Chapter 2466: Farewell at Moonbay

Thursday, the 14th of the Month of Flowers, sunny.

After breakfast, Shad helped Emilia carry her two large suitcases from the ship back to Belindell Manor.

There were quite a few people who came to see the elf girl off; after all, little Liana was truly likable.

The double doors of the manor mansion were pushed open, and after Emilia and little Liana walked out together, they stopped and turned around.

Miss Sylvia stroked the little beast's head, feeling a pang of regret that she couldn't keep one herself, while Angelina's eyes turned red as she hugged Emilia, looking as if she were about to cry at any moment.

The pointed-eared girl, however, standing beside the little unicorn with the 【Flute of Time】 on her back, didn't look sad at all:

"Angelina, be strong; we will meet again."

She gave Angelina a hug as well, then hugged the other girls who had come to see her off one by one, including Dorothy, Siris, Miss Swift, Fiona, Tifa, and Matilda.

Finally, it was Shad's turn; the girl, harboring her own little secrets, also hugged Shad, stared at him for a few seconds, and finally just thanked him:

"Shad, thank you for your hospitality this summer. I had a great time in Moon Bay... I will continue to serve as a library assistant after school starts. See you at the academy."

Luvia, standing to the side, thought that there was definitely something fishy going on between those two.

And so, on this sunny Thursday morning, everyone bid farewell to the elf who had spent the summer with them.

When Galina and Lixia left this past Monday, people didn't feel much, but now, watching that "Red Moon Witch" appear at the manor gate to talk to Shad before disappearing into the city with Emilia and little Liana, most people finally realized—

The summer of 1854 was truly coming to an end.

Angelina, Tifa, Luvia, and the many Northern maids were set to leave Moon Bay on the Saturday morning train, while Miss Felianna and Fiona were leaving tomorrow.

Besides them, Miss Swift had received a letter from Grandmother Cassandra asking her to inspect the Cassandra Auction Houses in the major cities of the western Old Continent, so she would also be leaving by train over the weekend.

Vanessa and the 【Golden Dawn Opera Troupe】 were expected to perform until next month, likely not leaving until autumn.

Miss Aurora and her niece, Hayley Aurora, would take a ship to the New Continent next week to confirm a batch of potion materials. They would naturally be traveling on the "Radiant Messenger," and Miss Elisse would later act in concert with this great Witch of Light, though her most important task remained the maintenance and upgrading of the "Radiant Messenger."

However, unlike Helen and Grace, who were bound to Sicar Mountain, Elisse could go to Tobesk to see Shad at any time.

Because Margaret still had to handle post-disaster affairs in Moon Bay, Miss Sylvia would also remain in Moon Bay for the time being. And Countess Bella Belindell, naturally, would not leave her own city.

Thus, after Angelina left, the remaining people who were about to depart also began to pack their luggage.

Although Shad could come to Moon Bay at any time in the future, he wanted to finish most of his business this time. Therefore, that morning, with the help of Megan and Audrey, he removed the 【Source of Chaos】 from the Countess's right shoulder on the ship.

The bright yellow bead, stained with blood, fell into a water basin. Megan and Audrey frowned as they handled the relic, which seemed on the verge of losing control, while Shad, with Matilda's help, cast a spell to heal the wound on the blonde Countess's shoulder.

Although her dragon-born lineage didn't give her much of a power advantage, it at least made her body heal faster. Peeling back the skin to remove the bead and then scraping the runes off the bone with a silver knife didn't make her shed a tear or even frown.

It was only when Shad used 【Sunlight Healing】 and Matilda placed her hand on her shoulder to cast the miracle 【Flesh Healing】 that she looked at the two sisters behind Shad:

"They aren't going with you to Tobesk?"

"The original plan was for them to come with me, but this morning Megan told me that Adele... ahem, I mean Miss Isabella, said to let them stay in Moon Bay for now and go see her next Monday. Your Speaker needs the power of the Megan sisters to handle some troublesome matters."

Shad said:

"But if things are resolved smoothly, Megan and Audrey will go directly to Tobesk to find me."

The stubborn witch sitting on the sofa looked up at him; they were both bathed in the warm sunlight radiating from the 【Night Watcher】:

"I really envy them. They have gained their freedom and can go anywhere, while I am still tied to Moon Bay by my title."

Audrey, while working with Megan to suppress the whispering elements of the Sage-level relic, smiled and reminded her:

"Even if we go to the North, Megan and I aren't going to live at Shad's place forever. Shad is a very busy man; he still has to host Miss Felianna and Miss Drago at his home. We just want to see the place where he lives; it will be very interesting."

