Chapter 11: New Residence

Hundreds of axe-wielding guards blocked every possible exit.

“Lu Sheng, are you really going to push this to a fight to the death?” Wu Ma tightened his grip on his spear.

But City Lord Lu Sheng bowed respectfully:

“Miss, please remain at the residence for a short while. Once I confirm whether the information is true or false, you’ll be free to leave.”

What a suspicious and ruthless man.

“And what if I say no?”

“It’s fine if you don’t stay in the city lord’s mansion—just remain in Bibo City for now. I’ll assign experts to ensure the safety of you and your companions.”

“Ensure our safety?”

Nice way of putting it—what he really meant was surveillance and house arrest.

“For the sake of Bibo City’s maritime trade, I ask you to stay temporarily and make sure nothing goes wrong with the plan.”

Lu Sheng stayed bowed, his tone polite and manner refined.

But everyone knew how much cruelty was hidden beneath that gentle exterior.

If the intel turned out to be false, he’d make Wu Yi pay for it.

“Ugh, fine, whatever,” Wu Yi said weakly, “I’ll stay in the house across from Wu Ma’s. I think it’s still empty.”

“That works. The owner was a merchant from the Plains Continent—he moved out not long ago.” The city lord nodded.

That location would allow him to monitor both the girl in front of him and the Wu Ma household. 

He was very satisfied with Wu Yi’s choice.

……

The new residence was quickly cleaned and tidied.

Wu Yi lay on the soft, plush bed, luxuriating in the softness of the covers.

She had no intention of getting up.

Ten years!

She hadn’t had bedding this comfortable in ten whole years!

On the deserted island, her “bed” had been an uneven slab of rock, and her “blanket” was woven from leaves stuffed with coconut husk fibers—stiff as a board and barely better than nothing.

The air was constantly humid, and the bedding would sprout grass every few days, which she had to pluck out by hand.

Whenever a storm rolled in, the roof would go whoosh and get ripped clean off. 

It was like having a waterfall slam into her face, waking her in the middle of the night, drenched and miserable.

That sort of disaster happened at least twice a month.

Just thinking about it filled Wu Yi with sorrow.

That fragile, girlish heartstring had been struck hard.

(sniffle)

She hugged the pillow tightly.

(more sniffling)

So wronged.

So unbelievably wronged!

“……”

Wu Ma was completely at a loss.

The girl in front of him didn’t look anything like the cool-headed strategist she had been moments ago—just a frightened young girl who had cried herself silly.

To him, she clearly had just gotten out of danger, finally let her guard down, and was now showing the innocence of someone her age.

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask. Do you know me?” 

Wu Ma scratched his head, trying to distract her. 

“Back at the city lord’s mansion, you called me by name, and then chose the house right across from mine…”

“Wu Ye told me to find you.”

“Oh! Then how’d you end up at the city lord’s mansion?”

“Because… I couldn’t see.”

A blush of embarrassment crept up Wu Yi’s ears. 

“So… I ran into something and knocked myself out. The city lord found me.”

“……”

What kind of ridiculous situation is that?

“That bastard Wu Ye!” Wu Ma grew increasingly angry, 

“He knew you couldn’t see, and still made you travel alone? Completely irresponsible!”

“Don’t blame him,” Wu Yi hurried to defend her image, “He had something urgent, so he left first.”

“No matter what it was, he shouldn’t have left a girl like you—so pretty and unable to protect herself to travel alone! Enough, don’t defend him. When he gets back, I’m going to tan his hide!”

This was bad.

Wu Ma was stubborn as a mule. 

Once he said something, he meant it. 

It looked like a showdown was inevitable.

“By the way, what happened to your eyes? Is it untreatable?” Wu Ma stared at the ribbon on her face. “I know a few doctors.”

“It can’t be treated. Even the best doctors said it’s hopeless.”

“Huh? The best doctors? Even Senshabeya, the leader of the Shepherds, said there’s no way?”

“No way.”

“Damn. Then there really isn’t.”

“Poor thing,” Wu Ma sighed softly, “Living here alone must be tough. I’ll have A-Miao come look after you.”

“No need. Didn’t the city lord say he’d lend me a maid?”

“He’s definitely up to something.”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as she’s helpful. And… Please bring Xiao Hulu and Xiao Qi here too.”

She had come ashore to find a proper home for Xiao Hulu.

She’d originally planned to entrust them to Wu Ma, but it turned out he was doing even worse than she was—barely escaped with his life.

Clearly, he didn’t have the capacity to take care of seven little ones.

Especially since… These little ones seemed unusually difficult to raise.

The “Lord of R’lyeh,” seriously—ugh.

Just what kind of twisted turn of events had led things toward the outcome she saw in her prophetic dream?!

……

After seeing Wu Ma off, Wu Yi sat at her desk, chewing on the end of her pen, muttering to herself out of habit.

“There were cicadas in the prophetic dream, and cicadas only chirp when the temperature exceeds 20°C.”

“Bibo Harbor is in the southern region, so it’s warmer than most places. But it’s only early spring now—days above 20°C are rare…”

“I just checked with the Astronomical Association. Based on patterns, the next day expected to exceed 20°C is about forty-five days from now. After that, temperatures will drop again.”

“So that day is most likely when the events in the dream happen?”

“Since I know the exact date, I can prepare in advance.”

Ah-ha~ Thankfully, there are still over forty days left~

……

Meanwhile, a report arrived at the Astronomical Association.

“Report to the Chairman. According to the latest data from the Sky Tower:

Yesterday, in the distant southeastern seas, an unknown island triggered a massive energy surge. Sword energy split the ocean and sky, disturbing the subtropical high-pressure zone.”

“Due to this sudden disturbance, Bibo Harbor will experience a sharp temperature rise within two weeks, reaching above 20°C.”