric was high-quality, the buttons were polished copper, the boots were polished bright, and the hat even had a bit of a "show-off" flavor.

He didn't look like an ordinary captain—more like someone with an official position in the military, or a distant relative of some noble.

Most importantly, the name "*Grace*."

Old sailors who had run the sea for years all knew: real merchant ships generally had down-to-earth names like "*Sardine*," "*Whale*," or "*Two-Masted*."

A name like "*Grace*" that sounded like it was taken after a priest blessed the ship was either a warship or the toy of some big shot.

Kadesen glanced at the sea, only vaguely seeing the outline of a three-masted steam sailing ship in the distance; he couldn't see the deck clearly, nor did he know if it was equipped with cannons.

Reading the alertness in the other side's eyes, Kadesen knew what he was worried about; it was nothing more than worrying that he was a wanted fugitive or a pirate engaged in smuggling.

However—

This worry was clearly superfluous.

He cleared his throat, learned Baron Titch's tone, and said pretentiously.

"... That's right, this is the territory of Baron Titch Kexiya, belonging to the colonial territory of Prince Luo Ke. This is of course the territory of the Empire... See that fortress nearby? That is Baron Titch's castle."

While saying this, Kadesen pointed to the hill not far away, where a crude but decent-looking fortress stood, on which one could vaguely see a few Imperial-style smoothbore cannons—models produced by the arsenal in the eastern part of the Whirlpool Sea.

Lisi subconsciously looked at the fortress not far away, was slightly stunned, and then frowned and repeated.

"... Prince Prince Prince Kelin?"

He hadn't heard of this name.

"That's right, the Prince Prince Kelin family has been operating here for many years... I'm not clear on the specifics, but that's how it is."

Seeing Kadesen speaking so definitively, Lisi relaxed his furrowed brows and quickly adjusted the expression on his face.

Imperial nobles were as dense as stars, and a "title that isn't a title" like Prince, while not to the extent of being worthless, wasn't exactly rare either.

After all, the Emperor was immortal, but his children had multiplied for who knows how many generations, and there were too many families related by blood.

If a noble had a specific duchy, he would call himself Duke or Grand Duke so-and-so. And if his territory wasn't worth mentioning, or he didn't want to attract attention, he would use the ambiguous Prince title as a suffix to his identity.

It wasn't strange for a remote new colony to have an unknown "Prince Prince Prince Kelin."

Considering he needed help, he stopped digging for the bottom, and his tone became much more polite.

"Please convey to Baron Titch for me that our people need fresh water and food, and it would be best if someone could help us repair the ship..."

He paused and added another sentence.

"Of course, we won't let you help us for free; we are willing to purchase at a reasonable price... please also accommodate us for the sake of Saint Xisi."

Watching the ship that had arrived also drop anchor, Kadesen felt disappointed in his heart, but had no other choice, so he could only nod and say.

"I will convey it for you, please wait a moment."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 301 =====