The blonde Countess was still somewhat unhappy, so she said to the standing Shad:

"Although you cast spells so I can't feel the pain, I am still hurting right now."

"My lady, do you need a potion?"

The blonde maid asked with great concern, but her mistress ignored her entirely:

"Shad, comfort me."

"How should I comfort you?"

Golden eyes looked up at him, and Shad heard someone behind him—either Megan or Audrey—laughing, so he leaned down and kissed her under Matilda's gaze.

Because the train departure time had been set, Shad still needed to inform Dr. Schneider and Father August, who were touring Moon Bay, of the specific departure time.

Currently, they were both staying at the Moon Bay City Orphanage, so after lunch that day and returning the 【Source of Chaos】 home, Shad specifically took little Mia to the orphanage.

It was a pity that neither the Father nor the Doctor was there; the Father had gone to the countryside with the orphanage's head chef to buy fresh vegetables. The orphanage consumed a lot of food, so they usually bought three days' worth of groceries at once.

As for the Doctor, he had nothing to do and planned to wander around the city. Shad, considering that while leaving the city to find someone had a clear location, it was too far, and finding someone in the city might be close but the location was unknown, finally decided to look for the Doctor.

After all, even if he couldn't find him, it would be quite nice to walk around the city and enjoy the scenery.

However, whether due to some strange fate, Shad, who had intended to check Herring Street first, had just arrived at the banks of the Taton River with his napping cat when he saw Dr. Schneider standing by the river with his hands behind his back, watching the steamboats travel along the waterway:

"Doctor, good afternoon."

The weather was quite nice, the afternoon sun bathed the city, and even the people on the streets seemed more numerous than usual. Shad greeted him and walked over, first informing the Doctor about the train on Saturday morning, and then asking:

"How do you have time to come here and watch the steamboats? If you want to see the scenery of Moon Bay, the bustle of the city center, the trade on Commercial Street, the busyness of the dock area, and the mountain scenery in the north of the city are the best."

The Doctor glanced at the sleeping cat in Shad's arms and knew that Shad had no urgent business this afternoon and could talk to him:

"Everything you mentioned, the Father and I have already seen over the past two days.

The scenery of Moon Bay is indeed good; we even flew into the sky at night, watching the Moon Bay coastline lit up by gas lamps... That scenery, I probably won't forget it for the rest of my life."

As he spoke, the Doctor gestured to continue walking forward along the riverside street, and Shad walked with him toward the lower reaches of the Taton River:

"So, you're tired of the scenery of Moon Bay and are looking for some leisure here? That's a good idea; walking around in such good weather is also good for physical and mental health."

Shad joked, and the Doctor shook his head with a smile:

"I've only been here for half a week, so of course I'm not tired of the scenery. It's just that since I won't live here forever and can't see every piece of scenery here, I might as well look more at the things that matter."

He pointed to the children rolling iron hoops by the street; the three boys running wildly were noisily chasing their hoops. They all looked to be in their early teens and were from the lower city:

"You know my problem. For me, basking in the sun more and seeing scenery like this is the only way to keep myself normal."

Shad raised an eyebrow as he walked forward:

"Doctor, we just solved the Father's problem; don't tell me you're about to lose control too."

"No, no, of course not. I'm in pretty good shape."

The blue-eyed psychiatrist shook his head hurriedly:

"I mean, compared to those houses, docks, and scenes that can't move, the stories and landscapes made up of these living people who can move make me feel that my life is still fresh and alive, not already rotting."

He took a deep breath and looked up at the sun overhead:

"This is something even warmer than the sun."

"The more you talk like this, the more I worry about you."

Xia De said softly, also looking up at the sun. Suddenly he heard a meow. He thought it was Xiao Xiao Miya, but when he looked down, it was a very pretty, short and chubby blue cat that had come to his feet. That cat had a very round face.

"Meow~"

The cat nuzzled against Xia De's leg, and almost in the next second, Xiao Xiao Miya, who had been napping in Xia De's arms, suddenly opened her eyes.

This cat, who normally disliked walking on her own, actually leapt down from Xia De's embrace at once, and with the fierce motion of a "hungry tiger pouncing on its prey," swiped at the blue cat under Xia De's feet.

"Meow!"

"Meow~"

"Meow~"

After a few piercing cries, the "Defender" Xiao Xiao Miya successfully drove away that blue cat, which was twice her size. The orange-and-white kitten stood before Xia De's feet, tail swishing, and let out another threatening cry at the fleeing cat:

"Meow!"

Though uninjured, the blue cat seemed startled, and tucked its tail as it darted across the street to the other side.