Starlight Lily of the Valley was intercepted, and at the very first moment, the Knights were already prepared to strike back hard at any attacking enemy.
These Knights, born for battle, were never afraid of a fight with monsters. As long as they were given a target, the spears and sharp swords in their hands would tear through any obstacle.
But.
Right now, no enemy appeared before them, as if this was nothing but an ordinary accident.
As time ticked by, the other passengers in the cabins all rushed out, trying to contact the outside world in their own ways while scrambling up the slanted Main Deck, wanting to see for themselves what had forced this Ark, the crystallization of the Human Race’s millennia of wisdom, to a halt.
But no matter who tried, there was simply no way to contact the outside. Even the Crystal Control Screen in the main control room had crashed after the collision, and the Magical Wall Clock on the wall had stopped ticking as well.
Fortunately, most of the passengers who boarded this vessel heading to the battle zone were seasoned and used to storms and waves, so there was no great panic.
Vyea, who had been pulled out by Aiselyn, also noticed something strange: it seemed like she was the only child on the ship.
No, that’s not right.
She was not a child.
“It’s over. The ship’s hurt and can’t move anymore.” Aiselyn said anxiously, placing the Human child back on the Main Deck, but still holding her hand tightly.
The more urgent the situation, the more cautious one must be.
This was the precious lesson Aiselyn had learned from years of traveling these lands, surviving countless brushes with death.
Suddenly, there was a commotion among the people on the deck.
A chubby man in a white official uniform squeezed into the crowd with the help of the Knights, taking a deep breath and shouting:
“I am the Deputy Captain of this vessel! Everyone, don’t panic! The Engine Room Crew and Repair Workers are doing their best to restore the Ark’s power system! We have the finest Master Repair Worker of the Human Race on board, providing top-notch technical support, and our Captain has forty years of experience—surely, with their skills, they will lead us out of danger!”
After catching his breath, the plump Deputy Captain shouted again, “The great Reversal Hero is leading her elite Knights to investigate the surrounding waters! As soon as there’s any discovery, we will…”
Vyea didn’t bother listening to the rest. In her eyes, things were already very bad.
From past experiences with situations like this, as soon as the top officers personally came out to reassure the people, Vyea knew: it was bad.
“Aiselyn, can you come with me off the ship to find that Hero?” Vyea tugged on the Elf girl’s sleeve.
“Eh? Why do you want to find that brave, fearless, flat-chested Hero… It’s dangerous out there.” Aiselyn hesitated, “We don’t even know what’s going on yet. Rushing off without enough information doesn’t make for a qualified adventurer, you know.”
“…So we can’t?” Vyea pursed her lips.
Aiselyn shook her head, “It’s not that we can’t. How about we wait for them to return on the ship? I can use magic for you, make you food, play things… If you’re nervous, I can even secretly play some relaxing music for you while that flat-chested Hero isn’t here.”
“Wouldn’t that be bad? People are already anxious.” Vyea’s gaze wandered. “Also, you always talk about Hero-sis like that. Isn’t it a little too much?”
“It’s fine. Protecting children isn’t just a tradition of you Humans—it’s one for us of the Elf Tribe too.”
Aiselyn patted her wobbling chest, half-joking to lighten the mood:
“Besides, I’m just stating the facts. If that isn’t allowed, that flat-chested Hero is just too petty. Don’t you think so?”
“Hmph!”
A cold snort sounded from behind, making Aiselyn freeze.
“You Elves don’t know that talking behind people’s backs about their chest size is also a form of verbal attack?”
No one knew when the blue-haired, red-eyed Hero had arrived behind them, her expression frosty.
However, her gaze only lingered on Aiselyn for a moment before moving to Vyea at her side.
“Ahem, I heard there’s a group of octopuses on the western coast who laugh at your hairstyle?”
Aiselyn stepped in front of Vyea, pulling from her cloak a monster bounty notice scrawled with the words “Sorry”,
“I’ll bet ten gold coins they’ll be singing sea shanties praising your looks before sunset!”
“…Huh?”
Denonas Rotissa touched her hair, then, belatedly realizing, glared at the innocent, shrugging silver-haired Elf. She turned back to Vyea, eyes full of suspicion:
“You’re the one that woman specially recommended to me, called Vyea, the ‘Super Helper’?”
“Eh?”
Vyea was stunned by the question. That woman? Could it be referring to that cheeky pink-haired shorty?
And what the heck is a ‘Super Helper’? Who gave her that nickname? It’s so corny!
“You’re Vyea from Fengxiang Town, 1.3 meters tall, right?”
Seeing the white-haired child saying nothing, just glaring at her with displeasure, Rotissa rested her chin in thought, then looked Vyea over from head to toe before nodding affirmatively:
“Then I’m not mistaken. After all, you’re the only child on this ship. Right, from Feng—”
“Stop! Yes, that’s me. Please don’t repeat it!”
Vyea raised a hand in surrender. Having someone she knew recite her height out loud was truly embarrassing.
Couldn’t you consider the feelings of the person you’re talking about?
Can’t you wait until I’m a bit older…
“That’s good. Please come with me.”
Having confirmed her identity, Rotissa reached out her hand to the little helper, her face expectant.
She was genuinely curious—why was such a cute and harmless child described as “ghost-like in form, monstrous in strength”?
Seeing her teammate about to be dragged into something dangerous, Aiselyn was instantly displeased and stepped forward to block Rotissa.
“What kind of trouble would make a proud, steadfast Hero ask an underage child for help?”
Aiselyn sighed softly, using her sword hilt to gently push Rotissa’s outstretched hand aside. “We adults aren’t even dead yet, how can we let a child go to the battlefield?”
“Aiselyn, it’s fine.”
Vyea grabbed the silver-haired Elf’s traveler’s cloak, smiling, “Let’s go take a look together… You’ll protect your teammates, won’t you?”
In the dim Glacial Waters, an Ark that looked like it was encased in golden amber.
Countless shimmering blue shadows floated below the surface, like ghosts in the water.
An Unknown Predator was weaving an Invisible Giant Net across these waters, just waiting for the Starlight Lily of the Valley to intrude, so that it could devour the Ark trapped in its web, like a spider preying on a moth.
And now, it was simply biding its time.
Waiting for its prey to gradually collapse in despair amidst uncertainty and fear, and make an irreversible mistake.
That would be its moment to strike.
Riding on Aiselyn’s shoulders, Vyea sighed. Oh no… she was starting to like being treated specially as a little kid.