He thought for a moment, then pointed in a direction, “That way is the nearest Temple of the Sea God. East of the Temple of the Sea God is the inn street. The inns there are all safe and reliable; you can choose one there.”
Sules’ smile became a little more genuine.
She deliberately asked, “Aren’t you coming with us?”
The man immediately shook his head, denying it repeatedly, “No, no, I… I have some things to do, so I won’t see you all the way.”
Only then did Sules let him go.
Claire, who had witnessed the entire exchange, was full of surprise and asked curiously, “Why did their attitude suddenly change? They reined themselves in a lot? Did you do something just now?”
Sules explained, “I specifically told them we were going to awaken. As you know, if we awaken well, we might immediately join a guild and soar to success. So, of course, they don’t dare offend us now.”
“But what if you don’t awaken well?”
Claire asked worriedly.
Sules smiled, “It’s fine. After the awakening, we’ll ask the people at the Temple of the Sea God to take us back to the dock, and then we’ll just set sail and leave. Although we might be chased out to sea, the ocean is vast, so the chances of escape are always much greater.”
She gazed into the distance, as if talking to herself, “Besides, I’m definitely going to awaken well.”
Claire didn’t hear her last sentence.
Looking at the large fish bag in her hand, she suggested, “Should we hire a carriage? Otherwise, carrying this big bag all the way there will take a lot of effort!”
This era’s setting naturally didn’t have high-tech things like cars.
And because the continent was small, land transportation was far less developed than sea transportation.
So, they still used horse carriages.
Sules thought the same.
There were many carriages waiting for passengers near the dock.
They casually found one and asked for the price.
“Driver, how much does it cost to take us two to the inn street next to the temple?”
“For the two of you, plus this bag you have, it’s five copper shells in total.”
The dark-skinned coachman sat next to his brown horse, took a puff from his cigarette, and said familiarly.
Five copper shells?
That wasn’t too expensive.
Sules nodded, paid the money, and got into the carriage with her goods.
There was an unpleasant smell of seafood in the carriage, extremely fishy.
Sules knew this was the lingering scent left by travelers carrying large and small bags of aquatic products year after year.
After two days on the ship, she had almost gotten used to the smell.
The carriage’s speed was not fast, especially with considerable weight on board.
They bounced along the bumpy road for a full twenty minutes before reaching their destination.
On the way, Sules took a quick look at the map.
Perhaps for convenience of awakening, there was a Temple of the Sea God very close to the dock, which was where they were headed.
Besides the temple, only a branch of the Albatross Guild was marked in the vicinity.
Both of these were landmark buildings in the East Sea; other than that, most were residential houses and inns, not worth marking.
Getting out of the carriage, Sules and Claire stepped into the inn street.
The inn street here was no different from a street in a European tourist town, just more dilapidated and retro.
Sules and Claire didn’t have many demands for accommodation, as long as it was clean and safe, so they casually picked an inn and walked in.
These few days were close to the Awakening Day, and many people were coming from the sea to awaken, so the usually quiet inn was very lively.
When Sules and Claire entered, five people were already in line.
All five were men.
When they saw Sules and Claire enter with their large bags, they all showed a hint of surprise. In this day and age, female captains were rare, and Sules’ captain’s hat clearly revealed her identity.
Sules had Claire take the bag full of fish to the nearby sofa, while she went to the very end of the line.
The man in front of her looked about forty, dressed in a sailor’s uniform, with a fluffy white beard that made him seem kind and wise.
However, his legs were uneven; he seemed to have a slight limp.
It was probably due to an old injury.
Seeing that Sules was clearly not very old, he immediately understood why she was there and asked, “Little girl, are you here to awaken?”
Sules nodded. This was her lifeline, so there was no need to hide it.
“Yes, I hope I can awaken a good talent.”
After thinking for a moment, she returned the courtesy and asked, “What about you then?”
She did not look down on him because of his age and physical condition.
On the contrary, Sules always greatly respected older people.
Especially in this world, such people were likely to be treasures.
“Return to Sail,” this sailing game, always needed young laborers, as in an era without generators, rowing depended on human power.
Young people with strong physiques were naturally very popular.
However, an old sailor, no matter where, would always be treated as a VIP.
Because you never knew how many skills this weathered old man had mastered.
It’s important to know that for people who can live to this age, their rich experience in facing sea disasters alone is enough to make any captain treat them like treasures.
“I’m here to book rooms for our young captain,” the man replied.
“He’s also awakening tomorrow, the same age as you, little girl.”
As expected, he was a sailor with an owner.
Sules sighed with a hint of regret, then self-mockingly thought that even if he were free, a small, penniless captain like her certainly couldn’t afford him anyway. It was useless to even think about it.
Understanding this, she felt less regretful.
Just then, a boisterous male voice sounded from behind, “Chard! Are you ready yet!”
The man in front of Sules immediately looked up and waved at her.
“Young Master, not yet. Be patient, I’ll be ready in a moment.”
Sules turned her head instinctively and saw a red-haired young man behind her.
His hair was as fiery and unruly as his demeanor.
Of course, the most striking feature wasn’t his hair, but his amber eyes.
This color, leaning towards gold, made him appear noble.
But it was also more translucent than pure gold, softening the sharp edges of gold while adding a touch of untouchable aloofness.
The young man was very handsome, with a high nose bridge and deep-set brows, a wild and untamed kind of good looks.
This certainly matched his flamboyant hair and eye color, giving off a vibrant, ambitious aura.
He wore a dark blue captain’s uniform, intricately embroidered with gold threads on the cuffs and edges.
A white inner shirt and black trousers highlighted his tall and noble bearing.
The other party wasn’t wearing a captain’s hat, but from Chard’s words, Sules immediately understood that he was the young captain, the young master, who, like her, was about to awaken.
The young master glanced at Sules, then calmly shifted his gaze back to the old man, complaining, “I should have known to come tomorrow. Now I’ve been waiting for so long. Why don’t we just go? Let’s not wait anymore.”
This person seems quite unruly, Sules thought, a slight curve forming on her lips.
From her years of experience as a venture capital boss, she could tell that the other party was by no means an unreasonable troublemaker.
Because even though he was grumbling, he had no hesitation in walking in and didn’t act disrespectfully.
This didn’t seem like a spoiled brat; it was more like…
“Young Master, my leg is fine. Waiting for this long is nothing to me. There’s no need to go back just because of that.”
Richard was clearly already familiar with his young master’s way of speaking and smiled very kindly.
The young master’s gaze flickered, and a sudden blush appeared on his fair face, “I just got tired of waiting, that’s why I came to rush you. Don’t misunderstand.”
The old man chuckled and nodded, “Right, right, Young Master isn’t worried about me at all.”
Even an idiot could tell he didn’t believe the young man’s explanation.
How could the young man not see that the other party was humoring him?
He glared at him in exasperation, then turned and walked out.
Indeed.
Sules chuckled softly, unable to resist saying, “Your young master is quite cute, isn’t he?”
As soon as she said it, Sules regretted it.
As a small captain with no money or power, it was highly inappropriate for her to comment on a young man like that.
She might even be thought to have ulterior motives, wanting to climb the social ladder!
However, Richard clearly didn’t have such thoughts.
Having lived for so many years, he could tell a person’s intentions from their eyes.
The young girl in front of him had clear eyes, with only a faint appreciation and no desire; she was genuinely complimenting his young master.
Precisely because of this, Chard did not blame her for being abrupt, and said with a smile, “You’ll soon find that he’s even cuter than you think.”
Sules was slightly relieved that the other party hadn’t blamed her, but then she became curious.
What did he mean by that?
However, in the next second, Sules understood Chard’s words.
The handsome young man burst back through the door, carrying a wooden stool in each hand.
He casually placed one next to the line and handed the other to Chard, saying impatiently, “It’s too hot outside, I’m coming in to sit for a bit. I happened to grab an extra stool, here you go.”
To be honest, despite the young man’s sulky face, she almost burst out laughing.
If it weren’t for the sofa on the right side of the hall, she would have actually believed his nonsense.
What?
This is too cute!
He’s still just a child, after all.
Chard’s face was also filled with smiles as he took the stool and sat down, “Thank you, Young Master.”
To maintain his lie, the young master naturally had no choice but to sit on the other chair he had brought.
He frowned, forced to endure the curious gazes of others.
After only a few seconds, his expression had already turned quite displeased.
Chard naturally noticed his discomfort and smiled, helping him out, “Young Master, look, I just met this young lady, who is also a captain about to awaken. She’s been standing here for a long time. Young Master, you’re kind-hearted, why don’t you offer your stool to this young lady?”
Saying this, he winked at Sules, asking for her help.
Sules naturally didn’t mind helping with this small favor and nodded, “I’m so tired of standing, can you help me?”
The young master’s expression softened slightly. He nodded and stood up, his words still sharp, “Such poor stamina and you want to be a captain? It’s not that I want to help you; it’s just that this stool is uncomfortable for me, so you get a good deal.”
Sules tried hard to maintain her composure, thanking him while taking the stool.
After sitting down, she turned her head and saw Chard shrug at her.
Both of them, without prior agreement, shared a knowing smile.